Table of Contents:
-Introduction
-Features and Contents
-Hardware
-Software
-Testing and performance
~Speed Test
~ROM Test
~Homebrew Test
~Download Play Test
-Conclusion
Review written on:
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Firmware:
4.06 official firmware and 4.06 custom firmware with 3in1 integration
Hello one and all, as many of you have probably seen my posting around the NDS/GBA boards I am relatively new to the site but as most of you probably noticed, very active. I have been around homebrew ever since 2005. Enough about me, time to get to it!
INTRO:
The Acekard RPG (Real Play Gear), which from here on will be referred to as “RPG†for short, is among the newest batch of slot 1 flash carts being released this fall and winter season. From the outside, the shell looks unique and very sturdy although it does not use screws to hold the two parts of the shell together, instead, it uses a “clip mechanismâ€. The packaging is professional and although not as dazzling as the Cyclo DS Evo’s tin, it is still very clean, and gets the job done great.
I ordered my product from bamboogaming.com at a pretty high price for a flash cart. Shipping and handling and product price came to exactly $91 US dollars. The shipping was decently fast as I got my product in the advertised time, 15 business days.
FEATURES AND CONTENTS:
The contents of the package were pretty bare as the RPG came nicely packaged but aside from the USB 2.0 cable and the RPG itself, nothing else came with the RPG. No MicroSD reader/writer could be found. The case of the RPG also has a GBA size holding clip next to the RPG. Could this be foreshadowing anything? Hmm….too early to tell.
The RPG is not only a unique looking cartridge but also boasts some very convenient features. On board and automatic ROM trimming, dual memory, and copying and pasting from flash memory to Micro SD memory and vice versa. It does these things nicely and as advertised although the software is rather “rough around he edgesâ€. For example, there have been reports that copying ROMs and files between memories sometimes corrupts the copy of the file/ROM. This has not happened to me but people have reported this.
Perhaps the most appealing feature of the RPG is its open source firmware. It is currently the only flash cartridge to boast this feature and although not too much has been done with it some very promising things are starting to emerge and some custom firmwares with EZ Flash 3in1 support have been created for easy interface between the two units. The potential of the open source is virtually limitless as anyone with knowledge of the code can customize, add, and even remove(god knows why anyone would remove stuff) features.
List of Features:
Dual Memory
Copy Pasting from Flash to SD memory and vice versa
Automatically detects game save type
100% Game Compatibility
DLDI Compatible
Built in ROM trimmer
Slot 2 booting/Built in NoPass
In game AR cheats
Skinnable GUI
OPEN SOURCE
Built in USB port for Flash memory read/write to computer
SD High Capacity, supports Micro SD’s over 2 gigs
Size of original DS game cart. No bulge due to chips.
<Unofficial built in 3in1 support with custom firmware(Launch GBA files directly in RPG menu>
HARDWARE:
The RPG has some very flashy hardware including its “backwards†design which simply means that the sticker is applied on the back of the cart and a neat engraving of the logo and name is made on the front side of the RPG. The RPG has a built in USB 2.0 port on the top left hand side and a micro SD slot(spring loaded) on the right. The spring factor is bittersweet as some like it like myself and others don’t. I can confirm that the Micro SD slot can launch the micro SD card at least 4 feet into the air if you want to use your SD slot as an expensive projectile weapon.
These two slots coupled with the unique design of the shell make the RPG look the most different from any other flash cart or DS game. Not that it is a bad thing, but it is completely obvious that you have something else besides a DS game inserted when the RPG is in your DS. Personally, I like the difference as it catches the interest of people who don’t know what a flash cart is but some might not like it standing out like a soar thumb.
