Superufo SNES Superdrive 8

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Interesting ...




This thing looks like it shrinks the old-school SNES/SFC cartridge backups systems like "Game Doctor" and the like, shrinks it to the size of a standard Super Famicom cartridge and adds SD card functionality as the storage medium.

Appears to have the ability to back up directly from an inserted game cartridge or load image files directly from SD card. SFX games reportedly work by utilizing the SFX chip of a SFX game attached to the top of the device.

At less than $100 the price SEEMS reasonable for everything that it does though I'm sure ULTIMATELY it will have some flaws. We know, these things always do but my curiosity is certainly piqued.

Couldn't find any reviews of the device, but if it only does the same thing as those older, larger, floppy-disc style backup devices, it could be a winner.

From the manufacturer:

Superufo Pro 8 is a Game Cartridge emulator ( Flash Card, Backup and developing tools )for your SNES / SFC Console . It allows you to play your favourite backup game on your SNES console via Pro 8. Besides the game cartridge emulation function, it has more features as below :

1. Game Cartridge emulator
2. Game save function
3. Real-time game save function.
4. Firmware flash rom ( firmware updatable )
5. Memory card support SD, HC-SD, TF and MMC
6. USB support for files transfer
7. Cheat code function ( Thousands of cheatcodes build-in )
8. Multi game files format support ( UFO , 078, SMC, FIG and Bin )
9. Regional Protection Patch function ( auto patch and play ) : allows you to play imported games from different country
10. Original game cartridge back up function. ( backup your existing game cartridge )
http://www.swapmagic3.com/superufopro8/content.asp?id=1

Youtube video (no sound) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3RmZ...eature=related

[Parodius Duh!]

this sounds really awesome and the price is great. I wish I could see how the menu screens and everything operates....

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

this sounds really awesome and the price is great. I wish I could see how the menu screens and everything operates....

There are some youtube videos (with no sound) that show basic loading functionality, and LOTS of Youtube videos of the old Game Doctor devices which are similar. I'm waiting for some type of review, but, yeah, the price is decent.

[understatement]

So it’s like a Retrode mixed with a Super Everdrive?

I’m interested, I just wish the sites that shipped to the US wouldn’t make you register with them, I hate doing that for one item. I think I’ll wait for a review as well and a site that doesn’t require me to register with them to buy it.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

So it’s like a Retrode mixed with a Super Everdrive?

I’m interested, I just wish the sites that shipped to the US wouldn’t make you register with them, I hate doing that for one item. I think I’ll wait for a review as well and a site that doesn’t require me to register with them to buy it.

I think it's more like a SUPER COMPACT version of a Game Doctor but swap the floppy drive with an SD card slot.



But, yeah, still similar to the comparison you make.

[xelement5x]

Interesting ...

10. Original game cartridge back up function. ( backup your existing game cartridge )

If this means I can backup my saves from my SNES carts I'd be onboard with that in a heartbeat.

[Parodius Duh!]

If this means I can backup my saves from my SNES carts I'd be onboard with that in a heartbeat.

Id assume thats the case, hence the extra adapter built on the top of it.

[Greg2600]

I can't confirm this works for certain, but supposedly it will work with special chip games if you have a cart with the chip plugged in. Like for instance, if you wanted to play Star Fox 2, plug in Star Fox 1. Now of course everything I've been told about SNES games, for all but the DSP games, that is actually not possible.

[markusman64ds]

I think it's more like a SUPER COMPACT version of a Game Doctor but swap the floppy drive with an SD card slot.



But, yeah, still similar to the comparison you make.

Heh. Floppy disks.

Aren't there SD to floppy converters?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I can't confirm this works for certain, but supposedly it will work with special chip games if you have a cart with the chip plugged in. Like for instance, if you wanted to play Star Fox 2, plug in Star Fox 1. Now of course everything I've been told about SNES games, for all but the DSP games, that is actually not possible.

