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[Rayder]

I received my brand-new SC miniSD yesterday and should receive the Transcend 80X miniSD card today. This combo should work well, right?

I have some noob questions: (trust me when I say I won't be a noob to all this for long. I'm a quick study. :wink: )

1) When they say to put files in the "root of the flashcard",  they mean to put the files directly on the card, but not in any folders, correct?  Like when I get it, I need to put the latest BIOS and firmware  for my SC on the card by itself (no folders) and turn it on to automatically update the card? Do I put both at the same time? I have yet to actually find clear instructions on this. I DO understand how to format the SD card, that's not the issue.

2) I didn't get a disk or instructions with my SCminiSD (just a box with the SC in it), was I supposed to get anything else?  I saw a combo package a little while ago at RHS for a SCminiSD and a Superkey that came with a disk.  I assumed the disk was for the SCminiSD.  Was it actually for the Superkey instead?  What was on the disk?  Why didn't I get one when I bought my SCminiSD?

3) At the current point in time, I have no Superkey/passme device, nor is my DSlite flashed.  What limitations will I have on my SCminiSD?  I know I can't play DS roms or any dual-screen homebrew proggies this way, but are there any other limitations by not having a Superkey or a flashed DS with a SCminiSD? (I will be buying the SCDS(one) soon from RHS, but not right away)

4) By giving a percentage (%), how good is SNES emulation on the DS in your opinion.  This is one of my main reasons for getting a SC, which is why I'm asking.  Will SNES games need to be patched to work?  What's the best SNES emu to use?  How flaky is the emu?

5) I guess I should ask the same thing about NES emu. I understand that the built-in NES emulator is not great?  What's a better one to use?  NES and SNES emu is my primary reasons for getting a flashcart.

6) I read somewhere that the Moonshell that comes with SC is an old version.  Can SC's be upgraded with a newer Moonshell?  Is it necessary to upgrade it for any special functionality?

7) Final question.  What will happen if I plug the SC into my DS without a flashcart in it?  Will it hurt anything?  What will the flashcart do or show me? I'm afraid to even power up the SC without a SD card in it at this point, but I'm real anxious to get started.  I have to wait about another 6 hours before myminiSD card shows up.  

Sorry for asking such noob questions and I hope I don't sound too ignorant asking these questions, but I've been lurking here on these forums for about a month now and have not seen direct answers to these questions.  Like I said, I may be a noob now, but that will change VERY quickly. Until I actually get the miniSD card, all I can do is look at my new SC and the questions are building fast.

Any tips you can give this flashcart noob will be highly appreciated.

Thanks

[ratx]

Hiya

Heres some quick answers, I'm sure others will supply more detailed ones...

1 - Yes you're right, thats the root. There is no bios files for the old supercards, just firmware files and yup you just put them on the root and boot up.

2 - I don't know what that CD had on it but you don't need to worry about it. All the software you'll ever need can be downloaded from the supercard site, here or elsewhere.

3 - Without a passme/superkey whatever you can only run GBA based stuff from the supercard, no NDS stuff whatsoever.  There is however a lot of GBA based emulators and homebrew though.

4 - Well IMHO its pretty poor but I'm a bit of an emulation snob.. Some other people will surely reply with more information on this front.

5 - See above.

6 - The Moonshell that comes with the SC ONE is a specially modified version to allow it to play NDS roms. If you upgrade it you'll loose that functionality... I'm sure in time the Supercard team will release updated modified versions. Of course you can upgrade anytime you want with an old SLOT2 Supercard.

[tennisgy]

what Ratx said and
2)It has firmware and patchers for miscelaneous (sp?) flascarts and the GBA movie player and converter.
4)Hmmm...Not sure i use SnesDS myself.  From what I hear Its better than DS because the GBA is close to the SNES in hardware and stuff
edit-I forgot to way there is a wiki on the compatibility list and you have to patch the roms first i think  :wink:

edit2-Lol i forgot the name, its called Snes Advance
http://gbaemu.dcemu.co.uk/snesadvance.shtml
just downloading the entire package from here should do good
http://www.snesadvance.org/

edit3-Snezziboy looks good too
http://wiki.pocketheaven.com/Snezziboy_Compatibility_List

[Rayder]

Thanks for the info.  I'm sure all of this will be very helpful when I get that miniSD card later today.

Another question about updating my SC.....

I have D/L'd 2 files for updating; setupsdV257en.rar and setupsdV258en.rar.  The 258 one doesn't have the sd_170.bin file in it.  Will I need that .bin file from the 257 rar and then couple it with the 258.exe file?
Do I put both files on the SD card at the same time or should I do one first, then the other? If so, what order?  Once those files do what they are supposed to do, can I remove those files from the card or do they have to stay there?

Also, when you said that I could only do GBA emu without a superkey/passme/flashed DS, does that mean I won't be able to do NES and SNES until I get a superkey/passme, or is that part of the GBA emu criteria and should work fine for me?

Again, sorry for asking a bunch of stupid noob questions, but I want to make sure I'm doing this stuff correctly on my first attempt.

