Hacking Is this a reliable place to buy an EZ-Flash IV?

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I'm looking to relive some of my childhood gameboy games on my DS and starting reading into the EZ-Flash IV.

I've been reading a dozen or so threads about it and many people suggest rhs and other sites, but they seem to be out of them or the delivery seems to never show up (ebular).

So, I'm wondering if this site (r4seller) is trustworthy. Also, if you've had experience with the site, what was it like?

I've read that the EZ-Flash IV has issues with some microSD + Adapters as compared to just using a miniSD card. Is this true? I was hoping to do a microSD + Adapter, but if I have to do miniSD I'd like to know ahead of time so I don't have to purchase both.

I appreciate anyone who takes the time to reply as this will be my first slot 2 cart.
 

FAST6191

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You might be mistaken soulrazor, assuming it is the same site as in http://gbatemp.net/threads/gba-flashcart-questions.359691/ some seemed to be of the opinion it was a fly by night nasty company.

Anyway I only know of two reliable shops to get the original EZ4 these days (realhotstuff and http://www.flashlinker-shop.com/ez-flash-iv-minisd-slot-2-gba-gbm-sp-nds-nds-lite-p-443.html ), three if you want an EZ4 lite or EZ4 lite deluxe (shop.01). There may well be others but it seems a handful at least are not doing well (elubar and possibly r4seller) which is a pity.
 

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Thank you, I'll look into them. They both seem to have a slightly higher price than RHS. Not much you can do about that, but it would be great if someone decided to make an up to date slot 2 cart that is a bit more affordable.

this is one of the most recomended stores on this forum if im not mistaken.

Yes it has some issues with micro to mini adaptors mostly because of contact issues with the adaptor inside the cart and the micro sd inside the adaptor (from what has been discussed here at gbatemp)

http://www.realhotstuff.hk/EZ-Flash-IV-_p_76.html

I believe some of the posts mentioned for US buyers to avoid rhs.hk and use their .com one instead (to avoid long shipping times). Thanks for the info as well as the micro to mini adapter info. Looks like I'll have to grab a miniSD.


You might be mistaken soulrazor, assuming it is the same site as in http://gbatemp.net/threads/gba-flashcart-questions.359691/ some seemed to be of the opinion it was a fly by night nasty company.

Anyway I only know of two reliable shops to get the original EZ4 these days (realhotstuff and http://www.flashlinker-shop.com/ez-flash-iv-minisd-slot-2-gba-gbm-sp-nds-nds-lite-p-443.html ), three if you want an EZ4 lite or EZ4 lite deluxe (shop.01). There may well be others but it seems a handful at least are not doing well (elubar and possibly r4seller) which is a pity.

Hi FAST6191,

Do you mind explaining the key differences between the EZ4 lite, deluxe, and original? I wasn't aware that there were multiple versions. I would like to find the most reliable one while still remaining in a reasonable price range. So far, from what I've read it only mentioned that EZ4 was the best slot 2 cart out there.



Overall, it looks like I may be stuck using rhs as they seem to have the most reliable & reasonable price on the cart. I'll hold off on my decision until I hear back :)
 

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Four models of EZ4
EZ4 original
EZ4 lite
EZ4 lite compact
EZ4 lite deluxe

The EZ4 original takes miniSD (and you want a miniSD rather than a micro to mini adapter) where the others take microSD. Note it is only microSD so 2 gigs and under only.

The EZ4 is shaped much like a full sized GBA cart.
The EZ4 lite more or less fits in the reduced size GBA slot of a DS lite.
The EZ4 lite compact and lite deluxe are copies of the DS lite dust cover.

Though the EZ4 lite range will not fit out of the box in a full size GBA slot (everything else that has a GBA slot that is not a DS lite) you can mod them into fitting if you want. You can do it with a scalpel and some sandpaper if you want.

There are differences in the amount of internal memory they contain as well.

The EZ4 and EZ4 lite both have 256Mbit of NOR and 128Mbit of PSRAM. The largest dumped GBA games are 256Mbit in size though in practice most do not get above 128Mbit. A full list of 256Mbit titles is available from http://gbatemp.net/threads/buying-a-gba-flash-cart-in-2013.341203/page-18#post-4756995 and that link also details trouble games and how to fix all but three of them.
The EZ4 lite deluxe is the best EZ4 model out there and has 256Mbit of PSRAM and 384Mbit (256+128) of NOR memory.
The EZ4 lite compact does not play GBA games over 4MBit, they were made so people could have a cheap entry into DS flash carts and as such are not really any use today.

The only place I still know that sells the lite deluxe is shop 01Media ( http://shop.01media.com/brand.asp?ID=434 ) and they go for €50 at time of writing, they are also the only place to sell the EZ4 lite as well, be aware they seem to also have some EZ4 lite compacts so do not get one of them.

Best cart.... compared to what could have been made or could be made now then not so much. Some features present on earlier carts are not there (the EZ3 had savestates) or wonky (cheats, though there is GBAATM if you want them) as they were built first and foremost for use with DS games but frankly you will be able to play all but 3 games (two fairly obscure Japanese games and a copy of the organiser/personal planner unlicensed card) in the GBA library on them. That said those older cards have issues and the only real competition is likely to come from the M3 and money no object I would still struggle to find one today*. To that end yes the EZ4 is the best standalone GBA ROM playing cart you will find today.

*you might find something in the M3 professional line, much like the EZ4 compact it features seriously reduced GBA capabilities.
 

