Way back in the early 2000s I used my GB Transferer to save my and my wife's pokemon Yellow and Blue saves. We went to Pokemon Event at the Woodbridge Mall in NJ and got Mew! It was very fun, they used modified Super Nintendos to load Mew on your cart!
Everything about your channel has helped me progress software and hardware wise and you have inspired me to invest in old consoles I have every system now each modified and preserved I love your intro and your passion, your informative videos never stop.
These devices are definitely a must have for Gameboy cartridge owners! I decided to go with the GB Operator over the GBxCart just because the PCB was protected in a nice clear shell, and it has a great user interface when linked to your PC. I would love a comparison video of the two Tito
Has anyone mentioned that the GB operator when in GB/C dumping mode (5v like DMG, pocket, and color), is feeding that 5v to the microcontrollers 3.3v only port? Either this will pull the cart down to 3.9v and stress the hell out of it, or the MCU getting dragged up to 5v, with both scenarios having potential to damage both the 20 year old carts and/or the gbO. Although, I must add that a few people have looked at gb operators from different factory batches, and it seems like the main microcontroller has been occasionally swapped with a pin-compatible model, so perhaps not all have the same errors.
I have both (GB Operator and this Insidegadgets GBxCart Pro 1.4). They function the same and they both read my original carts. GB Operator does look nicer physically with the shell. GBxCart's app is more technical whereas GB Operators is simpler but nicer looking and has a built in emulator. However, GB Operator doesn't yet support writing to my Insidegadgets 4MB MBC3 rewrite cart so I have to use the GBx to write my games for now. And neither work yet with my Surface Pro X Arm64 tablet so I have to use other laptops to do both.
Perfect Timing for this video, was about to do a heap of save batteries on both mine and my brothers pokemon games and we were looking at hours of doing trades so try and save progress. had no idea this device existed until now. Thankyou :) ill definitely be getting one.
Can confirm the GB Camera functionality works well and is easy to use. I bought one of these about a year ago and used it to flash the Final Fantasy V and VI romhacks that restore the music in those games to sound like the SNES versions and gift them to friends. This device can also write roms to fake/repro carts as well, which is handy if you find yourself in possession of one of those fake carts and want to put a different game on there. Figuring out what you *can* put on the repro/fake cart can be difficult, however, since not every game will fit/work. Still, it's nice to have the option!
Dude thank you so much for this, I just backed up my childhood emerald save thanks to this, I mean I’m good enough with tech to be able to do it on my own but I always second guess myself and feel like I’m gonna screw something up, vid’s like these are real life savers, luv u man ❤️
Great review, although like others have mentioned, the Joey Jr is a better option without the need for additional software. Just drag and drop like a flash drive.
if you spend 10 bucks more you get the epilogue gb operator, which looks far nicer and you even can play your games from cardridge on your pc :). it also can (in theory) detect if a game is a repro or not
I prefer the "GB Operator" from Epilogue because it cames in a nice transparent housing shell which protects the circuit board and it has a very userfriendly software with preview pics fom each game. It also came with an emulator build in based on the mGBA. It only costs $10 more as the "GBxCART PRO v1.4"
@@blikpils came here to write the same. I hate that these two need special software that at some point will loose support. I prefer the Joey Jr, as it is plug and play with any device and platform
@@OfficialSomeKindOfChris BennVenn is not better than Epilogue, as it costs almost as much, and doesn't look like a complete product. Right now the Epilogue GB Operator is the best card dumper, because it looks like a clean product that can I can leave on my desk, the UI is good, and integrates the open source mGBA emulator to one-click launch. I don't care if they eventually lose software support, as long as the devs open source the project at that point. Even if they don't open source it, someone will easily make an open source alternative.
Glad you made this video to show others an extremely useful form of video game insurance! I bought the GBx and a programmable GBA flashcart early this year, the former to backup my Yellow and Crystal versions since I feared I would lose their data as I had never changed their batteries. While I unfortunately couldn't save Crystal, I was able to save Yellow before changing the battery. Also, Pokemon Stadium had a strange issue where it would silently but completely wipe my Yellow and Blue saves if I performed certain transfers, so having backups meant I only lost around 4 hours of progress, as opposed to losing entire save files. The biggest use I found for the programmable flashcart that standard flashcarts don't have was being able to connect to other console peripherals. Since programming a ROM into the flashcart essentially turns it into that game completely, it's able to be detected properly by said consoles. This means that games like Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2 can detect a flashcart of a Pokemon game and treat it normally, something that standard flashcarts can't do since they aren't programmed to be one specific game. Additionally, the GBA flashcart is be able to connect to Pokemon Box, Colosseum, and XD. It's also able to be detected by the DS games, meaning you can use Pal Park to transfer Pokemon, or use it to find Pokemon that only appear when a certain GBA game is inserted. Other DS games also have the capability to detect certain GBA games and gain bonus content, like Mega Man and Advance Wars, so the flashcart would also work with those. TL;DR: DS and console games that can detect GBA, GBC, and GB games while they're not being played can detect a ROM in a programmable flashcart, but not a standard, multiboot flashcart.
