So, I bought an Everdrive...
What is an Everdrive?
An Everdrive is brand name for a flash cartridge made by the Ukrainian company Krikkz. It's made to house a SD card with game roms, then flashes a game to it's internal memory and runs it directly through your old retro console. Replicating exactly how the proper game cartridges ran through the original hardware. There's no emulation or fakery about it, the console gets fed the game like it did all those years ago and plays it just how you remember from back in the day. There are alternatives to these products made by other companies, and they're not a new invention by any means; going far back to similar devices that could be used with floppy discs on the very same consoles, but Krikkz's ones are those I have experience with and own personally.Everdrives are a fantastic way to reduce wear on your old consoles and preserve games that become increasingly difficult to get hold of. It's also a way cheaper way of enjoying classic games if you simply do not have the money or time to collect the actual physical copies for. While I don't support pirating of games, some of the prices on retrogames have risen beyond sense on online bidding. Games that are rare, rise in price regardless of their quality, simply becoming collection objects rather than what they actually should be: games to be played and enjoyed.
Krikkz offers a wide range of Everdrive cartridges for various cartridge based systems; NES, Master System, Game Boy Advance, Mega Drive, SNES etc. to mention a few. There's likely something there for most retro console owners, even with more obscure systems like the TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine. The website releases updates to the firmware running on the Everdrive cartridges too, making the products improve over time and cater for new menu options that users request.
Are they tricky to set up?
Absolutely not. After ordering your preferred Everdrive and buying the SD card it requires, some need a standard size SD while others require a micro SD, you simply set it up on a PC. Firstly, you'll need the firmware operating system your Everdrive cartridge requires. They're available for download under each Everdrive systems page on the Krikkz website. Unzipping the firmware onto the SD card leaves you with the structure your Everdrive requires. Then you can make folders where you place your game roms. Whether you want to make separate folders alphabetically, top ten titles or after genres; is up to you.When the SD card is set up with your preferred game roms on it, it's time to insert it into your Everdrive cartridge. The cartridge goes into your console just like a standard game cartridge, power the console on and you're brought to an Everdrive menu. Here you can browse to your preferred game and start it! It's that easy, plus you can even try modded versions of games featuring new colour palettes, swapped item locations etc. or how about playing some homebrew titles never released before?!
Everdrives work across all of the consoles region locks. Regardless of you being in the US, Japan or a European country (PAL vs. NTSC). It will run games from that region of your console. It may also be compatible for games not built for your console region. At least for Europeans though, purchasing a NTSC console is preferred to get a proper game speed of 60Hz . Provided your old CRT TV or new LCD TV can take 60Hz signals through SCART or Composite input (most PAL TV's do).
A tour of each version
There are some differences for each version of the Everdrives I own, so let me take you quickly through them. Plus some buying tips along the way to make your purchase smarter and aimed towards the best experience.
Mega Everdrive
The Mega Everdrive is probably the most "bang for your buck" purchase of all the Everdrive's. It's one of the longest going and most popular models from Krikkz too. The Mega Drive was a very clean console when it came to it's software, much like the Master System before it. Free of enhancement chips on individual games, thus making the library highly compatible with an Everdrive. It not only gives you access to 99% of the MD's library, Virtua Racing being the only official incompatible game I can think of, as it featured a graphics enhancement chip, but it also lets you play the 8-bit MS library too! It's an incredible way of enjoying all of Sega's 8-bit and 16-bit console years. The Everdrive will also run 32X games, but this of course requires the actual 32X hardware to run.You can purchase three different types of the Mega Everdrive; X3, X5 and X7. These models are priced after their number of options they offer, X7 being the most expensive model. You can read about what each model does on the Krikkz website and choose a model which suits you best. In short though, X7 features some neat in-game menus, a save state (although it's buggy) and can be used as a Mega CD ram cartridge. It's the model I have, although mine was bought prior to the X naming convention. Both X5 and X7 save your games without having to hit the MD's reset button to return to the menus. All three models have a dedicated button for the MS pause button, just like the Power Base Converter had.
My tip: Buy the X5 Mega Everdrive, it's the mid-range price with the most options you'll need for a stock MD. If you own a Mega CD, then go for the X7.
The MD's console region dictates the output picture Hz of the games run; NTSC consoles output the proper speed at 60Hz, while the PAL consoles output a slower 50Hz signal, making the games run 16,7% slower than intended. This is just what all PAL consoles did back in the day because they were not built to cater for the PAL standard, after all most games were made in Japan and the US anyhow.
