iEDGE Review By Rockstar:
Introduction:
The iEDGE is the EDGE Team's DSi Compatibile flashcartridge which has hardly and differences from the normal EDGE card.It has a unique bootloader upgrade process and Im really enjoying it so far.It has all the standard features of a flashcart like soft reset etc. and has a firmware identical to the CycloDS Evolution which is actually one of its plus points.Take a look at the official feature list by the EDGE team themselves:
As you can see it has a lot of stuff packed into it but how well does it actually work? Lets find out...
Packaging And Contents:
The iEDGE has came in one of the best packaging I have ever got for a flashcart, It came in a nice triangular box which is really eye candy for almost everybody and the box quaility was great also.The box opens by sliding the top lid of the triangle up revealing to you an iEDGE flashcart and a microSD card reader.Dont get your hopes up to high about the microSD card reader asis a crap Chinese reader and mine didnt even work, so I recommend you getting a good well trusted card reader if you plan to use the flashcart for a long time.THe items are helb very tightly in the box so the wont fall out on the way to your home lol.
Cart Design & Build Quality:
The iEDGE probably has the best build quality from any flashcart I have ever used, it is made of white plastic and there is currently none available in black like the original EDGE cart.The microSD slot is on the top of the iEDGE cart and is not spring loaded, some people will find that as a pro but I take it as a con.The sticker on the iEDGE is blue and attractive adding some nice glimmer to the cart itself and overall the build quality is very good not as good as the CycloDS but is better than the Acekard 2i and M3i Zero anyday, so hopefully this cart lasts a few years which is really nice.
Setting Up The iEDGE:
Now heres where the fun part starts, after you done falling in love with the box and the build quality you may begin reading this.The iEDGE has one of the most unique processes to upgrade the bootloader, dont get scared of the word unique its a fairly simple process and I bet a cow could do it too.Here are the steps to update the bootloader of the iEDGE:
1.Go to the downloads section on the official EDGE website and download the newest version of the bootloader update
2.Make sure you have ROM 0363 saved onto your computer as its required in the process
3.Insert you microSD into your computer
4.Run the file called EdgeBootUpdate.exe and select the drive where your microSD card is
5.Select the Sudoku Rom
6.Click the update button
7.The files to upgrade the iEDGE will be copied over to your microSD card.
8.Remove your microSD card from the PC
9.Put the microSD card into your iEDGE
10.Now put the iEDGE into your DS
11.After you turn on your DS dont do anything, just look at the iEDGE flashcart in the cartridge slot
12.The LED on the iEDGE will start blinking
13.Dance with the LED for about 40 seconds
14.After the blinking stops your iEDGE has been flashed and is ready for use
15.The icon in the DS menu should now become Sudoku to bypass the 1.4 update on the DSi
16.Go to the official site and download the latest firmware for the iEDGE and copy it to your microSD
17.Boot your DS and tap the sudoku icon
18.You have now reached the iEDGE Menu
iEDGE Firmware:
If you were an R4DS(Clone) or CycloDS Evolution user when you reach the iEDGE menu you will feel some Deja Vu.The iEDGE firmware is exactly the same as the CycloDS firmware and almost the same as the R4(Clones).You are presented with 3 different icons;Games, Media & Settings.The first Icon(Games/Homebrew) takes you to a file list which shows you all the files on your microSD card here you can select folders to view and start any .nds files, there are 2 different view modes one that allows you to view the file name of your ROM and the other allows you to view the internal ROM name for your ROM, showing the header that would appear on a reatail cart.The second icon isnt anything great, it boots up moonshell which will allow you to play music, watch videos, read text and view pictures on your DS, moonshell is skinable and skins can be found at ndsthemes.The last icon allowas you to manage variour settings for the games you want to play for example you can set up cheats, soft rese etc. there are a few more settings there too for exaple you can change the skin and brightness from there too.The iEDGE uses the same skins as the EDGE and CycloDS Evolution carts which is a major pro for me as they have a wide range of skins and are neat and clean on your DS.
Compatibility:
I have tested about 25 homebrew applications and all of them worked flawlessly on the iEDGE.Out of all the games I tested only 1 hasnt worked which is Sonic Classic Collection, it gave me to white screens.But seeing as the iEDGE /EDGE update their firmware whenever Team Cyclops releases their FINAL versions, we can always expect fixes from them.
The Final Verdict:
The iEDGE good flashcart in terms of build quality, packaging and firmware.It offers a unique update process which is fairly simple to use and is quick.The compatibility is almost perfect but I have only tested about 50 ROMS the iEDGE could play 49 of them.The downside is that they only update when Team Cyclops updates to their FINAL versions and they dont update when Team Cyclops releases betas of their firmware making updates slightly slow.Compared to other carts in the flashcart market like the Acekard 2i and M3i Zero the iEDGE does not exactly match up.But if you are a simple gamer and are ready to wait a few extra days for your fixes as well missing out on extra features like RTS,RTG,Wifi Updates etc. I think the iEDGE will suite your needs. So I want to end by giving the iEDGE:
7.5/10
If you need any flashcarts visit GamezWay
Introduction:
The iEDGE is the EDGE Team's DSi Compatibile flashcartridge which has hardly and differences from the normal EDGE card.It has a unique bootloader upgrade process and Im really enjoying it so far.It has all the standard features of a flashcart like soft reset etc. and has a firmware identical to the CycloDS Evolution which is actually one of its plus points.Take a look at the official feature list by the EDGE team themselves:
Supports DSi/DSL/DS
iEDGE comes blank without any copyrighted software, making it 100% LEGAL
Fully upgrade-able bootstrap to combat future DSi firmware updates
Supports DSi firmware v1.4+
Plays commercial NDS ROM
Plays homebrew NDS ROMS
Frequently updated OS for best compatibility
In game reset
Full download play support
Automatic ROM protection patcher
SlowMotion mode
Save game saves directly to Micro SD
Automatic save game type detection
Supports MicroSDHC cards up to 32GB
Multimedia playback such as movies and MP3's
Action Replay compatible cheat system
Multi language user interface
Micro SDHC card reader included
iEDGE comes blank without any copyrighted software, making it 100% LEGAL
Fully upgrade-able bootstrap to combat future DSi firmware updates
Supports DSi firmware v1.4+
Plays commercial NDS ROM
Plays homebrew NDS ROMS
Frequently updated OS for best compatibility
In game reset
Full download play support
Automatic ROM protection patcher
SlowMotion mode
Save game saves directly to Micro SD
Automatic save game type detection
Supports MicroSDHC cards up to 32GB
Multimedia playback such as movies and MP3's
Action Replay compatible cheat system
Multi language user interface
Micro SDHC card reader included
As you can see it has a lot of stuff packed into it but how well does it actually work? Lets find out...
