This is an editorial piece of sorts about Everdrives-- or to use a more generic term 'Flash carts' for game consoles. This is my opinion. It does not necessarily mean it is right or wrong. With that disclaimer out of the way. I will just be using the term Everdrives and EDs to refer to any device meant to play rom or iso files on a console-- that is- 'A flash cart'.

 

 

Everdrives are valuable tools for the retrogamer. It provides a cost effective way to experience rare games that you might not otherwise get to experience on the real hardware. Or play translated patched roms of Japanese import games on the real hardware. For those who are lucky enough to own such rare games, it gives you a way to play that rare game without taking it out of it's box or risk damaging it by playing a copy of it. It also lets you keep your collection in storage and just choose from a list of games on an SD card or Flash Memory. 

 

Of course, there's the downside that people can see these as merely promoting retrogame piracy and I agree with that to a point. Why buy that NES cart of Super Mario Bros 3. at the flea market when you can just put it's rom file you downloaded off the internet for free on your Everdrive N8 and play it then.

 

I believe that EDs are always gonna be this gray area with their upsides and downsides- but I also believe that the upsides outweigh the downsides, and it's why I'm probably still going to buy them for the consoles I own and enjoy.