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Terraonion’s MODE (Multi Optical Disc Emulator) for both the Saturn (20 and 21 pin) and Dreamcast (v0 & v1)

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Fuzzy

Fuzzy

Completely non-threatening
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
18,135
Toronto
Announced earlier today.




€200 (VAT and import taxes are the responsibility of the purchaser)
Introducing MODE (Multi Optical Disc Emulator) for SEGA Saturn & Dreamcast!

•Auto region patching (loads games from different regions without patching games)

• Auto detects the console it's plugged into. No jumpers to configure.

• SATA 2.5 HDD compatible with exfat (works with both hard drives and SSD drives)

• MicroSD

• USB for USB thumbdrives and powered USB hard drives



100% compatible with all Saturn and Dreamcast games!

• Compatible with Redump and Tosec images (for both Dreamcast/Saturn)

• Compatible with CDI, GDI, CCD, MDF, bin/iso+cue images

• Plug and play, no soldering required!

• 2 User interfaces: Simple list view and Advanced Cover Art

• Supports multiple Disc games

• Zero seek times providing faster load times

• Supports Mpeg card, ActionReplay/PseudoSaturnKai, Saturn RAM cart compatible

• DC Digital, DreamPSU and PicoPSU compatible



Tech Data:

• 32-bit MCU at 168MHz with 192KB RAM

• High performance FPGA for accurate data transfer speeds

• USB 2.0 High Speed PHY for high transfer speed from SATA & USB

• Full speed Memory card interface supporting up to 12MB/s

• SATA to USB 2.0 bridge for high speed SATA hard disk access

• Level translators to properly convert signal levels, and support Dreamcast VA0

• Saturn 20pin and 21pin interface with mainboard autodetection

• User IO connector for expansion, and support custom interface boards

• Reset generation and Region selection for Saturn
Click to expand...
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shop.terraonion.com

Terraonion MODE - Dreamcast & Saturn ODE

Terraonion MODE - Dreamcast & Saturn ODE
shop.terraonion.com shop.terraonion.com
 
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Replicant

Replicant

Attempted to circumvent a ban with an alt
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
9,380
MN
I'm ashamed that their is no responses to this. This is great. Just need to a get a backup Saturn for this.
 
sixteen-bit

sixteen-bit

Member
Oct 30, 2017
3,680
This is so cool. It's getting harder and harder to wait for Professor Abrasive's Satiator, but I still think I want to keep my Saturn's access to traditional CD media.
 
OP
OP
Fuzzy

Fuzzy

Completely non-threatening
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
18,135
Toronto
neoak said:
OP, it's v0 and v1. Doesn't work with Dreamcasts that are v2.
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Their video flat out said all revs.

T9wW5rul.jpg


A mistake on their part?
 
neoak

neoak

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,264
Fuzzy said:
Their video flat out said all revs.

T9wW5rul.jpg


A mistake on their part?
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Yeah. The issue is that on v0 and v1's, the GD-ROM controller is on the drive itself (the green motherboard when you left the drive), so the ODEs emulate that.

v2 (or v2.1) have the controller chip on the Dreamcast motherboard, so the GD-ROM drive is just a fancy motor with lens. This was made to cut down costs.

They mention both voltages. v0 are 5Vs, and v1's are 3.3V, so I would assume they mean that.
 
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Vilifier

Vilifier

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,840
Preordered. I'll use this in my Saturn first until the Satiator (hopefully) comes out then switch it over to my Dreamcast. Crazy that it supports both systems.
 

Deleted member 2328

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,354
Not really worth it for the Dreamcast unless your model doesn't support the GDEMU. GDEMU is small enough the SD card can be accessed by just opening the drive lid. I don't need the entire library in one card. If I need more games I just switch cards. Makes adding/removing games simpler. GDEMU is smaller cheaper and just more practical.
This is something that you install and try not to mess with later. A great option for the Saturn though.
 
julian

julian

Member
Oct 27, 2017
16,786
Well I'm going to have to watch this to understand what the hell's going on. I have two Saturns and want to stop using my discs.
 

MajorBritten

Banned
Nov 2, 2017
1,080
Klappdrachen said:
Isn't GDEmu really difficult to buy, or am I mixing things up?
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No there are many gdemu clones on eBay/AliExpress which are about $50-60. The Saturn solution is the one that is really hard to get hold of.

This looks great, GDEmu isn't compatible with most Japanese systems and the option for using hard drives instead of SD cards only is a great feature. Will be picking one up mainly for the Saturn support.
 
Psxphile

Psxphile

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,528
My Saturn's packed away but last I checked it no longer read discs so this thread got my interest.
 
PassiveObserver

PassiveObserver

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,183
Looks like an essential pick up for my Saturn. Changing discs is such a pain. I already got a GDEMU in my Dreamcast. Hopefully the Terraonion MODE offer more convenient operation than the Rhea, which requires the use of an obsolete file format. How are users impression on the other Terraonion products?
 
MrNelson

MrNelson

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,356
Very cool but oof at that price. I wonder why they chose to build it all into one device rather than separate (and probably cheaper) devices. I'd rather not cannibalize my Saturn's disc drive while it still works, so I'm still waiting on the Satiator.
 