This is a big perk for those one-game programmable flash carts for sure. I was able to make a Pokémon Green Version hack cartridge that works on real hardware (it's a hack of Blue version to effectively transform it into Green, with an additional patch to give it the encounters, trades, etc of Japanese Blue version, which was a different game in Japan with different encounters, but with Red/Green's original sprites from Japan. Basically a version of gen 1 with all the things we didn't get in the west--making Green what Japan's Blue was to them) and needs no battery because it uses FRAM, and it works with Stadium 1 and 2. There's actually an icon of the Green version cartridge on the interface of the Stadium games you can get if you link it up to either game, which is a funny little easter egg that accounts for the possibility that they may have released a Green version eventually. Plus Pokémon Crystal Clear, a really quality ROM hack of Crystal, is touted as having full compatibility with Pokémon Stadium 2, and indeed, plays flawlessly in it if you connect a flash cart of this type to the Transfer Pak. Fully working GB Tower and everything.
@@DarkBowser64 Wow...this was a bunch of cool information I didn't know. I assumed the GB tower worked by pulling the ROM from the N64 cartridge and then grabbing the save file from the GB/GBC cartridge. If it's able to play ROM hacks...that's a whole different level. I am quite interested in that Japanese blue hack you mentioned. I know it has some perks not present in the international releases, (like catching Jynx and Lickitung in the wild,) despite the international releases taking some other assets from it. Where would I be able to find this?
@@CodenameHockhead RUclips is eating the comments I try to send you but suffice it to say RHDN has something called the "Red Green and Blue in 100% English". Combine the Green patch with another patch from a forum. Attempting to put search terms here gets it eaten. You'll have to scour the thread. "Encounters" is the key word, though. Patch the Blue to Green conversion first, then the JP Blue encounters/trades patch second.
I used to play the hell out of “Final Fantasy Tactics Advance” for the GBA. Even back then, I was worried about the saves dying on me. (I had bought the game used.) I got very lucky some years later when I saw a Mad Catz Gameshark in a local thrift store. I was able to extract my saves from the original cartridge and have it archived ever since.
When I was looking for options for this earlier this year, I decided on the BennVinn Joey Jr., mainly because it doesn't require outside software. I'll likely pick up a GB Operator once their software matures a bit more.
The thing thats most interesting about the Joey Jr is that it doesnt require a driver either. many of the other adapters need a driver and/or software and usually limit themselves to widnows this way.
If I didn't have a hacked Retron 5, I would be looking for something like this. I believe that in my country (uk) its legal to dump your own ROMs for the purpose of backup. I don't want to lose my original lv 99 Venusaur on Pokémon Red!
Tito, I love your Channel. During the lock down I modded about a dozen GB-GBA consoles because of watching your channel. I don't see anyone mentioning your childhood save file from Link's Awakening. Three hearts?! 😂 I assume you lost your real childhood save. I find this funny because this is my one childhood save I managed to preserve. Many people make fun of the Retron 5, but I used it to backup this save file. Then the battery went and I used your Game Boy battery replacement video to help me replace the battery. In the spring I jumped back into the game beginning on level 6, and completed my 20 year quest by finally beating it. I did beat the color version of Link's Awakening on an emulator on psp, but there is something about retaining your childhood save. I played my cartridge on an assortment of GBs with Tito-inspired mods, finishing the game on my un-modded childhood DMG (I can barely see the screen now). I used the Joey Jr. to backup my endgame file which I uploaded to a GB everdrive, analogue nt mini noir, fx pak pro, Nvidia Shield, and my pc... A few of you asked about saving states (Tetris high scores, etc.), the GB everdrive is your best bet because you can save states with it. Save states are basically screen shots of your progress, so you can jump back into any point of any game.
Thanks Sean! So happy you enjoying the channel! You are right, I have lost many saves due to dead batteries. My biggest loss is Pokémon blue and chrono trigger from my childhood.
Another great review Tito 👍 Have you heard of the bennvenn Jr? It's a plug and play decide, you can just drag and drop the ROMs and sav file on to you desktop without a software. After you backup you can play using your emulator on your pc. You can also write ROMs onto bootleg cartridges using Joey jr, not sure if the gbxcart can do that as well.
@@MachoNachoProductions I'll get one shipped off to you - We've also ported our code over to some of the chinese clones and we're about to port it to the GB Operator too
I would love to see you review the GB Operator. It's a great price, it does everything the GBxCART PRO does and it enable you to play your games right from the cart.
I have a Retrode with a GB adapter. It backs up everything bar the GBA save files, which is a little irksome... This product is very interesting, good video. All we need is a Lynx and Game Gear solution and we are golden!
I just want to put it here as proof. I used to remove battery every 5 years while the game is on. Placed the new battery in, isolation tape it, save again.
Great video, Awesome device, even better content. I would add to a con that while the pro version does include the GBA shell to protect the pcb, you would need to remove the shell every time you want to use it to be able to plug in the usb-c cable. Unless you mod the shell for usb-c port on the pcb.
The cart that dumps roms is most definitely worth that price! The flash cart on the other hand...I don't know. I'm not saying it isn't expensive to produce, because I'm sure it is. But when comparing it to other options, it isn't the best choice for a large number of people in the community. A little pricey just to make a custom cartidge. I hope it sells well and they're able to get the price down, somehow. It looks really high quality!
