Day 4: DS-X

[Sinkhead]

This may seem a little long for an advent calendar intro, but it's from my upcoming article and it's too much work to type out a new one

On August 10th 2006 at 04:44 PM GMT, GBAtemp announced the first major slot-1 flashcart, the DS-X. It seemed like a perfect solution (GBAtemp gave it 9/10 in their review, the score has since been altered). Many people didn't see the point in upgrading at that point in time, mainly because of the price, but it truly looked like DS-X was a revolution in DS piracy. In the first few months after it's release there were plenty of updates fixing both ROM and homebrew compatibility, as well as adding functionality. The skinning engine is the most complex I have seen in a flashcart, everything is customizable, and the LEDs are just cool. The built in media player has potential and although it was fairly slow at first it seems to have improved, so all in all the DS-X was a really good cart for it's era.

Shame it didn't last.

Firmware update 1.1.2 (third release) was the last one to ever see the light of day. Let's take a look through some of the DS-X Team's finest moments

September 14th 2006 (12:54 AM)
Costello, admin of GBAtemp, posted some shocking news about the DS-X Team's mischievous antics. Bear in mind that this is before the DS-X was even available to the general public.

From a news post by Costello

• Two members of the DS-X team have asked us to spin a rating of the NinjaDS which we are currently reviewing in an attempt to promote their product.
  
• The review of the NinjaDS by MaxConsole, written by jpxdude, was originally a fairly non enthusiastic review of the product which is by no means a problem. But zeus, head of MaxConsole and Divineo - (yes, the online shop) modified the review later on in order to give a more negative image to the NinjaDS.

July 5th 2007 (10:22 AM)
This is from a forum topic on the official DS-X forums about some issues regarding ROM incompatibility. This post, I believe, sealed DS-X's fate. One man single-handedly alienated 95% (my own estimate) of his product's user base.

From a post by DS-X Guru (Official DS-X rep.)
Sorry, but this has gone far enough. It's okay to ask for a fix, but you guys are snowballing this out of proportion.
If you now want to dodge this by saying "HEY; BACKUPS ARE LEGAL IN MY COUNTRY AND IM TALKING ABOUT ZELDA!!!!" Well, backups/roms are NOT, and i repeat, ABSOLUTELY NOT tolerated on these boards. Yes, even hinting is too much. If you can't cope with that, the door is wide open, i ask you to leave with some hostility.
Oh and by the way, stealing is a crime. Don't do it.
July 6th 2007 (5:21 PM)
Shuny releases a firmware downgrader because firmware 1.1.2, to put it bluntly, sucks. This tool downgrades DS-Xs running firmware 1.1.2 to firmware 1.1.0.


November 23rd 2007 (5:24 AM)
For some reason (I'm guessing it's so that people can't see all the complaints on public forums) the DS-X Team threaten to void the warranties of everyone who asks for help on GBAtemp. The support was already crap by now (I dealt with them personally at around this point in time) so it's not as if the warranties would have been any use anyway, and the support tracker is practically dead anyway, nothing ever gets answered. Maybe the staff are trying to see how high they can get the number of unanswered tickets...
QUOTE

Quote from one of Thug4L1f3's posts that I can't find... But it does exist, or it did.
The DS-X team actually asked us not help DS-X owners out here as they wanted them to use their site's forums for help and support. We didn't agree and they actually sent us some aweful emails saying that they would void the warranty on anyone with a DS-X that came to GBATemp. Obviously they couldn't possibly enforce that, but it's another clear example of the kind of people the DS-X team are.

So, what's your opinion on the DS-X?

[titlerevious days]
Day 1: hrth
Day 2: R4DS
Day 3: WiiKey

 

[Kaos]

I don't even have one and I hate it.

No-one can do that to their customers and expect to get away with it.

If the DS-X ever becomes better than the CycloDS or the R4DS then the world will probably end or something.

 

[jelbo]

Unbelievable... those people are evil. I have owned a DS-Xtreme but sold it pretty quickly after my purchase. But wow, the things I read here, unbelievable and sad.

 

[4saken]

KILL ALL

 

[shaunj66]

My favourite!

What? It makes a really good wedge to put under my un-even desk legs.

 

[Dark-Mantis]

The DS-X was my first DS flash card, and I used to like it. However since the support pretty much died it's been going downhill. I got my Cyclo DS Evolution now and so far it's been an improvement on every aspect.

