Hacking Who are the players in this drama?

[jruschme]

I'm confused a bit by all the players in this clone/fake drama. As I understand it...

In the beginning was DSTT (from NDSTT.com) and the (Team Neo?) TTDS. If I understand correctly, the TTDS was a licensed OEM of the DSTT or they both were based off one single hardware project. Correct?

Next came various fake DSTT's which were sold as real by DealExtreme and others.

There is the DSTT Advance which appears to be a fake/clone, differing primarily in that it appears to be based off of a later DSTT design (side-mounted SD slot) and integrates Moonshell, brightness adjustment and reclaibration into its firmware.

More recently, the DSTT from CNDSTT.com has appeared on the scene. The bad translation on their website seems to indicate that some group (presumed to be the original DSTT developers) has split into two groups with CNDSTT.com responsible for firmware development. Based on the fake spooting information on both sites, though, one is an "evil twin" of the other and are engaged in something out of a bad movie ("Shoot him, he's the imposter." "No, I'm the real one, shoot him.") with each calling the other's DSTT a fake.

I've also seen references to a U2DS, something I hadn't seen before.

Can someone with a bit more knowledge sort this all out?

Thanks...
John

 

[Bri]

As far as I know, NDSTT and Team Neo are the only legitimate sources of the DSTT/TTDS. Team Neo's TTDS is actually an OEM product licensed from NDSTT (identical to the DSTT that was produced at the time), and Team Neo apparently no longer supports it (but because the hardware is identical to a legitimate NDSTT, it should work with the official firmware).

All others are clones. I believe that CNDSTT is also a clone and that the story on their website about splitting off from the other team is a bogus attempt to legitimize themselves in the eyes of their customers.

The U2DS is just another clone. It's interesting in that they chose to use YSMenu (a homebrew menu system) for its firmware without the permission of the author.

ETA: There is now some evidence that may lend a bit of credence to the claims made by CNDSTT. See this thread: http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=125946

-Bri

 

[rajendra82]

As far as I know, NDSTT and Team Neo are the only legitimate sources of the DSTT/TTDS. Team Neo's TTDS is actually an OEM product licensed from NDSTT (identical to the DSTT that was produced at the time), and Team Neo apparently no longer supports it (but because the hardware is identical to a legitimate NDSTT, it should work with the official firmware).

All others are clones. I believe that CNDSTT is also a clone and that the story on their website about splitting off from the other team is a bogus attempt to legitimize themselves in the eyes of their customers.

The U2DS is just another clone. It's interesting in that they chose to use YSMenu (a homebrew menu system) for its firmware without the permission of the author.

ETA: There is now some evidence that may lend a bit of credence to the claims made by CNDSTT. See this thread: http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=125946

-Bri

It's obvious that CN-DSTThave stolen the official 1.15 firmware, modified it very slightly (by removing the option to print the info in the ini file, and imprinting their own info in the background bmp so that it appars you are running a 1.16 from them), and put it on their website as "1.16". Their TTMENU.DAT CRC32 signatures match, and other than the one ini and bmp file, everything else is also the same. The CN-DSTT firmware most likely also does not contain the ROM fix for the one Japanese game, although their website claims that it does. The official 1.15 firmware appears to have contained early version of fake killer code for killing some of the fakes, but CN-DSTT carts were just fine running that version because the memory chips they used are not on the targetted list for killing. Once the real DSTT released 1.16 which killed a lot more fake chips, including those that CN-DSTT carts have, CN-DSTT makers were up the creek, because they couldn't run this firmware, so they appear to have put up the hacked "1.16" which happens to have inherited the safer early fake killer code. To justify the existence of the two websites, CN-DSTT has come out with the laughable Chinglish explanation about how they are real and DSTT is the fake. They appear to not know how to make a firmware that kills the real carts from DSTT (with curved MicroSD slots) that they call fakes, because if they did, they would probably have been the first to remove the fake killer code from 1.16 that targetted their carts and instead have it retarget it to kill the DSTT carts. Just because their firmware happens to kill some fakes does not make them legit at all.