You can of course reflash bootleg games, though be careful as many of them now have patched ROMs and no battery to keep the SRAM save. Plus there is no bootleg known on the market today that has a real time clock, so either time is frozen in the games or it only ticks when playing. The reason the community solutions like IG and HDR's carts are so expensive is because they're deigned to match or exceed Nintendo's quality, as well as matching near perfectly the voltages and ram timings (Pokemon stadium 1+2's transfer pak known as most sensitive to both), where as bootlegs just use a diode to drop GB/C's 5V down to 4.2v, which is over the bootlegs flash chip 3.3v rating "but it works so we sell it." One final bit, I've had close to 11 of my 2017 bootlegs completely die on me, where I couldn't even reflash them because some of them are recycled/reclaimed flash ROM from junked devices, as well as a 2020 bootleg corrupting a couple of my Pokemon Crystal PC boxes. (its known to corrupt all Poke boxes with some shitty no battery patches, because no battery carts write save to SRAM, then pause the game because flash ROM cannot be read and written at the same time, after which it copies SRAM to an empty part of ROM, usually the space at the end, and resumes play)
Personally I see myself getting the GB op by epilogue, they have a massive group of supporters and funding to go with it so I know their software will only get better as well as one of their dev's basically confirming they plan on making their gb operator software into just "Operator" with their later op releases such as the snes and nes operators and more to come in later years.
So if I had Pokémon Crystals and wanted to replace the battery, could I save the game file on the computer and then replace the the battery to the old Pokémon Crystal cart and then put the save data back on the original game cart?
After a year or so I come back to this vid as my GBxCart Pro gets shipped these days and I am really excited as it allows to write games made with GBStudio. Don't care for ROM dumps all that much really, albeit the GBxCart's software is FOSS and on Github, something I can't tell the Operator.
11:40 - It's very strange that it can't. They could have used the same cartridge slot lever that GBAs used to tell the difference. Maybe they weren't able to buy slots with that lever for this project? 🤔
@@MachoNachoProductions I was looking for a good flasher/writer for a while now. The fact that it can export Gameboy camera pictures is what sold me. Thanks for the recommendation 👍
Just a heads up I purchased this GBX cart 1.4 pro and 120$ of other GBA parts from Retro game repair and it took them a week to even ship the product. i still haven't revived it yet ...
If I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure you can use this to burn your Pokémon gen 1/2 save file from an actual cart to the 3DS ports of those games on a modded 3DS, and then transfer your Pokémon to Pokémon Bank, then Pokémon Home, then the modern games- which is normally not possible otherwise, since gens 1 and 2 cannot transfer to gen 3!
Knowing there's three major options on the market (This, the Epilogue GB Operator, and the Submodule GB01) that all do this is great for preservation as a whole! Looks like this one having ROM writing features is a huge selling point!
Yeah but the epilogue is shipping in January 2022. Im not waiting that long for that. By the time I get it. My save batteries will be extinct. My GBX cart ships in 3 days.
You can extract the save file and rom for gba games with a DS flashcard also restore save files totbe gba cartdrige, but for gb games this tool is awesome
I suppose you could rig a case/enclosure for the pcb Using the same card detection mechanism as a gba uses (switch that is switched or not depending on the cartridge shape)
@@MachoNachoProductions software based would be amazing though it would need to know the rom type first... My knowledge is too limited on this subject though dabbled a bit into rom hacks a while ago...
Multiple people who've taken the Operator apart have discovered that no gba cart actually presses the switch, regardless if legit or bootleg. @@icey_projects
You should check out the BennVenn Joey Jr, it's pretty much the same thing, except it doesnt require any software, is plug and play. and acts as a USB mass storage device
Great video, Tito! I'll look into getting one of these to back up my GBA games. Although most of the GBA library uses SRAM or Flash for storing save data, some do use batteries. Also, I have a handful of cartridges that I got from a lot of used Japanese games that are VERY finicky even after carefully cleaning them to the best of my ability, so I'm kind of scared of putting them into and out of my consoles too many times -- exactly one of the scenarios you mention.
I got a Joey myself. Mostly because I have Pokémon reproduction carts and I wanted to add full color patches to them which my other option (retro blaster) couldn’t do as it didn’t support as wide a range of reproduction cartridges.
This really is something only a Gameboy collector would need. Because I'd rather just get one of those Chinese handhelds and play games off the micro SD or just emulate them on my computer if I really want to play an old game.
So, you're saying nobody still has their 5 favorite childhood games with saved memories of friends long since moved away? What about having friends with a similar small number of childhood memories they want to move from hardware to emulator?
Could you please make a video on how to upgrade the PSP GO memory using a micro SD adapter of some kind? I would really appreciate it. I like your content and would be nice to see how you do it. Thanks
There's quite a few companies with Gameboy dumping hardware now and they're all around the same price. I know a lot of work and pricey components probably went into each of them but I wish prices were more competitive.
That’s true, it is getting a bit crowded. I think it’ll come down to user experience to differentiate them. This is the only one I tried some far and I have to say it’s super easy to use. I may have to get some other ones to test to see if it’s as smooth. I’ve heard some horror stories though that some can corrupt your game data. I Definitely need to study this area some more 😁
@@jameslangridge8849 It must be as Bennvenn's Joey Jr. Line used to be $30 USD and now it's close to $50, combined with shipping from Australia it's quite the investment.
