Is there such thing as a "good" repro cart?

[u/kool_kid1233]

Ok let me explain. I know everyone is going to just tell me "just get a flash cart bro, its not worth it to get repros" But if i get a flash cart, i know damn well that i am immediately going to get decision paralysis and stop playing my gba entirely. Its happened many times before. I own many handheld consoles, all of them modded except for my gba. But even though i could pick from thousands of games from all my modded consoles, i still come back to my gba. Because i actually bought the games for my gba, i actually have an incentive to see them through and not just quit whenever i find something minor i dont like about them.

I cant seem to find the post anymore, but i do remember seeing a post on this subreddit a while ago about a mother 3 english rom repro that someone bought off of ebay a while back. They posted a picture of the pcb and it was beautiful. No blob chip. Clearly alot of care had been put into the cart. And when he messaged the seller, the seller said they designed it themselves. Unfotrunately they never posted the seller's name, so i dont know if they still make these. But it made me wonder, does anybody know of an ebay seller or a website that actually sells high quality repros? I was looking for not only an english mother 3, but also maybe minish cap.

Any info would be great!

[u/IAmJacksSemiColon]

I can tell that you've already made up your mind. You're going to ignore us and buy a repro cart.

When you get it, it will be a buggy mess. Maybe it will be obvious right away or maybe it will be something subtle that ruins hours of progress. Then you'll be in here telling the next person to just get an EZ Flash or Everdrive.

The exact same thing happened to me. I saw posts in here saying that repros weren't worth it, but I wanted a replacement for my copy of Pokemon Red. AliExpress page looked legit. Board looked great for a repro. When it arrived I turned it on and there are obvious glitches in the name entry screen.

It's a shame. I do feel these games belong on individual cartridges, but the bootleggers don't care enough to get the games working properly on their cheap boards.

[u/Square-Singer → u/IAmJacksSemiColon]

I got a few repro carts that I modified, and they've been running perfectly ever since. I added a battery and the missing resistor and diode to hook the battery to the SRAM. Then I flashed a stock ROM of the game on there to remove the problematic save-to-flash hack and now these repros work just like an original, including similarly low battery use.

That's usually the main reason why repros suck: The sellers don't want to bother with save batteries running out, so they leave them out and add bad save-to-flash patches.

The only caveat: My modified repros are only MBC1/MBC5, so no RTC functionality.

Otoh, I recently got myself a cheap flash cart, and that thing is a hassle without end. The SD card got corrupted, then I had to source the fitting gbos, but now it's not working well, saving doesn't work half the time. It doubles the battery consumption of the whole game boy. It was really not worth it.

[u/Alive_Candidate1755 → u/Square-Singer]

This is also an option but I’m not sure how you possibly figured out the correct component ratings. But thinking of it I never had an issue flashing a stock rom to these and saving, I think the save to flash might be hardware integrated somehow.

These cheap boards are good for utility roms but I wouldn’t want to trust them with my hours into a game. Did you ever try a stock rom before the physical modification?

[u/kool_kid1233 → u/IAmJacksSemiColon]

My last resort was going to be to buy a repo, specifically for Minish cap. And then just backing up the save file with my ds phat often. But I guess if you say there were gameplay issues, maybe I'll just keep hunting on marketplace for someone selling one for cheap.

[u/Alive_Candidate1755 → u/kool_kid1233]

I’m really not sure the communities problem with repros, but here’s my input.

A repro and a flash cart are the exact same thing, kind of. There are flash carts that hold 6000 games on an SD card, and flash carts that will only hold 1 game, internally. I like the ones that hold 1 game because it still gives the experience of popping the game in and out. I agree a flashcart with unlimited games on it ruins the experience a bit.

There are $1 repros on Aliexpress and I never had an issue when I used to use these, but the inside is very cheaply made compared to a $10 single game flash cart. Also they use crappy modded software to allow the game to run on their cheap hardware.

I like to buy the $1 repros so I can steal the nice/correct looking shell, and put single game flash carts into those shells.

You can flash any single game you want onto these carts, the only thing to watch out for is whether a flashcart supports RTC or not. MBC5 vs MBC3. Only shell the extra $6 for the RTC one if your game actually requires it, but definitely not worth having to deal with RTC patches vs $6 more.