Just to list the bad things I experienced recently with my DS-X

1) About 50% of the new releases require the arm-7 fix to work.
2) Some games can't run on full speed
3) It takes more than a minute to start playing music
4) Absolutely no sign of any of the before mentioned issues being fixed.

I don't think it'll take very long before this card is history.

 

[Chotaz]

My favourite!

What? It makes a really good wedge to put under my un-even desk legs.

aw you stole my joke, bad bad man

anyways...

i hated ds-x since the first i saw it

 

[JKR Firefox]

Having never owned a DS-X (Thank you Jebus

), I can't really say it's a bad cart. However, the DS-X team's lack of customer support is amazing! I still can't believe that retailers continue to sell this cart considering the reputation it has garnered over the past 6-7 months.

The DS-X is a joke and the team which created it and continue to lie and threaten their paying customers should never be allowed to make another.

- Fitzy

 

[shakirmoledina]

it's a good ol' device but still lacks the power to win over others

 

[shaunj66]

The main thing that I don't understand is that the team could EASILY make this one of the best carts on the market with a real proper firmware/GUI update. Ok it may be lacking in space, but the hardware (powerful hardware I might add) is there.

They really let themselves down more than anyone else, they had a fairly respectable name once. No one in their right mind would buy a new DS-X Team product after all this.

 

[Jaejae]

Hmm, I was considering getting one of the 2GB DS-X cards, I might have to rethink my purchase.

 

[ZAFDeltaForce]

The first time I saw a DSX, I was like LOL and doubted it ever since.

 

[robi]

The main thing that I don't understand is that the team could EASILY make this one of the best carts on the market with a real proper firmware/GUI update. Ok it may be lacking in space, but the hardware (powerful hardware I might add) is there.

They really let themselves down more than anyone else, they had a fairly respectable name once. No one in their right mind would buy a new DS-X Team product after all this.

I agree 100%, the DS-X has (had?) great potential, and with the proper firmware update it could be in the top 3 easily. That powerful hardware is the main reason it's more expensive then the other flashcarts out there...but it's hardly been put to good use.

The DS-X gets a lot of crap but I've had a good experience with it. It was my first DS flashcart, and I was part of the 2nd batch shipped. While most people upgraded I still use mine because it works well enough and I have enough games between it and legit cartridges.

Despite my good experiences with it I can't recommend it to anyone anymore, even if it was cheaper these days because if they were to have problems I don't have any confidence that they would be helped by the DS-X team.

However now I'm looking at either a CycloDS Evolution, R4, or whatever the next best thing is. The DS-X will just go to my sister. Only thing is that I've been saying that for awhile now, I just haven't found a huge need to switch for the moment. Of course, it could be because I'm a poor Uni student.

 

[rest0re]

My favourite card that I don't own

 

[thegame07]

That comment about the support tracker being dead has annoyed me a little because Im one of the people who help out on it and I do tickets everyday (I can't do some tickets) However I put all my effort to reply to the people I can help! Only on the odd occasion im not able to give at least 1 reply a day. I dont wish to give my opinion on the matter as I will get flamed.

ps Also im not responsible for any actions the ds-x team have decided to take so please don't aim problems you may have at me! thanks

 

[stefer]

It is a great flashcart... if only there could be a good firmware to go with it. I still have it but haven't booted it in a long time. Last time i put it in my DS, it was to show a coworker the difference with an EZ-V. He wanted to get one for his son. What you think he ordered? Thats right, a EZ-V. I didn't have to point out the problems, just the slow loading made him go with EZ-V.
It takes less than half the time on my EZ-V.

 

[kernelPANIC]

I got a DS-X mainly because of GBATemp's review (GBATemp gave it a 9.5, that's an awesome score no matter how you look at it).
While time has proven that it's not the best cart around, it DID provide me with some great moments as it allowed me to play the first 2 Phoenix Wright games, the first 2 Ouendan Games, Hotel Dusk, and a loooong etc.
I'm equally disappointed with both the DS-X team and GBATemp.

 

[teonintyfive]

My favourite!

What? It makes a really good wedge to put under my un-even desk legs.

 

[azotyp]

i think DS xtreme is great thing, only as someone said they dont have good firmware, but idea is great, i always wanted to have one of those, but since it is so expensive i'm gonna buy a mutation of that kind of thing and microsd flashcarts (acekard rpg)

 

[Railgun]

dont like it, there are better solutions out.