sega saturn ram cartridge - can jap version be used in US?

[gtmtnbiker]

I'm looking for a 4MB ram cartridge for my Sega Saturn. I see some being sold on Ebay that are the Japanese version. Am I able to use a Japanese RAM catridge in my US console?

I think the answer is yes but would like to confirm. Thanks!

[lwcook]

Yes. Any accessory for the sega saturn is compatible between console versions of all three regions.

In this case, they never even released a 4mb official cartrigde here, so Japanese is your only choice.

[SinclairVulture]

Yes, although you may want to pick up an action replay plus instead - it comes with the 4mb ram add-on as well as a region bypass so a US Saturn can play Japanese games. It's the one I use and I like it quite a bit !

It looks like this:

[gtmtnbiker]

Yes, although you may want to pick up an action replay plus instead - it comes with the 4mb ram add-on as well as a region bypass so a US Saturn can play Japanese games. It's the one I use and I like it quite a bit !

It looks like this:

The reason I've avoided Action Replay was because of racketboy's comment:

http://www.racketboy.com/store/ramcart.htm

One of my biggest complaints about the Action Replay cartidges is the fact that everytime you boot up a game while the cart is in the system, you have to hit a bunch of buttons to navigate through a handful of menus. I might not sound like much, but if you turn your Saturn on and off much, this gets old very quickly.

Is this a valid complaint? At the moment, I'm not really into cheats but maybe that will change as time goes on. Don't you also have to file down the cartridge because it's a little too big for the slot?

[lwcook]

I can't speak about the Action Replay cart as I don't own one. However, I went the official route so I didn't damage my cart slot.

My current setup uses an official 4mb jap. ram cart and a us official memory cart. I know the 4-in-1 AR can store game saves, but it really is more of a backup as you can't directly save to it (you have to move them to/from the system memory.)

However, the region bypass is a useful thing and may be worth it for you (especially if you don't have a modded system.)

[skate323k137]

I've got 2 saturns, one with a region switch and one with a cart and modchip. I could just as easily put a region switch on the chipped console, but using the cart to bypass the region lock doesn't bother me at all- hit start game, and confirm start w/no cheats. I suppose if you only own a saturn it might be annoying, but I think everyone here with a saturn owns at least one other console. it's no more annoying (actually, far less annoying) than having to set the clock on a rarely used dreamcast every time you start up.

[Hatta]

I have an action replay, and the little boot menus aren't a big deal really. It's running from a cartridge, so it starts fast, and you can just click right through it. Unless you're running through dozens of games in a sitting, I don't see why it would be a problem.

[IcKy99]

I have an action replay, and the little boot menus aren't a big deal really. It's running from a cartridge, so it starts fast, and you can just click right through it. Unless you're running through dozens of games in a sitting, I don't see why it would be a problem.

100% agreed

the only effort it takes is to press "A" two times is that so hard???

[gtmtnbiker]

Thanks for the responses. Those were all good points. I agree that it's not a big deal considering that I go through some contortions with GameCube and the Viper Chip. It boots up the Viper, I then load GCOS. Then another couple button clicks before the game loads.

I will be modding this Saturn with a chip.

[Radiant Hero]

Buy the Pro Action Replay! From my personal experience, I'm glad to know that my game saves are backed up in the cart when the Saturn's internal battery dies. I have lost my game saves twice from the Saturn alone.