Hacking GBA flashcard help
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The top 2 choices would be the EZFlash Omega and the Everdrive GBA X5.
Here's a thread that should answer most of your questions.
Here's a thread that should answer most of your questions.
4 main choices. Don't buy a GBA slot supercard unless it is $10 or something as they are not good.
Do note most flash carts will generally only work in things that officially had a GBA slot. There will one day be some clone consoles that work with flash carts (indeed we have seen some announced and some of the adapters rather than handhelds might) but most of the current set will basically be ROM dumpers paired with an emulator, a setup that works fine for 99.99% of GBA ROMs but not with flash carts.
Also note that GB/GBC support is only going to be emulation barring some really old GBA flash carts and an even harder to get accessory. The emulation is pretty good but not perfect, and link cable support is not happening either.
Anyway
EZFlash 3 in 1. DS lite version will be the main version you find. Can boot a single game without the need for a DS flash cart but is mostly managed by them. Might be quite cheap and the battery might need replacing but will play just about everything that does not need a clock.
EZ4 and EZflash redux (basically still an EZ4).
If you should somehow find an EZ4 lite compact then don't do it.
Not the best GBA flash cart ever made (they were mostly made for running DS ROMs before we got DS slot carts) but stuck around for longer than the others and saw a few extra batches put out. Will still play just about everything with no slowdowns or worries though.
Functions standalone as well, and these days supports both SDHC and has no need for patching. If you find a miniSD version do be prepared to go find a miniSD (they won't really exist in SDHC, and while micro to mini adapters exist they have caused more traumas in flash cart world than you will ever know as they are so awful).
You need to write ROMs from the SD to internal memory (PSRAM, 16 megabytes which is less than the max but very few are larger, very quick to write, like most RAM loses data when not powered. NOR, 32 megabytes, slow to write but stays between boots, has a quirk with NOR as well called FILO which is short for first in last out, which is to say roms A,B,C,D get written and you want to lose B then C and D are also coming off) . There are some rare models with more of each but you will likely not find them).
EZFlash Omega.
EZFlash came back and created what they hoped would be the be all and end all (hence omega) of GBA flash carts.
It is a top notch cart. Supports SDHC, boot times are basically nothing, no patching required, has a clock for those few games that want it, nice cheats...
Its main complaints are the way it handles saves take a second or two to save after saving in game (it mimics the save memory in circuitry and then copies that back to the SD card) so the save and turn off thing most do needs to wait a few seconds before you do. It was also a bit thirsty on the power front and while updates have got it down considerably it is still more than a lot of other things.
Everdrive GBA line.
Much like most everdrives they are modern designs that do well, whilst also costing a pretty penny. The main competition to the Omega in the tippy top GBA flash cart world. The splash they made on the GBA was less than some other systems as the end of the GBA lifetime saw the rise of SD cards and even without those the GBA does not have a lot in the way of things to make flash cart makers and emulator authors cry.
http://gbatemp.net/threads/buying-a-gba-flash-cart-in-2013.341203/page-18#post-4756995
Said post also highlights most of the trouble games for other carts (most of them are anti piracy and extra sensors rather than fancy onboard processors) and how to fix them.
Do note most flash carts will generally only work in things that officially had a GBA slot. There will one day be some clone consoles that work with flash carts (indeed we have seen some announced and some of the adapters rather than handhelds might) but most of the current set will basically be ROM dumpers paired with an emulator, a setup that works fine for 99.99% of GBA ROMs but not with flash carts.
Also note that GB/GBC support is only going to be emulation barring some really old GBA flash carts and an even harder to get accessory. The emulation is pretty good but not perfect, and link cable support is not happening either.
Anyway
EZFlash 3 in 1. DS lite version will be the main version you find. Can boot a single game without the need for a DS flash cart but is mostly managed by them. Might be quite cheap and the battery might need replacing but will play just about everything that does not need a clock.
EZ4 and EZflash redux (basically still an EZ4).
If you should somehow find an EZ4 lite compact then don't do it.
Not the best GBA flash cart ever made (they were mostly made for running DS ROMs before we got DS slot carts) but stuck around for longer than the others and saw a few extra batches put out. Will still play just about everything with no slowdowns or worries though.
Functions standalone as well, and these days supports both SDHC and has no need for patching. If you find a miniSD version do be prepared to go find a miniSD (they won't really exist in SDHC, and while micro to mini adapters exist they have caused more traumas in flash cart world than you will ever know as they are so awful).
You need to write ROMs from the SD to internal memory (PSRAM, 16 megabytes which is less than the max but very few are larger, very quick to write, like most RAM loses data when not powered. NOR, 32 megabytes, slow to write but stays between boots, has a quirk with NOR as well called FILO which is short for first in last out, which is to say roms A,B,C,D get written and you want to lose B then C and D are also coming off) . There are some rare models with more of each but you will likely not find them).
EZFlash Omega.
EZFlash came back and created what they hoped would be the be all and end all (hence omega) of GBA flash carts.
It is a top notch cart. Supports SDHC, boot times are basically nothing, no patching required, has a clock for those few games that want it, nice cheats...
Its main complaints are the way it handles saves take a second or two to save after saving in game (it mimics the save memory in circuitry and then copies that back to the SD card) so the save and turn off thing most do needs to wait a few seconds before you do. It was also a bit thirsty on the power front and while updates have got it down considerably it is still more than a lot of other things.
Everdrive GBA line.
Much like most everdrives they are modern designs that do well, whilst also costing a pretty penny. The main competition to the Omega in the tippy top GBA flash cart world. The splash they made on the GBA was less than some other systems as the end of the GBA lifetime saw the rise of SD cards and even without those the GBA does not have a lot in the way of things to make flash cart makers and emulator authors cry.
http://gbatemp.net/threads/buying-a-gba-flash-cart-in-2013.341203/page-18#post-4756995
Said post also highlights most of the trouble games for other carts (most of them are anti piracy and extra sensors rather than fancy onboard processors) and how to fix them.
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