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View topic - Neoflash Genesis cart with SMS FM support will be released!

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  • Joined: 24 Jun 2006
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Neoflash Genesis cart with SMS FM support will be released!
Post Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 5:00 pm
Last edited by timofonic on Wed Jul 19, 2006 11:16 am; edited 1 time in total
Hello,

I know this isn't strictly 8bit, but it can be very interesting for 8bit people too!

Neoflash is better known for their GBA and NDS flash carts, but they are now starting in the retro world too. All their carts use only USB instead parallel like other competitors, having a lot faster transfer rates and better compatibility in newer computers. There are already available a pcengine flash cart (using USB, of course) and announced several retro flash carts: Sega Genesis, SNES, N64 and a still unknown (mysterious) future product.

I was informing about this review offer to quite a lot of many sites but tired and occupied with personal stuff, but now I'm informing you about this offer. Several others were accepted, so not sure if they will say "yes" to another page.


UPDATE: The MD/N64/SNES carts will support the Neo2 SD/TF/Lite carts. It's not fully explained, but the carts will be used for storing ROMs on them. With the same MD/N64/SNES cart you will can program NDS/GBA roms and using it on a GBA/NDS directly, due to USB Slim Loader functions built-in.This is called the NEO MYTH project.[/b]

Here is the tech specs about the Genesis flash cart:


SPEC:
* Support SEGA MK3 (SG-1000 Mark III) / Master System / Megadrive / 32X games on your MegaDrive/Genesis console,all in one solution!
* Multi-Roms support,use menu to select the game on your screen.
* Support SRAM save function.
* Use USB linker to burn,very easy and fast.
* Support SMS FM (Yamaha YM2413 included on Japanese Sega Master System and MK3 as optional) on Megadrive/Genesis(for NEO MD-FM version only)!
* Flash size from 128Mb up to 1Gb
* NEW: Neo2 DS/TF/Lite compatible. Use those carts for storing ROMs directly and put NDS/GBA roms for using it directly on a GBA/NDS console, thanks to the USB Slim Loader functiuons built-in.


Old product photo, showed for historical reasons:





Recent photos:


Family photo


It will not stick if you use the Neo2-Lite on it





With USB Slim Loader functions built-in, so you will can connect the cart to the USB port directly.



As you can see, even it's not needed to disconnecting the cart from the console for programming with the USB port, a nice thing for those like me that use backup units and having a TV near of our computer.








Because this page is about the 8bit world, I'm not sure if a review of this product can be accepted here, but it can be very interesting a depth review/testing of the 8bit compatibility ;)

They have an offer about offering a free Neoflash Genesis for a review. Go to here and write a forum thread about your review offer. They will finally accept or not after judging your page. Due to recent changes on the flash carts, it's quite possible that they include a Neo2 cart for free too. Please mention me in the forum post ;)


Best regards,
timofonic

PS: I'm not from neoflash staff, just an enthusiast about the retro scene and flash carts. I did some PR about uCON64 too (find my nickname here)
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Post Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 5:54 pm
Very interesting. You wouldn't happen to know anything about -how- it plays FM, do you? Does it attempt to map YM2413 commands to the YM2612, or does it have a real YM2413 onboard? I wouldn't know how successful the former would be--- each chip has some unique features not supported in the other chip, and I'm not sure how the audio pass-through would work in the latter, but I'm intrigued.
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Post Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 7:08 pm
I have no idea about that. Ask them HERE directly. Maybe Dr.Neo or other member of the Neoflash team can reply you about this ;)

Because it seems there are nice SMS devs on this forum/community, I hope to having a nice collaboration with Neoflash about this product with SMS compatibility ;)
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Post Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 9:57 pm
Mmm $200 smackers for the regular one on pre-order. Definately will get one. Shame all I'm affliated with is DCEmu and CV or else I'd try a shot at a free one.

My main concern with the USB models was the same as with the Dreamcast project to make a coders cable hook up via USB. The designer had sucess with it on many USB chipsets but if I recall some older USB chipsets along with some used on macs at the time had issues with maintaining speed I think it was. A few had connectivity problems completely.

Been a while but I think I have his plans and code around here somewhere.
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Post Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 9:27 am
The Mega Drive can mix in audio from the cartridge slot, so they have a YM2413 (or one of the recent almost-compatible clones) on the cart connected to those lines. If I had a Mega Drive I'd get one.
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Post Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 10:26 am
Maxim wrote
The Mega Drive can mix in audio from the cartridge slot, so they have a YM2413 (or one of the recent almost-compatible clones) on the cart connected to those lines. If I had a Mega Drive I'd get one.


I can donate you a PAL one. From where are you? Send me a PM with your address.
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Post Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 12:01 pm
Perhaps I should rephrase...

If I was into Mega Drive stuff, I'd probably have a Mega Drive, and then I'd want one of these. As it is, I have a nice Japanese SMS and I'd much rather play SMS software on an SMS, especially an original one with the FM chip, and when we get those expansion port adapters I'll be all set.

Incidentally, here's an old thread about these carts (or, some similar sounding ones)
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Post Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 5:31 pm
Ok, I understand.

And maybe has something in common, there are no details about how the SMS FM is implemented in the NeoFlash cart actually.
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Post Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 11:17 am
Post updated, see it for more information.
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