@@MachoNachoProductions It makes me glad that I can dump and restore Saves with stuff I already have (Wii/Gamecube+Link Cable or Gameboy Player) (N64+Everdrive and Transfer Pak) but the ability to flash ROMs to carts is very appealing.
I like using a Mega Memory Card to quickly backup saves on my GB and GBC games. It's much quicker and less of a hastle than getting out my computer interface adaptor. Idk if I'm able to dump the save files directly from it to the computer, but redundancy is good for things like this. Sadly intel never made a gba one to my knowledge, also Pokémon pinball and other rumble GB games require removing the screws in their cart to fit it in the MMC, but that's what the computer back apparatus are for. Also the MMC makes it so much easier to dupe tms and other one-time items in my Pokémon games without using chest codes by depositing them into stadium and then loading the save before i lost the item.
Does it work for Green version JP of game boy version ( first Green edition) because with flash boy it doesn't work for édit the save file it's corrupted
Is it possible to backup rom, then write it onto a cartridge of another game? For example if I own a game in a language I don't speak, and my friends owns the english version, could I use his rom to make my game english as well?
I love your Videos. It's really creativ and we learn so much from your tutorials. I'm also really interested in your Projekt "The Thiccboy SP" I'm sure it will me safe so much stress by delevop Games or testing Games on the original Hardware. Please don't let us wait to long as possible.
I have the GB Operator and the Inside Gadgets regular GB Flash unit. I hope they do an update for the GB Operator and get some better gameplay out of the thing but it does what it was made for well besides that.
Which everdrive? If I recall, there was the original ever drive GB, then the x3 x5 and x7 models (x3 press button to copy SRAM save to SD, and if I recall only the x7 had rtc for pokemon)
Way back in the early 2000s I used my GB Transferer to save my and my wife's pokemon Yellow and Blue saves. We went to Pokemon Event at the Woodbridge Mall in NJ and got Mew! It was very fun, they used modified Super Nintendos to load Mew on your cart!
The factory remember what they used is very important to history thank you for making this comment
Everything about your channel has helped me progress software and hardware wise and you have inspired me to invest in old consoles I have every system now each modified and preserved I love your intro and your passion, your informative videos never stop.
Thank you so much man! That truly means a lot to me. I am so happy that you are enjoying these old consoles as much as I am. Cheers buddy!
These devices are definitely a must have for Gameboy cartridge owners! I decided to go with the GB Operator over the GBxCart just because the PCB was protected in a nice clear shell, and it has a great user interface when linked to your PC. I would love a comparison video of the two Tito
I may have to do that. The gb operator looks like an over all nice package.
Has anyone mentioned that the GB operator when in GB/C dumping mode (5v like DMG, pocket, and color), is feeding that 5v to the microcontrollers 3.3v only port? Either this will pull the cart down to 3.9v and stress the hell out of it, or the MCU getting dragged up to 5v, with both scenarios having potential to damage both the 20 year old carts and/or the gbO.
Although, I must add that a few people have looked at gb operators from different factory batches, and it seems like the main microcontroller has been occasionally swapped with a pin-compatible model, so perhaps not all have the same errors.
@@MachoNachoProductions +1 would love to see a review of the GBxCart and the Joey jr V2-CC
I have both (GB Operator and this Insidegadgets GBxCart Pro 1.4). They function the same and they both read my original carts. GB Operator does look nicer physically with the shell. GBxCart's app is more technical whereas GB Operators is simpler but nicer looking and has a built in emulator. However, GB Operator doesn't yet support writing to my Insidegadgets 4MB MBC3 rewrite cart so I have to use the GBx to write my games for now. And neither work yet with my Surface Pro X Arm64 tablet so I have to use other laptops to do both.
@@MachoNachoProductionswell there's a dude on Etsy that shows 3d printed shell for like $14.25 after shipping
Perfect Timing for this video, was about to do a heap of save batteries on both mine and my brothers pokemon games and we were looking at hours of doing trades so try and save progress. had no idea this device existed until now. Thankyou :) ill definitely be getting one.
Can confirm the GB Camera functionality works well and is easy to use. I bought one of these about a year ago and used it to flash the Final Fantasy V and VI romhacks that restore the music in those games to sound like the SNES versions and gift them to friends.
This device can also write roms to fake/repro carts as well, which is handy if you find yourself in possession of one of those fake carts and want to put a different game on there. Figuring out what you *can* put on the repro/fake cart can be difficult, however, since not every game will fit/work. Still, it's nice to have the option!
Dude thank you so much for this, I just backed up my childhood emerald save thanks to this, I mean I’m good enough with tech to be able to do it on my own but I always second guess myself and feel like I’m gonna screw something up, vid’s like these are real life savers, luv u man ❤️
Great review, although like others have mentioned, the Joey Jr is a better option without the need for additional software. Just drag and drop like a flash drive.
Enjoyed the wulff den shout out, been watching him for a while and have enjoyed his winding journey to find the best controller for himself
Agree! He’s a great content creator
I don't even wait. I click a MachoNacho video, hit thumbs up, and sit back. There is no need to to wait for that thumbs up.
Thank you so much 🙏😁
I used this to download my Gameboy camera photos and it works great!
Nice. I just order a GB camera. Can’t wait to try it out 😁
if you spend 10 bucks more you get the epilogue gb operator, which looks far nicer and you even can play your games from cardridge on your pc :). it also can (in theory) detect if a game is a repro or not
But it's also not compatible with as many cart types, which is what matters most with these kinds of products.
