Nintendo 64: z64 vs. v64 FAQ
Intro
This FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) file is intended to help people get a general feel for the advantages and disadvantages of two different Nintendo 64 backup devices, the z64 (a.k.a. Mr. Backup) and the v64 (a.k.a. Doctor64 or 'Doc'). This file is not intended to be the be-all, end-all file on the matter, in fact I expect to update this file soon, as well as see many vDoc64 owners disagree and perhaps other FAQs as well. Simply put, at this point I do not own either unit; rather I have laboriously researched the issue for my own purchase. While I do not have firsthand experience with either unit, please note that by not already owning either unit I am NOT ALREADY BIASED in my opinions of the machines. They both have similar functions and perform similarly, so it takes quite a while to analyze all aspects of the issues, features, and functions of both units to be able to make a clear decision regarding the superiority of either unit (a.k.a. doing your homework). I am planning to resell quite a number of these units, so I stressed the issue for quite a while the other night as I am sure everyone wants the best unit (I know I do!). Thus this FAQ should be especially useful to those trying to decide which unit to purchase.
Backup Device?!?
What are these things?
The v64 (hereafter we'll call it the Doc) and the z64 (a.k.a. Mr. Backup) are Nintendo64 backup devices. These devices, and similar devices such as the Wildcard/SuperCom Partner64, and Super Nintendo or Genesis backup devices, are usually built and distributed out of Hong Kong or Taiwan. They legally provide the ability to make backup copies of game cartridges you own. Although this does not constitute endorsement of such activities, they also would allow you to rent a game and copy it, or get ROM images (game back-up files, or 'roms'), for example, over the net. Of course possessing ROMs you do not own is piracy and is illegal.
Are they legal?
Of course places like Taiwan and Hong Kong don't really care about piracy; hence they are produced there. Such devices are not, from my understanding, legal for use in the EEC (European Economic Communities), but they are legal in the USA, Canada, and Latin America. Although such devices are commonly used for piracy, the 'official' purpose of the device (to back-up software you own) is legal. Nintendo is currently taking legal action to stop the sale of the Doc by suing Bung and Carl Industries (see: Who makes them?), but as of yet the z64 has not been subject to such proceedings, possibly because it is a more 'legitimate' back-up device (keep reading). Should the z64 become popular, expect to see it become a focus for Nintendo's legal department. Should Nintendo loose its case against Bung or Carlind, perhaps they will not bother with Greta and the z64.
Circuitry: How do they work?
The units are similar, yet very different. Because Nintendo has placed extensive lockout in the Nintendo64 to prevent 'unauthorized' games, both units require a regular n64 cartridge in order to play backed-up games. Since the Doc sits underneath the n64, a cable goes from the back of the Doc up to the cartridge slot. The z64 sits on top of the n64 and plugs directly into the n64, so it has no need for such an adapter. In either unit, the system then connects to the pins (or 'fingers') on the n64 cartridge that contains the lockout circuitry and reroutes the 'authorization' signal back into the n64. The game backup is then loaded into RAM memory, and between the RAM copy of the cartridge ROM and the rerouted lockout circuitry signal, the n64 believes it is playing a normal cartridge.
The units take different approaches in storing and recalling game backup data. The Doc sits underneath the n64 and is currently shipping with a 24x CD-ROM (older units shipped with an 4x or 8x CD-ROM). To back-up a game, you must connect a cable from the back of the Doc to your computers parallel port. This can mean unplugging your printer and reconfiguring the parallel port to SPP mode from EEP mode, or could even require an additional I/O Card to support the Doc<->PC connection. After connecting, you type a line or two on your computer to initiate a transfer. A parallel transfer (backup or restore) can take from around 5 to 10+ minutes depending on the size of the game file. The other way to load game files is to burn a CD of the game files on your computer. This requires a CDr drive and necessary software, which can cost between $200-$500 or so. Currently blank CDr media run about $2 or $3.
