Datafrog SF2000 REVISITED! Still Junk?
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- čas přidán 26. 10. 2023
- Here I'm replacing the battery, the buttons and membrane. Also updated the SD card to remove the gross sploosh noises.
I've also installed Firmware V1.6 (link below).
drive.google.com/file/d/1a8zF...
Super useful GitHub info for the SF2000 (remove those sploosh sounds).
github.com/vonmillhausen/sf2000
But does that make it any better?
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/ @handheldgaming4life - Hry
Firmware version 1.71 has been released and fixes a lot of emulation issues, most gameboy advance and snes games now run at full speed. I highly recommend it, if you're into retro gaming under PS1.
Nice heads up. Seems no one is hosting this file and Datafrog server is abysmal. I'll try to grab the firmware and reshare like I did with V1.6
you could at least provide a link to the firmware
Its in the description. 🤣 However there is now a V1.71 version of the firmware. Someone has already hosted that over here sf2000.co.uk/. I've tried it, video coming.
does the 1.71 actually DO anything? The only thing I noticed was the SNES bugfix where it starts really slow on first start, but outside of that, i felt like none of the issues got addressed. I downgraded back to 1.6 and tried the multicore alpha build. Now THAT does bring some noticeable changes (especially getting rid of the bilinear filtering) and ability to play more systems, but performance was about the same for most part. GBA is slightly better at the expense of more frameskip. The upside is that the people working on the Multicore are making advancements pretty quickly, and there is something being done about the screen tearing.
@@TheRetrogameArtist like you I didn't see any noticeable improvement in SNES. In fact I think it's just as bad. Now instead of being ok (with 1.6) and getting progressively slower. With 1.71 if starts ok, slows, speeds up a little, slows, music slows but graphics run ok then it all slows. It's so up and down.
Megadrive seemed a light improvement.
I've not tried the custom firmware yet. The caveat of it runs hotter and your unit might die put me off initially.
I'm sure I'll try it when I've got time.
Btw if ever wondered felt like its not running games at 60 fps.. well you would be correct, the chip here outputs 48hz signal into 60hz screen :D
Thanks for that clarification. So I wasn't going mad....
@@handheldgaming4life I suspect its a sideeffect of this chip being a clone of something used a lot in STB and DVD players. There are some old routines from these still running in drivers.
this console is amazing. I use 1.6 with multicore custom firmware. It is still problematic, but I managed to get some of my favourite atari games installed!
I aim to test the latest 0.9 Multicore Firmware (overlay really isn't it) soon... soon as I feel better.
I just picked up one for $14 (after taxes). I figure for that price, I can't really go wrong. It's perfect as a backup beater device, and if I end up liking it enough I might upgrade the battery to one with more mAH (which will come in handy during the power outages I'll inevitably get over the winter).
Where did you pick it up from? Can't find prices like that anywhere in the UK sadly.
@@handheldgaming4life Aliexpress, it was on sale for $13-something.
Hello ! How do you eject the TF Card out ? I pressed on it but nothing happens and it seems stuck inside. Any help would be life changing thanks !
You need a long finger nail or something's big slim to push it in sufficiently to engage the eject spring. But then the SD card can also get stuck meaning opening up the SF2000 to get the SIM out.
Thanks for the warning about the battery. Gonna have to buy a replacement battery for my sister now. Better be safe than sorry
Absolutely. Protected cells are the way to go.
I just ordered and the total for the order was $11! Thats pretty good for a good looking paperweight, even if it doesn't play games.
That's what Taki said, as an interesting shelf ornament its ok. No so good if your remember these games first time round and try them on this.
If you used an Original SNES , both membranes work, The buttons also fit but they have a small 3rd slot that you have to shave off and then they work. The D pad also swaps in, it has a larger round pivot point so combinations work better.
Yeah my SNES controller was just a cheap knock off one I had for testing a different project some years ago.
