consoles without real-hardware SNI equivalent, that could maybe have one
Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2026 11:15 pm
amazing title mhm yes i am great at this blog thing.
i noticed that SNES is really the only console that allows you to read and write memory on real hardware in a standardized way using SNI. (this is used for eg. Archipelago, to play supported games on real hardware)
N64 has had this capability used as well, but only for individual game projects like Star Fox 64 AP - it hasn't been standardized like SNES has been, afaik. same goes for Wii with Skyward Sword AP, 3DS with A Link Between Worlds AP, and Switch as well. it's good that solutions exist at all for sure, but there's no denying that a standardized approach similar to SNI would be easier for developers to work with, with it abstracting the actual connection so they can focus on the actual application they're making.
i've also noticed many flashcarts that include development ports, or other setups, that seemingly people don't know about, or maybe simply haven't yet taken advantage of. so, this post will list some.
Sega Mega Drive / Genesis, Sega Master System, Sega Mega-CD, Sega 32X
the Mega EverDrive Pro supports playing Mega Drive, Master System (even without the Power Base Converter!), 32X, Mega-CD (even without the peripheral itself!), and, oddly, NES game backups.
the Mega EverDrive Core is similar, and significantly cheaper, but does not support Mega-CD or (again, oddly) NES backups.
both flashcarts have a microUSB port for development/debugging and firmware updates.
i'm not sure if the Mega EverDrive Core allows you to read and write memory when playing a Mega-CD game using the peripheral proper, despite its lack of ROM support. if it does, it would still work with legit game discs as well as backups burnt to CD-R.
(now if only i could dump the roms from my Genesis Mini 2...)
anyway, some development examples are available on github.
...
RIP Sato-san.
TurboGrafx-16 / PC-Engine
the Turbo EverDrive Pro and Turbo EverDrive Core have microUSB ports for development/debugging. the Pro supports CD backups.
some development examples are available on github (though they're comparatively lackluster compared to other krikzz flashcarts).
Nintendo Entertainment System
the EverDrive N8 Pro (NES, Famicom) has a microUSB port for development/debugging and firmware updates.
some development examples are available on github.
...and, again, oddly, the Mega EverDrive Pro supports NES, over at Sega land.
Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance
using Swiss and the broadband adapter (or the ETH2SP1 or ETH2GC, assuming compatibility works out), it is possible to develop and debug both commercial and homebrew software using devkitPro. this is demonstrated on macOS using Emacs here. ...i bet this is the first time you've found out about the ETH2SP1 and ETH2GC. :)
using devkitPro would probably also work with a Wii using either Wi-Fi (2.4 ghz band) or the LAN adapter.
as for using the Game Boy Player: back in March of last year, Game Boy Interface Standard Edition enabled a UART debugging interface. i can't seem to find any publicly-available documentation on this, but it should allow for GB(C) and GBA games to be playable using GBI and a flashcart.
Nintendo DS / DSi
the DSpico is a recent, fully open-source DS and DSi flashcart that includes a microUSB port for development/debugging, probably using devkitPro. the pins on the port are outlined on github.
by the way, isn't it insane that it's taken this long to have a fully open source flashcart for DS? it feels like we've had flashcarts for forever. ...because we have.
i noticed that SNES is really the only console that allows you to read and write memory on real hardware in a standardized way using SNI. (this is used for eg. Archipelago, to play supported games on real hardware)
N64 has had this capability used as well, but only for individual game projects like Star Fox 64 AP - it hasn't been standardized like SNES has been, afaik. same goes for Wii with Skyward Sword AP, 3DS with A Link Between Worlds AP, and Switch as well. it's good that solutions exist at all for sure, but there's no denying that a standardized approach similar to SNI would be easier for developers to work with, with it abstracting the actual connection so they can focus on the actual application they're making.
i've also noticed many flashcarts that include development ports, or other setups, that seemingly people don't know about, or maybe simply haven't yet taken advantage of. so, this post will list some.
Sega Mega Drive / Genesis, Sega Master System, Sega Mega-CD, Sega 32X
the Mega EverDrive Pro supports playing Mega Drive, Master System (even without the Power Base Converter!), 32X, Mega-CD (even without the peripheral itself!), and, oddly, NES game backups.
the Mega EverDrive Core is similar, and significantly cheaper, but does not support Mega-CD or (again, oddly) NES backups.
both flashcarts have a microUSB port for development/debugging and firmware updates.
i'm not sure if the Mega EverDrive Core allows you to read and write memory when playing a Mega-CD game using the peripheral proper, despite its lack of ROM support. if it does, it would still work with legit game discs as well as backups burnt to CD-R.
(now if only i could dump the roms from my Genesis Mini 2...)
anyway, some development examples are available on github.
...
RIP Sato-san.
TurboGrafx-16 / PC-Engine
the Turbo EverDrive Pro and Turbo EverDrive Core have microUSB ports for development/debugging. the Pro supports CD backups.
some development examples are available on github (though they're comparatively lackluster compared to other krikzz flashcarts).
Nintendo Entertainment System
the EverDrive N8 Pro (NES, Famicom) has a microUSB port for development/debugging and firmware updates.
some development examples are available on github.
...and, again, oddly, the Mega EverDrive Pro supports NES, over at Sega land.
Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance
using Swiss and the broadband adapter (or the ETH2SP1 or ETH2GC, assuming compatibility works out), it is possible to develop and debug both commercial and homebrew software using devkitPro. this is demonstrated on macOS using Emacs here. ...i bet this is the first time you've found out about the ETH2SP1 and ETH2GC. :)
using devkitPro would probably also work with a Wii using either Wi-Fi (2.4 ghz band) or the LAN adapter.
as for using the Game Boy Player: back in March of last year, Game Boy Interface Standard Edition enabled a UART debugging interface. i can't seem to find any publicly-available documentation on this, but it should allow for GB(C) and GBA games to be playable using GBI and a flashcart.
Nintendo DS / DSi
the DSpico is a recent, fully open-source DS and DSi flashcart that includes a microUSB port for development/debugging, probably using devkitPro. the pins on the port are outlined on github.
by the way, isn't it insane that it's taken this long to have a fully open source flashcart for DS? it feels like we've had flashcarts for forever. ...because we have.