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Nemoide
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Satiator ODE released for Saturn

by Nemoide Sat Jan 23, 2021 12:17 pm

This is something that's been in development for years and has now been released to the public: The Satiator Optical Disc Emulator by Prof. Abrasive

It's essentially a flash cart that plugs into the VCD slot in the back of the Saturn and lets you load games right off of that. There are a couple other ODEs out there for the Saturn, but I really like the fact that this one doesn't require removing the actual disc drive (I don't plan to part with my discs anytime soon) and can easily be removed and put into another Saturn if need be. I also love that it leaves the cartridge slot free, so I can finally play the Tamagotchi game that requires a memory cartridge to save onto. It's expensive, but considering the price of Saturn games these days, I think it's a worth the cost.

I've ordered one and am really looking forward to trying it out! Game compatibility isn't 100% yet but it seems that folks are expecting everything but games that require the VCD-card will be patched into functionality soon.
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Note
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Re: Satiator ODE released for Saturn

by Note Sat Jan 23, 2021 1:20 pm

I've heard good things about this device so far! You'll have to let us know what you think of it once your item arrives.

I really like the idea that it's plug and play, and that no soldering or modding is required, as I'm not too handy or comfortable taking on a project like that on my own. I'm also in agreement that it's good it doesn't use the Saturn cart slot, as I've found the slot can be finicky, and like you mentioned, depending on what cart you're using, it may take away some necessary functionality for certain games.

I'm interested in getting one too, but gonna wait a bit for some additional reviews.
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Re: Satiator ODE released for Saturn

by ElkinFencer10 Sat Jan 23, 2021 7:29 pm

That definitely looks like the easiest ODE option for Saturn. Let us know what your impressions are and how loading times are.
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nightrnr
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Re: Satiator ODE released for Saturn

by nightrnr Sat Jan 23, 2021 7:39 pm

First, the usual statement from me.
Like so many other things I end up buying:
I don't need this.
I have a set of Reah/Phoebe/Fenrir 's (and a M.O.D.E., but it's destined for Dreamcast).
I'm not sure that I should get one of these. It would at least be a nice companion to my working (good drive) Saturn though.

I have one complaint in that it needs the system battery installed to operate. That can be a bit annoying and should only be optional.

Also, the Marvel vs games are kind of a big deal for me. Or are they compatible with the latest firmware now?

Finally, does anyone know if you can have a Satiator and Rhea/Phoebe/Fenrir installed at the same time?
I'm just weird enough to want the possibility (pointless as it would be).

I am glad there are so many options now. This was the one system I absolutely had to have an ODE for when I first ordered my Rhea.
Also glad that all options are solderless (minimal trauma to the system).
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bmoc
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Re: Satiator ODE released for Saturn

by bmoc Sun Jan 24, 2021 7:09 am

I supported Prof. Abrasive on Patreon and I was able to get one of the first 100 units. I posted some early impressions in the flash drive/ODE thread. viewtopic.php?f=56&t=36353&start=520#p1161891

There have been several changes since I posted that. There is now a utility built into the Satiator that allows you to reflash your Action Replay to make it compatible with the Satiator. All of the Marvel vs games work now except for Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter. A fix for that is planned for in future firmware. Also exFAT is now supported on the SD card.
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Anapan
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Re: Satiator ODE released for Saturn

by Anapan Sun Jan 24, 2021 2:00 pm

I got one of the 1st 100 as well. I've been enjoying it and haven't had any problems on the handful of games I've played on it. I successfully reflashed my Action Replay 4-in-1 using the reflashing utility built into the latest firmware.
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nightrnr
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Re: Satiator ODE released for Saturn

by nightrnr Sun Jan 24, 2021 4:15 pm

Can I ask what the reflash does to a PAR+?
Like does it still have full functionality of Saves and cheats codes?
I know that the 4 MB ram would still work, just not sure about the other features.
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bmoc
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Re: Satiator ODE released for Saturn

by bmoc Sun Jan 24, 2021 4:36 pm

Unpatched AR carts hijack the Saturn boot process before the Satiator can get to it. With the patched AR firmware, the only change is that the Satiator is given boot priority. With a Satiator installed, you have to hold A while booting to get the AR cart menu.

Saves and cheats are still there though you can't boot a game installed on the Satiator and use cheat codes from the AR cart.
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nightrnr
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Re: Satiator ODE released for Saturn

by nightrnr Sun Jan 24, 2021 7:01 pm

So then, I wonder, if you did have an ODE installed as well as the Satiator, with a Satiator patched PAR+, could you still apply codes to the ODE installed games?

It sounds like you could by holding A to get to that menu and then loading the CD/ODE menu afterwards.

...but...

I'll be honest, I haven't even tried the Action Replay with my other ODE installed Saturns. I have them dedicated to the official Ram carts or Memory carts.
So I don't even know if even they play nice with games started after choosing it on the respective ODE menu.

And the Satiator needs to have MvsSF working. How else can we prove to be "True Believers" :wink: .
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bmoc
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Re: Satiator ODE released for Saturn

by bmoc Wed Jun 23, 2021 1:57 pm

bmoc wrote:Saves and cheats are still there though you can't boot a game installed on the Satiator and use cheat codes from the AR cart.

It turns out I was wrong about this. If you have a patched AR cart and a Satiator, you can boot from the Satiator and use cheats with a simple workaround that I discovered by accident. Power on your Saturn and load up your game with the Satiator. Once loaded, press the reset button on the Saturn and it will reboot to the AR cart menu. Select your cheat and start up the game through the AR cart menu.

I have no idea if I'm the first person to come across this as I haven't followed Satiator news in a while outside of checking for new firmware every few weeks. I couldn't find any mention of it with a quick Google search.
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