I prefer the "GB Operator" from Epilogue because it cames in a nice transparent housing shell which protects the circuit board and it has a very userfriendly software with preview pics fom each game. It also came with an emulator build in based on the mGBA. It only costs $10 more as the "GBxCART PRO v1.4"
I’ve heard good things about it. May have to check it out
The BennVenn joey JR is better than both. And requires no software.
@@blikpils came here to write the same.
I hate that these two need special software that at some point will loose support. I prefer the Joey Jr, as it is plug and play with any device and platform
I use a Sanni cart reader myself. But this is pretty sweet too.
@@OfficialSomeKindOfChris BennVenn is not better than Epilogue, as it costs almost as much, and doesn't look like a complete product. Right now the Epilogue GB Operator is the best card dumper, because it looks like a clean product that can I can leave on my desk, the UI is good, and integrates the open source mGBA emulator to one-click launch. I don't care if they eventually lose software support, as long as the devs open source the project at that point. Even if they don't open source it, someone will easily make an open source alternative.
Glad you made this video to show others an extremely useful form of video game insurance!
I bought the GBx and a programmable GBA flashcart early this year, the former to backup my Yellow and Crystal versions since I feared I would lose their data as I had never changed their batteries. While I unfortunately couldn't save Crystal, I was able to save Yellow before changing the battery. Also, Pokemon Stadium had a strange issue where it would silently but completely wipe my Yellow and Blue saves if I performed certain transfers, so having backups meant I only lost around 4 hours of progress, as opposed to losing entire save files.
The biggest use I found for the programmable flashcart that standard flashcarts don't have was being able to connect to other console peripherals. Since programming a ROM into the flashcart essentially turns it into that game completely, it's able to be detected properly by said consoles. This means that games like Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2 can detect a flashcart of a Pokemon game and treat it normally, something that standard flashcarts can't do since they aren't programmed to be one specific game.
Additionally, the GBA flashcart is be able to connect to Pokemon Box, Colosseum, and XD. It's also able to be detected by the DS games, meaning you can use Pal Park to transfer Pokemon, or use it to find Pokemon that only appear when a certain GBA game is inserted. Other DS games also have the capability to detect certain GBA games and gain bonus content, like Mega Man and Advance Wars, so the flashcart would also work with those.
TL;DR: DS and console games that can detect GBA, GBC, and GB games while they're not being played can detect a ROM in a programmable flashcart, but not a standard, multiboot flashcart.
This is a big perk for those one-game programmable flash carts for sure. I was able to make a Pokémon Green Version hack cartridge that works on real hardware (it's a hack of Blue version to effectively transform it into Green, with an additional patch to give it the encounters, trades, etc of Japanese Blue version, which was a different game in Japan with different encounters, but with Red/Green's original sprites from Japan. Basically a version of gen 1 with all the things we didn't get in the west--making Green what Japan's Blue was to them) and needs no battery because it uses FRAM, and it works with Stadium 1 and 2.
There's actually an icon of the Green version cartridge on the interface of the Stadium games you can get if you link it up to either game, which is a funny little easter egg that accounts for the possibility that they may have released a Green version eventually.
Plus Pokémon Crystal Clear, a really quality ROM hack of Crystal, is touted as having full compatibility with Pokémon Stadium 2, and indeed, plays flawlessly in it if you connect a flash cart of this type to the Transfer Pak. Fully working GB Tower and everything.
@@DarkBowser64 Wow...this was a bunch of cool information I didn't know. I assumed the GB tower worked by pulling the ROM from the N64 cartridge and then grabbing the save file from the GB/GBC cartridge. If it's able to play ROM hacks...that's a whole different level.
I am quite interested in that Japanese blue hack you mentioned. I know it has some perks not present in the international releases, (like catching Jynx and Lickitung in the wild,) despite the international releases taking some other assets from it. Where would I be able to find this?
@@CodenameHockhead RUclips is eating the comments I try to send you but suffice it to say RHDN has something called the "Red Green and Blue in 100% English". Combine the Green patch with another patch from a forum. Attempting to put search terms here gets it eaten. You'll have to scour the thread. "Encounters" is the key word, though. Patch the Blue to Green conversion first, then the JP Blue encounters/trades patch second.
I used to play the hell out of “Final Fantasy Tactics Advance” for the GBA. Even back then, I was worried about the saves dying on me. (I had bought the game used.) I got very lucky some years later when I saw a Mad Catz Gameshark in a local thrift store. I was able to extract my saves from the original cartridge and have it archived ever since.
Nice! I wasn’t so lucky. I’ve lost many save files to dead batteries. 😔
And yet, you still couldn't finish all 300 missions because you ran out of item space and threw a stupid key item away you couldn't get again
@@clydefrosch Wow this is painfully accurate lol.
@@salsbar most painful moment of summer that year, I spent so much time on that game just cause I wanted Cid and I never got him
Ive had one of these for a while. Perfect for save managing and i backed up my entire collection
The joey jr is better even a dumbbell can dump out..😂 all you have to do is plug it in and drag it
When I was looking for options for this earlier this year, I decided on the BennVinn Joey Jr., mainly because it doesn't require outside software. I'll likely pick up a GB Operator once their software matures a bit more.
