Hi readers! I know, I said I was going to retire, but as long as I have a review, I'm not going anywhere. Today, I'm going to be reviewing the iSmart DS Premium, a recently unveiled flashcart that is backed up by the EZ Flash Team. This cartridge was provided to me courtesy of my friends at Gamezway!
Let's get into the cartridge itself!
Introduction
The iSmart Premium is a cartridge that was released in mid-August 2010. This flashcart was first thought of as a clone, but later, the EZ Flash team confirmed it was a separate team. In terms of how good it is, for the first few minutes of tinkering, I actually liked it.
First Impressions
OK, I love the thing. It's not extremely amazing like the Supercard DSTwo, but for half the price of it, you can get a great product. The iSmart Premium is probably the exact same as the EZ Flash flashcart. Their OS is practically identical, just themed differently. The cart feels solid, it's held together nicely, it looks like the R4 DS v2 flashcarts with the rounded grooves. It has the compatibility to play the latest games, such as the highly sought after Pokemon Black and White versions, with the release of their latest firmware.
The shape of the iSmart DS.
The SD card slot is not spring loaded. It's a slide in slide out system. It's very stable and sturdy, as any cartridge should be. It looks like a legitimate DS card, save for the niche for the Micro SD.
The back of the iSmart.
What Do You Get In the Box?
What can be found within the box? Good question! Let's answer with a mini unboxing! Well, when I got the package from the USPS today, I opened it, and out pops a light blue box! It was a little squashed, but oh well. It held my goods in safely throughout the transition from China to the United States.
I sincerely apologize for the images. My usual photo zone got turned into a construction area. Now, I'm forced to take my photos elsewhere inside my house. It kinda sucks. But as you can see below, we have a box. The box is very professional looking. I can only expect that much from the iSmart team since they are working with veterans in the business.
Front of the box.
Uggh, the lighting is kinda meh. I'm sorry guys, it's the best I can do. Most of my house is sort of closed off so I can't go do anything good here.
Back of the box, describing features!
On top of that, inside of the box, there is a small tray. The iSmart is lodged in it with a nice SD reader. Uggh, I now have so many SD readers that I can almost paper my room with them. These SD readers are the nice ones though. They're quite durable in cases of stress!
Generic Micro SD loader
The GUI of the iSmart DS
The GUI of the iSmart DS is an identical copy of the EZ Flash V system. Based off of Moonshell 2, it runs games and homebrew. For the most part, the GUI is very versatile. Buttons can be moved around in any order, making skinning much more fun. The system can also run EZ Flash skins, so it already holds a wide range of skins under its belt.
When the DS is first booted after seeing the TAK Jungle Challenge icon, (which proves that the DSi 1.4 firmware has been bypassed) you are greeted by a scrolly menu thing. The menu is similar to what the Supercard DSTwo has. It just lacks a little bit of finesse. Anyways you can choose options such as play NDS games, boot Slot 2 carts, run Moonshell Media player, and change options on the iSmart. I, having used an EZ Flash 3 in 1, can make good use of the menu, which is more restricted for Nintendo DSi users.
After you select an option, mainly the DS game option, you are greeted by a nice scroll menu. It lists all the folders and the .NDS files within each one. Those of you with the EZ Flash Vi, you should feel right at home here. It's a replica of that system.
Now, when you open up your game folder, you're greeted by a long list of games, hopefully. The scroll is very fast with little to no lag at all in the menu. Some cartridges lag when dealing with too many games. When you load a game, a loading bar appears and on first run of the NDS file, it will create a save file. NOTE: The iSmart and EZ Flash both create saves in another folder in the root of the SD card. If you had current occupied saves, just transfer it over! Simple, ja?
The scroll menu you shall see first upon boot.
iSmart loading screen.
The main menu.
Options?
Build Quality
The build quality on this thing is seriously solid. It feels like it can take a small beating. I myself threw it on the floor a few times, and it took zero damage. I was just testing, don't do it at home. Only do it under the supervision of a trained professional.
I don't have many carts with strong build quality, but this is one of them. It easily outstrips the Supercard DSTwo, and the Acekard 2i. I wouldn't expect anything less of a cousin to the EZ Flash, whose cartridges are like rocks.
