1. Game
  2. Third-Party Loaders
Multi-carts, etc.

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Overview

A third-party loader is a piece of hardware or software which is used to load a game or application onto a platform through a loading mechanism other than those which the original hardware provided.

Typical categories of loaders are multi-carts, digital tape replacements and also modified software.

There is a healthy discussion thread on the Atari Age forums regarding the general subject and latest developments: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/127...t-all-systems/

For Submissions

Twin Galaxies has a significant history of permitting performances with third-party devices which replace the original media for platforms. Some historical attempts were made to document specifically permitted devices for submissions and the last of these can be found on the forums at https://www.twingalaxies.com/showthr...ti-Flash-Carts .

Over the years, more and more such devices and mechanisms (software exploits which require no additional hardware, for example) come to light. With the advent of TGSAP, a wider and wider use of various copy-protection avoidance and piracy mechanisms have been used with submissions. There is no guarantee that the use of a third-party loader will be accepted. The below list is intended only as reference. The listing of a device below has no bearing on the adjudication process and should not be interpreted as acceptable in a submission.
Commercially released games and many homebrew games are expected to be protected by copyright in most countries. Such third-party devices often sit in a legal grey area for many countries where the device itself is not illegal but using the device for commercially released games is often against local copyright law. There are countries where such devices are banned entirely and other countries which simply do not recognise copyright. The operator is expected to make certain of their own legal position wherever they use such a device.

Generic Hardware

Floppy Disk

Tape Cassette

MFM Hard Disk Interface

Small Systems Computer Interface: SCSI

Multi-System

BackBit Pro Cartridge

From the web page: "The BackBit Pro Cartridge lets you play games and use programs on 19+ vintage computers and game systems from just one cartridge! (Adapters sold separately.)"
Web site: https://www.backbit.io/

Acorn

Acorn Electron

Amstrad

Amstrad CPC

Atari

Atari 2600


UnoCart-2600 derivatives:

Atari 5200

Atari 7800

  • Cuttle Cart 2

Atari 8-bit

Atari Jaguar

Atari Lynx

Bally

Astrocade

ColecoVision

ColecoVision / ADAM

Commodore

Generic Commodore

Commodore 64

Emerson

Arcadia 2001

General Consumer Electronics

Vectrex

Mattel

IntelliVision

Microsoft/ASCII

MSX

NEC

TurboGrafx-16 / PCE

Nintendo

Game Boy

Game Boy Advance

Nintendo 64

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) / Famicom

Nintendo Wii

Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)

Virtual Boy

Panasonic

3DO

Philips

Odyssey2/Videopac

Sega

Sega Dreamcast

Sega Game Gear

Sega Master System

Sega MegaDrive / Genesis

With Sega-CD / Sega Mega-CD

No Sega-CD / Sega Mega-CD

Sega Saturn

SNK

SNK NeoGeo AES/MVS

SNK NeoPocket

Sony

PlayStation Classic ("mini")

PlayStation 2

Texas Instruments

TI-99 / 4A

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