New Project: USB Linker for NeoPocket and SaveMasta memory cards

[NeoTurfMasta]

For a few weeks now, Flavor and I have been working on a Linker project that originally started for NeoPocket only, but has since grown to include support for memory cards.

Right now the proto of the linker can backup and restore save states on original NGP carts and can program existing Bung cards. It can also dump and write the contents of the SaveMasta memory card via usb. No video of the memory card yet, but it has been confirmed working.

So here's the question, is this something you guys would want?

 

[xiao_haozi]

YES!
Linux?

I'd also be curious, when you guys reply, to hear if you're most interested in the SaveMasta linker functionality, the Neo Geo Pocket cart linker functionality, or the ability to do both?

... both.

 

[Flavor]

I'd also be curious, when you guys reply, to hear if you're most interested in the SaveMasta linker functionality, the Neo Geo Pocket cart linker functionality, or the ability to do both?

 

[caren103]

It sounds very interesting.

Hope somewhere in the future it could lead to a Neo-Geo AES "Flashcart" with USB connection and SD card.

EDIT: That Flavor is the Flavor creator of this page? : http://www.personal.triticom.com/~erm/NGPC/

 

[Flavor]

EDIT: That Flavor is the Flavor creator of this page? : http://www.personal.triticom.com/~erm/NGPC/

Yes

 

[metallizer]

I'd say yes but it would be much more interesting getting it bundled with Neo Pocket Flashmasta Cart whenever it gets finished, so the linker would see some real use.

 

[kuk]

i will interested but in fonction of the price of course

 

[distropia]

It would be great to be able to backup the NeoSaveMastav2. But it would be greater if you could finish the four player project or start a memcard reader for the neo boards that don't have it

 

[rcantor77]

Backing up the NeoSaveMasta would be great, I think it will only come into it's own when we can save high scores. A backup at that point would be awesome.

 

[Flavor]

Keeping a backup of your save data and having the ability to restore it is always nice even by itself.

Once that ability to backup data from the SaveMasta is available to people, though, then we can come up with novel things to do with the data. The obvious one would be a high score board, but I'm thinking there will be others. Access to the data must come first, though.

 

[ghibben]

I would be interested in the savemasta function. Not so much the NGPC.

 

[Xian Xi]

Mac PPC?

 

[Flavor]

Mac PPC?

I think so. The code running on the computer should be easily portable. I'm expecting it to compile anywhere, but until tested I could never say for sure.

 

[rcantor77]

Ooh, an online scoreboard driven directly from the Neo... i'm liking the sound of it.

The one thing I hate nowadays is finding people to play with (Neo that is)
All my mates have moved on with gaming and don;t want to look back.. they just want to play Blck Ops or GT5.. great games but the longevity is just not there.

So an online scoreboard would open up some great challenges on here and give another reason to play these awesome games. Make it feel like we are online gaming with the Neo...

Flavor and NTM... in the words Captain Jean-Luc Picard... Engage..
Oh no, I mean... Make it so...

 

[caren103]

Yes

You made a lot of people VERY HAPPY with your works along the time.

I used your Gameboy flashcart menus, with Bung and EMS cart, and even we interchanged information about how them worked in your forum... around 2002.

Thank you for all!!!


Regarding this new project, it seems very interesting.

 

[Flavor]

You made a lot of people VERY HAPPY with your works along the time.

I used your Gameboy flashcart menus, with Bung and EMS cart, and even we interchanged information about how them worked in your forum... around 2002.

Thank you for all!!!

Regarding this new project, it seems very interesting.

Yeah, I think I remember that. I had forgotten that anyone ever used the Gameboy menu stuff I did. I wonder how many EMS cart users there were. I don't think it was very popular, since the Bung ones were nicer.

The new project is heavily based on my old NGP (and even a bit of the GameBoy) work. It's fun to finally come back to all this stuff.

 

[ghibben]

I hadn't thought of uploading high scores, that would be cool.

 

[Flavor]

Mac PPC?

I just heard that it's been tested and works on PowerPC. It should be portable to just about any computer with USB, I think.

 

[ametur_poet]

Excellent work so far; I would definitely be interested in a USB linker for my NGPC cart. I hate having to start up my old, half-broken Win98 desktop just to flash my flashcart. Hope everything goes well in development.

 

[Flavor]

Excellent work so far; I would definitely be interested in a USB linker for my NGPC cart. I hate having to start up my old, half-broken Win98 desktop just to flash my flashcart. Hope everything goes well in development.

This is exactly why we are making this USB linker! It will already do everything you need to do with your Bung cart, and it'll run on your current machine. Thanks for the post.

 

[fenikso]

Very interested in the Flash linker. More interested in the NGPC side of it though, if it helps keep the costs down.

 

[cyriades]

Great ideas...I would definitely be interested in both the NGPC and SaveMasta functions. When is this linker expected to be near finished?

 

[Flavor]

It's already working for both NGPC and Savemasta in prototype form. It's just a matter of producing them.

Current Plan

We're expecting to make a couple small runs of NGPC-only ones. We will make 3 of them to make sure it's all good. I am just waiting on one package to arrive, and then I'm ready to put them together. I think these are spoken for already.

Then, we will make 8 more. These will be for testing and for the people like "ametur_poet" above who need them for their old Bung (Mr. Flash) carts. After those are in the wild, then we will look into producing the version with both NGPC and Savemasta functionality.

 

[Mike26]

i have a pocket linker and flash if you need me to test anything, let me know. i can even throw windows 98 on an old pc i have to test out the old hardware if needed

 

[mastamuzz]

Is this in your plans too "Neo Pocket Flashmasta Cart" because if it is I would be more than interested on getting one! I hope this project gets finished soon! I can't wait! sounds so awesome almost unbelievable!