Last year, we discussed how more Saturn peripherals have begun to be cloned. It started with the SAROO, which is open source, but many different kinds popped up on AliExpress.
We also discussed earlier this year how the Satiator had been cloned as well, interviewing Professor Abrasive on his view of it.
Now, sadly it seems Ced has discovered that his optical drive emulator, the Fenrir, also has been cloned:
Looking at the usual places for cloned hardware, you can see several sellers that popped up selling this cloned device, many of them warning not to update via the official firmware:
We at SHIRO! are saddened to see many of these optical disc drive replacement solutions being cloned and sold online. Not only does it hurt the creators behind said devices, but also buyers must beware. These devices are untested compared to their actual counterparts, and there is no support if something goes wrong or doesn’t work. Not to mention many of these are at risk of bricking when flashing actual updated firmware onto them.
Our best advice is to buy these from the original creators. It might be a bit more expensive, but it’s better to have something that not only supports the original creator, but you will know is supported and tested.
SHIRO! will continue to monitor the situation, and will keep you up to date.
In the meantime, if you’d like to buy the official device and support the creators, you can do so here:
Fenrir Duo:
https://stoneagegamer.com/fenrir-duo-optical-drive-emulator-for-sega-saturn.html
Satiator:
https://www.satiator.net/satiator.html
I’m an owner since last year, the fenrir is amazing and at least it lasted this long without being cloned.
I accept clones only if the device is nearly impossible to obtain all year around or it has been discontinued, i hope the fenrir still gets customers.