Is the Powerpak 2 still a thing? Or was it already released and that's the difference between the first one?

IDK. Brian is working on delivering the AVS right now. I think a Scoreboard passthrough device for original systems is also in the works as I saw a photo of a ptototype. Maybe PowerPak 2 will come someday, as PowerPak and Everdrive N8 are equally yoked, but N8 has usability features such as automatic saving which the PowerPak 1 still doesn't support and probably never will.

 

I guess I will hold out one day. So no one knows what PowerPak 2 is suppose to be then?

Either way love the AVS. I didn't know about this until after it was released so I wasn't following it up until release but this is my favorite NES console ever. The design is just perfect and IMO just beat the original system. There's some minor things to work out but easily fixable. I feel like this is what the model 2 should have been. Smaller, sleeker and still looking like it would be an official design by Nintendo.

Sorry I caved in and ordered an Everdrive N8. I hope Bunnyboy doesn't give me 40 lashes. I don't think the PowerPak2 is needed as much now though... So I would prefer he goes into development on that AVP instead. There's no good portable to play NES games on.

Someone has to fill me in on exactly what the deal is with all these new and updated files for the PowerPaks. I got mine years ago and loaded the initial versions from the retrousb.com website. I kept hearing new ones being released but each time I check the site they're not posted there. Are these custom made or something? Why doesn't the owner review the code and push it out as an official release? How do I get them? Which are best? I have both PowerPaks, thanks.
Oh, and also why would I want them?

They fix bugs in games and allow new games to work. The original owner is not interested, so the third-party firmwares are released elsewhere.

Mapper packs and system files you drop on the card are not technially firmware. What I did some time ago was dump the version 1.35b system menu plus mapper packs onto the SD card, then copy the Loopy mapper packs (new mappers plus bugfixes) on top of that. I'm not really a fan of the PowerMappers since the save states require custom SAV files to be created.
 
Powerpak is still my goto flash cart for the AVS / scoreboard, but I now use the Everdrive for any games that have SRAM saves. And I skipped the Super PowerPak and went straight to the Super Everdrive for this exact reason. I guess Brian will just have to give me 40 lashings already...  

PowerPak - needs to create custom SAV files for every ROM; NSF support.
Everdrive N8 - SAV files auto generated; no NSF player.

You can download them from the first post, under "Mapper releases", there is a dropbox link. They are ready to use for max compatibility and features.

I went with the Everdrive mostly because it uses SD card, I can't use/find those around easier then I can with... whatever the PowerPak used. Also I was able to get one in a green transulent cart.  
 

Im having trouble understanding how the save slots work. what is the ,pow files and how are the relatied to saving a game.

This is all you need to know.

It is a powerful item. Use with caution.  

In all seriousness, I never really used save states with the Powermappers so I can't help you much. Managing SAV files is IMO more trouble than it's worth on the PowerPak, but Everdrive N8 autogenerates the necessary files making things much easier.

Yeah I don't use them much either but if they are there I'd like to know how to use them.

It is actually easy. In the files I make available there are save state files for every licensed game. They even have the same names as the roms (if you have them correctly named), so that the Powerpak can autoselect them. Each powermapper save file has 5 slots, that is enough in most cases.

The NSF links and the bat file link for creating sav files are all invalid. Can we get updates for them? Does anyone have the makesave.bat saved locally?

Thank you, I'll look into that.
 

Is there any benefits of owning a PowerPak over an NES EverDrive?

Just wondering as the EverDrive is the cheaper option, and if there is no significant reasons to own a PowerPak instead then I will buy the EverDrive instead.

Well, not many really. The Powerpak was the only option for the longest time. The Everdrive has similar compatibility than the Powerpak with the mapper mix...Powerpak has better compatibility with MMC5 (mainly KOEI games), NWC and some pirate games, and Everdrive with several obscure Famicom games. Most is stuff that most people never play. Powerpak probably loads faster (Everdrive page says it takes 4-8 seconds, Powerpak takes 1-4).

If you care about savestates, both have pros and cons: Powerpak has the Powermappers, and savefiles have 5 slots per file and a fancier ingame menu, but by using them you forfeit Game Genie codes. You can use the older save state mappers if you want to keep game genie (losing the 5 slots per file and menu). Everdrive I think, can save states to the card without needing a preexisting file (I ignore if you can have more than one save state though), while Powerpak requires you to paste as many files as you need (I created slot files and savestate files that you can use in my mapper cocktail files, downloadable from the first post).

Here is a compatibility list for the Everdrive, compared to the Powerpak (ignore the MMC5 "incompatible" Powerpak games, all are supported now except Uncharted Waters). http://www.dbwbp.com/misc/Everdri...

Is there any way to move the game selection menu on screen for the NES PowerPak? I wanted to crop the left part of the screen so I don't get junk in Super Mario 3, but then I lose the arrow to select ROMs for the PowerPak.

You all just need to get an Nvidia Shield and be done with it.

blasphemer

I speak the new path. The true path. Every retro game you ever wanted, HD, all the time. Minimal storage.
 

shield is cool but there is something better about playing on real hardware with real controllers.

VRC7 Audio support for PowerPak by 6502freak

http://battleofthebits.org/academ...

I got some problems with my SNES PowerPak, maybe someone can help me.

First I tried to put some new games on the CF, after this the screen only showed a colorfull mess. I deleted all the files, formated the card to FAT32 and downloaded the official firmware from retrousb.com.
Now the message "Error! POWERPAK.CFG file not found!" appears. I checked my last working backup, but there wasn't any file named liked this.

Any guesses how to fix that?

Sorry, no clue. If you take out the CF card, it still brings the same message. or says something else? Those pins in the card connector can bend if the card is not inserted correctly...