Vincent Rivière presents...
Super UFO Pro 8
Linker for Super Nintendo
Hi, everyone!
Today, I will tell you about Linkers
for video game consoles.
They are devices that allow you to play on a real console
from ROMs stored on a memory card
instead of using cartridges.
As an example, I will show you the Super UFO Pro 8
which is a complete linker for Super Nintendo.
But first, let's examine the cartridges.
Game cartridges can contain several things.
First, there is always a ROM.
It contains all the data of the game:
program, graphics, musics, etc.
That ROM is not modifiable.
In some games, there is a few SRAM
which allows to make saves on the cartridge.
The SRAM always comes with a battery
to keep data when the console is switched off.
And sometimes, cartridges contain
additional coprocessors to improve games.
Best known is the Super FX
used by Star Fox / Starwing to make 3D.
To normally use a cartridge, it is very simple.
Just insert it into the console,
switch on,
and play.
And here is the Super UFO Pro 8.
It has the same shape as a normal cartridge,
except one small detail.
On the right side, there is a slit to insert an SD Card.
Personally, I use a microSD Card with a SD adapter,
it works perfectly.
Beware: the card must imperatively
be formatted using FAT32 or FAT16.
NTFS and exFAT filesystems are not supported.
Then we can insert the Super UFO into the console,
and switch on.
The title is displayed for a few moments,
then we arrive in the Super UFO menu.
I can examine the contents of my SD Card
and see that it's empty.
The Super UFO will allow to play with ROM files
stored on the SD Card.
By the way, how to get ROMs?
Well, look at this.
The Super UFO is equipped with a port
which allows to get the ROM from real cartridges.
So: I switch off the console,
I put the game cartridge on top of the Super UFO
I switch on
I go to the BACKUP menu
I select GAME CART to SDC
I press Start to validate the folder
I press button A to give an automatic name
with extension UFO
I validate with Start
I wait for the progress bar to fill
And that's over.
I have just saved my cartridge's ROM
to a file stored on the SD Card.
Ability to read cartridges is a big asset of the Super UFO,
because such function is rarely available
on other linkers.
Now, I can play on the console using the ROM file,
without the cartridge.
I insert the Super UFO, alone.
In the menu, I select PLAYER,
then PLAY SDCard.
I select my ROM file
I wait for the progress bar to fill
I press Y to ignore the codes
There you go!
I find the game, just as if it was the original cartridge.
By the way, what about game saves?
If I put the cartridge...
I have 18 exits.
And if I put the Super UFO...
Everything is empty!
I have lost my game saves.
[Game Over music]
Fortunately, the Super UFO has another key feature:
backup of game saves!
I put again the cartridge onto the Super UFO,
and I go to the BACKUP menu.
That operation needs 2 steps:
SRAM CART to UFO to copy the game save
to the Super UFO's internal memory
Then SRAM UFO to SDC
to copy the internal memory to a file.
I press Start to validate the folder.
I keep the proposed filename, and SRM extension.
I wait a second
And that's over.
Now, I remove the cartridge,
and I insert the Super UFO, alone.
I go the the BACKUP menu
I do SRAM SDC to UFO
I choose my SRM file
It loads almost immediately.
I go back to the PLAYER menu
and I do the same thing as previously.
PLAY SDCard
I select the game ROM
I wait a few seconds
I press Y
The game starts...
and I find again my 18 exits.
Thus the Super UFO allowed me
to backup the whole cartridge contents.
That is to say: ROM and SRAM.
I have just shown you
how to backup a cartridge to the SD Card.
You can do the same with all your games.
So your whole game collection will fit on the Super UFO.
That's handy.
And we can even go further.
As the game ROMs are now on the SD Card,
we can remove it
and insert it into a PC
to play with...
an emulator!
You have just seen that we can take a console game
and use it on PC.
Well, know that the opposite is also possible.
Enthusiasts have learnt how to program game consoles.
And of course, they have created... demos.
As usual, we can find some on pouet.net
In the browser, I type: www.pouet.net
Then I click on Prods.
In the Platform list, I select:
SNES/Super Famicom
Then I click on Submit.
I go down a little
and I click on the demo "smash it" by the group "elix".
On the right, I click on Download
Then "Automatic"
And I save the ZIP file on the desktop.
I open the archive,
and I extract the file elix-smashit-pal.sfc,
which is a ROM, to the desktop.
Then I open the Windows Explorer
and I go to the SD Card.
I take the SFC file, and I copy it to the card.
I cleanly eject the SD Card
and I remove it.
Then I insert it again into the Super UFO
that I insert itself into the console.
I go the the PLAYER menu
I do PLAY SDCard
And I select the file elix etc. .sfc
Note that files are displayed as 8.3
because the Super UFO
does not handle long file names.
Then the demo starts.
We have seen that the SD Card can be used
to transfer ROMs from PC to Super UFO,
in order to use them on the Super Nintendo.
But there is an even easier solution.
On the left side of the Super UFO,
there is a Micro-USB port.
We can plug a cable into it
in order to connect it directly to the PC.
Beforehand, it is necessary to have installed
the driver and software provided on the CD.
This time, I will transfer
the demo DN004 by group Vantage
that I get as usual on pouet.net
I save the archive on the desktop
I open it
and I extract the file vtg_dn004.smc to the desktop.
Then I plug the Micro-USB cable to the Super UFO
and I plug the other end to the PC.
In the Super UFO menu, I go to USB.
On the PC,  I run the program SFCUFOSD.
I click on Browse,
and I select the file vtg_dn004.smc
Then I click on Load.
The Super UFO gets the ROM directly from the PC.
This operation takes a few seconds.
The Super UFO stores the ROM into its internal memory
which is called "DRAM".
I go to the PLAYER menu
I do PLAY DRAM GAME
and I can watch the demo!
That's all!
I have shown you the main features of the Super UFO.
But there are many other ones!
Such as the ability to use Pro Action Replay codes
in order to modify games, get infinite lives, etc.
And in some games, it is even possible
to save the game at any time.
What you must remember:
Linkers are essential devices
for retrocomputing on consoles.
By default, video game consoles are closed systems,
designed to play only with original cartridges.
But thanks to the linkers,
it is possible to use any ROM on a real console,
as it is possible on emulators.
So a linker turns a closed system into an open system.
Then it is possible to play modified games,
for example Japanese games
translated to French or English.
And most of all, it is possible to use on consoles...
your own programs!
But that's another adventure.
So for now, just tell you:
see you soon, for next video!
