R4i Gold Review
This cartridge was provided by GamesYeah. They were really friendly about it and I am pleased to present to you a review of the R4i Gold, made by the unofficial R4i Gold Team.
UPDATE: Wood R4 DOES NOT work on the R4i Gold. REPEAT: IT DOES NOT WORK!
Introduction
The R4i Gold is made by the Chinese R4i Team. A few years ago, the R4 was a very popular flashcart that many people had. It offered many features that older flashcarts did not have. Unfortunately, in the present climate, the official R4 team no longer supports the cart after Nintendo of Japan filed a lawsuit against them. Nowadays, the R4 is "supported" by clone cartridges. The clones are out in the dozens, this one being one of many.
The R4i Cartridge Itself
The R4i, when you insert the firmware files, shows a Star Wars Lethal Alliance icon, which means that it is compatible with the Nintendo DSi at v1.4 firmware. The cart itself is done in a yellowish-golden color. It looks appealing. I'm going to go deeper into the cartridge now. The cartridge is sturdy. However, with a keen eye, a insertion of a fingernail can pry the cover of the cartridge off. The cart looks exactly like the official R4, but done in gold. If you want a taste of the real R4 that used to be so popular, go to this link: PharaohsVizier's R4 DS Review. The cartridge is long dead and receives NO MORE SUPPORT.
The R4i cartridge front
The back of the R4i cartridge
The User Interface
The R4i user interface is rather ugly. Personally, I'd go to the R4i team and give them a good lecture about updating the interface. I'd rather take the default EZ Flash theme, which is quite ugly. That says something. The interface has not updated at all. It looks the same as the official one, but YSMenu'd and given a new picture. The menu is exactly the same and it's really boring. Once more, go to PharaohsVizier's R4 DS Review and feel free to compare. Compare those pictures to these.
The old fashioned R4i interface, in a crappy photo.
More of the interface
More old interface
See? As you can see, they look the same. I was really upset when I ran it. I ran games with this new TTDS/YSMenu'd system and I was really upset. The loading times were horrendously slow. With cartridges like the Acekard 2i, the loading times for Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver were about 2 seconds. With the R4i, the loading time was 8 seconds. It's disheartening. The team hasn't changed at all. And people STILL continue to buy them. People need to really assimilate and buy a better cart. The R4i Gold is sold at about $6, whereas great compatibility in the form of Acekard is about $11. I'd pay a few more bucks and get an Acekard, load AKAIO on it, and be on my way. However, recently, Yellow Wood Goblin released a new firmware based on AKAIO, called Wood R4. The latest version is 1.08. I'll provide links later. Let's go into special features, shall we?
Compatibility
Most games that I ran worked. However, popular new titles gave me freezes, such as Tetris Party Deluxe and Pokemon Heart Gold. Game compatibility is a bit sour and there isn't much to say about this cart. It's a bit disappointing and I'd only recommend this one if you want to play really old games.
Special Features
Unfortunately, today, the R4i's "special features" are just a few bits of homebrew. It includes SvSIP (phone application), Beup Live (Windows Messenger or MSN) and NDSMail (email client). I only used NDSMail. The others are clunky or need accounts. Not my idea of fun. I looked at the box of the R4i and most features are included and are pretty much the standard for all flashcarts. It lacked any really eye-popping action and it bored me.
Conclusions
If you are a extreme noob with flashcarts go for it. If you are a collector go for it. I see no reason to own THIS model. It was really disappointing, and I expected nothing more from a clone. Stick to the Acekard/M3/Supercard Team. They update frequently and it can help you on the way. Other alternative is load Wood R4 firmware and support is currently booming.
Score
Cart Features 11/20
Build Quality 18/20
User Interface 10/20
Game Compatibility 15/20
Other Gimmicks 13/20
TOTAL SCORE: 67/100
Links
Wood R4 1.08
GamesYeah
GBATemp
R4i Gold website
PharaohsVizier's R4DS review
Alright guys, that wraps up another review. Thanks for reading this guy, and thanks to Gamesyeah for sending me the sample. And, a big thanks to YOU for reading these and making DSDatabase a happier place. Until next time guys!
UPDATE: Wood R4 DOES NOT work on the R4i Gold. REPEAT: IT DOES NOT WORK!