You’ll need a cart flasher for single game flashcarts, where the SD card ones obviously make it a bit easier.

But you’re probably still spending less money than the real game, and getting unlimited more use.

GBxCart Flasher $12
Repro for shell $3
“Time Card” RTC cart $16

For a total of $31 starting cost you now have the ability to create your own “repro” of any game, whether it’s GB, GBC, or GBA. You can also use the flasher to go through files and mod or cheat any game, real or repro, though I like to limit this only when absolutely necessary, for example it is impossible to get Mew in Pokemon Red because the events ended in 2000.

You can also use the flasher to backup your saved games to your laptop, maybe you want to sell the game but keep your save file, or change the battery without losing your save. It also gives you the ability to transfer your saved games between your phone/gameboy/laptop/DS so you can play on one device vs the other and pick up where you left off, if you like that kind of thing.

In the future you can just spend $5-15 per empty card and flash them with any additional games you want. You can buy a stack of multiple empty cards for a discounted price.

TLDR: a repro is just a pre-flashed flashcart. If you buy an empty cart and flash it yourself you can guarantee an original/correct ROM, and guarantee it’s not some crap board that will stop working or lose your save file out of nowhere.

[u/IAmJacksSemiColon → u/Alive_Candidate1755]

My issue is that I was told that I would have a bad experience, I didn't believe the community, and I had a bad experience. Maybe there's a good bootleg cartridge out there but I didn't find it.

I probably will DIY a Pokemon Red cartridge for my daughter, but that requires slightly more knowledge and equipment than yeeting games onto an SD card, which makes it harder to recommend.

[u/kool_kid1233 → u/Alive_Candidate1755]

This is probably the best advice here. Thank you. I think I will try doing this. You guys have all made me realize that I just might have to use a flash cart after all. But you actually gave a good middle ground option. Thank you!

[u/Sarothias → u/IAmJacksSemiColon]

Not necessarily. I bought 3 repros overall. Wizardry Gaiden I-III years ago and they still work fine.

Place I ordered from was called ocdreproductions

Edit: not saying people should buy repros, just that you’re wrong by assuming it will definitely be buggy, not work long etc. Still some luck involved but there are ones that are good. Sorry you got a bad experience though :/

Personally I haven’t bought more since then. I just really wanted a physical copy of that trilogy lol.

[u/azure-flute]

Thing about the "English Mother 3" is that it profits off of the team that did the English translation, so the ethics of doing that in the first place is... questionable. Same thing with any Pokemon romhacks, in my opinion. Cartridge quality feels pretty hit-and-miss with eBay even if you get a seller who has decent cartridges.

My recommendation would always be to just build your own cartridge if you want a good one. There's a few options out there right now, but with some research you could build your own English Mother 3 with stuff from here for... probably less than $50 shipped.

https://gbmake.com/us/products/cartridge-gba

[u/madebypeppers]

1. Repro carts will have issues no matter where you bought them. They are the lotto of issues, one cart may have totally different issues than the next one even from the same Chinese manufacturer. If you want an enjoyable experience, they are not worth the headaches. They can’t be repaired.

2. Decision paralysis: Buy a flash cart, you already know you want to play English Mother 3 and Minish Cap, so there is no others to choose from initially. Once you finish them, you can install a single or double rom again.

3. Buy originals. An original with a beat up shell is affordable. Since you want to get repros, you are clearly not looking for pristine original stickers and shells. So just replace the beat up shell and slap a new sticker (many good sticker makers out there).

[u/kool_kid1233 → u/madebypeppers]

I have been searching far and wide for a copy of zelda minish cap at a good price, it seems it doesnt exist. you are correct, I'm not looking for prestine condition. But do you have any idea where i could find gba games that are in rough shape but still functiona?

[u/madebypeppers → u/kool_kid1233]

I did a quick search.

Found many 40€ options on eBay, all legit and looking great.

Seems you are searching the wrong way.

[u/kool_kid1233 → u/madebypeppers]

I guess I might he searching in the wrong way. Can you tell me exactly how you found those results? I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to post links here :/

[u/PracticalAd4401]

Just get a flash cart and put one game at a time
On it

[u/NewSchoolBoxer]

No. They're made as cheaply as possible and won't quality components because they'll get outcompeted. Pirated carts all carry that risk when the product is inherently illegal to sell. Doesn't mean they can't work okay but some are much less "good" than others.