Mandos

Mandos

Member
Nov 27, 2017
30,995
neoak said:
Just get a GDEmu clone, works fine and costs 1/3rd of the price.
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I'd like to get the real thing but it's a white rabbit to get and the clones come at a different price(as in support and risk).
I have a spare Dreamcast I'd love to replace the burnt out disk drive of by one of these but boy can they be a pain to get
 
julian

julian

Member
Oct 27, 2017
16,786
Looks cool. Wish it emulated the internal memory on the Saturn though. As it is, I'm still eyeing the Polymega. So many Saturn options these days! It's wonderful to see such a resurgence....or surgence?
 
Relic

Relic

Member
Oct 28, 2017
631
What's the logic of buying a GDEmu clone? You're supporting people who didn't do the R&D that got you the device.
 
bodine1231

bodine1231

Banned
Nov 16, 2017
194
Went with the Fenrir instead. Cost half as much and seeing as I already have a GDEMU (clone) in my Dreamcast,the multiconsole feature is of no use to me.
 
neoak

neoak

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,264
Klappdrachen said:
Isn't GDEmu really difficult to buy, or am I mixing things up?
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Original from the creator? You're more likely to find a stash of free Bitcoins than getting one from him.

Meatwad said:
Don't actually do this, GDEMU clones are dead-ends with no software updates ever and you will get zero customer support
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You know the only new thing added to the original GDEMU recently? OLED support. That's what you are missing on: Not being able to use a small OLED screen to read... a status? I honestly don't know what it can show.

Mandos said:
I'd like to get the real thing but it's a white rabbit to get and the clones come at a different price(as in support and risk).
I have a spare Dreamcast I'd love to replace the burnt out disk drive of by one of these but boy can they be a pain to get
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He makes it hard to get on purpose.

On the other hand, mnemo may not be nice, but he is way better about making USB-GDROM available.

Relic said:
What's the logic of buying a GDEmu clone? You're supporting people who didn't do the R&D that got you the device.
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Sadly, it is about getting something that is available when your drive dies because the original creator decides to open orders only when there is a solar eclipse.

MrNelson said:
Very cool but oof at that price. I wonder why they chose to build it all into one device rather than separate (and probably cheaper) devices. I'd rather not cannibalize my Saturn's disc drive while it still works, so I'm still waiting on the Satiator.
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USB-GDROM is like US$195 including shipping, so this doesn't seem that expensive considering what it offers if you are going the USB route or Saturn.
 
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golem

golem

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,878
Pricey. Missed out on Fenrir this morning but i guess there arent that many games I want to play that I dont have on disc atm. Maybe in the future.
 
asmith906

asmith906

Member
Oct 27, 2017
27,407
Its tempting but it's really expensive considering its be a pain swapping between dreamcast and saturn.
 
PassiveObserver

PassiveObserver

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,183
Meatwad said:
Don't actually do this, GDEMU clones are dead-ends with no software updates ever and you will get zero customer support
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Ehh, the clones are already feature-complete and work with the full DC library. I don't see how anyone can justify paying 3 times as much for the slim possibility of a meaningful firmware update or customer support from a guy who hasn't been customer friendly to say the least.
 
Meatwad

Meatwad

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
3,653
USA
PassiveObserver said:
Ehh, the clones are already feature-complete and work with the full DC library. I don't see how anyone can justify paying 3 times as much for the slim possibility of a meaningful firmware update or customer support from a guy who hasn't been customer friendly to say the least.
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I would agree but MODE exists now so I recommend it over GDEMU and it's clones
 
Fularu

Fularu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,609
I'm super interested but Fenrir is just 103$ but only supports first generation saturns (and I don't have one).

I'll probably wait for the black friday sale and save on the import and duty taxes

Edit : I can't recommend GDEMu or Rhea/Phoebe with how obnoxious and annoying the guy making them is. the 5.15b clone of GDemu is the latest version anyway and Fenrir is not only cheaper but readily available from 8bitsmod
 
kaister

kaister

Member
Oct 27, 2017
91
What's everyone's experience with Terraonion like? How's shipping to the US from Andorra?

It's over $200+ so I hesitated but as someone else mention, a USB-GDROM is almost $200 by itself. In terms of features and functions...this seems way more feature pack. Too bad I can't use it on two systems at the same time. lol

I do have both the Saturn and the Dreamcast. One of my Saturns have a broken disc drive...so mostly like this will go there first but I most likely will also test this on my Dreamcast. I'm also looking into the Satiator and Fenrir ODE...Satiator for my Saturn w/ the working drive and the Fenrir possibly for the broken Saturn.

As for someone suggesting people to get clone GDEMU...I have two...one died so I bought another one. I'm still not sure what killed the first one but needless to say I don't exactly have the best experience with clones. Honestly I would've prefer getting the official version if it isn't so hard to come by.

I decided to get this because I wanted to give my money to those who will continue to support retro gaming scene. Sure I can save a few bucks some money going for clones but quality wise clones are just not the best.
 
Encephalon

Encephalon

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,856
Japan
Someone needs to make something like this for PS1 and PS2.

Wait, what? What Japanese Saturns would work with this?
 
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Fallen92

Fallen92

Member
Oct 26, 2017
215
California
Fularu said:
PSIO for PS1
HDD for PS2
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Only problem with PSIO is that you need a PSX with a parallel port on it. Mine doesn't have it and I don't wanna buy another one. If anything I wish someone could make a better solution to playing PSX backups on a PS2 since it's easy to softmod and install a HDD on it; popstarter just doesn't cut it.

The MODE sounds awesome though so I might pick one up for my Saturn. Might wait for a sale though, maybe black friday since I can wait in the meanwhile.
 
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