Thanks for the reply! 👌
I do try to reply to anyone asking questions. 👍
How do you remove the SD card that came with this thing? I tried to push in to release it but nothing is giving and I don't want to pry harder and break it. I assume there's a card inside because I tried inserting one and it won't go in.
On mine it was pretty recessed. Perhaps yours is too and it's caught on inside of case?
It's not many screws and the whole back panel removes. Only the speaker is moused to panel so it's not difficult to remote. Then eject SD card when it's open and reassemble. You'll need a long finger nail to get new card in. Or I use a fine edge like a store card.
Or my preferred option would have been to return the whole damn thing. 🤣. But seller didn't accept returns on basis of disappointment. 🤣
@@handheldgaming4life Yes it was jammed, i took the bloody thing apart and now it's fine, though yeah you need a guitarist fingernail in order to reach it. I use a bic pen cap to push it. Superior engineering right there 😂
@@Ghost_Of_SAS wait until you use and enjoy its barely 30fps gameplay.😱🥴🤣
You know how screwdrivers work, right? Leftie-Loosie, Tighty-Righty! ;)
I just got one on aliexpress for $15.
I bought it to keep in my car, because I never seem to remember to bring a handheld with me when I find myself stuck waiting around for something.
I like the fact that it has a hard power switch, so no parasitic drain when it's switched off.
I wonder if the console itself has any protection circuitry in it. It might do, because a lot of the power management ICs come with protection built in. I might see how far I can get mine to discharge.
I wouldn't leave it unattended in a hot car! No telling what the budget cell might do if it warms up too much. I've seen some people claim its got protection in the Unit but trying gaming until the battery is over discharged, you'll see the results, screen brightness starts pulsing and device becomes unresponsive, suggesting no protection. I'd suggest a Miyoo A30 or Anbernic RG28XX is the best cheap option right now and those both have decent SOC and will play all games better than the SF2000.
@@handheldgaming4life it doesn't get very hot where I live, it's more in danger of freezing lol. I have a small styrofoam cooler in my trunk in which I keep my emergency kit (which has food, water, and an 18650 flashlight) pepper spray, ammo etc, to protect them from extreme temperatures.
I actually have a number of Anbernic handhelds, including an RG28XX, but I just wanted something 'disposable' for my car.
You're probably right about it not having protection, although I guess it depends how much power is needed to keep the device running normally. I have some flashlights with protection circuitry built in, and they can get surprisingly dim before the protection kicks in. If not, then I'll get a protected cell.
I could probably run it off a CR123A lithium primary actually; just need to make a spacer.
I load img but it write error when loading , help me
I'd suggest using a better quality SD card than the stock one. Also worth redownloading the Multicore image to make sure it didn't corrupt on initial download.
The fact this comes with so many emulated systems in a controller size from Caveman Daves Days, is quite remarkable. Also, the firmware option and battery replacements are pretty cool. I can rip an old laptop apart, and have backups if I want, plus I can change games with what I want.
"Oh, NO! 3/4 second screen tear! Didja SEE THAT?!!"
Other Guy "Nah, not really,dude. I was in the Game"
*Tears out eyes...
There are way better handhelds that emulate at full speed with no issues, but because they are a few bucks more people actually chose the SF2000 because they'd rather emulation that's as bad as we got 20 years ago. Screen tearing, stuttering sound a FPS that barely hits 50% of the original FPS of the game is not quality gaming. No one enjoys that.🤣 Except for the "its just $10!" crowd!
@@handheldgaming4life Well, mine cost $22NZD, so I'm no lookin fer miracles. Least I don't need an over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder, just to play retro, with all the OG consoles you'd need to carry, not to mention the power supplies, controllers, cartridges, rumble, or expanded memory cards.
I think I like the portability, myself.
And it fits in my pocket.
Simple.
I mean a MM+ would just require you to have a USB C cable and that's literally all you'll need. With the stock SF2000 I'd suggest you at least carry it in a fireproof bag! 🤣
You got your pants pulled down if you paid £20. I got one a week ago for £9 posted off ali express and another 3 (Christmas gifts) at £11 each posted.