The thing thats most interesting about the Joey Jr is that it doesnt require a driver either. many of the other adapters need a driver and/or software and usually limit themselves to widnows this way.
I've used the RetroN 5 for a battery change - dumping the save from the cart, changing the battery, then copying the save back :)
Love my GBxCart! Great video :)
Thanks Sean! Totally agree bud, i love it too!
If I didn't have a hacked Retron 5, I would be looking for something like this. I believe that in my country (uk) its legal to dump your own ROMs for the purpose of backup. I don't want to lose my original lv 99 Venusaur on Pokémon Red!
Yes! Back up that save as soon as you can😁. I wish I had this earlier. Lost my original Pokémon blue save file 😔
@@MachoNachoProductions that sucks 😔
Tito, I love your Channel. During the lock down I modded about a dozen GB-GBA consoles because of watching your channel. I don't see anyone mentioning your childhood save file from Link's Awakening. Three hearts?! 😂 I assume you lost your real childhood save. I find this funny because this is my one childhood save I managed to preserve. Many people make fun of the Retron 5, but I used it to backup this save file. Then the battery went and I used your Game Boy battery replacement video to help me replace the battery. In the spring I jumped back into the game beginning on level 6, and completed my 20 year quest by finally beating it. I did beat the color version of Link's Awakening on an emulator on psp, but there is something about retaining your childhood save. I played my cartridge on an assortment of GBs with Tito-inspired mods, finishing the game on my un-modded childhood DMG (I can barely see the screen now). I used the Joey Jr. to backup my endgame file which I uploaded to a GB everdrive, analogue nt mini noir, fx pak pro, Nvidia Shield, and my pc... A few of you asked about saving states (Tetris high scores, etc.), the GB everdrive is your best bet because you can save states with it. Save states are basically screen shots of your progress, so you can jump back into any point of any game.
Thanks Sean! So happy you enjoying the channel! You are right, I have lost many saves due to dead batteries. My biggest loss is Pokémon blue and chrono trigger from my childhood.
Another great review Tito 👍
Have you heard of the bennvenn Jr? It's a plug and play decide, you can just drag and drop the ROMs and sav file on to you desktop without a software. After you backup you can play using your emulator on your pc. You can also write ROMs onto bootleg cartridges using Joey jr, not sure if the gbxcart can do that as well.
That sounds pretty awesome! I’ve heard of the bennvenn kit. I think I man need to try them all 😁
@@MachoNachoProductions I'll get one shipped off to you - We've also ported our code over to some of the chinese clones and we're about to port it to the GB Operator too
@@MachoNachoProductions the joey Jr has been an amazing tool for myself.
I would love to see you review the GB Operator. It's a great price, it does everything the GBxCART PRO does and it enable you to play your games right from the cart.
I have a Retrode with a GB adapter. It backs up everything bar the GBA save files, which is a little irksome... This product is very interesting, good video.
All we need is a Lynx and Game Gear solution and we are golden!
I bought this for dumping gb camera shots and that's all I'll probably use it for. I'm very happy with it
where has this channel been all my life????
I would really like you to demonstrate backing up a save, replacing the battery and then restoring the save after.
Can I take the save file and put it back on the original cart, say after changing the battery and losing the save file?
Got one less than a year ago and I've been pleasantly happy with it. Came with a blue gba shell that I put around it, and it's SWEET
Nice! I can’t believe it took me so long to get one of these 😅
I just got my GBxcart can't wait to save and edit my GB/GBA games!
your intro is bomb
Just ordered the GBxCart, and I'm excited about the GameBoy Camera capabilities :)
Just ordered a gb camera to try it out too
@@MachoNachoProductions There's a couple of photos from the Japanese man who owned it before me, so this should be interesting haha
Thought this was cool - but soon as I heard you could backup GB Camera photos I was sold!
I just want to put it here as proof. I used to remove battery every 5 years while the game is on. Placed the new battery in, isolation tape it, save again.
Can you write it back to the original cart after a battery change for example?
That gba shell is a slick idea
i feel like the intro would excel with just the gameboy spin and zoom
I went with the GB Operator, very pleased with my decision!
I’m going to check them out
dude this is essential for preservation of our games
Great video, Awesome device, even better content. I would add to a con that while the pro version does include the GBA shell to protect the pcb, you would need to remove the shell every time you want to use it to be able to plug in the usb-c cable. Unless you mod the shell for usb-c port on the pcb.
Yes, you can mod the shell so that you can plug in the usb c. Also I’d recommend a clear shell, that way you can see the led indicators lights
The cart that dumps roms is most definitely worth that price! The flash cart on the other hand...I don't know. I'm not saying it isn't expensive to produce, because I'm sure it is. But when comparing it to other options, it isn't the best choice for a large number of people in the community. A little pricey just to make a custom cartidge. I hope it sells well and they're able to get the price down, somehow. It looks really high quality!
You can of course reflash bootleg games, though be careful as many of them now have patched ROMs and no battery to keep the SRAM save. Plus there is no bootleg known on the market today that has a real time clock, so either time is frozen in the games or it only ticks when playing.
The reason the community solutions like IG and HDR's carts are so expensive is because they're deigned to match or exceed Nintendo's quality, as well as matching near perfectly the voltages and ram timings (Pokemon stadium 1+2's transfer pak known as most sensitive to both), where as bootlegs just use a diode to drop GB/C's 5V down to 4.2v, which is over the bootlegs flash chip 3.3v rating "but it works so we sell it."
