8bitmods.com just sent me a Fenrir Optical Drive Emulator for the Sega Saturn and I was able to put it through it’s paces. Overall, it seems to be a good replacement for your Saturn’s optical drive, but there’s a few important things to keep in mind:
- It’s only compatible with 20-pin Saturns. Most model 1’s will work, but you need to open your Saturn to be sure.
- The firmware is still very early in it’s lifespan. In the short time I’ve been using the Fenrir, there’s already been two updates and some bugs I found were quickly fixed. As a result, it’s best to visualize this as finished hardware and in-progress software.
- At the time of this review, there’s no 2-disc support. Hopefully that will change too.
With many Saturn ODE choices coming to market, I’d make your purchasing decision based on compatibility and availability; If you have a compatible Saturn and the games you’re looking to play are confirmed as working, the Fenrir is a great choice. If you were waiting on other features, or if your motherboard revision isn’t compatible, maybe wait on the other solutions?
Purchase Fenrir: http://bit.ly/fenrirode
Compatibility List: https://8bitmods.com/blog/fenrir-compatibility-list-redump/
Firmware: https://www.fenrir-ode.fr/firmware.html#download
20 Pin Saturn-Compatible Ribbon Cable: https://www.digikey.com/products/en?keywords=732-3524-ND
FAT32GUI Format: http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/download/fat32format.zip
Saturn FRAM Mod: https://www.retrorgb.com/saturn-fram-mod-revisited.html
LaserBear Shirt: https://teespring.com/stores/laser-bear-industries
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