One thing to be noted is that the RPG has no noticeable bulge due to the actel/other chips in other flash carts. There is a slight bump because of the metal of the USB port and the micro SD slot but that is so unnoticeable that one must purposely look for it to find it. It slides in and out of the DS fairly smoothly with minor resistance. It is about 1mm thicker than a DS game cart but has no abnormally noticeable bulges that might resist taking the cart out or putting it in. One last thing to note is that the USB port is soldered tight directly to the circuit board and appears very sturdy but the user must push the USB port pretty hard to get it all the way to the end and also push decently hard to get it out. Also, at first, both Micro SD and USB slots are very stiff at first and must be broken in a couple of times to get a smoother feel but once broken in the Micro SD slot feels very smooth and USB port fits in perfectly.
All in all, the RPG has unique and original hardware that is sturdy and looks great. Hardware wise, this cart is great.
10/10
SOFTWARE:
Now we get to the big cheese. When the hardware is great the next thing you are looking for is the software. Software wise, the RPG isn’t as strong but is still very solid. The RPG does not auto boot if game auto booting is not on on your DS’s settings and you will be taken to the DS menu and see the RPG icon. Next, you will be take to the loading screen which last at most one second to load. However, when the RPG is loaded for the first time or there are new things written to the micro SD there is a “processing†bar that must be finished before you see the menu. This “processing†bar takes another second or two seconds at most to finish. One of my main grievances against the RPG is that the save is not written when you actually save the game. Instead, the RPG writes the save the next time you boot it. This is what the “processiing†bar is for so expect to see it every time you save the game and turn on your RPG.
Next, the GUI is neat and clean. It looks great and is fully skinnable and comes with 2 skins to choose from. Upon boot, the RPG loads a calendar, clock, and the date along with your NDS nickname on the top screen. On the bottom, you see the touch compatible menu which offers 3 options, Flash Memory, Micro SD, and Boot Slot 2. On the bottom is the “start†bottom which is exactly similar in shape and place as the Windows start button. This brings a whole load of features including copy, cut, paste, delete, special options(cheats, DL play switch, and soft reset), system settings, file info(gives the date created, size and if it is a ROM the save type), and help(explains which buttons do what). Incredibly simple and very effective. Big thumbs up for the GUI. Everything is implemented well and looks nice. The only thing that is a bit plain is the calendar and time which use kind of bland numbers but that too can be changed thanks to the skinnable feature of the RPG so no big deal here.
Now, we get to the interesting part, thanks to the open source nature of the RPG, it can technically have all features of any flash cart and even then some if there is enough talent. I must admit that to my dismay very little people have been involved in this aspect of the RPG but some work has been done and needs credit. For example, on my RPG, I currently have 4.06 custom firmware which has built in 3in1 support. This feature is very convenient for those that use the 3in1 expansion and allows direct interface with the 3in1’s, rumble, ram, and GBA loader through the RPG’s start button. This shows that it is quite possible to implement features in the RPG and much more can be done if enough talent, work, sweat, and effort are put into it. This makes the RPG’s potential above any other cart on the market but unfortunately, at this time, that potential has not been take very far and the only custom firmwares currently out are either outdated 3in1 support or the newest 4.06 custom firmware with 3in1 support.
8/10
TESTING AND PERFORMANCE:
Now we get to the fun part! Tests and how will our subject did!
Firstly, I would like to say that the following games and tests have been run on 3 different memories, RPG’s built in NAND Flash, Sandisk 2gig Taiwan made Micro SD, and PNY Technologies 2gig Japan made Micro SD. This is to give the most accurate results and most information as possible.
*All tests done with Firmware 4.06*
SPEED TEST:
For this test, I simply ran through the classic speed test, intro movie of Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow, and saw what happened. Results are as follows:
Sandisk Taiwan made 2gig: Screen skips frames occasionally. Audio fine.
NAND Flash memory: Perfect. Everything plays perfectly and at normal speed.
PNY technologies Japan Made 2gig: Perfect. Everything plays perfectly and at normal speed.
Clearly this shows that the RPG does experience lag and slower speed if it is not a Japan made or high speed micro SD but it appears to be very minimal and seemed to only affect gameplay on only one of the games I tested.