Once I get up to speed on all this stuff, I plan to become more of a helpful member of these forums instead of just some noob asking questions.

I can't begin to describe how anxious I am for the miniSD card to show up.  I've been pacing around, looking out the window a lot waiting for UPS to show. Excitement level is quite high right now. I can barely stand it.

[Koji]

There are SNES emus for GBA, but they are less advanced and don't feature sound. Also the GBA screen is a little smaller then the DS screen so the images are more squished then on the DS (which are still squished as well as they are short the native SNES resolution). NES games for the most part run really well, but again run better in DS mode.

Yes you will need the sd_170.bin as it's what upgrades the firmware on your super card. The other file is the patching software you use on your computer.

Don't feel bad about asking, we're all new at some point.

[dantheman]

You will only be able to use the Supercard in GBA mode until you get your Superkey.  Because of this, you'll be limited to the emulators made for the GBA.  These include PocketNES (a very good NES emulator for the GBA) and SNES Advance and Snezziboy for SNES.  These two SNES emulators do run at less than full speed and without sound, but many games are still enjoyable.  Of the two, my personal preference is Snezziboy, but that's just me.  See http://wiki.pocketheaven.com for more info on each of these emulators.  

Once you get a Superkey, your options increase.  There's NES DS which offers speedup/rewind with L and R plus dynamic screen resizing, and there's also NesterDS.  For SNES, you've got SNEmulDS, SNES DS, and SnezziDS, all of which have various advantages and disadvantages, with different compatibility.  All of them are playable on the SC miniSD.  They all offer sound (using the same sound core made by gladius).  Once again, check the PHWiki for more info.  

Note that PocketNES is the NES emulator built into the Supercard firmware, so if you want you can just copy your .nes files onto your card and run them directly from the Supercard software.

[Rayder]

There are SNES emus for GBA, but they are less advanced and don't feature sound. Also the GBA screen is a little smaller then the DS screen so the images are more squished then on the DS (which are still squished as well as they are short the native SNES resolution). NES games for the most part run really well, but again run better in DS mode.

Yes you will need the sd_170.bin as it's what upgrades the firmware on your super card. The other file is the patching software you use on your computer.

Don't feel bad about asking, we're all new at some point.

Ah!  I didn't know that about the NES/SNES emu's.  That is a critical bit of info and is essential to my overall plans, and does a lot to speed up my necessity to purchase a SCDS(one).  Thanks for the info!

Ok, I see. That's what the .exe is for. Got it. (there will likely be more questions/investigations into that later....once that dang miniSD card shows up...looks out the window...)

Once I use the sd_170.bin file and it updates, can I then dump that file or should it be left there?

-----

Let me outline my essential uses for the flash carts. I realize some of this will REQUIRE a slot 1 card, which I'll be getting soon enough (SCDS is the one I plan to couple with my SCminSD).

NES/SNES emu.  'Nuff said.  I'm old-school (39 years old) so these are the whole reason for me even caring about these flashcart devices in the first place.

Opera web-browser.  Since Ninty doesn't feel that the U.S.A. is worthy of our own version and I want it............ :evil:

An organizer program.  (to bypass that "does not conform to their master plan" issue with Ninty) This is something That boggles my mind as to WHY Ninty wouldn't let something like this be created.  Oh-so useful.  They shoulda gave us something like this over a year ago....especially if they REALLY do want to attract more than just gamers.

EVERYTHING else is secondary to my schemes, though having pics, videos  and tunes on the DS can be somewhat useful.

As for playing GBA and/or DS roms.......I might actually use that function sometimes.  But I pretty much have all the games I want for both DS and GBA as official carts, so...meh. :|   Though I DO see the benefit of having many games on one cart.  I didn't miss that. :wink:

-------

I figure that will at least give everyone an idea of why I'm asking my questions and what direction I plan to go with all this.  Thusly, you guys will better understand how to answer.

As you may have noticed, I tend to be somewhat verbose with my posting.  Heh, sorry.  :oops:

........ARG!  Where is that UPS guy already?!?

[iignotus]

The DS is fantastic, but if you're an older gamer and THAT into retro stuff, you might like a GP2X better.

[tennisgy]

after the SC is updated you can delete the 1.70 bin

[Rayder]

Aw man!  UPS came and all that was received is my bro's harddrive....no miniSD card.....WAHHHH!  Now I have to wait until tomorrow.  WAHHHH!

[dantheman]

That's good though.  It will give you more time to read up more about your various options.

Just to forewarn you, SNES emulation on the GBA and DS isn't the greatest.  I mean, by using all three emulators for the DS, a good share of the SNES library is compatible, but there are graphic and sound issues that could still be worked out.  In addition, there are certain games that will never be playable on the DS because they use additional coprocessors.  These include popular titles like Super Mario RPG, Mario Kart, and Kirby Super Star.  For a full list, see http://wiki.pocketheaven.com/SNES_games_with_special_chips

Of the three emulators, SNES DS is fairly old and uses the SNES Advance graphics engine, meaning that for the best experience you'll need to use the 11-27 version and the latest SuperDAT from http://urashima.cydonianknight.com/snesadvance.dat.  SNEmulDS is still somewhat new and doesn't run most games at fullspeed even with vblank off and speedhacks applied (it's a port from a DOS emulator, so he's slowly optimizing the code for DS assembler).  It also loads games into RAM, so games nearing 4 MB in size won't run.  

