DSTT vs CycloDS: By mojoex
So.. it's been two days now since i've had the DSTT, and one since the CycloDS. Both were tested using a brand new White DSLite and a 2GB Kingston Japanese MicroSD
DSTT
Original thoughts on the DSTT were.. wow. A great little gadget, and very easy to use. The set up is fantastic, working straight out the box.
I put a handful of ROMS on there to start off.. including the most popular, newest and most stressy games.
It's been updated to the latest version and i can safely say, works very smoothly.
However, Fifa 08 fails to boot. But works perfectly on the Cyclo.
Also, download play with Mario Kart doesn't seem to work.. and CoD 4 was very buggy.. but with the Cyclo download play works perfectly, and CoD4 was running very well.
I have also had one crash during Final Fantasy XII, when im saving. This has not yet occured on the CycloDS.
I think that the DSTT is great for playing games, and the price is fantastic. But it really is minimal on all other features. Also, the SD reader that came with it gets VERY hot when its in use. The cart itself is also a very tight fit with the microSD, even though it is spring loaded.
Those were my initial impressions.
Cyclo DS Evolution
However, the Cyclo arrived yesterday. As soon as i opened the packaging, i could sense that it was quality. The metal box in comparison to the flimsy cardboard box of the DSTT is just.. so oosing in quality. The setup was even easier. Using the same microSD as the DSTT, i just put the update.evo file in, took 15 seconds when i turned the DS on for the Evo to update. I also left the folders containing homebrew and roms on there, the system files were automatically created and my folders were arranged nicely.
It takes around 2 seconds to boot up to the main menu, which leads to a very responsive menu at that. The text is crisper and it is generally nicer to look at.
Loading games takes about a second longer than the DSTT, but that being just under 3 seconds is hardly a long time to wait anyway. I have been playing games from Final Fantasy, to Brain Training, to Metroid Prime and CoD4 all day. I havent experienced any slowdowns, crashes or errors, even when using slowmotion and cheats.
The moonshell application works extremely well on the Cyclo. It seems smoother on the Cyclo than the DSTT.. but that may be just me.
The Cyclo i recieved was Batch 4. I can honestly say that this card seems to be of better build quality and design than the DSTT, and it shows when its being used.
Overall, you get what you pay for, really.
The CycloDS is a quality chip. Its not as fast as the DSTT, but its more reliable with the new batch, and has more features.
Verdict:
The CycloDS is better, because as i said, it's a quality chip that you've paid extra for. The DSTT in my experience has some flaws.. they may be fixed in the future with firmware updates but its also a harder card to set up. It's by no means difficult, but it is harder than the CycloDS.
DSTT: 8/10
CycloDS: 10/10
So.. it's been two days now since i've had the DSTT, and one since the CycloDS. Both were tested using a brand new White DSLite and a 2GB Kingston Japanese MicroSD
DSTT
Original thoughts on the DSTT were.. wow. A great little gadget, and very easy to use. The set up is fantastic, working straight out the box.
I put a handful of ROMS on there to start off.. including the most popular, newest and most stressy games.
It's been updated to the latest version and i can safely say, works very smoothly.
However, Fifa 08 fails to boot. But works perfectly on the Cyclo.
Also, download play with Mario Kart doesn't seem to work.. and CoD 4 was very buggy.. but with the Cyclo download play works perfectly, and CoD4 was running very well.
I have also had one crash during Final Fantasy XII, when im saving. This has not yet occured on the CycloDS.
I think that the DSTT is great for playing games, and the price is fantastic. But it really is minimal on all other features. Also, the SD reader that came with it gets VERY hot when its in use. The cart itself is also a very tight fit with the microSD, even though it is spring loaded.
Those were my initial impressions.
Cyclo DS Evolution
However, the Cyclo arrived yesterday. As soon as i opened the packaging, i could sense that it was quality. The metal box in comparison to the flimsy cardboard box of the DSTT is just.. so oosing in quality. The setup was even easier. Using the same microSD as the DSTT, i just put the update.evo file in, took 15 seconds when i turned the DS on for the Evo to update. I also left the folders containing homebrew and roms on there, the system files were automatically created and my folders were arranged nicely.
It takes around 2 seconds to boot up to the main menu, which leads to a very responsive menu at that. The text is crisper and it is generally nicer to look at.
Loading games takes about a second longer than the DSTT, but that being just under 3 seconds is hardly a long time to wait anyway. I have been playing games from Final Fantasy, to Brain Training, to Metroid Prime and CoD4 all day. I havent experienced any slowdowns, crashes or errors, even when using slowmotion and cheats.
The moonshell application works extremely well on the Cyclo. It seems smoother on the Cyclo than the DSTT.. but that may be just me.
The Cyclo i recieved was Batch 4. I can honestly say that this card seems to be of better build quality and design than the DSTT, and it shows when its being used.
Overall, you get what you pay for, really.
The CycloDS is a quality chip. Its not as fast as the DSTT, but its more reliable with the new batch, and has more features.
Verdict:
The CycloDS is better, because as i said, it's a quality chip that you've paid extra for. The DSTT in my experience has some flaws.. they may be fixed in the future with firmware updates but its also a harder card to set up. It's by no means difficult, but it is harder than the CycloDS.
DSTT: 8/10
CycloDS: 10/10