4/5
ROM TEST:
We are all aware that the RPG and most if not all flash carts these days have 100% compatibility or very near it so to save the huge list of tested ROMs I only posted the most popular ROMs and the most notorious for not working ROMs that I tested.
Castlevania Portrat Of Ruin: Issues
Sandisk Taiwan 2g: Freezes occasionally
Flash: Works
PNY Japan 2g: Works
Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow: Pass
Sandisk Taiwan 2g: Works
Flash: Works
PNY Japan 2g: Works
Contra 4: Pass
Sandisk Taiwan 2g:Works
Flash: Works
PNY Japan 2g: Works
Pokemon Diamond: Pass
Sandisk Taiwan 2g: Works
Flash: Works
PNY Japan 2g:Works
Monster Rancher DS: Pass
Sandisk Taiwan 2g: Works
Flash: Works
PNY Japan 2g: Works
Zelda Phantom Hourglass: Pass
Sandisk Taiwan 2g: Works
Flash: Works
PNY Japan 2g: Works
Everything seems to work great except for the usual suspect. Portrait of Ruin froze after 2 minutes of playing. However, it ran perfect with a Japan made Micro SD.
4/5
HOMEBREW TEST:
Checked to see what homebrew works.
Licks Media Player: Works on all 3 memories
Pocket Physics: Works on all 3 memories
DSOrganise: Works on all 3 memories
DSLinux: Crash and Freezes. Not working.
DSLinux no directory, small binary/condensed version: Works on all 3 memories
Nitro Tracker: Works on all 3 memories
As I have heard, DSLinux fails to boot properly and crashes. I have been told that the team knows about this but I do not know if they are working on fixing it or not.
4/5
DOWNLOAD PLAY TEST:
And now, the moment you have all been waiting for. I turned on the RPG’s single card play in the special options menu and attempted to download play. I also tried turning the Download Play option off as well to see if it affected anything. When I refer to “both settings in the results I mean both the DL Play button turned on and off. Results are as follows:
Note: Please excuse the low number of tested ROMs. I do not 2 DS’s so I had to use my cousin’s when he was over and I was not able to test as many as I wanted.
Note 2: This test is either pass or fail, I only tested with the Japan Micro SD as it makes no difference to DL play for what type of memory you are using.
Mario Party DS: Fail on both settings. Slow on enable DL play; about 15FPS. Freezes on Nintendo logo.
Jump Ultimate Stars: Pass on both settings
Mario Kart DS: Fail on both settings. Freezes on Nintendo logo.
Metroid Prime Hunters: Fail on both settings. Freezes on Nintendo logo.
As you can see from the results, the DL Play test is not very positive. I am told that it might be the recent firmware that has decreased compatibility but I am not sure. This appears to be the RPG’s main weak point.
2/5
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the Acekard RPG altogether is a finely made piece of work from a team that looks like it has an innovating proposal to the flash cart world(open source). Even though the cart is a little rough around the edges(both literally and figuratively lol) it still does its job quit nicely. On the contrary, some might think that a cart without immediate exclusive features is not worth anywhere near the price of the RPG; however, the exclusivity of the RPG lies in its open source that at the time being only programmers or homebrew enthusiasts can really take advantage of. From the perspective of the average flash cart buyer, the RPG is nothing more than a “pimped out flash cart†costing well over the line of other expensive cartridges like the Cyclo DS which currently boasts some very appealing features. All in all, you don’t need me to say much more as you have probably read all the useful information above. This cartridge seems like the right choice for a enthusiast looking at trying their hand at developing some awesome custom firmwares. At the time being however, the average flash cart buyer may want to just observe the potential of this cart to see where it is headed to know if they want to invest the hefty sum towards this little guy. In the end, the RPG comes out with a respectable score of 32 of 40 points graded on all the subjects above. A decent number for the early stages and birth of a potential filled flash cart.
32/40
80%
That's it for my review. Hope you enjoyed it.