I do get the weird artefacts occasionally but for £9 to play childhood games is a bargain.
So what do we base the greatness of this device on? It's retail price or it's occasional discounted price?
It's a load of shit. Did an unboxing and review and it froze completely with what I'm assuming was a corrupted SD Card all whilst I was doing the review.
DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY.
I can still purchase this at £11. So I would judge it based on the fact you can get it regularly for the price of a Large McDonalds meal with a McFlurry.
I agree it has its drawbacks but for £9-£15 to be able to play a huge library of retro games, most playing beautifully, for someone new to retro gaming, this is a great beginner device.
AliExpress offered sf2000 with 2 wireless pads for under 12 quid still waiting for it to turn up
Should turn up, or if not Aliexpress are supposed to be good at refunds.
I was able to get one for $8, but it was a new user deal on aliexpress. I made a new account to order it lol
That's a good price, but remember to factor in a decent protected 18650 and a new genuine SD card into that price.
watch out for the downloadable 1.6 image - it is corrupted. after writing to your memory card, perform a checkdisk and repair errors. If you don't and start loading on custom firmware with your roms, you will corrupt your card and you will need to write image again. Why 1.6 and not 1.71? because 1.71 doesn't support custom firmware yet.
I've hosted the 1.6 version as i struggled to get it down from Datafrog before it kept timing out. But yeah always scan the card and repair before ejecting from PC and it should be ok.
@@handheldgaming4life the problem is that the downloaded image from the guys that make CFW is corrupted. so even if you do this: flash, load cfw, scan, eject, it will still be corrupted. you need to: flash, scan, load cfw, eject and it have a chance of being fine. No idea why sometimes even if you follow proper procedure it still corrupts the card and you see the black screen of death. I just backed up my CFW card to the image to save me repeating this process many times. from what i've read on reddit many people have problems loading cfw and i am not surprised.
Too bad you didn't show how to put in the protected cell. I am trying to figure that out, protected cells are a little bit longer.
Shouldn't be so much longer that it doesn't fit, maybe a bit of a squeeze but it's only a mm or two extra.
I picked mine up for £11 at the end of June
Currently £11 on AliExpress in their 11.11 sale. But still not worth it.
It's worth letting the grandchildren play on it and keep them away from my better handhelds though 😉😂@@handheldgaming4life
@@QwertysBack Just be aware of the fire risk. Unprotected 19850 just screams of the Hoverboards catching fire stories of a few years ago.
Personally I'd rather my kids had a good gaming experience and didn't also burn down the house. That's why I've shopped around and picked up Miyoo mini+ and Anbernic RG35xx
Quando um jogo inicia e fica lento, se você fechar o jogo e abrir novamente, o jogo fica rápido como deveria ser, creio ser um problema de otimização do software que para funcionar melhor deveria resetar a memória instantâneo e não ser necessário fazer essa manobra de fechar e abrir novamente o jogo para evitar lentidão ao jogar.
The later firmware versions resolve this to a degree. And the firmware hacks improve things further. I'll be doing a 0.09 custom hack video soon.
@@handheldgaming4life eu procuro por links saudáveis e de confiança para baixar essa firmware melhor, tenho medo de baixar vírus no meu computador conforme a fonte de download. Se souber um link bom e puder compartilhar eu agradeço.
@@kgbkatarn Stock V1.6 firmware can be downloaded here! drive.google.com/file/d/1a8zFZ4HPGh3xs3mi4A4AThY2SRiCuyD_/view?usp=drive_link
Multicore updates can be downloaded here. github.com/madcock/sf2000_multicore_cores/releases
Hope this helps.
@@handheldgaming4life Very thanks bro.
You paid too much I paid £12 from aliexpress. I can still find them for around that price now. I agree at £20 its not worth it. Although you do need to replace the SD card it comes with so thats another £7 which adds to the cost & like you I also changed the buttons that cost me a further £3. I believe I spend £22 in total. I use the 1.71 firmware, but Multicore alpha is currently out to try also.