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Four models of EZ4
EZ4 original
EZ4 lite
EZ4 lite compact
EZ4 lite deluxe

The EZ4 original takes miniSD (and you want a miniSD rather than a micro to mini adapter) where the others take microSD. Note it is only microSD so 2 gigs and under only.

The EZ4 is shaped much like a full sized GBA cart.
The EZ4 lite more or less fits in the reduced size GBA slot of a DS lite.
The EZ4 lite compact and lite deluxe are copies of the DS lite dust cover.

Though the EZ4 lite range will not fit out of the box in a full size GBA slot (everything else that has a GBA slot that is not a DS lite) you can mod them into fitting if you want. You can do it with a scalpel and some sandpaper if you want.

There are differences in the amount of internal memory they contain as well.

The EZ4 and EZ4 lite both have 256Mbit of NOR and 128Mbit of PSRAM. The largest dumped GBA games are 256Mbit in size though in practice most do not get above 128Mbit. A full list of 256Mbit titles is available from http://gbatemp.net/threads/buying-a-gba-flash-cart-in-2013.341203/page-18#post-4756995 and that link also details trouble games and how to fix all but three of them.
The EZ4 lite deluxe is the best EZ4 model out there and has 256Mbit of PSRAM and 384Mbit (256+128) of NOR memory.
The EZ4 lite compact does not play GBA games over 4MBit, they were made so people could have a cheap entry into DS flash carts and as such are not really any use today.

The only place I still know that sells the lite deluxe is shop 01Media ( http://shop.01media.com/brand.asp?ID=434 ) and they go for €50 at time of writing, they are also the only place to sell the EZ4 lite as well, be aware they seem to also have some EZ4 lite compacts so do not get one of them.
.

So, I should go with either the EZ4 or the EZ4 lite deluxe. The price difference is $40 to ~$80 respectively. If I had the extra cash, I would go with the deluxe because I would love the cart to sit flush on my DS, but I feel like saving the extra $40 may be in my better interest. Of course, I am saying this while disregarding the nice boost in NOR and PSRAM that the deluxe has.

Best cart.... compared to what could have been made or could be made now then not so much. Some features present on earlier carts are not there (the EZ3 had savestates) or wonky (cheats, though there is GBAATM if you want them) as they were built first and foremost for use with DS games but frankly you will be able to play all but 3 games (two fairly obscure Japanese games and a copy of the organiser/personal planner unlicensed card) in the GBA library on them. That said those older cards have issues and the only real competition is likely to come from the M3 and money no object I would still struggle to find one today*. To that end yes the EZ4 is the best standalone GBA ROM playing cart you will find today.

*you might find something in the M3 professional line, much like the EZ4 compact it features seriously reduced GBA capabilities

Apologies. Yes, this is what I was referring to.

Thank you for all the help, I think I'll end up grabbing the EZ4 from rhs. It looks like they are currently out of stock, so I'll have to wait. Do they tend to restock regularly?

I'm considering possibly ordering from the sites schnoo listed (they are slightly more expensive but have free shipping) but their sites look pretty unprofessional so I'm a bit worried there.
 

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I have a spare EZ flash IV and i'm in the US

Would you like to PM me with the details? I would be quite happy to buy it via eBay buy it now if the price is reasonable :)


*Edit*

Sorry, if this is against the rules; I apologize. I'm just a bit excited to have an offer as I would enjoy getting it soon.
 

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rhs.hk worked for me, but expect the tracking number you get from them to not work for weeks.

(I imagine rhs.com is faster, but they actually charge for shipping...)
 

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Hey guys! I'm in the UK, and wanted to ask much the same question. I'll just ask it in an existing thread - someone should make a drinking game out of the number of threads there are asking questions about EZFlash IV. :P

Anyway, my brother's been really into Pokemon recently (been playing on ipod with GBA emulator) and several times this year he's been asking me about linking up with me, etc. So I have a link cable and I'm thinking of getting him a GBA and the EZ Flash IV for Christmas. Don't have one myself so I thought I should order it in advance and get my head around the client software and everything. But, will this site be a trustworthy place to buy it?

http://www.card-r4-ds.com/products/EZ-Flash-IV-Mini-GBA-for-Nintendo-GBA-DS-DS-Lite-p-15.html

Thanks very much. If this isn't good then other suggestions would be appreciated, but bear in mind I'm not going to import from US or China as import costs are very dear.

Thanks very much.
 

FAST6191

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aliexpress is kind of like Chinese ebay if most of the sellers leaned towards bulk goods, industrial type goods and electronics. To that end it is very much down to the seller on it, sellers there are not kept awake at night with the fear of middling/negative feedback like they might be for ebay but it is not a complete wild west.
 

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Chollomedia is cheaper, credit card payment accepted for international orders and x2 additional battery included to avoid "battery dry" message in a future.
 

www.flashlinker-

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Chollomedia is cheaper, credit card payment accepted for international orders and x2 additional battery included to avoid "battery dry" message in a future.

As already mentioned and only my/our oppinion...no need to have the batteries. We never had a customer in the last 10 years who need to replace the battery and even if so, the customer mostly has no soldering iron to replace it. We have those batteries too...for replacement...and need them 1-2/year maximum.

Other shops are also cheap, accept credit cards and have other gifts to offer.....

PS: a soldering iron would be a nice gift to each battery....
 
Last edited by www.flashlinker-,

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Just got my cart from aliexpress yesterday.

Shipping took a while, but the product got here safe and sound.
 

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