Well the wait has been a long one for people who want a flash cart for the Sega MegaDrive/Sega Genesis system, but NeoFlash has really outdone themselves this time.  I got one of the first MD Flash Carts to ship, and I was pleased with how well it performed and how easy it was to use.

The packaging was what I’ve come to expect from NeoFlash — if you know what it is you’ll know what you’re getting. In the package there was the blue adapter, the flash cart itself, and a USB programming cable.  The adapter is for the MegaDrive/Genesis/Sega CD/Sega 32X and then their core technology as 512 MB flash cart for the NDS/NDS Lite/GBA.  The genius with this design, is that the cart module needs to be built once, and then can be reused for flash carts for NES or SNES, Genesis or any number of other potential systems.  You know my work, and I am very active with the ColecoVision, but no word yet if they will go that route.  Not included in the initial shipment is the Windows based upload manager software on the CD mention on the packaging.  A quick check on the forums offered me a download of the latest version of the interface software, and a recommendation to check back for updates as they refine the software.

So for a homebrew programmer and enthuasist like me, it is a dream come true.  I can load up multiple versions of my various homebrew projects.  The only real problem that some people might find is that you need to reformate a given flash cart for a specific system.  That is, you can’t have SNES and GBA homebrew on the same cart at once.  We are working on the Genesis today, so really you format it for that, and there is not issue.

The software was easy enough to use, and it let me know right away when I’d successfully cabled up the cart to be reprogrammed.  Before I got this, all of my Sega Genesis work was tested exclusively in emulators, so being able to use the original controllers and real hardware was quite satisfying.

I think that 512 MB is plenty of space for Sega homebrew projects, but for the ultimate collection you can swap out the small flash cart for one of the many larger ones that are announced or available.  Definately a great way to leverage the economies of scale that this product offers.

Overall, I recommend this product.  It was clear and easy to use.  The boot menu on the Sega worked cleanly.  And homebrew on the Sega will never be the same.

- Dale Wick