Packaging And Contents:
The iEDGE has came in one of the best packaging I have ever got for a flashcart, It came in a nice triangular box which is really eye candy for almost everybody and the box quaility was great also.The box opens by sliding the top lid of the triangle up revealing to you an iEDGE flashcart and a microSD card reader.Dont get your hopes up to high about the microSD card reader asis a crap Chinese reader and mine didnt even work, so I recommend you getting a good well trusted card reader if you plan to use the flashcart for a long time.THe items are helb very tightly in the box so the wont fall out on the way to your home lol.
Cart Design & Build Quality:
The iEDGE probably has the best build quality from any flashcart I have ever used, it is made of white plastic and there is currently none available in black like the original EDGE cart.The microSD slot is on the top of the iEDGE cart and is not spring loaded, some people will find that as a pro but I take it as a con.The sticker on the iEDGE is blue and attractive adding some nice glimmer to the cart itself and overall the build quality is very good not as good as the CycloDS but is better than the Acekard 2i and M3i Zero anyday, so hopefully this cart lasts a few years which is really nice.
Setting Up The iEDGE:
Now heres where the fun part starts, after you done falling in love with the box and the build quality you may begin reading this.The iEDGE has one of the most unique processes to upgrade the bootloader, dont get scared of the word unique its a fairly simple process and I bet a cow could do it too.Here are the steps to update the bootloader of the iEDGE:
1.Go to the downloads section on the official EDGE website and download the newest version of the bootloader update
2.Make sure you have ROM 0363 saved onto your computer as its required in the process
3.Insert you microSD into your computer
4.Run the file called EdgeBootUpdate.exe and select the drive where your microSD card is
5.Select the Sudoku Rom
6.Click the update button
7.The files to upgrade the iEDGE will be copied over to your microSD card.
8.Remove your microSD card from the PC
9.Put the microSD card into your iEDGE
10.Now put the iEDGE into your DS
11.After you turn on your DS dont do anything, just look at the iEDGE flashcart in the cartridge slot
12.The LED on the iEDGE will start blinking
13.Dance with the LED for about 40 seconds
14.After the blinking stops your iEDGE has been flashed and is ready for use
15.The icon in the DS menu should now become Sudoku to bypass the 1.4 update on the DSi
16.Go to the official site and download the latest firmware for the iEDGE and copy it to your microSD
17.Boot your DS and tap the sudoku icon
18.You have now reached the iEDGE Menu
iEDGE Firmware:
If you were an R4DS(Clone) or CycloDS Evolution user when you reach the iEDGE menu you will feel some Deja Vu.The iEDGE firmware is exactly the same as the CycloDS firmware and almost the same as the R4(Clones).You are presented with 3 different icons;Games, Media & Settings.The first Icon(Games/Homebrew) takes you to a file list which shows you all the files on your microSD card here you can select folders to view and start any .nds files, there are 2 different view modes one that allows you to view the file name of your ROM and the other allows you to view the internal ROM name for your ROM, showing the header that would appear on a reatail cart.The second icon isnt anything great, it boots up moonshell which will allow you to play music, watch videos, read text and view pictures on your DS, moonshell is skinable and skins can be found at ndsthemes.The last icon allowas you to manage variour settings for the games you want to play for example you can set up cheats, soft rese etc. there are a few more settings there too for exaple you can change the skin and brightness from there too.The iEDGE uses the same skins as the EDGE and CycloDS Evolution carts which is a major pro for me as they have a wide range of skins and are neat and clean on your DS.
Compatibility:
I have tested about 25 homebrew applications and all of them worked flawlessly on the iEDGE.Out of all the games I tested only 1 hasnt worked which is Sonic Classic Collection, it gave me to white screens.But seeing as the iEDGE /EDGE update their firmware whenever Team Cyclops releases their FINAL versions, we can always expect fixes from them.
The Final Verdict:
The iEDGE good flashcart in terms of build quality, packaging and firmware.It offers a unique update process which is fairly simple to use and is quick.The compatibility is almost perfect but I have only tested about 50 ROMS the iEDGE could play 49 of them.The downside is that they only update when Team Cyclops updates to their FINAL versions and they dont update when Team Cyclops releases betas of their firmware making updates slightly slow.Compared to other carts in the flashcart market like the Acekard 2i and M3i Zero the iEDGE does not exactly match up.But if you are a simple gamer and are ready to wait a few extra days for your fixes as well missing out on extra features like RTS,RTG,Wifi Updates etc. I think the iEDGE will suite your needs. So I want to end by giving the iEDGE:
7.5/10
If you need any flashcarts visit GamezWay
