Wednesday, August 16, 2017

revo k101 plus - is it worth the purchase? yes. yes it is. [REPOSTED.]

i HATE this god damn editing system. somehow while trying to use "ctrl+z" to undo a few minor typing errors the stupid freaking blog erased what was LITERALLY THREE WEEKS OF HARD WORK.
so now [redacting the plethora of cursing and death metal smashing], i have to repost. E V R Y T H I N G ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

so here goes the condensed version:
for a more detailed review simply go here to the following links:
[this is a video review for anyone who prefers to not have to read a ton and just get the gist]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCL7o8yWmEI
[this is a full length article review on another blog detailing everything about the k101. as well as more comments from other people and links to the required software which will be posted below.]:
 https://gbatemp.net/threads/k101-revo-official-gbatemp-review.339019/

this person details everything about the console that you may wish to know.
first of all since the reviews out there all seemed to be lacking physical console dimensions here they are:
5.5x2.5 inches console size. 2.5x2 inches screen size. [i am rounding up. slightly.]
for those of you that do not have a ruler or are on metric. it is about the size of an iphone [5 i believe]

when i got the console delivered it was in a small compact box in an odd packaging. the k101's packaging is compact and comes with screen protectors, charger, and some wierd rubber thingys that look like botton covers. you CAN order a micro sd card with it, i did not. the device itself is compact, defnitely does NOT feel cheap, and the buttons have a nice clicky feel to them.
the k101 needs first to have its software setup and instructions for that can be found here:
[this is a tutorial how to set up the micro sd card you plan to use for your gaming]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feYd3kTb8v8
for easy reference you can find the three pieces of software you need [
Panasonic SD Formatter 3.1 (Windows), K1 GBA SP Cheats v2, K1 GBA SP Game Art 1.0]
here:
Panasonic SD Formatter 3.1 (Windows):
https://filetrip.net/nds-downloads/utilities/download-panasonic-sd-formatter-31-windows-f27344.html
K1 GBA SP Cheats v2:
https://filetrip.net/gba-downloads/other-gba-files/download-k1-gba-sp-cheats-v2-f30553.html
K1 GBA SP Game Art 1.0:
https://filetrip.net/gba-downloads/other-gba-files/download-k1-gba-sp-game-art-10-f30159.html

now for those of you who wish to read the step-by-step instructions to setting up the k101 software and sd card simply go here:
https://gbatemp.net/review/revo-k101-plus.427/
or here for the short and simple:
http://www.revok101.com/how-to-use/

now there is another console out there that is a mock remake of the gba sp. that is mentioned here:
http://www.gadgetoid.com/2013/02/04/revo-k101-gba-clone-review/
but i would not buy it if your soul goal is to just game. the k101 plus is far better and more reliable than the gamebox sp. however if you really like the gba sp design, go for it.

for anyone who may wonder about the revo k101 websites customer service, check this blog out. the ENTIRE blog:
https://gbatemp.net/threads/revo-k101-problems-with-loading-saved-games.338485/page-5
these guys KNOW their customer service. when i ordered they emailed me and let me know that the color i wanted was out of stock and offered me several other options. they also even took the time to read the blog review i put up here and sent me email responses. they also take console ideas and tips to heart.
so if you are on the fence feel free to hit them up on the contact page.
btw, the save issue in the blog was fixed. simply press [start+*] after saving then when you turn off the power hold the button for at least 5 seconds to be sure.
for certain gbc games save data reversion can occur [typically when using the real time clock or switching the rtc on/off during gaming]. i found a fix for this, however it is a bit complicated.
1. save game normally. use start+*. reset game via b+A+start+sel.
2. start game normally and load save.
3. save game normally. use start+*. press L+* to open menu. choose reset from the menu.
4. start game normally and load save. save game. use start+*.
5. press power button and hold for at least 3-5 seconds.
typicallly this prevents you from losing any save data on gbc games. [mostly pokemon gold/silver was where save data issues occured and this fixed it.]

for future software updates and files go to the main site here:
http://kteam.ys168.com/
and for information on how to INSTALL said updates this video here is probably your best bet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNIU5w1dYWc

in regards to gameplay and display, well gameplay is good 95% of the time. theres that small 5% where you press a button and theres a delay or the framerate drops. otherwise its amazing, specially the bright ass display. i have never been able to play games on such a bright screen. and the in console menu is fairly simple to navigate.

