EZ Flash 3-in-1 Review
Thanks to bamboogaming.com and the EZ Flash Team for providing me a copy of the EZ Flash 3-in-1 for Review.
www.bamboogaming.com
Welcome to the my first review of a Slot-2 solution. Today i will be reviewing the EZ Flash 3-in1.
NOTE: This is for the Slot-2 part of the EZ Flash V, i.e 3-in-1. This does not include the EZ Flash V which is a slot-1 device normally found with the EZ Flash 3-in-1.
Part I: Boxing/Contents
When i received my 3-in-1 it didn't come in any box. Basically it came in a bubble wrapped envelope. Now I'm sure it doesn't come in a box unless you buy the slot-1 EZ Flash V with it. Which i didn't. So there is nothing to comment further about this topic.
Part II: The 3-in-1, Looks and Build.
The front is a simple sticker. Ezflash V, the EZ Flash logo and 'gba game/ram expansion/rumble pack' printed on it. There are to different colors available: Black and White. The cart has a groove at the front of it to make it easy to take out of the DS.
The 3-in-1 is flushed so there is no part sticking out of the Nintendo DS Lite. The 3-in-1 is also available in GBA cart size for you owners of the old Nintendo DS. It may be Flushed but my-god is is very hard to take out the Nintendo DS Lite. You actually think it won't come out when you first try to take it out. But i guess there is no reason for it to be out of your Nintendo DS.
I noticed that you can actually see inside the 3-in1 without opening it. If you look further than the gold contacts you can see the insides. It would be nice if they covered it up but it actually doesn't matter.
There is a simple screw holding the casing on.
The 3-in-1 is basic in terms of looks but there is no need to go fancy when the 3-in-1 would end up always in the DS Lite.
Part III: Kernel, ease of using it.
Kernel? Nope. The 3-in-1 has no Kernel. Which can be a advantage, you don't need to go finding files and run into trouble. Since there is no Kernel, there is no upgradeable.
Part: IV: Loader, loading GBA games onto 3-in-1
There is no need for upgradeable in my mind. To make the 3-in-1 run you must use a loader which is on your Memory Stick, which is in your Slot-1 device. This loader lets you write a GBA game onto the 3-in-1's Ram/Flash memory. There are some loaders available the most common one is the ExpPack Tool by Rudolph. Moving onto the Ram and Flash memory. The 3-in-1 has two different versions: 256 Mb (32 MB) of NOR Flash Memory and 128 Mb (16 MB) of PSRAM. If you load a GBA game on the PSRAM, when you turn off you Nintendo DS lite it deletes the game off the Memory. The NOR ram lets you keep the GBA game even if you power off your DS. The advantage of the PSRAM is that it is much quicker to write to than the NOR.
When you write a game to the NOR, the 3-in-1 acts as a normal GBA cart and you can boot that game from the Slot-1 device main menu by selecting Boot slot-2, if you have the choice.
It isn't wonderful to always boot up the Homebrew tool and write the GBA game, and the different Memory is confusing to start with. It would be better if there was just one amount of RAM/Flash Memory..
Part V: Rumble
Also included in the 3-in-1 is rumble. You simply need pick the Rumble option in the loader you are using. This takes you to the Menu of your Slot-1 device main menu then select your game. There are three different options for rumble. Weak, Normal and strong.
The downside is that the rumble is loud even when on weak it puts you off the game and the sound is very tiny, its pretty awful. But well done to the EZ Flash Team try it.
Part: VI: Expansion Pack
The last option is the expansion pack. This will let you run the Opera Internet Browser Rom and homebrew which require Ram. To use this, like the rumble, choose 'Expansion Pack' from the Loader your using and it will again boot up the Slot-1 Main menu and you get to choose the .nds file.
Part: VII: Final Comments
That ends the review for the 3-in-1. Basically it is a great little device which the EZ Team has let down by a few simple stuff.
Pros:
+ All 3 in one little cart
+ The ease of use, great for new users
+ Fits flushed to your Nintendo DS Lite.
Cons:
- You basically need third party software
- No Kernel
- The rumble is awful
- Ram/Flash memory is confusing at first.
