Hacking So I'm getting a DSTT and...

[TrolleyDave]

I've just got a couple of questions. I was going to get an Edge but the lack of full 3-in-1 support has made me choose the DSTT over it. So just a few questions from some experienced users.

1) How easy and reliable is it to replace the DSTT OS with YSMenu?
2) From what I've read YSMenu has full homebrew support on the DSTT, that's definitely the case isn't it?
3) Update reliability?
4) Cart quality? I've got an R4 and I think the build quality is great (my spring loaded MicroSD slot is still fine). How's the quality of the DSTT case? Is it cheap and flimsy like the M3 Real? Is there a chip sticking out anywhere (I didn't notice any comments in the review so took it to me no but thought I'd ask)?
5) Any problems that aren't mentioned in reviews that I should know about?
6) I'm not too concerned about SDHC for the moment but how is it's compatability with cards?

Any other helpful comments or notes would be great.

 

[Bri]

The DSTT doesn't support the 3-in-1 without the use of GBA ExpLoader. YSMenu does support the 3-in-1 directly, but I don't care for YSMenu since it's not very pretty and it doesn't support the touch screen.

1) Pretty reliable. You can install both at the same time and switch back and forth as you wish, so if something doesn't work with one it might work with the other.
2) If you're asking if YSMenu will run homebrew, yes it should run most homebrew.
3) Compatibility updates have been pretty reliable. Menu updates pretty nonexistent. It still doesn't sort ROMs.
4) Good, solid build quality (mostly because it's glued shut). I don't notice any chip sticking out, but it probably does stick out slightly under the sticker like most flash carts.
5) Yes, lots. The menu system is very simplistic and doesn't have many basic features that are on nearly every other cart in its price range. It doesn't sort ROMs or display folders (all the ROMs are in one big list). The ROM list is a little laggy when you have a certain number of ROMs on your microSD card.
6) SDHC compatibility is fine.

I would recommend the Acekard 2 or the Edge over the DSTT. They both have a lot of features that the DSTT doesn't have. If you really like YSMenu, it is available for the Acekard 2 as well.

The Acekard 2 has one of the nicest and most responsive menus of any cart. There are several custom menus available that retain the beautiful look of the official menu, but add additional features. The AIO menu is probably the best custom menu for the Acekard and supports the 3-in-1 without GBA ExpLoader.

About the only thing the DSTT might have over the Acekard 2 is that the Acekard 2 is not as "solid" as the DSTT, probably because it's held together with plastic clips instead of glued shut. But it's not going to break or fall apart on you (and you keep it in your DS nearly all the time anyway).

-Bri

 

[IOwnAndPwnU]

Only like take out your flashcart at the most once a day (after you've got it all setup with all games and everything). Minimal chance of broken pieces.

I have a question too. I just got the DSTT with the 2in1 GBA and Explorer. Can I use my AK2 and my DSTT 2in1 together or is that not possible?

 

[Bri]

No, I don't think they'll both fit in the slot at the same time.

Use them together how?

-Bri

 

[Diablo1123]

5) Yes, lots. The menu system is very simplistic and doesn't have many basic features that are on nearly every other cart in its price range. It doesn't sort ROMs or display folders (all the ROMs are in one big list). The ROM list is a little laggy when you have a certain number of ROMs on your microSD card.

That's just the regular menu isn't it?
I use YSMenu all the time, that doesn't have those problems.

 

[IOwnAndPwnU]

No, I don't think they'll both fit in the slot at the same time.

Use them together how?

-Bri

You kinda confused me. What I meant was:
-put the GBA loader and Browser rom and GBA games on microSD
-put microSD in AK2
-put AK2 in Slot 1
-put DSTT GBA & Explorer 2in1
-turn on DS and play GBA games/use internet Browser

Is this possible or is the DSTT 2in1 only compatible with the DSTT Slot 1 ?

 

[Bri]

That's just the regular menu isn't it?
I use YSMenu all the time, that doesn't have those problems.

True, but in my opinion YSMenu isn't very pretty, and it doesn't support the stylus and touch screen. The Acekard 2's AIO custom menu can do everything YSMenu can do and more, but with a much nicer interface.

If you really like the DSTT menu or YSMenu, you can run them both on the SCDS1 as well as the SCDS1 menu which has all sorts of advanced features like slow-motion and game state dumps for only a few dollars more than the DSTT. The downside of the SCDS1 menu is that it's a bit sluggish and overly complicated (it's based on a very old version of moonshell). The SCDS1 might also be worth considering if you feel that the extra features are worth putting up with its menu.

Anyway, the bottom line is that there are better choices than the DSTT at the moment. The exception would be if you have younger kids. The simplicity of the DSTT menu (i.e. the fact that it doesn't display folders) makes it a decent choice for younger kids.

-Bri

 

[Diablo1123]

That's just the regular menu isn't it?
I use YSMenu all the time, that doesn't have those problems.