 

[Bri]

I believe (but am not certain) that the 1.15 firmware that was originally released by ndstt did not contain fake-killer code, but that they have more recently added fake-killer code to it. Can anyone confirm that this is (or is not) the case?

Specifically, is the version of the firmware found at the following location safe for all fakes: http://gbatemp.net/index.php?download=2872

-Bri

 

[rajendra82]

I believe (but am not certain) that the 1.15 firmware that was originally released by ndstt did not contain fake-killer code, but that they have more recently added fake-killer code to it. Can anyone confirm that this is (or is not) the case?

Specifically, is the version of the firmware found at the following location safe for all fakes: http://gbatemp.net/index.php?download=2872

-Bri

Not sure about that version, but the 1.15 TTMENU.DAT I have has a CRC32 of 982D47F3, which matches the version with the fake killer code with a limited kill target. I am pretty sure I downloaded it a long time ago before all this fake killer stuff came about, but I am not 100% certain. The CRC32 of the GBATemp download is of course different. If DSTT were going to go back and revise the 1.15 to start killing fakes, why wouldn't they make it target them all. I am also not sure why they even bother keeping the 1.15 software up on the site at all.

 

[Count Duckula]

I have 1.15 downloaded from NDSTT.com on the 17/08.

TTMENU.DAT CRC of: 6367E652

Hasn't killed my old gold dot fakes nor one of the latest fakes from DX.

 

[Bri]

I believe (but am not certain) that the 1.15 firmware that was originally released by ndstt did not contain fake-killer code, but that they have more recently added fake-killer code to it. Can anyone confirm that this is (or is not) the case?

Specifically, is the version of the firmware found at the following location safe for all fakes: http://gbatemp.net/index.php?download=2872

-Bri

Not sure about that version, but the 1.15 TTMENU.DAT I have has a CRC32 of 982D47F3, which matches the version with the fake killer code with a limited kill target. I am pretty sure I downloaded it a long time ago before all this fake killer stuff came about, but I am not 100% certain. The CRC32 of the GBATemp download is of course different. If DSTT were going to go back and revise the 1.15 to start killing fakes, why wouldn't they make it target them all. I am also not sure why they even bother keeping the 1.15 software up on the site at all.


If I recall correctly, I think that 1.15 was initially released before any of the talk about fake-killer code, which leads me to believe that the one that's on this website (which I believe I added the first day 1.15 came out) doesn't have any fake-killer code.

So this sounds like the most likely sequence of events:[*]Released 1.15 without fake-killer code.[*]Added the fake-killer code to the 1.15 that was on their website (at the time limited to a few fakes).[*]Released 1.16 (I assume with the limited fake-killer code).[*]Released 1.16 with the full fake killer code.[*]Went back and added the full fake-killer code to 1.15.
QUOTE(Count Duckula @ Dec 31 2008, 03:58 AM)

I have 1.15 downloaded from NDSTT.com on the 17/08.

TTMENU.DAT CRC of: 6367E652

Hasn't killed my old gold dot fakes nor one of the latest fakes from DX.

I assume you mean 7/17/08? If so, then I assume yours matches the CRC of this one (7/17/08): http://gbatemp.net/index.php?download=2872

Is there a Windows command that calculates the CRC32 checksum of a file, or is there a program I need to download (and if so which one)?

-Bri

 

[jruschme]

So this sounds like the most likely sequence of events:[*]Released 1.15 without fake-killer code.[*]Added the fake-killer code to the 1.15 that was on their website (at the time limited to a few fakes).[*]Released 1.16 (I assume with the limited fake-killer code).[*]Released 1.16 with the full fake killer code.[*]Went back and added the full fake-killer code to 1.15.

Meanwile, I assume the clone makers did something like this:

3a. CNDSTT.com and DSTT-ADV.com release modified versions of 1.16 with their rebranding and any additions.

