Looking to ROM dump just a handful of games, so I’m trying not to spend hundreds on a Sanni or Retrode. I saw this on AliExpress for $15.

I’ve personally had good luck with Alibaba and Aliexpress, but I recognize that this could just straight not work. There’s no documentation, but it claims the game data will show up like files on a USB flash drive.

Anybody know where this design came from?

  • simplymath@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    A sketchy USB device from Alibaba with 0 documentation is significantly less safe than grabbing a ROM, which are widely available and have known file hashes. The security risk alone from a no name USB device is probably not worth it unless there’s a save file you reeeeeeeeally care about, as another user mentioned.

    • Beacon@fedia.io
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      2 months ago

      N64 cartridges rely on a battery inside it to keep the storage alive, and all those batteries are likely all dead now, so there will be no stored game in there any more

      • errer@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        I have a super Mario world cart that has retained its save data. 20 years old now…pretty nuts

          • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            2 months ago

            My only game that’s had its save battery die is my copy of Final Fantasy for the NES. All my other games save just fine!

        • Beacon@fedia.io
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          2 months ago

          Cool to know there are some that are still hanging on! If you care about keeping the saves into the future you should do something about it now, because the battery dying is a question of when not if

      • MelodiousFunk@slrpnk.net
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        2 months ago

        Stop making me sad. I have hundreds of hours poured into VPW2 customizations on a cart that hasn’t been powered up in 20 years at least. In my heart, that save is still alive.

        Don’t take this from me dammit.

        • Beacon@fedia.io
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          2 months ago

          Sorry =x

          BUT! With modern emulator editor hacks you could have the fun of rebuilding it all without pouring all the hours into it again!

      • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        2 months ago

        Nope! All of my NES, SNES, and N64 games have retained my saves. N64 games are going to take a while before they stop saving.

        (Okay one game I have died—Final Fantasy for the NES.)