Keeping in mind that some modern European HD flatscreens and old CRT's do not support a 60Hz NTSC picture; you really should buy an american Genesis (MD's US name) or a Japanese MD. Both run all games at 60Hz and will only lock you out of a few PAL hardcoded titles released there, mostly Europe exclusive Codemasters titles. Going 60Hz is so worth it to play the games how they were intended to play.
US and Japanese MDs are easy to get hold of, but I recommend buying a first model version, preferably the model with the "High Definition Graphics" text written on the upper part of the outer ring surrounding the cartridge slot. It's the model with the best sound and a dedicated audio jack plug output for that stereo goodness. Though a Mega Drive/Genesis 2 will do fine for those wanting a smaller console and don't care about audio/picture quality. An RGB cable for super sharp picture is also a must-have!
My tip: Buy the cheaper v2.5 if you don't mind resetting the console after using games that save internally without the Memory Pak. It's an easy routine to get used to for the lower price; finished playing the game? Hit that reset button before turning the console off.
Keeping in mind that some modern European HD flatscreens and old CRT's do not support a 60Hz NTSC picture; you really should buy an american Genesis (MD's US name) or a Japanese MD. Both run all games at 60Hz and will only lock you out of a few PAL hardcoded titles released there, mostly Europe exclusive Codemasters titles. Going 60Hz is so worth it to play the games how they were intended to play.
US and Japanese MDs are easy to get hold of, but I recommend buying a first model version, preferably the model with the "High Definition Graphics" text written on the upper part of the outer ring surrounding the cartridge slot. It's the model with the best sound and a dedicated audio jack plug output for that stereo goodness. Though a Mega Drive/Genesis 2 will do fine for those wanting a smaller console and don't care about audio/picture quality. An RGB cable for super sharp picture is also a must-have!
Everdrive 64
Much like the MD, the Nintendo 64 also avoided enhancement chip in it's games. The game library is therefore highly compatible with the Everdrive 64. There are two models to choose from with a couple of major differences: The v3 version, the expensive top model, features an automatic battery save system so you don't need to reset the console to save your game to the cartridge. Not a major inconvenience on the cheaper v2.5 model in my opinion, plus many of the N64 games require a Memory Pak to save anyhow. The v3 also has a built-in system clock, which helps a title like Animal Crossing to work properly as it requires a clock. Not looking into that particular game? Skip v3.My tip: Buy the cheaper v2.5 if you don't mind resetting the console after using games that save internally without the Memory Pak. It's an easy routine to get used to for the lower price; finished playing the game? Hit that reset button before turning the console off.
Buy any region N64 as the Everdrive 64 will run the games at either 50Hz (but why?!) or 60Hz with a flip of a switch on the cartridge. PAL N64 consoles will run US and Japanese NTSC game roms at 60Hz no problem if the switch is set for it. However, I recommend buying an RGB modded N64 from Ebay, remember also to buy either a SNES or Gamecube RGB SCART alongside it, otherwise it's pointless to buy a RGB modded console.
Be warned though, there's a ton of so called "N64 RGB" cables on Ebay that simply are composite ones. The N64 does NOT output RGB without hardware customisation. An RGB modded console with the proper RGB cable and a TV which supports it, will give the best and most clear picture, something the N64 desperately needs for it's renowned blurred image quality.
I would also recommend buying a non-official Memory Pak as they do run out of battery over time. It's really annoying that so many games relied on the Memory Pak on the N64, the cards on both PlayStation and Saturn required no battery for comparison. Plus, an official N64 Memory Pak requires you to un-solder the battery to get it loose should you wish to replace it down the road.
I would also recommend buying a non-official Memory Pak as they do run out of battery over time. It's really annoying that so many games relied on the Memory Pak on the N64, the cards on both PlayStation and Saturn required no battery for comparison. Plus, an official N64 Memory Pak requires you to un-solder the battery to get it loose should you wish to replace it down the road.
The unofficial ones like the Performance Memory Card don't require soldering to change the battery. Luckily the Everdrive 64 lets you dump all saves on a Memory Pak over to a file on the SD card and restore it back, definitely an convenient option to backup those cherished saves.
Games like Super Mario RPG, Super Mario Land 2: Yoshi's Island and Megaman X2 & X3 all have special enhancement chips that are specialised and not supported by the Super Everdrive. You can check a list online to see which titles which aren't supported, it's a fairly short list of about 30 games though, not a major chunk of the hundreds of SNES games available.