This cartridge was provided by GamesYeah. They were really friendly about it and I am pleased to present to you a review of the R4i Gold, made by the unofficial R4i Gold Team.
UPDATE: Wood R4 DOES NOT work on the R4i Gold. REPEAT: IT DOES NOT WORK!
Introduction
The R4i Gold is made by the Chinese R4i Team. A few years ago, the R4 was a very popular flashcart that many people had. It offered many features that older flashcarts did not have. Unfortunately, in the present climate, the official R4 team no longer supports the cart after Nintendo of Japan filed a lawsuit against them. Nowadays, the R4 is "supported" by clone cartridges. The clones are out in the dozens, this one being one of many.
The R4i Cartridge Itself
The R4i, when you insert the firmware files, shows a Star Wars Lethal Alliance icon, which means that it is compatible with the Nintendo DSi at v1.4 firmware. The cart itself is done in a yellowish-golden color. It looks appealing. I'm going to go deeper into the cartridge now. The cartridge is sturdy. However, with a keen eye, a insertion of a fingernail can pry the cover of the cartridge off. The cart looks exactly like the official R4, but done in gold. If you want a taste of the real R4 that used to be so popular, go to this link: PharaohsVizier's R4 DS Review. The cartridge is long dead and receives NO MORE SUPPORT.
The R4i cartridge front
The back of the R4i cartridge
The User Interface
The R4i user interface is rather ugly. Personally, I'd go to the R4i team and give them a good lecture about updating the interface. I'd rather take the default EZ Flash theme, which is quite ugly. That says something. The interface has not updated at all. It looks the same as the official one, but YSMenu'd and given a new picture. The menu is exactly the same and it's really boring. Once more, go to PharaohsVizier's R4 DS Review and feel free to compare. Compare those pictures to these.
The old fashioned R4i interface, in a crappy photo.
More of the interface
More old interface
See? As you can see, they look the same. I was really upset when I ran it. I ran games with this new TTDS/YSMenu'd system and I was really upset. The loading times were horrendously slow. With cartridges like the Acekard 2i, the loading times for Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver were about 2 seconds. With the R4i, the loading time was 8 seconds. It's disheartening. The team hasn't changed at all. And people STILL continue to buy them. People need to really assimilate and buy a better cart. The R4i Gold is sold at about $6, whereas great compatibility in the form of Acekard is about $11. I'd pay a few more bucks and get an Acekard, load AKAIO on it, and be on my way. However, recently, Yellow Wood Goblin released a new firmware based on AKAIO, called Wood R4. The latest version is 1.08. I'll provide links later. Let's go into special features, shall we?
Compatibility
Most games that I ran worked. However, popular new titles gave me freezes, such as Tetris Party Deluxe and Pokemon Heart Gold. Game compatibility is a bit sour and there isn't much to say about this cart. It's a bit disappointing and I'd only recommend this one if you want to play really old games.
Special Features
Unfortunately, today, the R4i's "special features" are just a few bits of homebrew. It includes SvSIP (phone application), Beup Live (Windows Messenger or MSN) and NDSMail (email client). I only used NDSMail. The others are clunky or need accounts. Not my idea of fun. I looked at the box of the R4i and most features are included and are pretty much the standard for all flashcarts. It lacked any really eye-popping action and it bored me.
Conclusions
If you are a extreme noob with flashcarts go for it. If you are a collector go for it. I see no reason to own THIS model. It was really disappointing, and I expected nothing more from a clone. Stick to the Acekard/M3/Supercard Team. They update frequently and it can help you on the way. Other alternative is load Wood R4 firmware and support is currently booming.
Score
Cart Features 11/20
Build Quality 18/20
User Interface 10/20
Game Compatibility 15/20
Other Gimmicks 13/20
TOTAL SCORE: 67/100
Links
Wood R4 1.08
GamesYeah
GBATemp
R4i Gold website
PharaohsVizier's R4DS review
Alright guys, that wraps up another review. Thanks for reading this guy, and thanks to Gamesyeah for sending me the sample. And, a big thanks to YOU for reading these and making DSDatabase a happier place. Until next time guys!
UPDATE: Wood R4 DOES NOT work on the R4i Gold. REPEAT: IT DOES NOT WORK!