You absolutely want to replace the non-protected 18650 too, its an accident waiting to happen. I've seen them cheap too, but often when to try to actually complete an order they are suddenly out of stock or they come with a silly high postage cost. Regardless though, mater how cheap the cost its has massive flaws, no brightness control, terrible sound control and while the screen can now be driven at 60hz the fps counter has show how weak the SOC really is.
@@handheldgaming4life It is Overcharge protected by the pcb so its fine. I've ran it flat many time with no probs. Not worried about the overdischarge.
Would be nice if you check out my quick review of the datafrog sF2000😊
I've tried silent videos and found they get very low engagement. Worth a voice over either chatting through what you're doing or scripting it. I also tried using script to AI voice but those didn't do so well either (I did also give the AI a intentionally broken script so it would mispronounce words though)🤣. So for now on everyone is stuck with my Scottish drawl. 🤣
You buying it for 20 quid is not on us mate. You can literally grab it for 11 right now, free delivery.
Oolf course different sellers have different prices. How is picking one up for nearly twice the price this device fault? Your premie is wrong, again.
Try actually buying it for £11. I've seen it go out of stock the moment you add it to basket. Then as if by magic it's available at a higher cost. Best I've seen recently is £17 and available by a AliExpress, but that still won't make the gaming experience good sadly.
There are a bunch of retro handhelds out there that just are a waste of money. This as well as the RG nano are prime examples of overhyping a product that doesn’t need much attention. It’s probably because some content creators are paid to review these things, not mentioning problems that will occur if you don’t have the knowledge beforehand. The battery issue on the sf2000 is incredibly dangerous and the fact that some content creators ignore this feature, is really irresponsible. I recommend people Save their money and buy something worthwhile.
I've also got an RG Nano. Cost twice the price I paid for the SF2000 and it's more than twice as good. All games actually work.... But yeah it's tiny. Least it's battery won't explode in your pocket.
Whats the battery issue ?
@@user-fs5hn7wd6u The batteries that come with the device aren't very safe, it's best to replace them since they have the tendency to make the device stop working, or worse could explode (worst case scenario)
It's an unprotected 18650 cell. So no built in control chip to stop it over charging or over discharging. Best case scenario you over discharge and kill the battery. Worst case you leave it charging over night and it over charges and burns down your house. Replace the cell with a protected one or remove the unprotected cell and charge with a charge designed to charge 18650 properly. Either way your looking at £10 for a decent protected cell or £20+ for a charger capable of safely charging the cell.
AliExpress rn 12$ +2 controller 💀
Ого..я не знаю английского языка,но при этом понял каждое слово 😮😮😮
Your a match made in heaven then? It was a series of words joined up with gobbledegook that had no structure. If it was a question I would have replied but I just presumed it was a bad translate and assumed it was just someone hating because they'd also wasted money on this and were coping. 🤣
it's funny you hated the console and bought a new battery! if you don't like it just don't fix it!
I already had some decent 18650 safely stored. Better to use a safe battery when testing I think. Latest custom hack is out and I'll get round to testing it soon. From what I hear it gave with one hand and takes away with the other.
Luckily I ot a better handheld
What did you opt to buy instead out of interest?
@@handheldgaming4life I bought the ANBERNIC RG35XX
About $20AU and it's a piece of junk.
There's been an update of sorts. czcams.com/video/TOcO1u01e94/video.html
But.... Performance improvements are not part of it.
Sold im cancelling my odin 2 pre order and getting 12 of these 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Not🤣🤣💚👊
What's funny is the hate I get for not recommending this handheld.🤷
It's as if because it's $10 (it's not it's usually $25+) it can do no wrong. You should expect no brightness control, bad sound control, not great buttons, no video control (who doesn't like bilinear smeared graphics) and sub par emulation.
