The Ultimate GBA Flash Card? - EZ Flash Omega Definitive Edition Review

[@bombjack1984]

You can get a custom firmware for EZ Flash Omega (standard and DE) called Simply, which has more emulators such as Game Gear, MSX, ZX Spectrum.

[@julianx2rl]

Just a couple of days ago, the GBC emulator was updated to support rumble. So you should go and update your cart.

[@BowserN64]

Very well-done and comprehensive review of the feature set and real world usage of this thing that seems really hard to find. Thank you for a great video!

[@RetroCore]

You're welcome and thanks for watching.

[@BowserN64]

@@RetroCore Hey you're so welcome! You're very talented to tinker with this stuff and understand it all! I too love original cartridges but then it comes down to wearing out hard-to-find games the more you play them. At least flashcards can just kind of live in your Game Boy for the most part, you know?

[@STR82DVD]

Excellent product and excellent product critique. Thanks young man as always.

[@RetroCore]

And thank you for watching.

[@Reaperman4711]

14:03 My old Omega came down with white screen issues after about the 3rd lengthy session with it. Glad you lucked out with yours. I will have to consider this upgrade, since my M3's top out at 2gb, which feels small these days.

[@RetroCore]

Sorry to hear that. I reckon they must have made a faulty batch of them. I didn't get mine until it had been on the market for a few months.

[@Reaperman4711]

@@RetroCore Actually, this vid tempted me to look at it again. I updated firmware, copied to a new sd, but it still white-screened, so got new roms, and yay, they all (so far) worked. Maybe an old firmware was corrupting files on the SD. Cautiously optimistic, but will still probably upgrade to the latest device.

[@RetroCore]

Ah, yeah that could be it. I used the SD card from my old card on the new one and no game would load. Thay all stopped when making the save file. A fresh SD card with the latest firmware fixed that though.

[@SweetSour96]

Thank you very much for this great review. You hit every major point that someone like me would want to know about.

[@RetroCore]

Glad it was helpful!

[@FabioGnecco]

I have the original since 2018 and played a bunch of games start to finish, including ROM hacks ! It works fine !

[@RetroCore]

Good to hear there are other people who still have a working unit.

[@Septer_Sever]

@@RetroCore Are you saying the original is prone to failure. I've never looked into that...mine is still kicking.

[@retrovideogamejunkie]

Fun fact: early this week I got a GBA sp Nes classic with IP mod screen, so I was watching reviews of this in KZbin....so, basically, you read my mind n delivered this very detail review....

[@RetroCore]

Nice. I'm looking for an IPS screen mod for the DS Lite but can't find any.

[@retrovideogamejunkie]

@@RetroCore that is why I intent to get the dsi xl yellow ...

[@luigiymario2xd]

4:58 so would that mean that if you put a pokemon game like emerald there and want to transfer to a pokemon gen 4 game would that work as retail? or would it still have issues?

[@williamwilliam9993]

The new definitive edition is coming to here featuring ds to gba transfer support, rumble expansion, power saving, and ds web browser

[@mrkocsa]

drawback of the new version in size, due to new functions, the cartridge cannot be shortened for ds lite too, and of course the price)

[@RetroCore]

Yes, that is a drawback but it isn't really a problem.

[@M_LittleRivers]

Great video. That game boy macro you have is beautiful.

[@RetroCore]

Thanks!

[@reagandow850]

Thanks for the thorough review and demo. I’m ordering one immediately. I hope you and the family are well?

[@RetroCore]

Glad the video could be advisable to you. Hope you and your family are also doing well.

[@reagandow850]

@@RetroCore - we are all healthy and upright as well. ;) Thanks for asking. I haven’t commend in a while but I’m always here “liking” and watching. Thanks for the great stuff week after week.

[@dratinithedagon7508]

Does this work with a link cable? Specifically the wireless one?

[@deathwishsquish9142]

Aaaaaa but the Christmas edition x5 mini is so cute …

[@blazingsoulhunter2862]

This question is out of place but, Say Mark, would it be possible for you to make a Retro Core 5 video on the Sharp X68000 or the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer someday? Hell, even a Retro Core 6? (If that even happens). I’m 50/50 on that though.

