From: h9206467@hkuxa.hku.hk (Michael Klauser)
Subject: Game copiers from $255 up including air mail charge(registered)
Summary: Detailed comparison of Game Copiers and their prices
Organization: The University of Hong Kong
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 17:55:18 GMT

I post this article since I can't delete the previous one and I've
something to modify and add.

I've just gone to the "pirate shopping centre" and found that the
prices of all 4 most popular game doctors(game copiers) have dropped.
I'm sure that the price will drop no more in these few months,
otherwise, both the sales and the manufacturers can't get any profit.
The prices of game doctors in Hong Kong are unprecedentedly low.  Their
uses are exponentially rising!  I found there was at least one person
buying game doctor in any 1 out of 3 shops when I walked past.
To be fair, I now adjust my selling prices of these game doctors.

For those gentlemen who've sent me e-mails, I'm sorry to reply them
in that way.  I attempt to state all info clear here.

The following information are obtained from local BBSs, game mates,
sales in 2 shopping centres(not so reliable) and the most important,
my own observation.  It does not mean to be complete but I hope it
can answer most of your queries.

There are two types of MGH in HK.  One is dual system which is for
both Genesis/Mega Drive and SNES/SFC.  The other one is the one I'm
mentioning which is for SFC/SNES only.  The dual system won't be sold
since the package size is very large and causes problem in air 
transportation.

                 MGH        Doctor SF       UFO      Super Fighter PRO 

Origin        Hong Kong      Hong Kong     Taiwan         Taiwan

RAM size         16M         16M            16M            16M

*Start Up      external       no need       no need       no need 
Cartridge  (dummy cart included)

*Anti-        external       internal      internal        internal
protection    easy to     use IC socket  rigid soldered    same problem
IC (PAL)      replace   replaceable(easy) diff to replace    as UFO

*Golden  installed from       { already installed using EPROM }
Finger   software, non-
         volatile once installed

Format disks,
Disk to Disk
copy, save          {  All models include these utilities,
backup file            no external DOS is needed           }
to and load
from disks

Graphical
option menu?    yes        yes                yes          yes

Size of
backup SRAM    256K       256K              256K          256K

SFC Cart
dump to disk    yes        yes               yes           yes

SNES Cart    { No need any SFC <->      { Need a SFC <-> SNES
dump to disk    SNES convertor    }        convertor (stack high) }

*Game disk   Any format  Any format     only SF Pro    Any format
protocol                                   format
for non-
protected 
game

*for        both MGD and  MGD format     SF Pro format  SF Pro format
protected   SF Pro format  (originated   (originated      only
game                        from Makko)   from Taiwan)

Slow        under       equipped           N/A            N/A
Motion    development

*Instant   available     equipped         available      available
Save       soon                             soon            soon

*UDR
uninterrupted    no        equipped         no            no  
data retention

32M version   expandable    add $75       expandable      expandable
now available   

PRICE!         MGH       Doctor SF       UFO Super        Super
in US$                                   Drive PRO      Fighter PRO
for 16M     
version       $ 275       $ 275           $ 255           $ 275

*All the above products are both SFC(Super FamiCom, Japanese version)
and SNES(Super Nintendo Entertainment System) compatible, without
the need to use ANY SFC<->SNES convertor.  Don't be confused with
the using of SFC<->SNES convertor in UFO and Super Fighter PRO.  In
this case, it's used to enable inserting a SNES cart for dumping.

*Also, a 110V power adapter for the corresponding game doctor is also
included.

*All manuals of the game doctors are in Chinese.  I'll explain the
operations in English, on a piece of typewritten paper.

Important!
No game doctor manufactured in Hong Kong and Taiwan can be used to
play Super Mario Kart and Pilotwings!  For MGH, you have to buy
the expensive DSP card(under development).  For the other 3 game
doctors, you have to buy either SMK or Pilotwings in order to play
other games which need DSP.  This sounds quite nonsense.

N.B.
*Start up cartridge:-
Earlier versions of game doctors need a original SFC cartridge to
start up the SFC itself.  Now all newly manufactured game doctors
either include a "dummy cart" externally or a "start-up IC" 
internally.

*Anti-protection IC:-
In one of my previous articles I've already mentioned about that.
Someone discovered that all recent games include a PAL in each
cartridge besides the necessary components.  The full name of PAL
is Programmable Array Logic.  It's not cheap and this move increases the
burden of the original cart buyers.  There's no new SFC game released
these 2 weeks.  Maybe the host Nintendo is thinking of some other ways
to stop the piracy in HK and Taiwan.  
Examples of SFC games which need PAL are Final Fantasy V, Ranma 1/2 II,
Psycho Dream, 3 Kingdoms III, SD Football and Lord Monarch.
Note that PAL can be programmed to all settings as the manufacturers
like.  But a declaration in Japan said that it will change the type
of protection once every ten new SFC carts releases.

*Golden Finger:-
This utility is used to overwrite segments of byte patterns on the
original program already loaded to a game doctor.  It's used to
modify the game to, for example, non-dead, invisible or version with
unlimited lives(or planes).  It can also be used to modify the backup
file of a RPG.  For example, search the 3-byte pattern of a person's
EXP and then edit it.(Notice:  it's check sum protected)

*Game disk protocol:-
There're only two common protocols.   One is the famous MGD format.
It's famous since Makko is the first in the world to produce Multi-
Game Doctor for SFC, MD(Sega Mega Drive) and PCE(NEC PC Engine).
Another is from Taiwan, called the "Flying Eagle Format".  It's famous
for Super Famicom Pro and the game copiers originated from Taiwan
which are for Sega Mega Drive.  It's also known as "SF Pro format".
Their backup files' formats are also different from one another.

*Instant Save:-
Also known as real-time save.  It allows gamers to dump the contents
of the working RAM in SFC/SNES to the RAM in game doctor.  It
facilitates playing of action and shooting games.  If you unluckily
fail, you can immediately recall the saved scene by just pressing
two buttons on the control pad.

*UDR:-
The full name is Uninterrupted Data Retention and this technique was
developed by MAKKO.  You need not load the same game from the disk to
the game doctor again after you've loaded it once, provided that
the game doctor is still powered.(Although the main SFC/SNES may be
on or off)  Also, Doctor SF by MAKKO enables you to load 2 * 8M games
to the game doctor and you can swap to the other game as you like!
If you want to play the other game before swapping again, just press
a button and you need not load it again!


Hoping that the above game doctors are not out of stock, I advise those
who are interested to order it ASAP.  It's the usual habit of the sales
to raise the prices of the goods when their demands are high and are
nearly out of stock.  The same happens when the stock is new.  So,
please grasp firmly at this precious chance, when the prices are
still reasonably low, unprecedentedly low.

Anyone who is interested please contacts me by e-mail and
supplies his/her full address.

The following is my personal opinion of my observation:-
During my 2 hours shopping in "pirate shopping centre" today I found
there was 1 case of malfunction of disk drive in UFO.  I learnt from
my friends that the manufacturers of game doctors in Taiwan seldom
use new components to make their game doctors!  Instead, they re-use
the old RAM and the old disk drives from the old versions of game 
doctors which are sold by the gamers who want to buy new products,
or those who want to pay some more money and take their old game 
doctors and exchange for new ones.  Of course, these drives won't
be wasted.
I trust MAKKO and MGH more, particularly MAKKO.  As far as I know
they never do this kind of things.  Hence, I assure that the disk
drives of Doctor SF have a longer life than that of UFO and
Super Fighter PRO.

___________________________________________________________________
Michael Klauser
h9206467@hkuxb.hku.hk
___________________________________________________________________

Newsgroups: rec.games.video