Dex Drive for Nintendo 64: Bringing file management to N64 game saves.
.
Spending an extra $7 to $20 per game can add up rather quickly when it comes to playing games on the N64. There are many types of memory cartridges to choose from by various companies. Some brands are not as reliable as others; I have had two Nyko memory cartides fail on me. Dead battery? Poorly made? I'm not sure why they failed, but I do suspect that the battery failed. I wish they made these memory cartridges user-servicable so I could replace the battery insteady of having wasted $30 on them. I also have a Nuby Rumble Pack that has a 4-bank memory cartridge integrated into the device. This has not failed me at all. While the Nintendo memory cartridge comes highly recommended, they cost more than memory cartridges made by other companies. By using the Dex Drive, now you only need to purchase one or two memory cartridges and you can use them for all your games.
First of all, I am not recommending that people avoid the Nintendo memory cartridge. I do intend to get one for myself and trash those defective Naki ones. The Nyko one is great since it does the rumble and 4 bank memory cartridge so I do not need to run out and get another memory cartridge just yet. Typically though, I stick with Nintendo-branded products for those sort of accessories. On the positive side, the memory cartridges can be rewritten as many times as needed so you can always re-use an existing memory cartridge for a different game.
Some games have small saves. Depending on how small the saved file is, you can store multiple saves and multiple save for multiple games on a single memory cartridge. This can be quite cost effective if the games do not generate very large files for saves. On the other hand, of the games I own, each title in the Electronic Arts FIFA soccer series requires an entire blank memory cartridge for their saves. I have four FIFA soccer titles, so that would require four memory cartridges. This is where the DEX Drive becomes very useful.
Using the DEX Drive, a cartridge can be rewritten. When a cartridge is rewritten on the N64, all the data is forever lost. When using the DEX Drive, you can choose to erase files, move files and save files to the hard drive. You can even swap saved games with friends via email, network or floppy disks so they can load them into their memory cartridges. If you want to have multiple saves so you can "fall back" to a good save in case you mess up really bad.
The DEX Drive is not just for the N64/index.shtml">Nintendo64. This particular model is the N64 version. There is also a version for Playstation memory cartridges. The software is the same, just the hardware is different. For the cost of maybe three memory cartridges, you can get a DEX Drive, and then going forward, you save money.
.