The z64 on the other hand, is self contained and does not require a Nintendo64 console, a television, or a computer, to back-up like the Doc does. The z64 backs up to an internal Zip drive, which stores 100MB (current n64 games typically run 8MB or 16MB) of data on a REWRITABLE Zip disk. Zip disks themselves typically run around $10 each around here. Because the Zip drive writes files in standard MS-DOS mode, you can exchange disks with a PC Zip drive. Should the Zip disk included with the unit become full and you want to back-up more software, you have the option of copying some files to a PC for later use (via a PC Zip disk or a modified z64<->PC connection), buying another Zip disk, or deleting some files. When backing-up or restoring files, the z64 typically takes around 30 seconds to complete a transfer.
Who makes them?
The vDoctor64 is manufactured by Bung Enterprises, in Hong Kong. They have a web site at: http://www.bung.com.hk
The vDoctor64 is distributed in the US by Carl Industries; their web site can be found at: http://www.carlind.com
The z64 is manufactured by Greta Taiwan, Inc., in Taiwan. The address for their web page is: http://www.cd-dupe.com
Additional information on both units can be found at: http://www.dextrose.com
How much do they cost and where can I get one?
Typically, around $400 for the Doc from Carl (including shipping), and $380 for the z64 from Greta (this does not include shipping). See the preceding question to find web addresses of the manufacturers.
vDoctor64 Features
The Doc is a gray colored unit that sits underneath the n64 console. It contains a 24x CD-ROM (earlier units included 4x or 8x CD-ROMs; if you are planning on buying a used Doc, the 4x CD-ROMs do not have a headphones jack while the 8x does. I believe the current unit has '24x' stamped on the drive tray) that will play audio CDs, CD-I discs, and MPEG Video CDs. In the back there are pass through connections to route the video and audio output of the n64 into the Doc. The Doc is capable of adding 'spatialized' 3D sound effects to the n64 audio, although everything I have heard about it would indicate that the effect is...less than desirable. Also in the back is a switch for PAL/NTSC modes (the Doc supports both) and a parallel port to connect the Doc to a PC.
The Doc comes standard with 16MB (128Mbit) RAM, which is expandable to 32MB (256Mbit) with a custom RAM expansion available only from Bung and Carl. Also included is the cartridge emulation adapter, which again comes out the back of the Doc and sits in the cartridge slot of the n64 to route the lockout circuitry of the cartridge back to the n64 console. The Doc provides the game data through the expansion port on the bottom of the n64.
Also inside the Doc is some SRAM (Static RAM) for save games and such. Although I have not yet used this feature, reportedly there is much misinformation on the net regarding how to use it since some of the explanation files inaccurately describe the procedure. Finally, the Doc includes a Flash-BIOS, which allows the user to upgrade the unit's BIOS (Basic Input Output Setup) themselves with a file downloaded from the Internet, and of course it has CD player style 'play', 'pause', etc. buttons on the top front to control it. The latest BIOS, by the way, allows for capturing 'slides', or screen-captures, and 'slide-shows' of these captures.
z64 Features
The z64, or Mr. Backup, is a black colored box that plugs into the cartridge slot on the Nintendo64 console and sits on top of the system. It contains a standard ATAPI internal Iomega Zip Drive and 16MB (128Mbit) RAM. It uses standard PS/2 style SIMM memory, which means the RAM can be upgraded to 32MB (256Mbit) by the user, using standard, inexpensive memory. The z64 has a back-lit LCD display on the top of the device to control it, as well as three push-buttons just to the right of the display to control backup and loading functions. The z64 also automatically supports either PAL or NTSC n64 consoles, and while the power supply has a American-style plug, it supports 100 - 240 volts and (unlike the Doc) is CE certified. The z64 has a speaker that will notify you of certain events, like overwriting save game data. The z64 will back up a full cartridge, including the save data normally omitted by the Doc, and actually backs-up in proper byte-order (the Doc actually flips the byte order, not the z64... more on this later) while automatically detecting the size of the cartridge, which plugs into the top of the z64.
