Review R4i Revolution Review

[RoMee]

INTRODUCTION
Hi, this is my quick review of the R4i Revolution from r4idsn.com.
With support from YWG, this flash cart kit has become quite popular, for anyone who wants a flash cart kit with high game compatibility for a low price and fast updates you can't go wrong with this flash cart. A lot of people has been asking me questions about the R4iDSN and R4i GOLD, so I hope this review answer some of those questions.
For this review I will be using a DSi XL and a Kingston 4GB class 4 micro SDHC.




PACKAGING
It’s pretty basic, you get the R4i and a USB micro SD reader.
This is pretty much all you need to play your back up roms and homebrew

BUILD
I went into this thinking it’s just a R4i GOLD, but this cart is a little different.
It does have the red PCB, but according to r4idsn the R4i uses nor-flash and the R4i GOLD use serial-flash.
The r4idsn I has an exposed chip if you peel back the sticker, the R4i GOLD does not have this “moon roof” case.
The R4i GOLD has two groves on the sides, the R4i does not have these 2 groves.(see pic)

R4iDSN is on the left and R4i GOLD is on the right

One major flaw I encountered is when inserting the cart into the DSi, I have to press down where the micro SD is, pressing down anywhere else won’t lock the cart in the DS. Maybe it’s just my cart, but if the micro SD was spring loaded, this would have been an annoying problem.



SOFTWARE
The GUI on the r4idsn is exactly like the R4i GOLD. I’ve always liked the interface of the R4i GOLD so this was a big plus for me.
The latest kernel is v1.50, the r4idsn team intergrated WOOD in this kernel so now you can launch WOOD by selecting what would normally be slot 2. This gives users two O.S. to play with.
The official kernel works well and has pretty good compatibility, the R4iDSN keeps it updated every month, and it plays most games with very little problem. You have 5 different saves and accessing your cheats and game setting are effortless.

Here's some additional pictures

Spoiler

There is a few issues with the kernel that I think the R4iDSN team should address in later version.
1. The fonts for WOOD is different and does not match and the "slot 2" logo should be changed. (see pic)
2. V1.50 use WOOD v1.18(latest WOOD is v1.20)...not good when WOOD is the main addition to this flash cart. The R4iDSN team needs to keep up with YWG if they want users to use the official kernel
3. The R4iDSN added a RETURN option to WOOD so that you can exit WOOD and return to the official firmware, but that interfere with some skins. (see pic)

GAME COMPATIBILITY

Spoiler

All games are tested on the official kernel, not wood. We all already know what wood can do.
Call of Duty- Black Ops PASS
Dementium II PASS
Castlevania- Portrait of Ruins PASS
Golden Sun- Dark Dawn PASS
Megaman Zero PASS
Mario Party PASS
Star Wars- The Force Unleashed II PASS
Need for Speed- Nitro PASS

This list will be updated with a few more games and homebrew

FINAL THOUGHT
This R4i Revolution does not do anything new, build quality could be better and the GUI needs a little tunning.
But if you're looking for a low priced DSi cart, you can't go wrong with this R4i Revloution. Game compatibility is very good, whether you're using the official kernel or WOOD, they both work well. I have no problem recommending this cart, I use it regularly, and will keep on using it until I get a 3DS

NOTE:
The R4i gold and R4iDSN does not use the same kernel or WOOD firmware
WOOD for the R4IDSN and R4i GOLD will not work on any other R4i or R4i GOLD






Special thanks
I would like to thank the R4iDSN team for sending me a sample for this review.
I would also like to thank Ivan from tigersupermall.com for sending this sample for the R4iDSN team.
If you have a chance, please go and check out their website, they have some pretty cool stuff at low prices.

R4iDSN website Click Me
Buy R4iDSN Here