SnezziDS only works on slot-2 cards like the SC miniSD that you have, and supports the most features.  It has partial HDMA support, allowing games like Chrono Trigger, some levels of DKC2, and most levels of DKC3 to be fully playable.  It also runs games at fullspeed with sound, without the need for speedhacks (although they can be applied if you wish).  The downside is that each SNES game must be compiled into a separate .nds file, and you'll need to use QPC saving on your SC miniSD in order to keep your saves.    Note that with this emulator, you will need to adjust the background settings during gameplay.  Press L+R+Start to access the menu, or simply press L+R+Select+Up a few times, which cycles through various known "good" combinations.  You'll usually find a setting that works well.  Snezziboy for the GBA has this feature as well, but with fewer combinations to cycle through, so it's sometimes better to use the compatibility list at the PHWiki if a game has already been looked at and has had good background settings found.  

NES emulation on the contrary is pretty darn good really.  Compatibility with both PocketNES and NES DS is very high, and they sport additional features such as savestates and various display modes.  Be sure to get the latest WIP version of NES DS by emu_kidd though, not the latest official release.

For an organizer program, many people swear by DSOrganize, which sports many features in addition to just PDA-like organizer abilities.  

For pics and text, you can choose between Moonshell and DSOrganize.  I've had more success getting large pictures to load in Moonshell, while DSOrganize's text viewer properly wraps words, which is convenient for reading.  For videos, Moonshell is your only real option, and it works well.

EDIT:  oh, and by the way, once you upgrade your firmware to 1.7, test QPC saving.  If it suddenly doesn't work and you start seeing "Do you load from SD?" instead of "Do you save to SD?", then you'll need to downgrade to 1.63b.  Don't worry, I've done it myself on my SC miniSD without any problems.  Something about the newest firmware screws up QPC saving on some Supercards.  The newer firmware really only increases DS game compatibility, and since you said you weren't that interested in it, that shouldn't be an issue.  Just know that if you use v1.63b, you'll need to use the patcher software that came with it, not the software that came with 1.7.

[Rayder]

The great, "Wait for the UPS truck" continues on for another day....

I ran the self-test mode.....it says everything is OK.  Of course it errors on the flashcard check (error code:3), but that's because there is no card in it at the moment. I will assume without investigating that error code:3 means "no card detected", it only stands to reason. It currently has the 1.63 firmware in it.
------------------
From supercard.cn:
SELF TEST MODE
Hold L+R and turn on the power. Press A to test every part of SuperCard. If there is a "error" display that your SuperCard broken.
------------------

Are you saying that I should leave it at the 1.63 firmware?  Would the card have said 1.63b instead of just 1.63 if it had 1.63b version in it?  Should I flash it with the 1.63b firmware just to make sure?

 Until I get a SCDS, DS roms are impossible anyway.  I might as well go with the 1.63b firmware if it's known to work well, until I DO get a SCDS.

I hope UPS shows up early today. I wanna play!

[dantheman]

I believe the 1.63b was only created so that users could safely downgrade to it without bricking their Supercards, as the original version would freeze at 33%.  It offers no other changes, so you'd be fine sticking with the one on your Supercard.  You can try 1.7 if you want, to see if QPC saving still works, but if DS roms don't interest you, it might be simpler to just leave it the way it is.

[Rayder]

Well, my Transcend 2gig 80X miniSD finally came in......I've managed to figure out NES and GBA gaming well enough, as well as making movie files.

I thought the SC was supposed to support MP3's?  Whenever I put any on the card, they aren't listed when running GBA movie player or just looking straight to them.  What's up with that?  Do they have to be a lower bitrate or something.  wav files work, but not MP3's.  :?

The biggest issue I'm having now is trying to get SNES emu going.  I'm trying to get Super Punch-Out working and have actually gotten to the point of the game booting, but in every emu I get about the same thing......I get as far as to where you are supposed to enter your name and that's as far as it will go.  When it shows the title screen, the ring is separated into 4 parts and are aligned all wrong.  I never got to the point of actually playing the game.  

What am I doing wrong?

[Koji]

Heh that list you pointed to at pocket heaven was something I put together for them ^_^

There is no chance of any of those special chip games ever working on GBA, but I do believe that some of the DSP-1 games could eventually be playable, possibly even at full speed. The other chips though I wouldn't get your hopes up over. The SA-1 chip is like an overclocked SNES on a chip. The SuperFX chips all have a fairly high clockrate which makes them unsuited for raw emulation. SDD-1 used a complex algorithm for decompressing graphics, it's also not a likely candidate for raw emulation, though using graphics packs similar to how it was done on PCs before emulation of the chip was completed IS possible... but it would take a lot of work and it would probably slow down games. C4 might be possible as well... but I'm completely unsure on it.