Comparison
O.K., this is where the real dirt flies. Actually both units are cool, but there are differences.
First off, the media. Since the Doc uses a CD-ROM, all back-ups must be conducted through the PC parallel port connection. This means any backup will take roughly 7+ minutes to back-up, instead of 30 seconds as is the case with the z64. Should you desire to make a back-up away from your house or computer, it is impossible with the Doc as it requires the n64, a computer, and a television. The z64 on the other hand is much more portable, requiring only a wall socket to plug your AC adapter into in order to make back-ups. When loading a back-up to play, the z64 will again load the data in about 30 seconds, while the Doc presents more issues. While you can load from the PC (which assumes you have your PC in the same room as the Nintendo64 and TV), this will again take 5 to 10 minutes. Obviously not very good should you want to get in a quick game of whatever. While loading from the CDROM is certainly faster, it will not be significantly faster than the z64, if at all, and of course this necessitates a CD-r drive (an additional cost). Also, a backup is much easier on the z64 as it requires only 2 or 3 button presses rather than running programs, executing commands, specifying cartridge sizes, etc. on your PC while commanding the Doc on a TV (Not that its that hard, for the record, the z64 is just plain faster and easier).
Many people will point out the z64's lack of a parallel port as a serious downside to the platform, as newer Nintendo titles (such as Diddy King Racing) require a patch to play. Personally, I believe the reason for this to be that it makes the z64 a more legitimate backup device, thereby allowing Greta to avoid some of the legal issues associated with the Doc backing up to PC/CD-ROM (as noted in Greta's z64/v64 Comparison, available on, you guessed it, www.dextrose.com). Well, if you don't already own a CD-r drive, the purchase of a PC Zip drive is certainly cheaper. It has also been speculated that since the z64 uses a standard ATAPI internal Zip drive, simply replacing the cable from Zip drive to z64 mainboard inside the unit with a 3-plug ribbon cable (instead of 2-plug as the z64 ships) should allow the user to share the Zip drive with a PC! This is essentially getting a free PC Zip drive to boot! While this may void the warranty, you would then be able to switch the Zip drive to 'PC Mode', copy files over to the Zip disk, then switch the Zip drive back to 'z64 Mode' and play. This certainly would provide all of the functionality of the parallel port present on the Doc, and while an internal Zip drive is of course not as fast as a SCSI Zip drive, it definitely is faster than a parallel-port file transfer. I estimate the same 30-second file transfers when moving data from PC to z64 in this manner, and will be happy to report on this as soon as the z64 units arrive. (Thanks again to ACTRAiSER and www.dextrose.com for this solution!)
Further, the z64 uses standard SIMM memory, which is significantly cheaper than the proprietary memory expansion provided by Bung for the vDoc64. While the z64 BIOS is not flashable (this means you will have to remove the chip and replace it with a new one when 256Mbit games, such as Zelda64: Ocarina of Time, are released), let me point out that the BIOS on the z64 works perfectly as is. The main advantage of the Docs Flashable-BIOS is that it allowed Bung to sell the hardware before it even worked! Although at the time of writing I do not have a full list of BIOS revisions for the Doc, it is important that these 'great support and BIOS revisions' from Bung literally added things like 'CD plays now'. In fact, while we are on the topic, I feel it is worth noting the somewhat 'jury-rigged' approach of the Doc. Up until recently you actually had to solder the Doc's circuit board to make it work properly, and reportedly the n64 does not balance well on top of it. It requires a PC to do any form of backing-up, while, by contrast, the z64 is fully self contained. The z64 fits quite snugly on the top of the n64 console and is fully functional without BIOS updates or soldering. Remember, although you will have to open the z64 to remove and upgrade the BIOS chip, you will have to open it anyway at the same time to upgrade the memory as the only foreseeable BIOS update will be to support 256Mbit software titles.
