Review
- Flash Advance Linker & Flash Advance 64M Card
(
Added June 24th 2001 - By Eric)
Introduction
The Flash Advance Linker & Flash Advance
64M Card although recently released, is probably old
news to hobbyist and programmers involved in the GBA
emulation scene. If you don't already know, the Linker
is a GBA hardware development and back-up kit, which
GBA programmers use to test their compiled game codes.
Click
For Bigger Picture.
The Linker. is not an official Nintendo development
kit. Official Nintendo developers use the official kit,
but these kits cost around US$7,000, compared to the
Linker which cost less than US$150. Do the math, and you'll
understand why the Linker is so popular among budding programmers
in the emulation scene (and from what I heard, official
developers too, since it's so much cheaper and also
because there is no requirement that official tools
must be used).
Now, before I go on, I must say that I am reviewing
the Linker not as a programer, since I don't know anything
about coding or game development, but as a regular GBA enthusiast,
who would like to know what the Linker is all about and
what it can do for me. So, without further ado, I shall
continue.
Understanding & Using
The Linker
Let me first state that the Linker and 64M Cards are sold separately. After I describe what the
Linker is, you'll understand why.
By itself, the Linker is basically a device which
backs-up your GBA games and save game files to the hard
disk of your computer - and from there to other storage
mediums like a floppy disk or CDR for safe keeping. A cable is used to
connect the Linker to your computer. This cable is a
regular 25-pin parallel/printer extension cable which
connects to your computer's printer port.
To do a backup,
you simply insert the GBA cartridge you want to backup
into the Linker's cartridge slot (see picture below)
and turn the unit on. The Linker runs on 6 AAA batteries,
but you can also use a 9v AC adaptor if you have one.
Click
For Bigger Picture.
Next, you run the supplied "Advance Writer"
software, which works on all flavors of Windows, and
click either the "Backup Game" button to backup
your game to your hard disk as a ROM file, or the "Backup
Saver" button to backup just your game save files
(see picture below, but ignore the error because I stopped
the process halfway to grab a screen shot).
Once you have backed-up your GBA cartridge
as a ROM file,
you can then use a PC GBA emulator to play it on your computer.
More importantly, however, are your backed-up save game
data, which the Linker can restore to your cartridge.
This is a life-saver if
you ever loose or accidentally
over-write the original data.
So, if you just want a device to backup
your GBA games and save data to your computer, then
the Flash Advance Linker is all you need. You don't need the 64M Card at all, and that is why the Linker and 64M cards
are sold separately.
Understanding & Using
The Linker With The 64M Card
The Flash Advance 64M Card is basically a 64MBit rewriteable memory
card. Just plug it into the Linker, send it a GBA ROM
file from your computer's hard disk, and in minutes, you'll
have a cartridge that plays just like an original GBA
cartridge. As you can see, the 64M Card together with
the Linker makes for a cheap and powerful GBA development
tool. If you aren't a coder, however, you'll still find
a myriad of uses for the rewriteable card.
Click
For Bigger Picture.
First off, you can use the 64M Card to store and play the many
homebrew GBA games developed by hobbyist coders in the
emulation community. Or, you can use it to make your
own multi-game GBA cartridge from all the single original
cartridges that you own. The 64M Card acts and behaves
like a regular GBA cartridge (except for its size), and because it has its
own battery back-up SRAM, you can also save your games.
Also, if you happen to find a "patch" for
a ROM file you own, you can apply the "patch"
to your ROM, upload it to your 64M Card and enjoy the new
game features that the "patch" has provided,
like extra lives, more ammo or hidden levels.
Good Or Evil
Like any tool, the Flash Advance Linker can be
used either for good or nefarious purposes. For those
involved in developing games for the GBA, the Linker
is a tool for good, because it allows the hobbyist or
budding programmer to test or demo their games on an
actual GBA, without having to pay the exorbitant amount
for an official development kit. As you know, more programmers
and coders equals to more innovative and better games.
On the dark side, however, is the fact that the Linker
is also a tool for unscrupulous people to illegally
dump, distribute or play commercial GBA ROMs without
ever buying a single cartridge. This is Nintendo's worst
nightmare, and the bane of the video game industry in
general.
Conclusion & Final Remarks
I'm not here to pass judgement on the Linker.
My review is purely informational, and written from
the perspective of a GameBoy enthusiast and gadget lover.
As such, I really like the Linker because of all the
neat things I can do with it. The things I like most
about the Linker is that it allows me to make my
own multi-game cartridges, and not have to lug around
so many single cartridges for those long road trips
(the 64MBit card can store up to two 32MBit GBA games,
but a 128MBit card will soon be released that will allows
you to store up to four games). The save game backup
is also another feature I love, as well as the ability
to try out the many GBA homebrew games available on
the internet.
Click
For Bigger Picture.
Of course, the Linker is expensive and absolutely
useless without a computer. For many of you, the Linker
isn't something you should rush out and buy. If you
don't know your "com port" from your "parallel
port" or are unwilling to make changes to your "computer
bios", then you should forget the Linker since it
requires some computer knowledge to set-up properly.
For budding coders and gadget lovers, however, the
Linker and 64M Card is a powerful development tool and a real
cool toy. Be warned that Nintendo could pull this baby
off the shelves at any moment, and you'd be well advised
to get one today! Believe me, you won't regret it.
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