-Introduction
-Features and Contents
-Hardware
-Software
-Testing and performance
~Speed Test
~ROM Test
~Homebrew Test
~Download Play Test
-Conclusion
Review written on:
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Firmware:
4.06 official firmware and 4.06 custom firmware with 3in1 integration
Hello one and all, as many of you have probably seen my posting around the NDS/GBA boards I am relatively new to the site but as most of you probably noticed, very active. I have been around homebrew ever since 2005. Enough about me, time to get to it!
INTRO:
The Acekard RPG (Real Play Gear), which from here on will be referred to as “RPG†for short, is among the newest batch of slot 1 flash carts being released this fall and winter season. From the outside, the shell looks unique and very sturdy although it does not use screws to hold the two parts of the shell together, instead, it uses a “clip mechanismâ€. The packaging is professional and although not as dazzling as the Cyclo DS Evo’s tin, it is still very clean, and gets the job done great.
I ordered my product from bamboogaming.com at a pretty high price for a flash cart. Shipping and handling and product price came to exactly $91 US dollars. The shipping was decently fast as I got my product in the advertised time, 15 business days.
FEATURES AND CONTENTS:
The contents of the package were pretty bare as the RPG came nicely packaged but aside from the USB 2.0 cable and the RPG itself, nothing else came with the RPG. No MicroSD reader/writer could be found. The case of the RPG also has a GBA size holding clip next to the RPG. Could this be foreshadowing anything? Hmm….too early to tell.
The RPG is not only a unique looking cartridge but also boasts some very convenient features. On board and automatic ROM trimming, dual memory, and copying and pasting from flash memory to Micro SD memory and vice versa. It does these things nicely and as advertised although the software is rather “rough around he edgesâ€. For example, there have been reports that copying ROMs and files between memories sometimes corrupts the copy of the file/ROM. This has not happened to me but people have reported this.
Perhaps the most appealing feature of the RPG is its open source firmware. It is currently the only flash cartridge to boast this feature and although not too much has been done with it some very promising things are starting to emerge and some custom firmwares with EZ Flash 3in1 support have been created for easy interface between the two units. The potential of the open source is virtually limitless as anyone with knowledge of the code can customize, add, and even remove(god knows why anyone would remove stuff) features.
List of Features:
Dual Memory
Copy Pasting from Flash to SD memory and vice versa
Automatically detects game save type
100% Game Compatibility
DLDI Compatible
Built in ROM trimmer
Slot 2 booting/Built in NoPass
In game AR cheats
Skinnable GUI
OPEN SOURCE
Built in USB port for Flash memory read/write to computer
SD High Capacity, supports Micro SD’s over 2 gigs
Size of original DS game cart. No bulge due to chips.
<Unofficial built in 3in1 support with custom firmware(Launch GBA files directly in RPG menu>
HARDWARE:
The RPG has some very flashy hardware including its “backwards†design which simply means that the sticker is applied on the back of the cart and a neat engraving of the logo and name is made on the front side of the RPG. The RPG has a built in USB 2.0 port on the top left hand side and a micro SD slot(spring loaded) on the right. The spring factor is bittersweet as some like it like myself and others don’t. I can confirm that the Micro SD slot can launch the micro SD card at least 4 feet into the air if you want to use your SD slot as an expensive projectile weapon.
These two slots coupled with the unique design of the shell make the RPG look the most different from any other flash cart or DS game. Not that it is a bad thing, but it is completely obvious that you have something else besides a DS game inserted when the RPG is in your DS. Personally, I like the difference as it catches the interest of people who don’t know what a flash cart is but some might not like it standing out like a soar thumb. One thing to be noted is that the RPG has no noticeable bulge due to the actel/other chips in other flash carts. There is a slight bump because of the metal of the USB port and the micro SD slot but that is so unnoticeable that one must purposely look for it to find it. It slides in and out of the DS fairly smoothly with minor resistance. It is about 1mm thicker than a DS game cart but has no abnormally noticeable bulges that might resist taking the cart out or putting it in. One last thing to note is that the USB port is soldered tight directly to the circuit board and appears very sturdy but the user must push the USB port pretty hard to get it all the way to the end and also push decently hard to get it out. Also, at first, both Micro SD and USB slots are very stiff at first and must be broken in a couple of times to get a smoother feel but once broken in the Micro SD slot feels very smooth and USB port fits in perfectly.