6. CNDSTT and DSTT-ADV discover the fake code and its affects on their products. CNDSTT rolls back to the latest 1.15 from NDSTT (with fake killer), rebadging it as 1.16 and leaving the version notes unchanged. DSTT-ADV reverts to the 1.15 in their archives (limited/no fake killer from orignal release) and rebrands it as 1.17a to push adoption.

John

 

[Bri]

Meanwile, I assume the clone makers did something like this:

3a. CNDSTT.com and DSTT-ADV.com release modified versions of 1.16 with their rebranding and any additions.

6. CNDSTT and DSTT-ADV discover the fake code and its affects on their products. CNDSTT rolls back to the latest 1.15 from NDSTT (with fake killer), rebadging it as 1.16 and leaving the version notes unchanged. DSTT-ADV reverts to the 1.15 in their archives (limited/no fake killer from orignal release) and rebrands it as 1.17a to push adoption.

John

Since there were warnings from NDSTT about the forthcoming fake-killer code in 1.16, I'm guessing the fakes never released any firmware containing the code. They probably tested the official 1.16 on their hardware, and when it was clear that it would destroy their hardware and didn't contain any significant changes from 1.15 that they already had, they just changed the version number of their current firmware to 1.16 (or 1.17A in the case of DSTT-ADV).

-Bri

 

[jruschme]

Funny, I'm pretty sure I remember loading a DSTT-ADV version 1.16 on my CNDSTT card. Unfortunately, I recently updated that to 1.17a, so I can't be positive.

John

 

[Count Duckula]

...
I assume you mean 7/17/08? If so, then I assume yours matches the CRC of this one (7/17/08): http://gbatemp.net/index.php?download=2872The date stamp for my zip file is 17th aug (17/08/2008). Pretty sure I downloaded it from the NDSTT site not here.

We write the date in the logical sequential order in Australia.

QUOTE(Bri @ Jan 1 2009, 12:39 AM) Is there a Windows command that calculates the CRC32 checksum of a file, or is there a program I need to download (and if so which one)?

-Bri

If the file is in an archive then u can just get it from winrar.
I use this little app for other files. It adds an item to your right click context menu.

My File from HDD:

http://gbatemp.net/index.php?download=2872 that I just downloaded then:

EDIT: While everything else is the same, strange that the time of the date stamp on the .dat file is a little later on the same day in the GBAtemp file and that the packed size is a little smaller. *shrug*
Either way both the one I got from NDSTT.com in mid August and the one here at GBAtemp seem to be the same and it works on all the fakes Ive tried it on. Cant speak for all of the seemingly endless variants though.

 

[rajendra82]

So this sounds like the most likely sequence of events:[*]Released 1.15 without fake-killer code.[*]Added the fake-killer code to the 1.15 that was on their website (at the time limited to a few fakes).[*]Released 1.16 (I assume with the limited fake-killer code).[*]Released 1.16 with the full fake killer code.[*]Went back and added the full fake-killer code to 1.15.

Meanwile, I assume the clone makers did something like this:

3a. CNDSTT.com and DSTT-ADV.com release modified versions of 1.16 with their rebranding and any additions.

6. CNDSTT and DSTT-ADV discover the fake code and its affects on their products. CNDSTT rolls back to the latest 1.15 from NDSTT (with fake killer), rebadging it as 1.16 and leaving the version notes unchanged. DSTT-ADV reverts to the 1.15 in their archives (limited/no fake killer from orignal release) and rebrands it as 1.17a to push adoption.

John

Eveything sounds true except the going back and adding full fake-killer code to 1.15. The 1.15 on their site right now only kills a couple of fakes. The old 1.16 kills a few more, and the new 1.16 kills more still.

My reference for this information is this post:
Test Results

P.S. Version 5 of the Flash Wirter program had added support to one more memory chip. It's referenced here:
Forum Post

 

[Bri]

Eveything sounds true except the going back and adding full fake-killer code to 1.15. The 1.15 on their site right now only kills a couple of fakes.

If that's true, the maybe 4 and 5 are switched. It would be a little odd for them to have gone back and added earlier code to 1.15 if they already had a version that killed more fakes in 1.16.

-Bri