True, but in my opinion YSMenu isn't very pretty, and it doesn't support the stylus and touch screen. The Acekard 2's AIO custom menu can do everything YSMenu can do and more, but with a much nicer interface.

Do you really need stylus and touch screen support? Arrow keys work fine.

 

[Bri]

You kinda confused me. What I meant was:
-put the GBA loader and Browser rom and GBA games on microSD
-put microSD in AK2
-put AK2 in Slot 1
-put DSTT GBA & Explorer 2in1
-turn on DS and play GBA games/use internet Browser

Is this possible or is the DSTT 2in1 only compatible with the DSTT Slot 1 ?

Sorry, I misunderstood your question. Yes, the DSTT 2-in-1 is really a rebranded eWin 2-in-1. It's a decent GBA expansion cart that will work with any slot 1. In fact, that's what I use with my Acekard 2. The AIO menu has direct support for it -- no need to install GBA ExpLoader.

Compared to the EZFlash 3-in-1 that everyone uses, I prefer the eWin 2-in-1. It doesn't have the crappy rumble and it doesn't have any NOR memory, but it has twice the volatile memory which I find more useful. Because you don't have to mess with the NOR memory for larger GBA games, the 2-in-1 is easier to use too.

-Bri

 

[Bri]

Do you really need stylus and touch screen support? Arrow keys work fine.

I don't need stylus support, no -- I could use the D-Pad and buttons if I had to. But I prefer the stylus and find it faster for scrolling the games list and for selecting games.

I'm sorry, but while YSMenu has several advantages over TTMenu (the DSTT's official menu system) I just can't think of any advantage of YSMenu over the AIO menu for the Acekard (even if there were you could still run YSMenu on the Acekard 2).

And I can't think of any advantage of buying a DSTT over the SCDS1 since the SCDS1 runs the DSTT menu as well as its own menu.

Don't get me wrong, I own a DSTT. I've had it since the DSTT first came out, and I still find it to be a solid flash cart. When I bought it I had hopes that the DSTT team would fix some of the major problems with the menu and keep up with its competitors, but they haven't done so. There are now several carts in the same price range that are better than the DSTT.

-Bri

 

[IOwnAndPwnU]

You kinda confused me. What I meant was:
-put the GBA loader and Browser rom and GBA games on microSD
-put microSD in AK2
-put AK2 in Slot 1
-put DSTT GBA & Explorer 2in1
-turn on DS and play GBA games/use internet Browser

Is this possible or is the DSTT 2in1 only compatible with the DSTT Slot 1 ?

Sorry, I misunderstood your question. Yes, the DSTT 2-in-1 is really a rebranded eWin 2-in-1. It's a decent GBA expansion cart that will work with any slot 1. In fact, that's what I use with my Acekard 2. The AIO menu has direct support for it -- no need to install GBA ExpLoader.

Compared to the EZFlash 3-in-1 that everyone uses, I prefer the eWin 2-in-1. It doesn't have the crappy rumble and it doesn't have any NOR memory, but it has twice the volatile memory which I find more useful. Because you don't have to mess with the NOR memory for larger GBA games, the 2-in-1 is easier to use too.

-Bri

I didn't really like the Rumble Pak when I tested it out so I didn't get it.
What is the volatile memory?
And thanks so now I can use my DSTT 2in1 with my AK2.

 

[Bri]

Volatile memory is memory that requires power, whereas flash memory can store stuff while the power is off. Usually, you'll load the GBA game from your slot 1 to the volatile memory of the GBA expansion cart to play the game. There is usually no need for the GBA expansion cart to store the game when you turn off the NDS since volatile memory is fast and it only takes a few seconds to load a game.

The 3-in-1 has both volatile memory and NOR flash memory where you can store a GBA game even while the NDS is off. The NOR has some advantages, mainly that once a game is stored to NOR, the 3-in-1 now acts like a GBA game cartridge and doesn't require the slot 1 to play that game (until you want to play a different game).

The problem is that the NOR memory is really slow for writing, so it takes a minute or two to store a game to the NOR memory (as opposed to a few seconds for volatile memory). Normally, you have a choice to use the 3-in-1's volatile memory or its NOR memory. But because the 3-in-1 has less volatile memory than NOR memory, there are a few large GBA games that will only fit in the NOR. The eWin 2-in-1 only has the faster volatile memory, and has as much volatile memory as the 3-in-1 has NOR, which means that it can load any sized GBA game to the volatile memory to play it.

In other words, the 2-in-1 is easier to use and works the same for all games, whereas the 3-in-1 is a little more complicated to use because of the two different memories only one of which works for certain games. Although the NOR memory of the 3-in-1 does have its advantages, I don't find it worth the trouble for the most part, particularly since the 3-in-1 is more expensive. That said, it's nearly impossible to find the eWin 2-in-1 nowadays (psxboy.com used to carry it but has been out of stock for months).

