Unofficial cartridges

Programmable multicarts and reproduction copies of commercial games are part of Atomiswave's unofficial hardware catalogue.

aje_fr's Multi Atomiswave

aje_fr introduced a programmable Atomiswave multicart on Neo-Arcadia in April 2023. The developer's specification post includes photographs of the cartridge, its installation on a motherboard and running games.

In the developer's July 2023 specifications, the games are divided into a “128M or less” group that can share the cart in pairs, and a larger-game group that occupies the whole cart. The post uses “Mo”/“M” without defining the byte unit, so an exact byte capacity is not asserted here. An SD card supplies the files for programming the cartridge's memory; changing the programmed games takes time. The loader reads MAME's source to interpret the ROM layout.

Game-specific peripherals still matter: the developer's list identifies a touchscreen requirement for Victory Furlong and an ALL.Net board for Extreme Hunting 2. See network hardware for the latter.

Chrone also used the multicart for the Ikaruga Dreamcast-to-Atomiswave port.

Chinese bootlegs and reproductions

Reproduction copies were being discussed publicly by May 2011. A contemporary Museum of the Game forum discussion identifies Metal Slug 6, Samurai Shodown VI and Fist of the North Star among cartridges offered from Chinese sellers. This is evidence of the reported trade, not an exhaustive list or proof that every reproduction came from one manufacturer.

For a photographed example, Alec Dunn's 2018 Metal Slug 6 teardown shows both sides of a reproduction PCB. He reports that its chip markings had been sanded off and that the game worked in his setup. Those observations apply to that cartridge; they do not establish the components, reliability or compatibility of other reproductions.

Identifying a particular cartridge

Repeated serial numbers and altered labels are useful leads, but a label alone cannot authenticate the board inside. The 2011 discussion even reports reproduction boards carrying Sammy markings. Compare the PCB layout, readable component markings, assembly labels and game revision with a documented original example in the cartridge reference.

Sources

• aje_fr — Multi Atomiswave, announcement and specifications First posted 16 April 2023; specification post edited 12 July 2023.
• Alec Dunn — Inside Metal Slug 6 (bootleg) Atomiswave Cart 25 February 2018; photographs and observations of one cartridge.
• Museum of the Game forum — Atomiswave reproduction cartridge discussion May 2011; contemporary reports of sales and identification concerns.