[@RetroCore]

I'd love to do a X68000 focused show but the thing is, the Retro Core hardware specials must use real hardware. No emulation is allowed. Sadly, I haven't owned a X68000 is over 10 years. If someone could lend one to me I'd love to cover it. The next hardware focused show will be on the original GameBoy I think.

[@KenSch2020]

What you camera is picking up is the refresh on the DS screen. The new Ez Flash Omega Definitve Edition seems to be a good flash card.

[@RetroCore]

Yes, that's correct. It can be removed by having the camera slightly out of focus but I do prefer things to be focused right. Although sometimes I'm guilty of out of focus filming 😔

[@KenSch2020]

@@RetroCore It fine with me don't have a problem with your camera pickup the screen refresh anyone that it bothers should not look at it.

[@ginmil3436]

So does this mode b will work for transferring pokemon to DS games!!?? I can't seems to find the answer to this question!!

[@professorofficer9609]

Ninja Cop? Nice game. I 've never heard it before. I should check it. Those "best gba" youtube videos lack it from their lists.

[@RetroCore]

Because those so called best of lists are always the typical crap that Nintendo fan boys always go on about. Mario this, Zelda that, Pokemon, Metroid, animal Forest, bla bla bla. So boring. If you like good action games, do check out Ninja Cop. It's really good. I think it has a different name in the US but in Europe it is called Nija Cop.

[@patrickfoltz232]

It’s also called ninja 5-0 in USA.

[@technischemaschinenfabrik5882]

I use for my Master System a flash card. It cost me about about 25 € and it works perfect. For my Super Nintendo i've got the Game Doctor SF6 copy unit and the Super Ufo flash card. Now there is a 35 € flash card available. It is half the price of a Super Ufo flash card when it was available. There is also a cheap flash card available for Mega Drive. I think it's better to use flash cards instead of buying expensive loose cartridges without packaging, cover and manual. What do you think?

[@RetroCore]

A flash card is good but I prefer to own real complete games.

[@luciatheorphan]

what is the battery life for the DE like on the DS lite?

[@Deltax5]

You think there will be another one? I got the original omega. It was alright. One of my sd card stopped working for some reason. I got another one works ever since. There was a capability issue. It was ok but even less with cheats and savestats enabled, which kinda sucked. Is it better now with the new one? Needs a gb mode. That switch doesn't look sturdy. Needs gyro for kirby tilt and tumble. Should of put solor as well. Most of those games have patched versions now with a patch found on the net. Rumble is cool. This looks cool thou.

[@DRAWKCABLLA]

The invincible cheat may mean that you do not die from having zero health rather than you cant loose health

[@RetroCore]

Very true. Turns out that it was me not implementing the cheat properly.

[@skins4thewin]

Just ordered one. Will just flip my old Omega to someone who needs it.

[@RetroCore]

That's what I'm going to do with my older one as well.

[@AlessandroCussino]

Nice video ! 👍😊 I think the Definitive Edition is better than the precedent version. But unfortunately the new cartridge sticks out from the GBA slot of a DS Lite due to his size. And this is not that good (at least for me).

[@losmanos2200]

Does anyone knows if we can use glitch's in Pokémon games like original ones? I know repros won't work.

[@AlessandroCussino]

After you have selected a cheat you should then activate it in the cartridge menu 😉 But you are actually right, sometimes the cheats are buggy even if they are correctly activated. P.S. The new cartridge should activate the cheat automatically by only selecting it ? Whitout entering the cartridge menu a second time during gameplay to atually activate the cheat ?

[@RetroCore]

I'm sure I selected boot with add-on. Maybe I did not which is why the cheat didn't work 😅

[@Doctortech1]

The of my ez flash omega definitive edition it says EZFODE is that real or not or have I got a weird version of it?

[@Ryan-cx2fn]

I recently got this. And when putting GBA roms it works well. Anytime I go to GB, GBC or even NES it just loads a white screen. I reformat sd put the firmware on and not really sure what else to do?

