racketboy.com

Have you ever bought a repro cart of a game?

I think repro carts can be a way to play a game that's insanely expensive on original hardware without having to decide which kidney to sell.

Most repros I see are bootlegs of games that had a legitimate release. I either buy a legit copy or an everdrive. At least with a real copy of a desirable game you can (usually) get most or all of your money back if you decide to sell.

The only repros I have bought (and would buy) are games that didn't get a release in that format. So I have for example Final Fantasy III and V with translation patches, and a few JP Mega Drive games in US format. That's not *really* a repro at that point, though, I guess.

o.pwuaioc wrote:The only repros I have bought (and would buy) are games that didn't get a release in that format. So I have for example Final Fantasy III and V with translation patches, and a few JP Mega Drive games in US format. That's not *really* a repro at that point, though, I guess.

Same!

I have several reproduction carts, but they are all games released outside of the United States. Final Fantasy III & V, Dragon Quest V and VI, Bare Knuckle III, Mega Man The Wily Wars.

And I just prefer playing actual carts on my actual consoles in comparison to emulators and everdrives. So, if they are games that aren't released in the US, then I will gladly pick up a reproduction cart.

I have seen Repro Carts of really expensive games. For example, you can get a Repro Cart of Little Samson for like $40. I'm not there yet, but I might someday. I hope to play those on their actual carts.

Aside from a couple all my repros are carts where I purchased the original and then commissioned someone to swap in an english translated chip.

For me, repros are fine when they're OBVIOUSLY reproductions. It could be a game never released in English with a translation patch applied, it could be a ROMhack, it could be a rare game with a label that says "reproduction" on it somewhere or with a shell that's a different color from the original release or something. Those are all totally fine and I own a couple though mostly actually-licensed versions put out by companies like Retro-Bit, Limited Run, or Columbus Circle.

What I don't like is when I *think* I'm buying a legitimate copy of a game and then find out that it's a cheaply made bootleg. I've had that happen to me a few times and I definitely don't like it. The bootleggers are actively profiting off of games that are not their own and are usually so poorly made that they can risk damaging a console. I'd much rather just download the ROM myself and play it on a flash cart so I'm not funding some sketchy criminal organization in China or something. That kind of thing rubs me the wrong way.
But if anyone LIKES buying and playing those carts on purpose and don't try to foist them off on someone who doesn't know better, that's okay with me.

Nemoide wrote:For me, repros are fine when they're OBVIOUSLY reproductions. It could be a game never released in English with a translation patch applied, it could be a ROMhack, it could be a rare game with a label that says "reproduction" on it somewhere or with a shell that's a different color from the original release or something. Those are all totally fine and I own a couple though mostly actually-licensed versions put out by companies like Retro-Bit, Limited Run, or Columbus Circle.

What I don't like is when I *think* I'm buying a legitimate copy of a game and then find out that it's a cheaply made bootleg. I've had that happen to me a few times and I definitely don't like it. The bootleggers are actively profiting off of games that are not their own and are usually so poorly made that they can risk damaging a console. I'd much rather just download the ROM myself and play it on a flash cart so I'm not funding some sketchy criminal organization in China or something. That kind of thing rubs me the wrong way.
But if anyone LIKES buying and playing those carts on purpose and don't try to foist them off on someone who doesn't know better, that's okay with me.

You can usually tell by the price, but I don't like how on ebay there are often no written differences between a bootleg and a legit game. The only way you know it's not real is that it's EVO and it's going for $35.

Just a PSA about carts in general...

If you do buy a repro, just be sure it's safe to use. A lot of them are using 3v parts in an unsafe way, which could potentially cause eventual damage to your console and the cart. This is a concern for not only bootleg/repro carts, but also homebrew and indie releases as well. There was an article a few years ago from db Electronics that got a lot of attention.

edit: Other concerns that got recent attention are gold fingers and beveled cart edges.

By "gold fingers," I mean the pins of the cart that get inserted into the console (the ones that have to be cleaned every so often). Legit carts have a hard gold plating, which stands up after many cycles of being inserted/ejected. A pirate or otherwise poorly designed cart is most likely to have an ENIG finish to the fingers instead. ENIG is softer and less durable, and will show wear a lot sooner than hard gold. It isn't an issue that'll cause damage to your console, but if insert/eject the cart a lot then you will eventually wear out the ENIG finish which can cause issues with the cart being read.

As for beveled cart edges, the edge of the PCB that is being inserted into the console should be beveled. Typically, a PCB will have hard 90 degree edges. Beveling a cart edge is not something that every PCB manufacture offers, especially the cheaper ones that are only aimed at prototypes. And a pirate cart is very unlikely to spend extra money on a feature like beveled edges (or hard gold, or level shifters). The reason the cart edge should be beveled is so that when you insert it into the cart slot on the console, it kind of gently moves the pins of the cart slot out. When you insert a cart that has a hard 90 degree edge, it kind of smashes the pins. This can cause eventual damage, wearing out the cart slot making it harder to read carts.

I posted many times on this forum that you should NOT use the Sega Saturn Game Shark because it damages that Saturn's cart slot. Years ago, I read that the Game Shark PCB was too think and that's why it causes damage. Well as it turns out, the PCB is the correct thickness but the edge is not beveled. The Saturn's cart slot has MUCH thinner pins than a typical cart slot does, and inserting a cart without a beveled edge causes those fragile pins to wear out very quickly. This would eventually happen to any console, it would just take a little longer.

Here's some pics of a beveled cart edge, if you don't know what I mean...



Here's a related article from Retro RGB... https://www.retrorgb.com/determining-th ... ridge.html




To sum up... If your cart has ENIG fingers, I wouldn't really be concerned if it's a cheap pirate cart. Just know that the more you insert/eject it the faster it'll wear out. But if it's a homebrew or indie release cart, you might have paid a little more money for it, it really should be hard gold. If the cart edge isn't beveled, that is a concern. While it wont immediately destroy your console's cart slot, repeated use will put unneeded stress on it and these consoles are old to begin with. If it's a pirate or bootleg cart, it's unlikely to have a beveled edge. It's easy to check, and easy to fix with a belt sander. If you don't have a belt sander, you might know someone that does. The most dangerous thing though is if the cart is using modern 3.3v parts incorrectly (old consoles typically supply 5 volts). This might be harder to figure out on your own, but you can always post a pic of the PCB if you want to find out.

I don't have an issue with repro carts, but Everdrives are definitely the way to go if you don't care about having an authentic cartridge.

ElkinFencer10 wrote:I don't have an issue with repro carts, but Everdrives are definitely the way to go if you don't care about having an authentic cartridge.

Unless you're like me, boot up a multicart of whatever kind and spend more time wondering what to play / not getting around to anything new, than actually playing everything... :p

I can see why people dislike scammers who disguise their repros as genuine copies, and it's these that are likely the worst fakes out there - as once an "idiot" is fooled in their eyes, just doing the bare minimum to make it pass would go over the heads of those not so well-versed and they've made a tidy, dirty, blood-money profit.

Off topic, have a cute Nep-Nep: https://img3.gelbooru.com/images/4a/8d/4a8d3632235159292620841930abd14e.png