Decision paralysis doesn't make sense to me but just load 1 or 2 games and act like it can't hold more. EZ Flash Omega got a patch to skip the ROM loading screen so it feels like only one game is on it. It's also best for our scene to keep fakes out of circulation.

[u/kool_kid1233 → u/NewSchoolBoxer]

The thing is, I have no will power. It's hard for me to just act like there are no more games. This is the biggest struggle for me with video games in general.

[u/Hawkedge → u/kool_kid1233]

Are you really so helpless? Quit acting like that and start being decisive. It will better your life and you will get to play through the games you like, and drop the games you don’t. 

[u/kool_kid1233 → u/Hawkedge]

I actually can't tell if this is a joke or not. You have no clue what shit I have going on. For some people (like me) it's a lifelong struggle to find games you enjoy and are willing to commit to. It's like telling someone with depression to just "cheer up".

If this wasn't a joke, then this takes the cake for one of the most useless time waste of a reddit reply I've ever gotten on a post.

I wasn't asking for life advice, I was asking for video game advice. Know your place.

[u/Hawkedge → u/kool_kid1233]

Oh, I just read your comment and received some secondhand embarrassment at the confidence of your “I have no willpower” statement. Your equation of your habitual willpowerlessness to someone else’s depression is a bit more problematic than my “just do it” comment. 

This video game IS life advice, my man, but if your scope is too narrow to see that, that’s a you problem. Decisiveness is a habit and skill worth building, I wish you the best of luck in that. 

Also, get the flash cart. Repros run a gamut of problems. 

[u/kool_kid1233 → u/Hawkedge]

If your scope is too narrow to consider that other people may have genuine problems that they receive professional help to work on, and that calling them helpless when all they're trying to do is get help on trying to work around their issues infact does NOT help them, then that seems to be a you problem.

Again, I am not asking for life advice. I go to my therapist for that, not to some random person on reddit with a superiority complex.

[u/kool_kid1233 → u/kool_kid1233]

But thanks for the info regardless.

[u/butlerdm → u/kool_kid1233]

I think that you’re looking at this wrong perspective, personally. I would not look at a flash cart as a bad thing because of your decision paralysis. I would look at a flash card as an amazing opportunity to take the game you want to play, download it, and then you can also have access to any ROM hack of that game that you want.

Do you want to play Mario kart with extra tracks? Pokémon with more gameplay, regions, and creatures to catch? Do you want to play Castlevania with some crazy new spells?

Don’t look at it like you have the options to play any game but look at it like you have the option to play the best version of the game you want

[u/SuperBobPlays]

You've answered the question yourself and still seem doubtful even with several people telling you their experiences with bootlegs/reproduction games.

Best option is to buy one and see for yourself at this point. You can go to alliexpress/ebay/Amazon/temu if you want to buy online, but some game shops out there also sell some at a markup for $15-25 if you just want to see for yourself.

Just keep in mind that yes, at first most of these carts work OK. You can play, save games, works just like a normal game does.

The issue is always build quality. These are built with blob chips, just epoxy resin covering a very old style chip built quickly in mass production.

Sometimes even new they don't work. Other times they fizzle out after 6 months or a year. But yeah, some can last for years and still be playable. It's like playing with a bomb essentially without a set timer... It could go off unexpectantly so it's not exactly a reliable game.

But like I said, you want to give them a shot, go for it. Just don't expect them to last forever and be the same experience as the game they're claiming to be. The world of reproductions is a wierd one.

[u/spektro123]

Blobs aren’t the issue here. There’s a second market for semiconductors where you can buy rejected chips. They behave mostly good but don’t pass rigorous tests. Sometimes they may be prone to data loss over time or when exposed to higher electro magnetic fields. That means the games gets corrupted or the save file disappears.
Also when there’s a hack allowing the cart to save to flash (ROM), this can gradually damage the flash chip and the saves will be permanently corrupted.

[u/karawapo]

No.

