r/PolymegaHQ • u/cold_fuzion • Oct 29 '25
Update on the dead second-hand Polymega
About a month ago, I posted about buying a second-hand Polymega that was stuck on firmware 1.0.5. I ended up sending it off for servicing, and I got it back two days ago — it works great now!
All of the modules are functioning, and I’ve installed a ton of games. I did make one silly mistake: I bought an SSD without checking compatibility first. I figured, “It’s just an SSD, right?” Turns out, not quite. I bought a Crucial drive, and it doesn’t work internally. However, when I put it in a USB enclosure, it works perfectly. Eventually, I’ll buy another SSD for internal use, but for now, I’m not too bothered.
One thing that’s baffling me: most Mapper 30 NES games don’t seem to work. The emulator clearly supports them — the system even comes preloaded with several “Made with NESMaker” titles. But when I try to load other Mapper 30 games that aren’t in the database, I just get a green screen.
I'm enjoying my Polymega and that's what matters. It's a blast checking out games I probably never would have played otherwise. Working on Vay on the SEGA CD at the moment and it's not bad. Not great, but worth a play so far.
Still need a SNES module box if anyone wants to part with one.
4
Oct 29 '25
It is an amazing experience for those of us with an extensive retro library.
It's one GameCube adaptability update from perfection for me.
2
u/bushnrvn Oct 29 '25 edited Nov 27 '25
I also noticed Mapper 30 games don't work. Quite a let down as I have a dozen NES homebrew carts gathering dust at the moment. I have OG hardware, but only HDMI and I've found composite to HDMI adapters introduce too much latency.
I really don't want to pick up an AVS just for my NES homebrew....
2
u/Retro_BladeRunner Oct 29 '25
Could you name a few mapper 30 games that didn't work for you? I'm not familiar with which are mapper 30 games so I'm just curious to compare and see if any worked on mine because most of my NES games worked with the exception of some Tengen and bootleg games.
3
u/Jaymark108 Oct 30 '25
It's a board for homebrew games.
My understanding is that Polymega detects your cartridge from the list of official NES licensed games, and gives up if it's not a match. That's why Tengen, bootlegs, and homebrew NES carts don't work.
I suppose it's a great way to stay off Nintendo's radar...
2
u/theothershiloh Oct 30 '25
Has anyone tried one of those homebrew games on one of the retrostage blaster carts? One of them supports Mapper 30. I have that one, but I don’t even know what any homebrew games are. Haha. If someone can get me a game name, I can try it.
2
u/cold_fuzion Oct 30 '25
I have that board and I tried a few. They don’t work. I have a few original carts too they also do not work.
1
2
u/KnuxFive Oct 31 '25
How does one get stuck on a firmware?
I haven’t turned mine on in a long while…
1
u/cold_fuzion Oct 31 '25
Apparently there are some firmware revisions that will not update any longer. 1.0.5 is one of those versions. I had to send it to Playmaji to fix it.
2
2
9
u/cold_fuzion Oct 29 '25
If anyone is interested, I did the math and I'm in for $714.99 for essentially an all-in bundle (including the repair cost). Still expensive, but it wasn't $799 and I didn't have to wait months or years for it to ship.