NDS Game Compatibility
I ran a bunch of quick tests on many games. I ran them on the popular ones that people would buzz about. I have a list below, but if you want me to conduct more tests, drop a message here.
Pass List:
Pokemon Black and White
Pokemon Black and White TRANSLATED
Pokemon Heart Gold, Soul Silver
Mario Kart DS
New Super Mario Bros.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Polarium
Lunar Knights
Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light
...etc, etc. I ran way too many to list here.
No games failed the testing, however if you discover anything let me know. In this day and age, game compatibility is not an issue at all. Most competent teams can come up with quick solutions in a matter of hours.
Special Features
So, many of you guys want to know what features set this cart above any other cartridge. When placed near beasts like the Supercard DSTwo, which is a legendary flashcart today, this cart seems frail and small feature-wise. However, I say that for the basic user, at the price given, you get a solid cartridge. It has, according to the box:
-Real Time Save/Guide
-Auto Piracy Detection
-AR Cheat
-All other features are a given in this time period.
The features listed are not new features, but they are handy for a beginner. I like it because it's simple and not complex like Acekard or the DSTwo. Anti-piracy engines are a handy feature that allows you to play roms clean without any patches! Everything else is pretty self-explanatory.
Conclusion
After spending time with this new toy, I can say that it's well worth what you should pay. The cartridge is solid, it plays the latest games, it's simple, it's affordable. That's all there is to say about it. It gets the job done.
The Scoring!
It's time to deliver a score on the iSmart DS. The judgments are as follows:
BUILD QUALITY 20/20
USER INTERFACE 19/20
GAME COMPATIBILITY 20/20
SPECIAL FEATURES 15/20
GIMMICKS AND EXTRAS 7/10
FINAL SCORE: 81/90
Well, that is it for the iSmart DS Premium, made by the iSmart team! I hope you enjoyed the review, and I hope you can now make a decision on what to buy! Until next time, and don't forget to go to Gamezway to pick up your copy!!!!!
or: Digitopz!
See ya guys!
DISCLAIMER
This review is for the eyes of DSDatabase and GBAtemp.net. If this review is found anywhere else, please email me or message me at [email protected], thank you! Also, if you wish to use this as an example, please leave a message with me first!
Introduction
The iSmart Premium is a cartridge that was released in mid-August 2010. This flashcart was first thought of as a clone, but later, the EZ Flash team confirmed it was a separate team. In terms of how good it is, for the first few minutes of tinkering, I actually liked it.
First Impressions
OK, I love the thing. It's not extremely amazing like the Supercard DSTwo, but for half the price of it, you can get a great product. The iSmart Premium is probably the exact same as the EZ Flash flashcart. Their OS is practically identical, just themed differently. The cart feels solid, it's held together nicely, it looks like the R4 DS v2 flashcarts with the rounded grooves. It has the compatibility to play the latest games, such as the highly sought after Pokemon Black and White versions, with the release of their latest firmware.
The shape of the iSmart DS.
The SD card slot is not spring loaded. It's a slide in slide out system. It's very stable and sturdy, as any cartridge should be. It looks like a legitimate DS card, save for the niche for the Micro SD.
The back of the iSmart.
What Do You Get In the Box?
What can be found within the box? Good question! Let's answer with a mini unboxing! Well, when I got the package from the USPS today, I opened it, and out pops a light blue box! It was a little squashed, but oh well. It held my goods in safely throughout the transition from China to the United States.
I sincerely apologize for the images. My usual photo zone got turned into a construction area. Now, I'm forced to take my photos elsewhere inside my house. It kinda sucks. But as you can see below, we have a box. The box is very professional looking. I can only expect that much from the iSmart team since they are working with veterans in the business.
Front of the box.
Uggh, the lighting is kinda meh. I'm sorry guys, it's the best I can do. Most of my house is sort of closed off so I can't go do anything good here.
Back of the box, describing features!
On top of that, inside of the box, there is a small tray. The iSmart is lodged in it with a nice SD reader. Uggh, I now have so many SD readers that I can almost paper my room with them. These SD readers are the nice ones though. They're quite durable in cases of stress!