One final bit, I've had close to 11 of my 2017 bootlegs completely die on me, where I couldn't even reflash them because some of them are recycled/reclaimed flash ROM from junked devices, as well as a 2020 bootleg corrupting a couple of my Pokemon Crystal PC boxes.
(its known to corrupt all Poke boxes with some shitty no battery patches, because no battery carts write save to SRAM, then pause the game because flash ROM cannot be read and written at the same time, after which it copies SRAM to an empty part of ROM, usually the space at the end, and resumes play)
@@duskshade520 Yeah, I hear what your saying. It's a Pokemon flash cart. It's certainly cheaper than buying every Pokemon game on Game Boy.
Personally I see myself getting the GB op by epilogue, they have a massive group of supporters and funding to go with it so I know their software will only get better as well as one of their dev's basically confirming they plan on making their gb operator software into just "Operator" with their later op releases such as the snes and nes operators and more to come in later years.
So if I had Pokémon Crystals and wanted to replace the battery, could I save the game file on the computer and then replace the the battery to the old Pokémon Crystal cart and then put the save data back on the original game cart?
Just imagine when people start collecting this just because of the brand and quality!!
That's an absolutely beautiful display of RBY Versions 👍
Great video! Dyou think you can do a test of rechargeable aa batteries (like the jubilee and ikea laddas)?
I have a Killer Instinct GB Cart just sitting in a bag which hasn't been used in year's 👍👍👍
This isn't just for collectors, this is for everyone with a Gameboy
After a year or so I come back to this vid as my GBxCart Pro gets shipped these days and I am really excited as it allows to write games made with GBStudio.
Don't care for ROM dumps all that much really, albeit the GBxCart's software is FOSS and on Github, something I can't tell the Operator.
Would you be able to write save data back on to the card that you took the data from after?
Is their an Option to Transfer the Backup save files onto a Gameboy Cartridge.
11:40 - It's very strange that it can't. They could have used the same cartridge slot lever that GBAs used to tell the difference. Maybe they weren't able to buy slots with that lever for this project? 🤔
Really well explained, Thank you!
I was able to backup my GBA carts and saves with a DS Lite and a flashcart plus homebrew. That's an option if you don't have any old games.
Excellent overview of a great piece of tech. Thanks Tito :D
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it Mitch 👍
I've been waiting a month to buy this and quite literally 2 mins ago bought it and see that this was just released O.o
Great video! i found benn venn flash cart for 7 dollars and this is fairly cheaper than flash carts !
Like many others, I have a prefer the BennVenn Joey Jr. mainly for the drag and drop functionality!
Bought one immediately👌
Nice! Its honestly one if the most useful tools I bought recently. Hope you enjoy it 😁
@@MachoNachoProductions I was looking for a good flasher/writer for a while now. The fact that it can export Gameboy camera pictures is what sold me. Thanks for the recommendation 👍
Why dont 👏 u have a million subs 👏 production be on point
Thank you so much! Really appreciate it 😁
Reminds me of some things from waaaayyyy back in the days of db25,(parallel port). The old Bung GBXchanger!
can I use all this to make copy of all the pokemon gameboy games and connect them with the n64 games ?
Just a heads up I purchased this GBX cart 1.4 pro and 120$ of other GBA parts from Retro game repair and it took them a week to even ship the product. i still haven't revived it yet ...
Nice video Tito, thank you for sharing!
If I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure you can use this to burn your Pokémon gen 1/2 save file from an actual cart to the 3DS ports of those games on a modded 3DS, and then transfer your Pokémon to Pokémon Bank, then Pokémon Home, then the modern games- which is normally not possible otherwise, since gens 1 and 2 cannot transfer to gen 3!
Knowing there's three major options on the market (This, the Epilogue GB Operator, and the Submodule GB01) that all do this is great for preservation as a whole! Looks like this one having ROM writing features is a huge selling point!
Yes, it’s fantastic. Do the other kits have writing abilities?
Yeah but the epilogue is shipping in January 2022. Im not waiting that long for that. By the time I get it. My save batteries will be extinct. My GBX cart ships in 3 days.
Nobody gives BennVenn and his Joey flashers any love these days... Been dumping and reflashing since 2016 with his gear
You can extract the save file and rom for gba games with a DS flashcard also restore save files totbe gba cartdrige, but for gb games this tool is awesome
Intro pretty neat
I suppose you could rig a case/enclosure for the pcb
Using the same card detection mechanism as a gba uses
(switch that is switched or not depending on the cartridge shape)
I believe the switch is currently done through software. Not sure if a physical switch would be possible. It would be cool if it was 😁
@@MachoNachoProductions software based would be amazing though it would need to know the rom type first...
My knowledge is too limited on this subject though dabbled a bit into rom hacks a while ago...
@@MachoNachoProductions the epilogue gb operator has a physical switch but the physical switch has its pro and cons just like software
It actually fits inside gba cart shell. You just have to use a Dremel or file to make a opening for the USB c.
Multiple people who've taken the Operator apart have discovered that no gba cart actually presses the switch, regardless if legit or bootleg.
