Original Nintendo DS FlashMe Firmware Upgrade - Pros? Cons?

[Deleted member 705114]

Is there anyone here who has upgraded the firmware on their original DS console to enable the extra screen brightness setting who has actually used it a fair bit since?

If yes, I was wondering...
A) have you noticed any difference in the battery life?
B) has it improved your gaming experience? or does it not make much difference?

I was also wondering what other benefits are there to be gained from doing the firmware update? and are there any cons that you have found?

I've updated one but only spent about 10 mins trying it out so far so thought I'd see if there's anything to be wary of.

 

[ZaindORp]

Is there anyone here who has upgraded the firmware on their original DS console to enable the extra screen brightness setting who has actually used it a fair bit since?

If yes, I was wondering...
A) have you noticed any difference in the battery life?
B) has it improved your gaming experience? or does it not make much difference?

I was also wondering what other benefits are there to be gained from doing the firmware update? and are there any cons that you have found?

I've updated one but only spent about 10 mins trying it out so far so thought I'd see if there's anything to be wary of.

It seems that only classic NDS with NTR-CPU-20 written on the motherboard can change the brightness of the screen. It may affect the battery life if you don't use the backlight before because you can't turn it off now.
New firmware doesn't affect the game experience. Actually the main function of this firmware is providing you with an easy way to boot NDS mode from slot-2, which is not really common nowadays. Also it removed some checks for streaming games over wireless communication and added some functions to facilitate repair when the firmware is damaged.

 

[The Catboy]

OP deleted their account before thread could be answered UmU

 

[ZaindORp]

OP deleted their account before thread could be answered UmU

Ah! Didn't noticed that before...
Maybe someone will have the same doubt in the future and find this post. Hope that the reply will help those in need when that happens... maybe.

 

[NDS-Refresh]

Ah! Didn't noticed that before...
Maybe someone will have the same doubt in the future and find this post. Hope that the reply will help those in need when that happens... maybe.

The info you posted is helpful and appreciated, thanks for taking the time to post it,
I've only ever done cosmetic modifications to these consoles but have recently flashed one and started exploring the software modding side.

 

[The Catboy]

Ah! Didn't noticed that before...
Maybe someone will have the same doubt in the future and find this post. Hope that the reply will help those in need when that happens... maybe.

Yeah, I didn't at first either and I was sad to see your post didn't reach them.
At the same time, great post! I am glad you still made it!

 

[N7Kopper]

It seems that only classic NDS with NTR-CPU-20 written on the motherboard can change the brightness of the screen. It may affect the battery life if you don't use the backlight before because you can't turn it off now.
New firmware doesn't affect the game experience. Actually the main function of this firmware is providing you with an easy way to boot NDS mode from slot-2, which is not really common nowadays. Also it removed some checks for streaming games over wireless communication and added some functions to facilitate repair when the firmware is damaged.

Repairing damaged firmware is the real main reason to use FlashMe these days. Executing DS code from Slot 2 is a novelty, and the Download Play encryption has been broken via vulnerabilities, but it's still possible to screw up your DS' firmware through carelessly running firmware-modifying code that is either malicious or intended for the DSi or 3DS. The physical barrier protecting the parts of firmware that FlashMe modifies means you always have an out.

 

[NDS-Refresh]

If you sell DS consoles, would FlashMe be a reliable tool to see if the previous owner had upgraded the firmware?

 

[ZaindORp]

If you sell DS consoles, would FlashMe be a reliable tool to see if the previous owner had upgraded the firmware?

In most cases, NDS and NDSL come with their factory firmware, and Nintendo did not design them as updatable firmware. The firmware is stored in the write protected area and needs to be short circuited to SL1 on the motherboard to be written. Subsequent firmware changes will not affect the hardware prior to that. However, FlashMe's flashing tool can indeed be used to distinguish firmware versions on devices, but it cannot directly determine whether they have been updated.