Will The Gp32 Finally Die Off Due To Lack Of Smcs?


ste_167

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SMCs never were so reliable, certainly not robust, and now that they're being discontinued and prices are rising (I've just seen a 128 for £40(!))... is it getting close to The End? :(
 
The best long term solution might be the adapter which houses an XD card. These aren't as nice as they stick out a bit of the slot, but at least you'd be able to use it!
I've found that the best way of getting SMC cards cheaply is actually buying a device bundled with multiple SMCs. For example, look for an auction on eBay for a digital camera or old mobile phone sold with some SMC cards - the seller often doesn't place much value on the media.
64MB cards are probably okay as well; most of the games/emulators for the GP32 are such that you could put loads of interesting bits and pieces within even this "limited" amount of space.
 
Of course this is inevitable, good thing folk like me horded SMCs while they were still (rarely!) available. I've got me three 128MB's and three 16MB's (two of which have shitty commercial games on). The 16MB's go starting at $100, and the 128MB's at $500. :) The GP32 itself, $750.

- Alex
 
damn, i only have 4 16mb smc's...damn now im never gonna get a 128 mb one...atleast i have a 2x :)
 
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Few days ago I was walking near Pier 39 in san Francisco, there are several photography shops out there, and I saw 128 MB SMC cards in one shop there FOR $20 A CARD, and (keeps hitting head to wall, stupid stupid stupid) I didn't buy any :(
 
What's stopping you from walking there again and buying half a dozen?

- Alex
 
I don't live there, am just touring, I left SF to LA and right now am in San Diego, California baby :D
(keeps hitting head to wall)
 
so what's that mean for those of us who've got SMCs? when do they lose their rewriteability.. not enough times that it should be an issue for a "casual flasher" (man i love typing that) right?

many years from now, will the data be lost on the cards, or will they "freeze" (at least, always be readable)
 
so what's that mean for those of us who've got SMCs? when do they lose their rewriteability.. not enough times that it should be an issue for a "casual flasher" (man i love typing that) right?

many years from now, will the data be lost on the cards, or will they "freeze" (at least, always be readable)

SMC <> XD card adaptor to use XD cards instead of SMC`s, As mentioned in a previous post above.

Trooper
 
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damn, good thing I bought about 20 128mb cards then! :D
WTF! Why did you buy so many? Surely not all for the GP32? You must have had some other device that uses them?

well, I liked to have at least one card for each emulated system, a few for homebrew, fps games... and just to have enough not to worry too much if a couple die in the future. I also got an insane deal at the time, they were only about $7.00/ea

trust me, if I could've bought a 2gb card back then I would've! Luckily, my GP32 case is fairly large and I could bring all my cards along with it for long trips.
 
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The shoddy controls on everyones GP32 will reach the point where no amount of blu-tac and wadded paper can fix them :(
 
The shoddy controls on everyones GP32 will reach the point where no amount of blu-tac and wadded paper can fix them :(

Definitly true! I was really holding out with mine, until I got my 2x. I tried the wadded paper fix, and while it does work, it only works for so long, and then its all screwey again. So at the moment, mine's done. I don't plan to use it, unless I have too, one because its the non-Backlit version, so its only good in normal lightning anyway, and two because of the space limit. 128mb really doesn't compare to 4GB! It just doesn't. Sure I fit all my c64 games, and a bunch of nes games, and some snes games....but that's all that fits....I would need more cards.


Frankly I don't see a point in buying another smc card for a system that I rarely use.

DSR
 
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I've got 3 workign SMCs and 1 dead one; and when I say working, I mean, the GP32 screws them up but I can usually keep data on them for an hour or two :p I've pretty much stopped looking at my GP32 since the SMCs get eaten so quickly I can't be bothered to sort out which app/firmware is causing the issue :/ The later GP32s have sexy screens, but I just can't take SMCs anymore, so its GP2x forever!

jeff
 
I've got 3 workign SMCs and 1 dead one; and when I say working, I mean, the GP32 screws them up but I can usually keep data on them for an hour or two :p I've pretty much stopped looking at my GP32 since the SMCs get eaten so quickly I can't be bothered to sort out which app/firmware is causing the issue :/ The later GP32s have sexy screens, but I just can't take SMCs anymore, so its GP2x forever!

jeff
You tell 'em, Fry!

The GP32 is an excellent collectible system though, and a huge slice of homebrew history that will live forever.

- Alex
 
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so what's that mean for those of us who've got SMCs? when do they lose their rewriteability.. not enough times that it should be an issue for a "casual flasher" (man i love typing that) right?

many years from now, will the data be lost on the cards, or will they "freeze" (at least, always be readable)

SMC <> XD card adaptor to use XD cards instead of SMC`s, As mentioned in a previous post above.

Trooper

So... I can get the adaptor and copy all of my files to an 128 xd card, but I assume I am S.O.L. on the commercial game that I bought off of JoyGP.entware.com, when the website was still working and online, and put it on my 128 card. So, if SMCs go bad over time and all of the commercial games are only available on SMCs, then all of the commercial games will fade away. Thus erasing the commercial history of the Gp32.
 
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