Review iSmart DS Review!

[Tux']

You really think so? I mean I can notice a difference from my first review but I don't think I'm getting that good at it... But anyways, good job with this review! Nice and informative!

 

[Ryukouki]

This is nothing in comparison to Another World or my DSTwo review. soon enough, you'll be taking over for me.

You'll be fine.

 

[Another World]

Bottom line is that it's extremely difficult to review a flashcart. Why? Because the reviewer doesn't want to chew the team up that badly, and because they're trying to make a flashcart look good. It's a really big dilemma to choose which way to go, because either way, it's pretty difficult to please everyone.

to be honest i don't take sides at all. even if someone tells me to add something specific, i won't do it unless its factual and i can back up the statements i make. when i set out to start a review i play with the kit for a long time. i test close to 500 files (be it multimedia, games, emulation, homebrew, etc). during that testing process i see exactly how much crap i can break. if the cart holds up well it gets a good review. if it fails it gets a bad review. i don't try to make the review good or bad for any reasons, they turn out that way because the product is either good or bad. sadly with the ismart premium, the hardware itself was fine and all of the problems were in the software. so i pointed out those problems by listing some of what i experienced. all of the files i test never make it into the review, i list just enough to make my point.

i get where you are coming from because you don't want to say bad things about a company that gave you a free flash kit to test. but on the other hand you have a duty to the public to be unbiased and tell the truth. i've been told that some of my reviews are very negative and so i've come to understand that a majority of the readers expect reviews to say only positive things and briefly list the problems. but as you all pointed out, i go much to far into details to just leave it at a bulleted list. if you are in a position to change the minds of readers then you should always remember to take that responsibility seriously. what you write may determine if someone spends their money or not. if you read reviews that only pointed out the good things, never pointed out the bad, and then you spend your money on the kit would you get angry? when a started in the homebrew handheld hobby it was with gba and my first flash kit cost $145 shipped. i bought it based on all the good reviews it got and specifically what the hardware could do. if the reviews had lied, never discussed the hardware, etc, i might have spent $145 on a paper weight. i always keep that kind of mind set when i’m writing.

as for time involved, i'll just say that i did the scds2 review is about 8 days and it took me over 140 hours from start to finish. that review was back to back with the dingoo review as well, so that was a busy few weeks for me.

i've been given the green light from the ismartds team to review their new flash kit the ismart mm. so that will be next. i’ve been told it supports a gba emu, video player, and other features. i haven’t even received the kit yet and i’m already getting ready to start the review. preparation in any aspect of life makes the final outcome so much easier to reach.

as for the teams, i talk to a lot of flash kit industry people and i think they understand exactly what type of review i'm going to write. if they want a good review they better have their beta testing in order, their kits better work as advertised. i think it is really as simple as that. anyone can come chat with me on irc and see what i'm like during a normal conversation. i'm not a mean person and i don't attack people who don't deserve it. flash kit reps, team members, homebrew developers, etc, all know what to expect out of me. which is why i can write a bad review one day and get another product from the same team to write a new review the next. be honest and your honestly will shine in your writing.

well that’s enough tips and preaching for now. thank you all for being “fans” of my work, it really means a lot to me to know that something i’m doing is making a difference.

-another world

 

[Ryukouki]

Bottom line is that it's extremely difficult to review a flashcart. Why? Because the reviewer doesn't want to chew the team up that badly, and because they're trying to make a flashcart look good. It's a really big dilemma to choose which way to go, because either way, it's pretty difficult to please everyone.

to be honest i don't take sides at all. even if someone tells me to add something specific, i won't do it unless its factual and i can back up the statements i make. when i set out to start a review i play with the kit for a long time. i test close to 500 files (be it multimedia, games, emulation, homebrew, etc). during that testing process i see exactly how much crap i can break. if the cart holds up well it gets a good review. if it fails it gets a bad review. i don't try to make the review good or bad for any reasons, they turn out that way because the product is either good or bad. sadly with the ismart premium, the hardware itself was fine and all of the problems were in the software. so i pointed out those problems by listing some of what i experienced. all of the files i test never make it into the review, i list just enough to make my point.

i get where you are coming from because you don't want to say bad things about a company that gave you a free flash kit to test. but on the other hand you have a duty to the public to be unbiased and tell the truth. i've been told that some of my reviews are very negative and so i've come to understand that a majority of the readers expect reviews to say only positive things and briefly list the problems. but as you all pointed out, i go much to far into details to just leave it at a bulleted list. if you are in a position to change the minds of readers then you should always remember to take that responsibility seriously. what you write may determine if someone spends their money or not. if you read reviews that only pointed out the good things, never pointed out the bad, and then you spend your money on the kit would you get angry? when a started in the homebrew handheld hobby it was with gba and my first flash kit cost $145 shipped. i bought it based on all the good reviews it got and specifically what the hardware could do. if the reviews had lied, never discussed the hardware, etc, i might have spent $145 on a paper weight. i always keep that kind of mind set when i’m writing.

as for time involved, i'll just say that i did the scds2 review is about 8 days and it took me over 140 hours from start to finish. that review was back to back with the dingoo review as well, so that was a busy few weeks for me.

i've been given the green light from the ismartds team to review their new flash kit the ismart mm. so that will be next. i’ve been told it supports a gba emu, video player, and other features. i haven’t even received the kit yet and i’m already getting ready to start the review. preparation in any aspect of life makes the final outcome so much easier to reach.

as for the teams, i talk to a lot of flash kit industry people and i think they understand exactly what type of review i'm going to write. if they want a good review they better have their beta testing in order, their kits better work as advertised. i think it is really as simple as that. anyone can come chat with me on irc and see what i'm like during a normal conversation. i'm not a mean person and i don't attack people who don't deserve it. flash kit reps, team members, homebrew developers, etc, all know what to expect out of me. which is why i can write a bad review one day and get another product from the same team to write a new review the next. be honest and your honestly will shine in your writing.

well that’s enough tips and preaching for now. thank you all for being “fans” of my work, it really means a lot to me to know that something i’m doing is making a difference.

-another world

Of course. I see where you're coming from. I was actually just listing a problem, but I always tell the truth. I'm not the type to botch up a lie to get more review products. It's something I genuinely love to do, and I try to reflect it in my work.

Thanks for the tips though!