Another issue prominent for many game enthusiasts is compatibility with the upcoming 64DD. The 64DD will sit underneath the n64 and uses rewritable 64MB Cartridge disks that perform remarkably similarly to a...Zip drive. Although 64DD support may be impossible, because the z64 plugs into the cartridge slot and sits on top of the n64 console you will not have to remove it every time (as well as hook you Nintendo64 back into the TV) you want to use the 64DD. Because the Doc feeds the game data through the same port the 64DD will hook into and does not allow any form of local data storage, I find it has rather slim chances of working with 64DD. While z64 may not work for backing up 64DD disks as well (and at the very least, you will still have to own the 64DD itself as it includes additional game RAM and potentially a modem), at least you will not have to remove it every time.
On the issue of support, it is again worth noting that the much-vaunted BIOS upgrades added support for basic Doc functionality. While some people may say "You would buy that thing from GRETA? Who the hell is Greta?!?" (and yes, I have actually heard this too many times), it is a rather obvious response to say "And you bought yours from a company with a name like Bung?". Regardless, the Doc was out first, which means it has a larger installed user base. Thus ROM images you may encounter on, for example, the Internet (again, piracy is illegal and in no way condoned by the author) will likely be a *.v64 file format and not a *.z64 file format. This is easily taken care of with a number of handy file conversion utilities again available on the wonderful www.dextrose.com
One interesting note is that the z64 makes proper binary back-ups, while the Doc byte-swaps them. My best analogy is that the z64 makes an exact duplicate, while the Doc makes a 'mirror image' of the data. This may explain why titles like Starfox64 and Mario Kart required patching on the Doc yet run fine on the z64, and again lends itself to the 'jury-rigged' approach and the idea that, on the technical side at least, Bung really doesn't know what it is doing.
Further, certain Doc owners consistently claim to know of some doomsday 'Zip Click Death' that has reportedly affected 10,000 users. Well, I don't know exactly how many Zip dives have been sold, but 10,000 users out of the millions of drives is not that bad. I have talked with many people who have defective or broken CD-ROMs in their Docs, and I don't know about you, but I believe I would rather trust a standard, name-brand, Iomega Zip Drive than some no-name two-bit cheap CD-ROM. Regardless, both units come with a one-year warranty.
A downside for the z64 is that currently the z64 does not support filenames other than XXXXX.z64, where XXXXX = numbers only. While this is not that convenient or necessarily user-friendly, at least the disks are rewritable and, hey, we're all hackers here anyway right? A 'plus' for the Doc is that it can play your entire collection of MPEG Video CDs (no, NOT DVDs) and will 'spatialize' your n64 sound. Also, you do not need to add a PC connection as it comes standard on the Doc. However, setting up the Doc is more complex as you must route the n64 output back through the Doc, and should you need to remove the Doc you will need to reconnect your n64 to the TV every time. The Doc will not back-up save-game files contained in the cartridge either. Finally, for what it is worth, the z64 weighs less, which means your shipping price will appropriately be less.
Conclusion
In conclusion, they are both good units and perform their back-up functions as claimed. It takes a long time and much research to understand the implications of each little difference between the two units, and since the z64 is newer and, at this point at least, 90% of n64 back-up unit owners own a Doc, I guess this is what provides the 'z64s suck' mentality I have found so prevalent (truthfully, before I truly analyzed the situation, I too thought the z64 'sucked'). While both units are cool, though, it is my humble opinion that the z64 is newer, more elegant, better thought out, faster, and potentially more versatile (add a pc link and it is still portable...) than the Doc. I am not 'dissing' the Doc at all; as I said both are great backup devices. But from the perspective of a new buyer (and even some Doc owners are rather tired of the parallel transfer times!) I feel the z64 is the better of the two units.
