Review Memorex Universal Game Selector for Nintendo DS consoles

[Sicklyboy]

So today I decided to go to Target and look at accessories for my 3DS, and I came across this. It is the Memorex Universal Game Selector for DS consoles. It costs $19.99 USD. It comes in a flimsy, glossy cardboard box. It says at the top "Made for all DS Consoles", yet nowhere does it mention the original DS as being compatible (I would assume it is as long as it isn't too thick). The bottom is folded shut, where as the top is held shut by two sticky adhesive stickers.

Spoiler

Opening the box, you see the selector inside a plastic tray with a black and white manual behind it.

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The selector has a hump on the top where it fits into Slot 1, almost giving it a 3 slotted PassKey look. There are windows on the back for you to see which game is in which slot, the Memorex "O" logo, and the switch. The back of it (the side that would touch the DS) has a black sticker, read as follows "memorex ™ Universal Game Selector MCAH11MB Made in China"

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The selector leaved a bit of a gap between the DS and itself, which I am not crazy about. I decided to stick a piece of felt in between it and the DS and it's fine.

I tested it in both my 3DS on the latest firmware and my old DS Lite.

Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time 3D = PASS
Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition = PASS
Pokemon Platinum = PASS
iTouchDS RTS (in the DS Lite) = PASS
Supercard DSTWO (in the 3DS) = FAIL

All games and flash carts that I tested, with the exception of the DSTWO, worked without a problem. With the DSTWO, the cartridge is detected (currently with the Alex Rider icon), begins to boot, but stays at two white screens when it tries to load the EOS or whatever menu you use (I use iMenu). I can only imagine this is because the system provides power to all the game slots instead of only the active one, because when both other cards are removed, the DSTWO continues to boot, though this defeats the purpose of the switcher. As a result, I would be lead to believe that the DSTWO isn't getting enough power to power the extra onboard processor, and it can't continue with the boot. Just to double check, removing the game from the selector and putting it directly into the 3DS boots it without an issue.

Build quality is on the better side of mediocre. It's made out of a matte black plastic with a slightly rubberized finish. However, it is quite difficult to remove games from the device. Loosening the two midle screws on the bottom makes it immensely easier to remove a DSTWO from the center slot only, though this is irrelevant seeing as the card doesn't work with it. As stated before, I am not a fan of the gap between the selector and the console. Also, it wobbles in the slot, something that would bother me after a while.

Final notes: games do not seat in with a spring loaded mechanism, rather they slide into place with a bad sounding crunch sometimes as they make contact with the pins. Inserting the device into a 3DS is quite easy, however, I had to apply quite a bit of force to get it to fit into my DS Lite.

Pros
3 game slots
Fairly inexpensive
Adds a very comfortable layer of thickness to a 3DS
Not gaudy; doesn't stand out very much (though you can easily note the extra thickness)

Cons
Mediocre construction
Games do not slide into place very well
Wobbles
Does NOT work with the Supercard DSTWO.

Bottom Line
Good to have if you just want to use it to carry around a few extra games at once and want some extra thickness. However, if you have a Supercard DSTWO, steer clear from this.

Also, if anybody has one of these and has another DSi/3DS compatible flashcart, test it out and let me know how it works, I can add it into the review.

~Plasma

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Edit - By the way, the picture of the kid on the front of the box is using a wheel with his 3DS. Foreshadowing MarioKard 3DS ftw!

 

[wyndcrosser]

that's actually really neat, I wonder if there is actually any real coding, that could be brought into 3DS isos. I doubt, I'll go pick one up tomorrow.

WAIT, I didn't see the selector button on the bottom... there's no coding here LOL. EPIC FAIL, NO BUYING THAT FOR ME.

Wynd

 

[FireGrey]

It doesn't look worth it at all.
I would rather a case or one of those things that add a draw to the bottom of the 3DS and then take out a game from it.

 

[Sicklyboy]

Yeah, I dont think there would be any software involved whatsoever.

My one concern with it, though... I won't be keeping it, but the fact that I mentioned that my reason for believing the DSTWo doesn't work is that it is powering all the cards... I would think that would cut into the battery life of the system (greatly or insignificantly, I can't be sure).

But I mean it IS compatible with flashcarts. I put my brother's iTouchDS RTS into it along with two DS games, and it launched that fine on a DS Lite. Supercard DSTWO still didn't work that way.

However, due to the capability to use 3DS cards in it, it COULD slightly simplify the process of using the savegame dumper utility for 3DS cards, and also would make you no longer need to cut the tab off of the edge of them.

 

[Foxi4]

That's one awesome piece of tech, I just wonder... due to enhanced resistance compared to the original cartridge, does it decrease battery life in any significant way? Also, does a DSTwo + any two DS games/Just a DSTwo combination work? I can't see a reason why it wouldn't, really.

Nice find, this actually makes carrying couple of games with ya less cumbersome.