My tip: Buy the cheaper Super Everdrive, versus the far more expensive SD2SNES, which basically supports two-three extra Japanese titles. Add the DSP module to the Super Everdrive though, to get the most out of the SNES library. It's a small extra cost. The Super Everdrive takes a bit of time rewriting each game to flash memory though, not a major issue, but one that you should be aware of. SD2SNES does not have this issue, neither does the Mega Everdrive or Everdrive 64.
Super Everdrive
The Super Nintendo is a more tricky console to make an Everdrive for. Not nearly as bad as the enhancement chip forest that were NES games, the SNES uses quite a few enhancement chips on a handful of games. The most famous chip is the Super FX , heavily advertised by Nintendo, which the Everdrive does not replicate. I strongly recommend getting the DSP chip enhancement as you purchase the Super Everdrive to get all the DSP1 to 4 enhancement chip games working at least. The various DSP chips were the most commonly used, featured in titles like Mario Kart and Pilotwings.Games like Super Mario RPG, Super Mario Land 2: Yoshi's Island and Megaman X2 & X3 all have special enhancement chips that are specialised and not supported by the Super Everdrive. You can check a list online to see which titles which aren't supported, it's a fairly short list of about 30 games though, not a major chunk of the hundreds of SNES games available.
My tip: Buy the cheaper Super Everdrive, versus the far more expensive SD2SNES, which basically supports two-three extra Japanese titles. Add the DSP module to the Super Everdrive though, to get the most out of the SNES library. It's a small extra cost. The Super Everdrive takes a bit of time rewriting each game to flash memory though, not a major issue, but one that you should be aware of. SD2SNES does not have this issue, neither does the Mega Everdrive or Everdrive 64.
Just like the MD/Genesis the SNES console region dictates which games run at what Hz speed. I recommend buying a US SNES or a Super Famicom from Japan. Then you'll be able run any US or Japanese SNES roms at their proper 60HZ speed. NTSC and PAL roms will only run on their respective console region for the SNES anyhow.
An NTSC console will also open up a larger library of games. I find the US SNES console design aesthetically hideous, so I went with a Super Famicom, which looks just like a PAL SNES what I'm used to. Plus, pick up a SNES RGB cable online, it gives you the best picture, let those blurry composite cables die. Image quality wise when it comes to RGB output; the Mega Drive beats the SNES with a clearer and artefact-free output picture. This is more apparent when using the MD and SNES on modern flatscreens, but you really should be playing on a CRT or through a OSSC/Framemeister anyhow.
An NTSC console will also open up a larger library of games. I find the US SNES console design aesthetically hideous, so I went with a Super Famicom, which looks just like a PAL SNES what I'm used to. Plus, pick up a SNES RGB cable online, it gives you the best picture, let those blurry composite cables die. Image quality wise when it comes to RGB output; the Mega Drive beats the SNES with a clearer and artefact-free output picture. This is more apparent when using the MD and SNES on modern flatscreens, but you really should be playing on a CRT or through a OSSC/Framemeister anyhow.
Some Notes
For potential European MD and SNES buyers on the road to that 60Hz goodness: The Model 1 MD/Genesis can use any powerbrick made for it in any region. The power brick alters the power to the consoles 10V input. So buying a Genesis or a Japanese MD console if you already own the European one (be it UK or continental style) the MD power brick will power the console without needing a step-down converter.
Plus, that same MD power brick works for the Super Famicom and PAL SNES! Purchasing these as console only, without cables, controllers and boxing can be fairly cheap, it's reasonable way to play the games at their proper 60Hz speed. If you're a after a proper boxed console, for whatever collective reasons, will cost you much more.
So, to summarise all these three Everdrives:
Plus, that same MD power brick works for the Super Famicom and PAL SNES! Purchasing these as console only, without cables, controllers and boxing can be fairly cheap, it's reasonable way to play the games at their proper 60Hz speed. If you're a after a proper boxed console, for whatever collective reasons, will cost you much more.
So, to summarise all these three Everdrives:
- Buy a US or Japanese MD and SNES, plus RGB cables to get that wonderful 60Hz with the sharpest possible picture. All MD Model 1 region power bricks work on every Model 1, simply get the power brick for your region and plug it in any region MD Model 1, they work even on PAL and Japanese SNES consoles too.
- Buy any region N64 console, but consider buying a RGB modded one. Any model will play 60Hz with the flip of a switch on the Everdrive. Get a proper SNES/Gamecube RGB and avoid the N64 RGB cable fakes.
That's it for now, hope you find what you are looking for in retrogaming through this article! There's hours of fun to be had with each console and their large library's of games. As and ending note, for the love of all things retro: use RGB cables on your consoles and let the composite fussy picture die!