[@RetroCore]

Sounds like the emulators that handle the GB and NES roms is faulty. See if you can reflash the emulators. I'm sure there's a guide on the net.

[@amristar736]

Can it play the original NES games that are ported to the GBA? Because those will not play on the GBA emulator on Anbernic devices.

[@opts9]

I have an EZ-Flash IV and I have them working on that, so the Omega should play them fine.

[@amristar736]

@@opts9 Thanks

[@opts9]

@@amristar736 👍 I seem to recall issues getting them to work in the past, on the GBA (and emulators I think), but I tried again a few months ago and got them to work easily. I think I just had to run the ROM from a .gba file instead of a Zip file.

[@JamesLoweryHypnotherapy]

Someone please help me. I can't save my games whatsoever. I cannot save settings on the cart such as "savestate" so I cannot use "Addon boot", nor do my saves work within the rom itself using a clean boot. Every time I toggle between settings nothing I tried to set remains in place. I'm not sure what to do.

[@RetroCore]

I'm afraid I don't k ow what the issue may be. Best to check a forum that specialises in flash cards.

[@patrickhawthorneLS]

Can anyone tell me if there is a gba flash card that will work with the snes gba adapter I understand it would work in stand alone single game mode but really want a selectable menu,i habe read that the very old flash carts work but those are not easy to get hold of

[@DeAthWaGer]

At this point it's probably cheaper to consolize a salvagable gba. For the amount I got for my retro carts a few years ago I could have.

[@warrensnook9435]

Does anyone know if this flash cart works on the analogue pocket?

[@Suikostinger]

The BIGGEST issue with the non DE version is the battery. No RTC, mine died, and it's almost impossible to get a battery for it that has tabs on it and i don't have a soldering iron. With DE, the battery is just taken out and put in, super easy. BUT the downfall of the DE version is that it will stick out of the DS, I have the non DE version where it doesn't.

[@isidromontes6046]

My biggest issue with the original was the battery drain. Any idea of its power usage and how it compares to original carts?

[@RetroCore]

Hmm, I'm getting maybe 30 to 50 minutes less playtime. Depends really.

[@nekononiaow]

Interesting, I do not own a functioning GBA (only a broken one, eventually to be repaired) but this may be a nice option for the future. Thanks for the video! What happened to the DS on the left at the end for it to lack the top screen? Are you using the hardware mod which allows to connect the DS to a display?

[@RetroCore]

Ah, that DS had a broken top screen so it was converted in to a GBA player. It has the speaker in the lower half of the case too.

[@star43able]

have you had any corruption issues? do you have to wait 5 seconds after it saves? i really dont know which gba card to get. thanks

[@RetroCore]

I haven't used my GBA or DS in months but I can confirm I never had to wait 5 seconds after a save or had any issues with saves.

[@star43able]

@@RetroCore ok i am debating about the x5 mini and the ez flash omega de

[@auroradeboer9350]

Hi @retrocore, how long did it take you to receive the EZ Omega flash card from the vendor that you provided in your description? Thank you!

[@RetroCore]

It took about 3 weeks but it was sent standard post all the way from France to Japan. So I guess that's why it took so long.

[@bland9876]

@@RetroCore TIL RetroCore lives in Japan

[@Swampert_Tube]

Does it fit in the og DS (phat) /GBA/GBA SP?

[@RetroCore]

Yep.

[@williamb223]

Can this trade with the old GB/GBC Pokemon games? I know it emulates GB/GBC, so I'm wondering if it'll allow trading to an actual GB/GBC

[@RetroCore]

I don't think it can.

[@AMRKE92]

Does it plays GBA games by emulation or natively on GBA hardware?

[@RetroCore]

GBA games are 100% native just like using a real GBA game cartridge. Only regular GB and GBC use emulation.

[@daniel_lucio]

Sorry for my ignorance, but it can't load DS games like the old SuperCard SD? Is it a GBA exclusive product?