Generic Micro SD loader
The GUI of the iSmart DS
The GUI of the iSmart DS is an identical copy of the EZ Flash V system. Based off of Moonshell 2, it runs games and homebrew. For the most part, the GUI is very versatile. Buttons can be moved around in any order, making skinning much more fun. The system can also run EZ Flash skins, so it already holds a wide range of skins under its belt.
When the DS is first booted after seeing the TAK Jungle Challenge icon, (which proves that the DSi 1.4 firmware has been bypassed) you are greeted by a scrolly menu thing. The menu is similar to what the Supercard DSTwo has. It just lacks a little bit of finesse. Anyways you can choose options such as play NDS games, boot Slot 2 carts, run Moonshell Media player, and change options on the iSmart. I, having used an EZ Flash 3 in 1, can make good use of the menu, which is more restricted for Nintendo DSi users.
After you select an option, mainly the DS game option, you are greeted by a nice scroll menu. It lists all the folders and the .NDS files within each one. Those of you with the EZ Flash Vi, you should feel right at home here. It's a replica of that system.
Now, when you open up your game folder, you're greeted by a long list of games, hopefully. The scroll is very fast with little to no lag at all in the menu. Some cartridges lag when dealing with too many games. When you load a game, a loading bar appears and on first run of the NDS file, it will create a save file. NOTE: The iSmart and EZ Flash both create saves in another folder in the root of the SD card. If you had current occupied saves, just transfer it over! Simple, ja?
The scroll menu you shall see first upon boot.
iSmart loading screen.
The main menu.
Options?
Build Quality
The build quality on this thing is seriously solid. It feels like it can take a small beating. I myself threw it on the floor a few times, and it took zero damage. I was just testing, don't do it at home. Only do it under the supervision of a trained professional.
I don't have many carts with strong build quality, but this is one of them. It easily outstrips the Supercard DSTwo, and the Acekard 2i. I wouldn't expect anything less of a cousin to the EZ Flash, whose cartridges are like rocks.
NDS Game Compatibility
I ran a bunch of quick tests on many games. I ran them on the popular ones that people would buzz about. I have a list below, but if you want me to conduct more tests, drop a message here.
Pass List:
Pokemon Black and White
Pokemon Black and White TRANSLATED
Pokemon Heart Gold, Soul Silver
Mario Kart DS
New Super Mario Bros.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Polarium
Lunar Knights
Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light
...etc, etc. I ran way too many to list here.
No games failed the testing, however if you discover anything let me know. In this day and age, game compatibility is not an issue at all. Most competent teams can come up with quick solutions in a matter of hours.
Special Features
So, many of you guys want to know what features set this cart above any other cartridge. When placed near beasts like the Supercard DSTwo, which is a legendary flashcart today, this cart seems frail and small feature-wise. However, I say that for the basic user, at the price given, you get a solid cartridge. It has, according to the box:
-Real Time Save/Guide
-Auto Piracy Detection
-AR Cheat
-All other features are a given in this time period.
The features listed are not new features, but they are handy for a beginner. I like it because it's simple and not complex like Acekard or the DSTwo. Anti-piracy engines are a handy feature that allows you to play roms clean without any patches! Everything else is pretty self-explanatory.
Conclusion
After spending time with this new toy, I can say that it's well worth what you should pay. The cartridge is solid, it plays the latest games, it's simple, it's affordable. That's all there is to say about it. It gets the job done.
The Scoring!
It's time to deliver a score on the iSmart DS. The judgments are as follows:
BUILD QUALITY 20/20
USER INTERFACE 19/20
GAME COMPATIBILITY 20/20
SPECIAL FEATURES 15/20
GIMMICKS AND EXTRAS 7/10
FINAL SCORE: 81/90
Well, that is it for the iSmart DS Premium, made by the iSmart team! I hope you enjoyed the review, and I hope you can now make a decision on what to buy! Until next time, and don't forget to go to Gamezway to pick up your copy!!!!!
or: Digitopz!
See ya guys!
DISCLAIMER
This review is for the eyes of DSDatabase and GBAtemp.net. If this review is found anywhere else, please email me or message me at [email protected], thank you! Also, if you wish to use this as an example, please leave a message with me first!