now for the most annoying part of the repost, the cheats section.
the in console cheats are kind of annoying to use and in untranslated or poorly translated english. so your best bet for cheat codes is a program called GBAATM. found here:
https://filetrip.net/gba-downloads/tools-utilities/download-gbaatm-1-9-9-7-0-0-1-f33297.html

if you want a good place to keep track of your game cheats and organize them use inkpad notepad:
http://www.inkpadnotepad.com/
you can sync notes across mobile and computer devices freely and its free. just thought i would mention.

simple instructions for creating a working cheat list through GBAATM:
1. a few things to note. typically the only cheats that can be patched in are in the xxxxxxxx xxxx format
2. for the best bet for these cheat types check here:
https://gamehacking.org/
they have multiple conversions of many MANY cheats.
3. once a game is patched with any cheat code(s) it cannot ever be patched again. so be sure you have ALL the cheats you want on hand. so before patching in cheats create a copy of your game and save.
4. BACK UP YOUR K101 FILES. preferrably just the folder containing your roms. so you dont lose your saves.
5. to be sure cheat patching works its best youve gotten to a save point ingame first and copied your save and rom into a duplicate folder.
6. when patching a game you can run the rom in any emulator to see whether the cheats allow the game to work. till you fully close gbaatm the patch is not permanent and you can continue to add more cheats.

ok now the instructions:
1. open the rom you wish to patch. making sure you have the list of cheats on hand [remember that only xxxxxxxx xxxx format codes can be patched].
2. go to the following options in gbaatm and select them: "enable/disable", "enable at start", "trainer menu"
3. in the box that says "enable keys" and "l+R+A", that is a method to enable/disable cheats while playing. set a button combination you can easily remember. or leave it alone. leave it to make things simple.
4. in the empty box below where it says "trainer menu" simply type "cheats".
5. copy and paste your cheats into the large empty space at the bottom below "cheat codes". [being sure to put the name of each cheat before the actual code. otherwise you will have a long blank ass list when you start]. you only need the cheat name above the first line for the full line of the code you want.
6. repeat steps 1-4 each time you wish to patch a new game with cheats. remembering that once you patch the game it can never be repatched.
7. now the hard part. after completing steps 1-5, go to "save as" and save the file as something simple, remembering to put ".gba" as the end of the save name. once done check to see that you have "[insert whatever-the-hell-you-named-it here].gba" in the spot where you chose to save it. if so click on "patch game" then proceed to step 8.
8. this is the point of no return. if you have a current save file on your revo k101 before patching a game and wish that the cheats carry over to that save, you must do 2 things.
         a. the rom file you started with must be the one the save file is associated with.
         b. you must go to "save as" a SECOND time.
9. ****POINT OF NO RETURN**** after clicking "save as" click on the rom file that your k101 save is associated with that ends in ".gba". choose to "save as" that file and save.
10. patch the game one more time and close gbaatm
11. to test whether or not the game was fully patched reopen gbaatm. follow steps 1 and 5 above once more. and attempt to patch the game. if you get a warning saying the game cannot be patched then the patch process succeeded.

[recent edit 10092017]
ok so for those of you who may want to buy one of these suckers [which i HIGHLY suggest if you like playing gba, gbc, and nes games.] you can buy one here:
http://www.k1gbasp.com
this is the main website for the people behind the k101 plus. i should also mention that you can add video and music to the micro sd you put in the console. and the gba flashcart [that is a plastic cardtridge resembling an original gba game] comes free with the purchase.
music may be worth using since the speakers are pretty loud but i would not waste storage space for video. this thing is MADE for gaming, not just figuratively but LITERALLY as well. so using it for video would be a rather huge [and insulting] waste of the k101 plus. use it for video if you want, just do not tell me.
the k101 also has a nifty document viewer built in so you can use it to view text documents as well. but for that youll need to get ahold of [notepad++] which is not something i am going to put a link for here. why? 1. it is not really necesary for the console as of yet. 2. using [notepad++] and the k101 you COULD potentially type things for reference you should not be using.
if at some point later the designers fix the issue with editing ingame cheats i WILL post a means to get [NOTEPAD++].
for now if you want a k101 plus go here:
http://www.k1gbasp.com
i HIGHLY suggest buying one if you like old school games and want to have the ability to play REAL physical hardware off a non physical rom.
if you like newer gaming try this:
http://www.gpdxd.com/
i did a review for that console here:
http://storymaster21.blogspot.com/2017/09/console-review-gpd-xd-video-game.html?zx=f1bca8b210ef8d3c

No comments:

Post a Comment