-Bri

 

[TrolleyDave]

The DSTT doesn't support the 3-in-1 without the use of GBA ExpLoader. YSMenu does support the 3-in-1 directly, but I don't care for YSMenu since it's not very pretty and it doesn't support the touch screen.

I actually really like the basicness of the R4 loader so YSMenu is fine for me.

2) If you're asking if YSMenu will run homebrew, yes it should run most homebrew.

Nice one. I really don't like the DSTT no folders/no sorting thing but I run alot of homebrew so it's a must. I know it doesn't run homebrew on the R4 so wanted to double check.

3) Compatibility updates have been pretty reliable. Menu updates pretty nonexistent. It still doesn't sort ROMs.

Menu updates are less important to me then the compatibility updates so that's ok. Have they done any work at all on the GUI or has it not changed at all?

QUOTE4) Good, solid build quality (mostly because it's glued shut). I don't notice any chip sticking out, but it probably does stick out slightly under the sticker like most flash carts.

As long as it's not too noticable it's fine. That's one of the things I always liked about the original R4, it kind of felt like an official cartridge.

QUOTE

5) Yes, lots. The menu system is very simplistic and doesn't have many basic features that are on nearly every other cart in its price range. It doesn't sort ROMs or display folders (all the ROMs are in one big list). The ROM list is a little laggy when you have a certain number of ROMs on your microSD card.

I'll be using YSMenu so that's not too bad. How good is it's future-proofing. Like did it suffer from the Moogles of Death? Does it need alot of FW updates to stay compatible?

I was originally looking at the EDGE but the lack of support for the 3-in-1 (even with ExpLoader) has put me off it completely. I'm not really fussed about touchscreen OS's and lots of extra features. As long as it loads homebrew, games, Moonshell and has 3-in-1 supprt for rumble/ram then it's more than enough. Which also reminds me, do you know if the DSTT runs Moonshell OK? I know it doesn't come standard like the R4 did but it should still run like any other homebrew shouldn't it?

I'd go for an Acekard 2 but the guy I'm getting the card off doesn't flog 'em. M3 Real, Cyclo, SC1, EDGE and DSTT are m choices, and as I'm skint it's gonnq have to be a DSTT.

 

[Bri]

I actually really like the basicness of the R4 loader so YSMenu is fine for me.

Menu updates are less important to me then the compatibility updates so that's ok. Have they done any work at all on the GUI or has it not changed at all?

YSMenu is modeled after the R4 menu, so you should feel right at home there.

There was one update with some minor menu changes, such as an icon that shows up when it detects an eWin 2-in-1 in slot 2. They didn't fix the major problems like sorting or folders.

As long as it's not too noticable it's fine. That's one of the things I always liked about the original R4, it kind of felt like an official cartridge.

I'll be using YSMenu so that's not too bad. How good is it's future-proofing. Like did it suffer from the Moogles of Death? Does it need alot of FW updates to stay compatible?

I'd say my DSTT is a little harder to push into the slot than an official cartridge, but definitely nothing to be concerned about.

The good news is that YSMenu uses the official loader (you have to extract the loader from the official firmware on your PC). That's good because when the DSTT team updates the loader with compatibility updates, YSMenu will also take advantage. The bad news is that YSMenu itself doesn't get updated that often any more. I'm not positive, but I believe YSMenu is compatible with the latest DSTT loader though. The Moogle of Death was corrected with the official loader almost immediately. In fact, the DSTT team has been good about fast compatibility updates. It's just that they haven't done much work on the interface.

I was originally looking at the EDGE but the lack of support for the 3-in-1 (even with ExpLoader) has put me off it completely. I'm not really fussed about touchscreen OS's and lots of extra features. As long as it loads homebrew, games, Moonshell and has 3-in-1 supprt for rumble/ram then it's more than enough. Which also reminds me, do you know if the DSTT runs Moonshell OK? I know it doesn't come standard like the R4 did but it should still run like any other homebrew shouldn't it?

The Edge (and most other flash carts) should work fine with the 3-in-1 with GBA ExpLoader as far as I know. Yes, the DSTT will run moonshell. If you grab the version of moonshell that is on ndstt.com, it will have soft reset capabilities as well.

QUOTE

I'd go for an Acekard 2 but the guy I'm getting the card off doesn't flog 'em. M3 Real, Cyclo, SC1, EDGE and DSTT are m choices, and as I'm skint it's gonnq have to be a DSTT.

The SCDS1 is a better choice than the DSTT. Because its hardware is similar to the DSTT's, it can run DSTT firmware and YSMenu as well as the SCDS1 firmware, which allows you to take advantage of the additional features at the expense of a slightly more sluggish and more complicated interface. So with the SCDS1 and Rudolph's triple loader, you get the advantages of both the DSTT and the SCDS1 menus with the SCDS1 (unfortunately, the opposite is not true -- you cannot run the SCDS1 firmware on the DSTT).

-Bri