All in all, the RPG has unique and original hardware that is sturdy and looks great. Hardware wise, this cart is great.
10/10
SOFTWARE:
Now we get to the big cheese. When the hardware is great the next thing you are looking for is the software. Software wise, the RPG isn’t as strong but is still very solid. The RPG does not auto boot if game auto booting is not on on your DS’s settings and you will be taken to the DS menu and see the RPG icon. Next, you will be take to the loading screen which last at most one second to load. However, when the RPG is loaded for the first time or there are new things written to the micro SD there is a “processing†bar that must be finished before you see the menu. This “processing†bar takes another second or two seconds at most to finish. One of my main grievances against the RPG is that the save is not written when you actually save the game. Instead, the RPG writes the save the next time you boot it. This is what the “processiing†bar is for so expect to see it every time you save the game and turn on your RPG.
Next, the GUI is neat and clean. It looks great and is fully skinnable and comes with 2 skins to choose from. Upon boot, the RPG loads a calendar, clock, and the date along with your NDS nickname on the top screen. On the bottom, you see the touch compatible menu which offers 3 options, Flash Memory, Micro SD, and Boot Slot 2. On the bottom is the “start†bottom which is exactly similar in shape and place as the Windows start button. This brings a whole load of features including copy, cut, paste, delete, special options(cheats, DL play switch, and soft reset), system settings, file info(gives the date created, size and if it is a ROM the save type), and help(explains which buttons do what). Incredibly simple and very effective. Big thumbs up for the GUI. Everything is implemented well and looks nice. The only thing that is a bit plain is the calendar and time which use kind of bland numbers but that too can be changed thanks to the skinnable feature of the RPG so no big deal here.
Now, we get to the interesting part, thanks to the open source nature of the RPG, it can technically have all features of any flash cart and even then some if there is enough talent. I must admit that to my dismay very little people have been involved in this aspect of the RPG but some work has been done and needs credit. For example, on my RPG, I currently have 4.06 custom firmware which has built in 3in1 support. This feature is very convenient for those that use the 3in1 expansion and allows direct interface with the 3in1’s, rumble, ram, and GBA loader through the RPG’s start button. This shows that it is quite possible to implement features in the RPG and much more can be done if enough talent, work, sweat, and effort are put into it. This makes the RPG’s potential above any other cart on the market but unfortunately, at this time, that potential has not been take very far and the only custom firmwares currently out are either outdated 3in1 support or the newest 4.06 custom firmware with 3in1 support.
8/10
TESTING AND PERFORMANCE:
Now we get to the fun part!
Tests and how will our subject did!Firstly, I would like to say that the following games and tests have been run on 3 different memories, RPG’s built in NAND Flash, Sandisk 2gig Taiwan made Micro SD, and PNY Technologies 2gig Japan made Micro SD. This is to give the most accurate results and most information as possible.
*All tests done with Firmware 4.06*
SPEED TEST:
For this test, I simply ran through the classic speed test, intro movie of Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow, and saw what happened. Results are as follows:
Sandisk Taiwan made 2gig: Screen skips frames occasionally. Audio fine.
NAND Flash memory: Perfect. Everything plays perfectly and at normal speed.
PNY technologies Japan Made 2gig: Perfect. Everything plays perfectly and at normal speed.
Clearly this shows that the RPG does experience lag and slower speed if it is not a Japan made or high speed micro SD but it appears to be very minimal and seemed to only affect gameplay on only one of the games I tested.
