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The legendary Krikzz continues to pump out some of the best flash carts money can buy, and he's returned to the EverDrive 64 to give it a fresh lick of paint.
The previous model, the $150 EverDrive 64 X7, is one of my most-used carts thanks to the arrival of the Analogue 3D, and I have to say I've had very few moments where I felt the X7 was missing any features – so the introduction of the EverDrive 64 Pro had me somewhat sceptical at first.
On paper, it's certainly an iterative upgrade on the existing X7; it offers several new (and very useful) features, but ultimately does the same basic tasks. However, if you've been pushing your flash cart to its absolute limits, then you might find this is just the ticket.
Thanks to the more powerful Cyclone 10 FPGA, the EverDrive 64 Pro has a little more juice in the tank when it comes to performance. This might not necessarily be something you notice all that much, but I appreciated the fact that this new model has an FPGA core for playing NES games, rather than taking the old-fashioned software emulation route.
The EverDrive 64 Pro also gets a memory bump: the Pro has 128MB of SDRAM compared to the X7's 64GB, so this cart can handle more demanding, memory-hungry ROM hacks and homebrew games, a key consideration as this scene has matured and expanded. There's also extra space for cheat codes (480, up from 34).
Another big addition this time around is support for native 64DD ROMs via a dedicated core. With the previous cart, you had to patch these ROMs so they work properly, but the EverDrive 64 Pro runs them without modification. There's also a button on the top of the cart which allows you to swap 'discs' when the system is running. This might seem inconsequential, especially if you're already enjoying 64DD titles on the X7 without issue, but it makes the console behave more like a real 64DD + N64 combo, which will matter to purists.
You can also access Controller Pak and Transfer Pak data with this cartridge, and it supports custom background themes, letting you personalise the user experience. The MicroUSB port (used for debugging and the like) has been upgraded to a faster USB-C port, which will be a welcome change for homebrew developers.
Much is the same as on the EverDrive X7; you get a built-in Real-Time Clock and automatic IPS patching, for example, but the new additions elevate the experience and, in my opinion, make the EverDrive 64 Pro the best N64 flash cart money can buy.
Sure, the rival SummerCart also offers native 64DD support, but its open-source origins mean buying one is a little hit-and-miss; unless you're totally sure about the supplier, you run the risk of picking one up that has production issues or missing features.
Of course, the big attraction of the SummerCart is the fact that, more often than not, it's cheaper than Krikzz's carts. At $170, the EverDrive 64 Pro certainly isn't cheap, but I can't help but feel it's worth the extra cash when the end product is so high-quality, and its creator is as good at keeping the firmware updated as Krikzz.
However, keep in mind the X7 is still in production and costs $20 less, so weigh the cost if you're looking for an all-new cart, or, if you already own the X7, hold off unless you're really hankering for the upgrades.
Thanks to Krikzz for supplying the EverDrive 64 Pro used in this review.