Thanks to bamboogaming.com and the EZ Flash Team for providing me a copy of the EZ Flash 3-in-1 for Review.
www.bamboogaming.com
Welcome to the my first review of a Slot-2 solution. Today i will be reviewing the EZ Flash 3-in1.
NOTE: This is for the Slot-2 part of the EZ Flash V, i.e 3-in-1. This does not include the EZ Flash V which is a slot-1 device normally found with the EZ Flash 3-in-1.
Part I: Boxing/Contents
When i received my 3-in-1 it didn't come in any box. Basically it came in a bubble wrapped envelope. Now I'm sure it doesn't come in a box unless you buy the slot-1 EZ Flash V with it. Which i didn't. So there is nothing to comment further about this topic.
Part II: The 3-in-1, Looks and Build.
The front is a simple sticker. Ezflash V, the EZ Flash logo and 'gba game/ram expansion/rumble pack' printed on it. There are to different colors available: Black and White. The cart has a groove at the front of it to make it easy to take out of the DS.
The 3-in-1 is flushed so there is no part sticking out of the Nintendo DS Lite. The 3-in-1 is also available in GBA cart size for you owners of the old Nintendo DS. It may be Flushed but my-god is is very hard to take out the Nintendo DS Lite. You actually think it won't come out when you first try to take it out. But i guess there is no reason for it to be out of your Nintendo DS.
I noticed that you can actually see inside the 3-in1 without opening it. If you look further than the gold contacts you can see the insides. It would be nice if they covered it up but it actually doesn't matter.
There is a simple screw holding the casing on.
The 3-in-1 is basic in terms of looks but there is no need to go fancy when the 3-in-1 would end up always in the DS Lite.
Part III: Kernel, ease of using it.
Kernel? Nope. The 3-in-1 has no Kernel. Which can be a advantage, you don't need to go finding files and run into trouble. Since there is no Kernel, there is no upgradeable.
Part: IV: Loader, loading GBA games onto 3-in-1
There is no need for upgradeable in my mind. To make the 3-in-1 run you must use a loader which is on your Memory Stick, which is in your Slot-1 device. This loader lets you write a GBA game onto the 3-in-1's Ram/Flash memory. There are some loaders available the most common one is the ExpPack Tool by Rudolph. Moving onto the Ram and Flash memory. The 3-in-1 has two different versions: 256 Mb (32 MB) of NOR Flash Memory and 128 Mb (16 MB) of PSRAM. If you load a GBA game on the PSRAM, when you turn off you Nintendo DS lite it deletes the game off the Memory. The NOR ram lets you keep the GBA game even if you power off your DS. The advantage of the PSRAM is that it is much quicker to write to than the NOR.
When you write a game to the NOR, the 3-in-1 acts as a normal GBA cart and you can boot that game from the Slot-1 device main menu by selecting Boot slot-2, if you have the choice.
It isn't wonderful to always boot up the Homebrew tool and write the GBA game, and the different Memory is confusing to start with. It would be better if there was just one amount of RAM/Flash Memory..
Part V: Rumble
Also included in the 3-in-1 is rumble. You simply need pick the Rumble option in the loader you are using. This takes you to the Menu of your Slot-1 device main menu then select your game. There are three different options for rumble. Weak, Normal and strong.
The downside is that the rumble is loud even when on weak it puts you off the game and the sound is very tiny, its pretty awful. But well done to the EZ Flash Team try it.
Part: VI: Expansion Pack
The last option is the expansion pack. This will let you run the Opera Internet Browser Rom and homebrew which require Ram. To use this, like the rumble, choose 'Expansion Pack' from the Loader your using and it will again boot up the Slot-1 Main menu and you get to choose the .nds file.
Part: VII: Final Comments
That ends the review for the 3-in-1. Basically it is a great little device which the EZ Team has let down by a few simple stuff.
Pros:
+ All 3 in one little cart
+ The ease of use, great for new users
+ Fits flushed to your Nintendo DS Lite.
Cons:
- You basically need third party software
- No Kernel
- The rumble is awful
- Ram/Flash memory is confusing at first.