@@icey_projects
I have one of these. They're also great to export my photos from the Gameboy Camera.
Just ordered myself a GameBoy camera. Can’t wait to try it out 😁
You should check out the BennVenn Joey Jr, it's pretty much the same thing, except it doesnt require any software, is plug and play. and acts as a USB mass storage device
another great video. Thanks Macho!
Thank you 🙏. So glad you enjoyed it 😁
Nice and well price not over price
Great video, Tito! I'll look into getting one of these to back up my GBA games. Although most of the GBA library uses SRAM or Flash for storing save data, some do use batteries. Also, I have a handful of cartridges that I got from a lot of used Japanese games that are VERY finicky even after carefully cleaning them to the best of my ability, so I'm kind of scared of putting them into and out of my consoles too many times -- exactly one of the scenarios you mention.
Can the save data be written back to the original cartridge?
is there a specific donor cartridge id need to flash crystal onto or could i use any gbc cartridge?
Hve said this many tim s. Killer intro music
Excellent video!
Thank you 😁
I wonder if the write function would still work if you do not have a flash card
The GB01 is great too, I’ve had one for almost a year now and it’s awesome
Nice!
There's also a retrode 2 that does this, with the correct adaptor of course. Also does snes, genesis, N64
I got a Joey myself. Mostly because I have Pokémon reproduction carts and I wanted to add full color patches to them which my other option (retro blaster) couldn’t do as it didn’t support as wide a range of reproduction cartridges.
Can it write saved file to authentic gba carts?
This really is something only a Gameboy collector would need. Because I'd rather just get one of those Chinese handhelds and play games off the micro SD or just emulate them on my computer if I really want to play an old game.
So, you're saying nobody still has their 5 favorite childhood games with saved memories of friends long since moved away? What about having friends with a similar small number of childhood memories they want to move from hardware to emulator?
i'd love to see a video on gba flashcarts like everdrive gba x5 mini vs ez flash omega definitive
Could you please make a video on how to upgrade the PSP GO memory using a micro SD adapter of some kind? I would really appreciate it. I like your content and would be nice to see how you do it. Thanks
retron 5 already lets you do all this AND apply ips patches. can you reinstall your saves onto a blank game cart?
There's quite a few companies with Gameboy dumping hardware now and they're all around the same price. I know a lot of work and pricey components probably went into each of them but I wish prices were more competitive.
That’s true, it is getting a bit crowded. I think it’ll come down to user experience to differentiate them. This is the only one I tried some far and I have to say it’s super easy to use. I may have to get some other ones to test to see if it’s as smooth. I’ve heard some horror stories though that some can corrupt your game data. I Definitely need to study this area some more 😁
I wonder if some of the price is due to the chip shortage, nothing is as cheap as it used to be 🤔
@@jameslangridge8849 It must be as Bennvenn's Joey Jr. Line used to be $30 USD and now it's close to $50, combined with shipping from Australia it's quite the investment.
@@MachoNachoProductions It makes me glad that I can dump and restore Saves with stuff I already have (Wii/Gamecube+Link Cable or Gameboy Player) (N64+Everdrive and Transfer Pak) but the ability to flash ROMs to carts is very appealing.
I like using a Mega Memory Card to quickly backup saves on my GB and GBC games. It's much quicker and less of a hastle than getting out my computer interface adaptor. Idk if I'm able to dump the save files directly from it to the computer, but redundancy is good for things like this. Sadly intel never made a gba one to my knowledge, also Pokémon pinball and other rumble GB games require removing the screws in their cart to fit it in the MMC, but that's what the computer back apparatus are for.
Also the MMC makes it so much easier to dupe tms and other one-time items in my Pokémon games without using chest codes by depositing them into stadium and then loading the save before i lost the item.
Agree! Redundancy is key for making sure you never lose save files
Does it work for Green version JP of game boy version ( first Green edition) because with flash boy it doesn't work for édit the save file it's corrupted
Retrode 2 could do some of that for many different systems for reading files.
Is it possible to backup rom, then write it onto a cartridge of another game? For example if I own a game in a language I don't speak, and my friends owns the english version, could I use his rom to make my game english as well?
just ordered and put the code in to help out!!
I love your Videos. It's really creativ and we learn so much from your tutorials.
I'm also really interested in your Projekt "The Thiccboy SP" I'm sure it will me safe so much stress by delevop Games or testing Games on the original Hardware.
Please don't let us wait to long as possible.
Do you have to put the rom and save onto a flashcart? Or can you put the rom and save onto a genuine cart with a battery replacement?
I have the GB Operator and the Inside Gadgets regular GB Flash unit. I hope they do an update for the GB Operator and get some better gameplay out of the thing but it does what it was made for well besides that.
The flash cart can it run on the nintendo 64 transfer pak?? I mean with pokemon games on pokemon stadium 1 or 2
What are your thoughts on the Everdrive cartridge and would you ever do a video on it even tho it’s been around for a bit??
Which everdrive?
If I recall, there was the original ever drive GB, then the x3 x5 and x7 models
(x3 press button to copy SRAM save to SD, and if I recall only the x7 had rtc for pokemon)
I just subbed. Can you show how those clear gameboy cartridge and console shadow boxes are made?
I ordered them from retro game repair shop. I put the affiliate link to them in the video description.
they also make custom pcbs for gameboy cartridges too