NeoPocket GameDrive (NGPC Style)

23 Reviews

• 4

  Works well!

  Posted by Andy on Nov 18th 2021

  I'm really glad this device exists. Obviously the NGPC was not the most successful handheld out there, but it still has a bunch of good games. It was no guarantee that the NGPC would see a game drive device, let alone a good one, but here we are! This drive does everything you need it to. The interface is easy to understand (it scrolls slowly but I don't even know if that can be helped) and has great if not perfect compatibility. It works with IPS screen modded consoles too. My only knocks against it are that it uses a 3D printed shell rather than a nicer injection moulded one, and it requires you to load games into the memory before launching them (and it can only hold so many at a time). These are minor complaints however. It really does get the job done and holds up well against other Everdrive and ODE style devices.

• 4

  Great little device

  Posted by James Brooks on Oct 13th 2021

  Awesome little device that essentially does what you expect. Loading games on is easy as long as you have a mini sd card and way to write onto it from a pc. And its plug and play from there.
  So why not 5 stars? Well its great that you can have the whole NGPC library on one cartridge but the flashing process takes time and you can only have a handful of games flashed directly ready to play at a time.
  Its not a huge complaint but if the flash memory was bigger then it would be perfect.
  But this is a minor gripe when you consider how convenient it is to have the whole library and your games ready to play within a few moments.
  

• 5

  Excellent Way to Play!

  Posted by JTD121 on Oct 8th 2021

  Given the rarity, and expense, of getting NGPC carts, this is the next best thing.
  
  If you can find the ROMs (no links here) you can play any of the games released for this criminally underappreciated portable.
  
  Setup is pretty easy, and the manual and box are pretty high quality. After experiencing these add-ons, I highly recommend them if you can afford the extra.
  
  Unlike other flash carts (I only have one other, so this might be common) you have to 'burn' a ROM to the on-board flash memory to play the game. Then the cart acts like that cart until you decide to switch games.

• 5

  Good Product (With Some Quirks)

  Posted by Retroooo on Jun 26th 2021

  This is a good flashcart to experience the NGPC library. Everything I've tried so far has worked flawlessly.
  
  I recommend reading the small instruction pamphlet that comes with the cart to understand all the features. This cart does not work like the Ever Drive or similar carts for other systems.
  
  Two things in particular to note. Your games are on the SD card, and you need to put the ones you want to play into the flash memory (about 15 MB). The instructions say that you should put the larger games on there first. Listen to this -- otherwise the layout of the flash memory can get fragmented and you won't be able to use all the space. Flashing can be a little slow, but once in the flash memory the game runs brilliantly.
  
  Also, pay attention to how to preserve your saves when you need to make more space in flash memory to try out the larger games. What you want to do is save the ROM along with the save data into the "saves" directory, and then delete the game to free up the flash space. Afterwards you can get your saves back by reflashing from the "saves" directory (but if you reflash using your original ROM, obviously you won't get your saves back).
  
  Build quality is good and the cart feels very solid. All in all if you're a NGPC enthusiast, this cart is excellent.

• 5

  Childhood Dreams Come True

  Posted by Glenn on May 12th 2021

  The few limitations of this (like the flash memory size) are far overshadowed by being able to play all the games I wished I could have had as a kid. I've not run into any issues playing any games, this is well worth the purchase!

• 5

  Excellent!

  Posted by Jamison on May 3rd 2021

  Cons (these cons were advertised, so I am not holding it against the product)
  - Shell is 3D printed. That said, it's SLA and not FDM, so the print quality is much better than you'd expect compared to typical 3D printing you may have seen.
  - There's only 16 Mbits of on-board memory that games can be launched from. You can hold the whole library on the SD card, and transfer games to the on-board memory whenever you'd like. Most games are 1 to 2 Mbits, although some are 4 Mbit (and very few are 0.5 Mbit). It does take a minute or two to copy a game over, and I find myself thinking twice about which games I load up.
  - No "sleep" or "quick resume" feature. When played using real cartridges, certain games like like Picture Puzzle will pause your progress when you shut off the system. The Game Drive does not support this. Again, this is an advertised shortcoming, so I am not holding it against it.
  
  I only encountered one "con" that I think is a real issue:
  - I ran into a case where I had X Mbits of free space, but I could not copy over a X Mbit game because there was not enough space. I am not sure why this happened, but I just deleted another game to bypass the issue.
  
  Okay, onto the pros:
  - Hold the entire NGPC library on one (small) SD card, and copy over games you want to play whenever
  - Games launch immediately from the on-board memory
  - No compatibility issues that I've run into so far
  - UI is clean and makes launching games a breeze
  - I only have a Japanese copy of Gal Fighters, so I can play the English version with this!

• 4

  Works as expected

  Posted by Matt on Apr 25th 2021

  The NGGD loads slowly off the SD card but you are good to go once you're passed that hurdle. The build quality and looks are great! It sits flush with the console.

• 5

  Works great!

  Posted by Alex R on Apr 13th 2021

  Loading games into flash is slow, but that's a small hiccup to play the rest of the limited library. No issues at all, though the 3D printed cartridge may look or line up perfect. Worked on the first try for me.

• 5

  Form + Function = Fun, Neo Geo Pocket Color's Must Own Cart!

  Posted by Marc on Apr 8th 2021

  My first thought was trying to understand what the difference of it being 3D Printed would mean, having no clue what a normal NGPC cart feels like. Well, if they don't feel like the NGP-GD, they should! Its awesome! It has that hand crafted feel, but instills a lot of confidence with how well put together it is.
  
  The Menu System is great. Flash Times take a bit, but, its nowhere near annoyingly so. And there is just enough space in the loaded games to have most of everything you want to play, and swapping them out is easy as pie. I feel like the amount of space is more than adequate, but it does take a bit to math out how to maximize it and have the games you want close at hand.
  
  I'm happy to sing the praises of NGPC's Game Drive, RetroHQ has done a fantastic job, and they've been a really great help letting us NGPC fans enjoy the library's many awesome titles, AND, play awesome translations of Japanese exclusive titles!
  
  If you haven't picked it up, do yourself, and your Neo Geo Pocket Color a favor, it truly is a MUST OWN!