Nah you should expect emulation and display controls at the very least to be decent. And if all you can afford is $10 you really should save and wait until you can afford $40 because there is no point in wasting your hard saved money in subpar.🤔
I guess if I'm triggering so many people I must be doing something right? 🤣
@@handheldgaming4life absolutely mate only person I've seen who is honest about it n not Blowing smoke up its rear end mate actually hilarious how others try n make out asif your robbing yourself if you don't buy one 🤣🤣🤣💚👊
Ps. Ps2 emulation is just round the corner for this handheld they are just checking the loyalty of the fanbase first 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@handheldgaming4lifemy only comeback to that is that i probably got sent the best version they ever made cuz on mine the button quality is really good Gba runs really well and it actually cost me 14 dollars 💰 😅😂
If i wasnt emf sensitive, id likely prefer the consoles that you prefer, but i am, so i cant. Im guessing the MIPS CPU in this is why i dont feel the effects as much, because i have a retro mini and it uses MIPS and affects me similarly. Im expecting an rg300x.
Which handheld is better for 20 dollars though?
As for the battery, first time using the console, i charged it overnight and i got 4hrs of use before the indicator on screen dropped by one bar. Everytime that bar is dropped, i charge for an hour. I always time how i charge lipos.
So everyones different. This thing is excellent for me and everyone else that likes it, because of personal reasons
for this money you wont get anything better. Replace the battery and memory card though. My memory card died after 2 hours of using the console after purchase.
Indeed, but having replaced the battery and the memory card you're getting close to the price of much better hardware. Can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear springs to mind. The hardware is inherently weak so its never going make it great, at best only acceptable. The problem is for every few videos saying its great "at the price" the price then seems to creep up. Now the bargain price of the early videos is the at best discounted price and the full price is much higher.
@@handheldgaming4life "recovered" 3400 mah battery costed me 9 pln (2 usd) and new memory card 11 pln (2.5 usd) So I would argue that's not the case. Even with the original batter you get few hours of gameplay. And I got these consoles for 18-20 usd with 2 wireless joypads (got it for me, family and few friends). Also loaded 1.6 cfw to be able to play some atari 2600/5200 games (river raid, bounty bob strikes back or montezuma's revenge - find a console at this price with CFW support!). Additional bonus for SF2000 is that support for external wireless pads - i hook up mine to the projector with chinch>hdmi converter (4-7 usd) and play with pads wirelessly. So it is a bit like nintendo switch in that regard. I watched many videos where people were implying x7 plus is better than sf2000 and X7 it is just a load of crap. (stuttering sound in every single game!! terrible quality display, no tv-out support, not 2 player support) Guess you should not put too much faith in youtube reviews. There are much better portable consoles but none for 20 bucks with wireless joypads, tv out, cfw, good display and long battery life.
@@handheldgaming4life do you know any solutions with wireless joypads, both portable and tv mode at price range that is not 2x or more from sf2000 price? If so please share the info.
@@angreeee Unfortunately there is nothing at this price point that's any good, SF2000 included. If you want decent performance you have to spend more than the cost of a fast food dinner.
I got the colored SF2000 with 1 controller for 13€ and 1 SD for 2.80€. I just want to play Gameboy games. I still have my original fully functional 1st Gen Gameboy 😂 and also off a steamdeck. But this thing (SF2000) is small and light and I can just throw it into my bag or if it gets stolen idc. For that little money it's totally okay.
la cagó el wn pa llorón jajajajajaja ni q tuviera 12
🤷♂️ Translate drew a blank on that comment? I supposing its another "but the SF2000 is so cheap, its good for its price" comment. If you've got less than $20 to spend I suggest saving until you've got $50 as there is better hardware on the market in that price range.
only thing I can say is that, it is a piece of junk.
I concur!
Lixo é vc kkkkkk olha o preço amigo pelo que ele faz já tá de bom tamanho
There are firmware updates that they have to download so shut up and look around you might find it.
You didn't watch the video did you, this was with a firmware update. I've tried them all, none make the device fully usable. In fact they're not even firmware updates in the most part, they are hacks of stock firmware.