[@RetroCore]

No worries. This device is only for GBA. I use the DS because I don't own a GBA.

[@skins4thewin]

DS RAM Expansion? Never even heard of that before! What is that used for?

[@turbinegraphics16]

the quake 2 homebrew on ds can use it

[@RetroCore]

Yeah, as turbine graphics said, it's mostly used for DS homebrew.

[@ZiggityZeke]

for being half the cost, the omega has more than enough features to justify its use.

[@DRAWKCABLLA]

100$ may seem like alot but its really not. And if you are spending 50 may as well spemd the extra 50 and save yourself from having to buy a soldering iron to replace the battery

[@an-os8yv]

Does the cart work in a DS lite?

[@RetroCore]

Yes, I've tried it on my Japanese model.

[@jjtheman523]

Is it worth the upgrade from original ez flash iv omega?

[@RetroCore]

If you are just using this on a GBA, then personally, I'd say no. The extra battery life the new one gives is nice but I didn't think the original drained batteries that quickly anyway.

[@RonkeyRong]

Does the everdrive require battery swaps too?

[@RetroCore]

I don't know about the Everdrive. The battery is only for the real-time clock. The actual cartridge works just fine without it but the real-time clock won't function.

[@skins4thewin]

There's no purchase link by the way. Did you forget to add that?

[@RetroCore]

It's in the video discription. Or the link to the site where mine came from is. I also added a card to the video.

[@martyshapiro4750]

Do you have to do anything special to run gameboy games on a ds

[@RetroCore]

No, not at all. The Omega has a built in GameBoy Emulator. That's what runs the games. It isn't 100% perfect but it does a good enough job as shown in this video. I should clarify that only GB games are emulated. GBA games run natively on the GBA or DS.

[@martyshapiro4750]

@@RetroCore I just realized I do not have the DE does the regular omega run dmg games on the ds lite

[@joandarc441]

To the batmobile

[@bland9876]

I wonder why no one has made a cart that can flick the switch in a gba to natively play game boy/color games? That is the only downside I see to this cart.

[@SP95]

I didnt know you could play NES on Gba !??

[@opts9]

Did you know, you can play Sega Game Gear and Master System on it as well?

[@SP95]

@@opts9 Didnt know that either 😯 Thanks

[@opts9]

@@SP95 You're welcome! It's well worth doing if you have an EZ-Flash.

[@RetroCore]

It's using emulation but it does seem to work very well.

[@opts9]

@@RetroCore Agreed! I managed to finish Ninja Gaiden on it, so I'd say that passes a pretty solid test!

[@TheSwillMan]

EverDrive GBA for me 👍 bought mine as soon as they came out and left these Chinese GBA flashcarts behind forever

[@iXien]

Many thanks for this review. I don't think I will buy this new version. I have no interest in NES emulation and all the new little features.I will keep my EZ FLASH OMEGA. I'm more puzzling about the RAM expansion option as I don' find any list of games that clearly take advantage of such enhancement. This Definitive Edition is perfect for new customers but IMO it doesn't justify a new investment when you already have an OMEGA cartridge until you clearly want one of the new features. Anyway, I think the EZ FLASH OMEGA DEFINITIVE EDITION is really the best solution to take advantage of its GBA. It really is a great product.

[@RetroCore]

The extra ram is mostly for DS homebrew. For example, to run quake well on the DS you need the extra Ram. The DE version of the Omaga can provide that. Personally, I'd never use the extra features. Well, maybe except for the rumble. The core functionality is the same as the original as far as GBA games are concerned. The upgraded memory is a bonus though. Save saves is ideal.

[@elnoel1220]

What’s with the American pronunciation of “Omega” (stress on second syllable rather than the British pronunciation which stresses the first syllable)? You’re losing your Scouse ;)

[@RetroCore]

Really? I didn't notice. I should go all out scouse with, "alright la, dis is de nuw Omegaaa, like. Its boss!" 😁

[@elnoel1220]

@@RetroCore that’d be hilarious! Looking out for the full on Scouse in your next vid 😂