Hacking EZ 3 in 1?

[Bri]

Yes, I think think the eWin is difficult to find (always has been actually, only a few stores have ever carried it). But the main reason I think the EZ 3-in-1 is more popular is simply because it's called the "3-in-1" rather than "2-in-1." People assume that 3 is better than 2. They look at the feature list and see that the both can play GBA games and can be used for browser memory, but that the EZ 3-in-1 has an additional rumble and don't really research how they work in close enough detail to discern other differences.

In reality, they're both fine products and the NOR is a great feature for some people. There are good reasons to flash to NOR and then be able to play a game over and over without reloading it. I just don't think the NOR is necessarily worth the hassle or the higher price compared with the eWin.

Honestly, I couldn't tell you if either is compatible with more games than the other. I suspect compatibility has more to do with the loader than the hardware, which means that they probably work equally well with GBA ExpLoader or with a particular cart's menu system.

If you're wracking your brain over which one to buy, I suspect that you won't be able to find an eWin 2-in-1 right now anyway (psxboy.com is out of stock), so your choice is a pretty easy one at this point!

-Bri

 

[SleepingDragon]

I got the EZ 3 in 1 over the ewin because both products are pretty much equal, but the EZ runs native with my Cyclo.

 

[kevenka]

ahah

You're completely right Bri! I just wanted to make my first choice a good one.I might actually wait for the 2 in 1 due to the fact that you seem to have done more research on it and actually explain significant difference of the 2. I forgot they were expansions so it should be the slot-1 device that probably determines how compatible they are. Honestly again, I could care less about storing a game in my slot 2. Those are pretty much extra useless feature in my opinion.
Now, Conclusion to this thread:
3 in 1 has more features(Rumble and that Nor memory space)
2 in 1 has less features but does exactly what many people are after(GBA compatability)
So... I guess I'll probably wait for a 2 in 1, simply due to the fact that it's cheaper and is what I am after(GBA games

).
Thanks for everything guys ^^

 

[Bri]

SleepingDragon: Both run natively with the CycloDS as of the last firmware release I believe (maybe it's the beta version that supports the eWin, which means the next firmware release will if it doesn't already).

kevenka: Like I said they're both fine products so if you don't feel like waiting, pay the extra $5 and get an EZ 3-in-1 and you won't be disappointed. Now that you know how the NOR works, you won't have any problems figuring it out. For $14/$20, you can't really go wrong either way, and no telling when or if the eWin will be back in stock at psxboy.com whereas the EZ is in stock at dealextreme.com right now.

-Bri

 

[kevenka]

Thanks Bri. I suppose this thread was like comparing R4 to M3 Simply...They are practically the same thing

 

[Bri]

I think the R4 and M3 are more closely related (practically the same) but the EZ 3-in-1 and the eWin 2-in-1 aren't so different that you should fret too much over which to buy. Both do what they're designed to do, and the prices differ by only about $5. I like the eWin a little better, but not so much that I would hesitate to recommend the EZ to anyone.

-Bri

 

[Sticks]

Uhm, NOR memory allows GBA-NDS Game linking? Unless there's something i've missed here...

 

[DanTheManMS]

At least with the 3in1 it does, yes. You have to patch things separately for it to work, but you can get the linkage working if you do it right. I don't think the same thing works with the E-win expansion pack, but I could be wrong.

 

[striderx]

2. Ability to have game in NOR and not have to flash every time. Good if you will be playing one game on and off for a while.
I would rather be able to use NOR. For the amount of time of spend flashing GBA roms the speed advantage of the EWIN is insignificant. And doubly so since I avoid flashing as often when using the NOR.

QUOTE(Sticks @ Jun 22 2008, 10:08 PM) Uhm, NOR memory allows GBA-NDS Game linking? Unless there's something i've missed here...

Plus, if you can play the GBA game in ROM if you don't have your slot-1 flash card in place (don't laugh, there are times when there's a commercial cart installed!).

And if you get the EZ-Flash 3-in-1 with a GBA shell, then a game flashed to NOR can be played in a GBA system (you'd need this form factor of 3-in-1 anyway if you have a DS phat).

My 2¢...

striderx

 

[kevenka]

Hmmm...interesting points but I was going to sell off my gba sp on ebay ^^
But...yea, I forgot about considering linking...that is a big plus

 

[Bri]

All good points, but I still prefer the eWin 2-in-1 for all the reasons already listed! GBA-NDS linking isn't particularly important to me (the whole point for me was that I could play GBA games on my NDS and use the extra volatile memory for the Opera browser/homebrew).

-Bri

 

[kevenka]

Yea your right, but I recently chatted on the cyclod forum and now I heard that there is an M3 expansion with RTC in it...Can anybody confirm if it's true and if so, would this expansion pack work with any slot-1 or just the m3 real?

 

[Diablo1123]

Hmmm...interesting points but I was going to sell off my gba sp on ebay ^^
But...yea, I forgot about considering linking...that is a big plus

I don't plan to get rid of my SP
For one thing, the GBA cables don't work on the DS, so me and my friend can't play Four Swords on the DS

 

[kevenka]

Yea, but I moved on from the SP advance linking games...I mean I prefer to get the cash for other things ^^

 

[ben_not_benny]

Noob question:
From what I've read whatever is in NOR of the 3-in-1 stays there even when you turn off the DS? Does that mean you can write a game to NOR, turn off the system, remove the 3-in-1 and put it in another unit (DS or GBA) and still be able to play it?

 

[DanTheManMS]

Noob question:
From what I've read whatever is in NOR of the 3-in-1 stays there even when you turn off the DS? Does that mean you can write a game to NOR, turn off the system, remove the 3-in-1 and put it in another unit (DS or GBA) and still be able to play it?

Yup, exactly right. Most GBA flash carts back in the day were NOR-based, just for the record.

 

[Jakemon]

Nevermind, original question was answered by reading a bit more.

 

[Bri]

I apparently misunderstood the question, so please ignore this post and read gratefulbuddy's post below instead.

-Bri

 

[gratefulbuddy]

Noob question:
From what I've read whatever is in NOR of the 3-in-1 stays there even when you turn off the DS? Does that mean you can write a game to NOR, turn off the system, remove the 3-in-1 and put it in another unit (DS or GBA) and still be able to play it?

If you have the phat size 3n1, yes, once you have flashed a ROM to the NOR memory, you can take the 3n1 out of the DS, insert the 3n1 in a GBA/DS and play the rom as if it were an original cartridge.

 

[kevenka]

NIce...Okay, since I don't have it, Can I ask...would it be possible if I wanted to transfer the NOR memory back to the slot-1 device or is it stuck there until I replace it?