Yeah. They claim that FX chip games work with a piggy-back in the marketing for this device, but it's probably safe to assume that DSP reliant games aren't going to work on this thing.

[understatement]

I think it's more like a SUPER COMPACT version of a Game Doctor but swap the floppy drive with an SD card slot.



But, yeah, still similar to the comparison you make.

I didn’t think those could get the save data from a cart, you could get the rom but not the saves off it. In other words with the old Game Doctor if you load from the cart you could load saves from/to the cart but if you copy the cart to a floppy it’s just the rom and it makes new save files. I could be wrong about that I don’t know much about the Game Doctor.

What it sounds like is this has something like this in it…



that can pull saves from the cart.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I didn’t think those could get the save data from a cart, you could get the rom but not the saves off it. In other words with the old Game Doctor if you load from the cart you could load saves from/to the cart but if you copy the cart to a floppy it’s just the rom and it makes new save files. I could be wrong about that I don’t know much about the Game Doctor.

What it sounds like is this has something like this in it…



that can pull saves from the cart.

If it does in fact offer the ability to read/write save files (I'm not sure if it does) it may have hardware/software that can pull the save file from the storage bank where that is.

I had a Gameboy Flash copier that could read/write those. SNES shouldn't be that different.

[Greg2600]

Yeah. They claim that FX chip games work with a piggy-back in the marketing for this device, but it's probably safe to assume that DSP reliant games aren't going to work on this thing.

The opposite, DSP work via piggybacking. No other special chip games will. Without looking further into other features, the menu is nice, and the cart is nicely put together. It's also not a new product, just version 8 is.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

The opposite, DSP work via piggybacking. No other special chip games will. Without looking further into other features, the menu is nice, and the cart is nicely put together. It's also not a new product, just version 8 is.

Ah. Interesting. They claim that FX works via piggyback, so I guess we'll have to wait and see.

[understatement]

If it does in fact offer the ability to read/write save files (I'm not sure if it does) it may have hardware/software that can pull the save file from the storage bank where that is.

I had a Gameboy Flash copier that could read/write those. SNES shouldn't be that different.

It says it can here.

3. Top Right Hand Corner – BACKUP icon

GAMER can transfer the GAME / GAME SAVE / BACKUP data between Cartridge Cell / UFO Build in memory & SD card.

Press” ↑↓” to move on the Cursor.

Press “B” Button to enter.

Press “Y” Button to exit to the previous page.

Press “Select” Button for the next Game list pages

Press “Start” Button to select listed directory for file save.

Press “R” Button jump into the “HELP” menu.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

It says it can here.

SWEET!

I'm very interested to see a hands-on review when somebody gets one of these.

[ccovell]

This is most likely:

1) A hack of the old UFO Company copier Super UFO 8 BIOS to accept SD cards instead of floppies
2) An implementation of some of the Everdrive technology?
3) Not by UFO company but riding on their coattails for brand recognition / name confusion

Very sneaky.


(Original UFO info:
http://web.archive.org/web/200905270...osuperufo.html
)

[InsaneDavid]

I didn’t think those could get the save data from a cart, you could get the rom but not the saves off it. In other words with the old Game Doctor if you load from the cart you could load saves from/to the cart but if you copy the cart to a floppy it’s just the rom and it makes new save files. I could be wrong about that I don’t know much about the Game Doctor.

My Multi Game Hunter (when I had it) could dump save files off a cartridge to the SRAM in the copier and then write it to diskette via a separate menu. It couldn't write a save file from SRAM back to the cartridge, however it could supplement the save data in SRAM (or loaded off a diskette) and use it with a ROM file.

Anything to get around the dark art of setting up files for floppies with these copiers would be great. I'll have to wait until someone at DP gets one of these before I go in though.

[Duke.Togo]

The Mr. Back Z64 also allows for save file dumping for the N64. Also, good chance to plug that I have one for sale

[Culex4096]

Perhaps most interesting is that the case looks identical to those of the Retrogen and Retroport adapters by Retrobit