Supervision Multi [Watara]

There is even a flash-card solution available for Watara handhelds. Of the 66 official games released for this Game Boy clone, I already own 34 in cartridge form. The question arises as to whether it is worth collecting the remaining titles. Only a few are of good quality, and some came in vacuum-sealed packaging that requires dismantling to access the game. The other games were packaged in simple cardboard boxes. Prices on eBay for factory-sealed cartridges start at around 20 euros.

This is where A2-Heaven comes into play. The small Bulgarian company has taken on the Supervision and developed a flash card. I have previously purchased hardware for the Apple IIe from them and was very satisfied with it. The standard set is available for €96, including shipping.

An 8 MB ROM is used, featuring an integrated game selection menu. This menu includes all commercially released games. Additionally, there are 8 free memory slots for user programs and self-developed games.

My package includes a cartridge in a small leather pouch, a brief instruction manual, the flash programmer, and some stickers. The purpose of the leather pouch isn't entirely clear to me, though it is a nice extra. Less practical, in my view, is the fact that the port for connecting the programmer is only accessible if the cartridge casing is opened. Furthermore, the stickers don't fit properly, as they would cover the screws. While software for the flasher is available on the website, there are no instructions for it—though I managed to get it working without them.

After inserting the cartridge and starting the Supervision, a welcome melody plays, followed by the appearance of the menu. Games are listed alphabetically in the upper section of the screen and can be browsed using the directional pad; there is no option to scroll page by page. Pressing right on the D-pad takes you to the user content.
The lower section of the screen displays information regarding file size, publisher, and release year, accompanied by a small image of the game's title screen in the bottom-right corner.

In addition, there are some extras: At the end of the list are two 2-in-1 cards, which, although containing the same games as the previous list, are accessible via the original menu. The original graphic that appears when using Supervision with the TV link is also available. Finally, the ‘Watara test’ is offered, which was developed to check the functionality of the handheld. There are various diagnostic tests available that test the D-pad, buttons, screen and scrolling.

Although no instructions are provided, operating the flasher is quite simple. You plug one end of the included cable into the socket, while the other, smaller connector attaches to the cartridge's circuit board at the top right. On the other side of the flasher, there is a port for a micro-USB cable to connect to the computer. No additional driver installation was required on Windows 11.
After that, you can launch the Watara User Flash program. It allows you to select games in UF2 format for User Game slots 0 through 7 and then load them into memory using the “Flash” option.

Another option is the Superpico Watara Vision, a cartridge that can hold only one game at a time. You connect the module to your PC via a USB cable, where it is recognized as a drive. Then, you copy the game in UF2 format onto that drive.

Links
Watara Supervision (a2heaven.com)
GitHub – zwenergy/Superpico: A Raspberry Pi Pico-based Supervision Flash Cart

Conclusion
It is impressive to see the effort and dedication A2heaven has poured into this cartridge. It allows anyone to try out games for this system without having to purchase the individual cartridges.