4/5
ROM TEST:
We are all aware that the RPG and most if not all flash carts these days have 100% compatibility or very near it so to save the huge list of tested ROMs I only posted the most popular ROMs and the most notorious for not working ROMs that I tested.
Castlevania Portrat Of Ruin: Issues
Sandisk Taiwan 2g: Freezes occasionally
Flash: Works
PNY Japan 2g: Works
Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow: Pass
Sandisk Taiwan 2g: Works
Flash: Works
PNY Japan 2g: Works
Contra 4: Pass
Sandisk Taiwan 2g:Works
Flash: Works
PNY Japan 2g: Works
Pokemon Diamond: Pass
Sandisk Taiwan 2g: Works
Flash: Works
PNY Japan 2g:Works
Monster Rancher DS: Pass
Sandisk Taiwan 2g: Works
Flash: Works
PNY Japan 2g: Works
Zelda Phantom Hourglass: Pass
Sandisk Taiwan 2g: Works
Flash: Works
PNY Japan 2g: Works
Everything seems to work great except for the usual suspect. Portrait of Ruin froze after 2 minutes of playing. However, it ran perfect with a Japan made Micro SD.
4/5
HOMEBREW TEST:
Checked to see what homebrew works.
Licks Media Player: Works on all 3 memories
Pocket Physics: Works on all 3 memories
DSOrganise: Works on all 3 memories
DSLinux: Crash and Freezes. Not working.
DSLinux no directory, small binary/condensed version: Works on all 3 memories
Nitro Tracker: Works on all 3 memories
As I have heard, DSLinux fails to boot properly and crashes. I have been told that the team knows about this but I do not know if they are working on fixing it or not.
4/5
DOWNLOAD PLAY TEST:
And now, the moment you have all been waiting for. I turned on the RPG’s single card play in the special options menu and attempted to download play. I also tried turning the Download Play option off as well to see if it affected anything. When I refer to “both settings in the results I mean both the DL Play button turned on and off. Results are as follows:
Note: Please excuse the low number of tested ROMs. I do not 2 DS’s so I had to use my cousin’s when he was over and I was not able to test as many as I wanted.
Note 2: This test is either pass or fail, I only tested with the Japan Micro SD as it makes no difference to DL play for what type of memory you are using.
Mario Party DS: Fail on both settings. Slow on enable DL play; about 15FPS. Freezes on Nintendo logo.
Jump Ultimate Stars: Pass on both settings
Mario Kart DS: Fail on both settings. Freezes on Nintendo logo.
Metroid Prime Hunters: Fail on both settings. Freezes on Nintendo logo.
As you can see from the results, the DL Play test is not very positive. I am told that it might be the recent firmware that has decreased compatibility but I am not sure. This appears to be the RPG’s main weak point.
2/5
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the Acekard RPG altogether is a finely made piece of work from a team that looks like it has an innovating proposal to the flash cart world(open source). Even though the cart is a little rough around the edges(both literally and figuratively lol) it still does its job quit nicely. On the contrary, some might think that a cart without immediate exclusive features is not worth anywhere near the price of the RPG; however, the exclusivity of the RPG lies in its open source that at the time being only programmers or homebrew enthusiasts can really take advantage of. From the perspective of the average flash cart buyer, the RPG is nothing more than a “pimped out flash cart†costing well over the line of other expensive cartridges like the Cyclo DS which currently boasts some very appealing features. All in all, you don’t need me to say much more as you have probably read all the useful information above. This cartridge seems like the right choice for a enthusiast looking at trying their hand at developing some awesome custom firmwares. At the time being however, the average flash cart buyer may want to just observe the potential of this cart to see where it is headed to know if they want to invest the hefty sum towards this little guy. In the end, the RPG comes out with a respectable score of 32 of 40 points graded on all the subjects above. A decent number for the early stages and birth of a potential filled flash cart.
32/40
80%
That's it for my review. Hope you enjoyed it.