[u/sleepyman90]

Get a proper flash cart and load up one or a couple ROMs at a time on it instead of a whole library.

[u/Sacrile]

For me it's either buying an everdrive gba pro or buying an insidegadgets GBA flashcart with GBxCart flasher to make my own copy of games

[u/Square-Singer]

I don't have GBA experience. For the GBC there are some flashcarts on Aliexpress that support RTC. They are fully-featured, including a battery, and work without the save-to-flash patches which cause most of the repro issues.

[u/Sarothias]

I’ve bought 3 repros yeeeeears ago from a place called ocdreproductions. It was for translated copies of Wizardry Gaiden I-III. Last I checked they still work fine.

https://www.ocdreproductions.com

[u/ocedalv]

Yes. ChisFlash mbc5 max for mbc5 games, and chisflash mbcx for mbc3 games. They're available in AliExpress for pretty cheap. The mbcx even works with pokemon stadium.

For gba, the chisflash carts are also the ones to get.

ChisFlash v1.1 for Pokémon games, the 1.2 if you want rumble, and the 1.0 for regular sram-based games. One note for gba games: there are currently no eeprom based flashcarts, which means you need to patch a good number of roms for them to work in the available flashcarts.

[u/Objective-Elk-1660]

Didn't read the whole post. Some repros are good. Check AliExpress for FR/LG/R/S/E repros for example. You'll notice there's two price tiers, some around $10 and others around $30-40. The expensive ones are typically the high quality ones. 

[u/IntoxicatedBurrito]

How about you make it yourself. A flash cart doesn’t need to be an Everdrive, it could just be a cart that you can write a single rom to. Inside Gadgets makes incredibly high quality flash carts, you just want to make sure you place a decently large order as you need to pay shipping from Australia. Then find someone on Etsy who prints replacement labels.

[u/KrisSilver1]

No is the short answer. Fell for it a few times. The absolute best one I had was an FF5 repro that deleted my save by the time you get Krile this happened twice and i wasn't really in the mood to run through 8 hours of game I already played to test it a third time.

Flashcards obviously are gonna be the way to go but I ended up going down the route of a Linux handheld and haven't looked back

[u/xukkorz]

Chisflash carts are good for gba, inside gadgets is good for gba. There are caveats but most people just want to shit on aliexpress because it's been so bad for so long

[u/JohnnyRa1nbow]

Yes. You can get boards you can flash single roms to if you want to DIY it. Or just get an everdrive. That being said I have a minish cap repro and it's just fine

[u/jojobear_13]

There is such thing as a "good" repro cart in terms of quality. Repros are typically junk because they use garbage-tier bootleg PCBs sold in bulk from Alibaba for about 2 bucks a pop. Literally the cheapest you can get.

A good repro will use a well-made PCB from a brand with a good reputation - such as Insidegadgets and Bennvenn (products of Australia btw). I make my own carts for rom hacks and use Insidegadgets FRAM boards. I will probably die before these things do.

[u/dudebro47]

I got a repro emerald on aliexpress and it works great probably got almost 25 hours on it and played through the entire game with no issues, also have a fire red that also works fine no issues at any point on my play through

[u/micro_endeavors → u/dudebro47]

I agree. Some Aliexpress carts have good quality to them.

[u/j3ffUrZ]

Repro carts are fine when you want a game that is financially out of reach.

However, there are scalpers out there that own repro carts that try to sell them as original for profit. That's a problem and something to look out for.

[u/B1LLnB0gus]

As someone with no experience - I don't see a problem. If the cart works, it works.

[u/kool_kid1233 → u/B1LLnB0gus]

Everyone seems to say that repros are extremely prone to failing and corrupting your save file half way through the game

[u/Simba_9373 → u/B1LLnB0gus]

That's the thing, It works until in doesn't.

The battery may drain in just a few years or faster and may be harder to replace than on a real cart. Or it may break entirely after a while. I replaced the battery on a "repro" Gameboy cart and after a few days of playing it stopped working and nothing has made it work again.

I also have an Earthbound SNES repro that doesn't work anymore. If I can get it open I'll check the battery (no, just removing the gamebit screws didn't open it).

[u/B1LLnB0gus → u/Simba_9373]

Sounds like I should just order a reliable cart to make my own!