Nintendo DS Lite + M3 Lite
FlashCard In-Depth Review:
Quick Info about my Reviews:
I'm pretty much a hardware guru, and can tell the difference between
60khz and 80 khz refresh rate of a CRT monitor using my naked eye. I have an
attention for details when it comes to my gears. As much as I would like to, I
do not get paid for doing my reviews nor get any perks from any company so my
reviews are honest and straight forward. Since I'm spending my own time doing
this, I don't proof read for grammatical mistakes or sloppiness only check for
info accuracy. I'm sure whoever read this is interested in the hardware
anyway. Do not get offended as I like to slap in
sexual and politically
incorrect jokes here and there.
This review is going to be for both the combination DS
Lite and M3 Lite. I'm doing this review from the point of view of someone
new to the Nintendo/GBA/DS and Flashcart scene. This is my first
portable unit since the GameBoy Pocket back in 1997. I've never have any
knowledge or experience with Flash Carts also. so this is my first experience
and impression with both the console and flash cart.
There are quite a lot of
reviews already out for the NDS Lite and M3 adapter, but they all pretty much
say and cover the same thing.
Nintendo DSLite reviews
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp7Be1qsblI
http://www.cabel.name/2006/03/nintendo-ds-lite-first-look.html
http://wpram.com/log/2006/07/11/nintendo-ds-lite-review/
M3 Lite Flashcart info/Reviews:
http://www.m3adapter.com/products_2.htm
http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=37063
http://www.maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=9833
http://forums.gameaxis.com/showthread.php?t=1391025
What I'm going to do in my review is got into some details
and quirks of the products. Things that those reviews never mention/answer
that when I was researching prior to purchase I wanted to know. I
hope this will help answer some question for some of you that are in the same
situation as me.
For the M3 particularly, you should also read those
other reviews as they are a general review of the unit. I will go into
more of the aspects that they don't cover.
Intro (Nintendo DS Lite):
Some years ago when the GameBoy Advance SP came
out, I looked at it and it's pretty slick and said I'll get one. I never
got around to it and now a few years later the original Nintendo DS out.
My friends kid had one and when I saw it I though it was rather
fugly and never paid much attention to it. A
newer more slim version came out but I didn't pay much attention to it either.
Until two weeks ago, I was working with someone from my
job and we had a few hours downtime and he pulled out this little thing that I
though was an ipod but it was bigger. I asked him to take a look at it for
a few minutes but he told me to go screw myself.
It took about 10-15 minutes, till he ran into the bathroom from the
I put into his coffee.
While he's stinking up the mens room, I use my special
office key to open his desk draw for the product demo.
After holding it I was in love (he got the white one) it is
very slick, stylish and sexy looking. What got me was how much
SMALLER and NICER looking it is.
I would have got it the same day but one thing keeping me off
was it can't play mp3 or view videos like the PSP or run any homebrew apps.
But it was a lot cheaper than the PSP and have a better selection of good games.
It can play all those GBA games too :).
Intro (M3 Lite FlashCart):
I didn't get the DSLite originally because, as an
adult I don't want to get something that's "just for gaming". With
the PSP it have stuff like mp3, video playback and web surfing but it cost $249
vs $129 of the DS so the PSP was rather expensive for an impulse buy. The higher
cost, lack of good games, poor battery life turned me off the PSP.
A week ago I stumble upon this thread on sharky forums:
http://sharkyforums.com/showthread.php?t=285578
it talk about this thing call a "Flash Cart".
In general a FlashCart (and the M3 Lite model) for the DS allows you to:
- play mp3
- view JPG, TXT files
- watch Video
- run GB,NES,FCE,TG16, SMS games via emulation
- run homebrew application and games
- have other inbuilt functions like PDA
- Run "Backups" of DS and GBA games.
(thus allowing you to put a bunch of games in a
single flashcart, so you don't have to carry them all around)
- Plugs in flush against the DS Lite
without any excess part sticking out like a regular GBA cart
I did a few days of research comparing different Flashcart brands and feature
list and settled on the M3 Lite. As it have a good feature set tho about
$25 more than in price than other brands of similiar features (ex. SuperCard
Lite, G6)
Purchase:
The Nintendo DS cost $129. I had a 10% off for Bestbuys
but they didn't have the Onxy Black version so I have to go next doors to
Toys R us and pay $139 after tax for it.
I got the "M3 Lite + Passcard v3 + 1 gig sandisk microSD
card" bundle here:
http://www.winsunx.com/index.php?mod=759
It $123.8 but with international shipping to the USA, it came
to be $142.61. Their paypal payment and confirmation is a little extra
work than say a regular online store like amazon.com. But within 3 days I
got my package age already :). Total is $283.
You may say "A PSP is only $249". But if you order the
DS lite online it's $10 saved on tax. And if you order the bundle without
the 1 gig card it is $38 less I think some other shop have the m3 lite for about
$10 less too. Anyway if you want to play
homebrew/emulator/backups on a PSP you will still need a memory card
anyway so the price will actually come out to be the same $249 psp + $38
memstick = $287.
There's another portable homebrew/emulation/video/mp3 system
call the
GP2X.
but at $189 (before shipping), $25 for high capacity AA battery/charger, $38 for
a memory card it would total $268. It his own
advantage/disadvantages just like the DS, PSP so I'm not going to
argue which is better
Think of it this way. For me $283 is twice the cost of
a DS Lite. But I will NEVER have to buy games
for the DS or GBA ever again. The $142 cost of the M3 Lite bundle I could
have bought 5 games from the store. But with the M3 Lite I already have 11 of
the top/newest DS games and 33 of the top/newest GBA games already loaded
on the DS and ready to play. I got 550 nintendo DS roms, and 2300
GBA roms on my HD that can be loaded. Ohh yeah I can use my NDS as a
mp3 player too. Also there are homebrew stuff like calculators, organizer,
ftp server etc.. giving more function to your DS than just gamming.
Why keep buying milk when you can put a little extra cost up
front and have a 
.
First Impression:
When I first got the DS lite. I got it with Castlevania
Dawn of Sorrow game cart just to have something to play with till the M3 comes.
The feel of the DS controls and built quality is very good. I've actually
compared the Ds Lite size to a PSP and it was smaller when closed. It's
thinner and not as wide. It is a very nice looking device.
Castlevania DoS is actually a very good game. Externally it's made of
clear gloss plastic. It's shiny and great looking but easily prone to finger
print marks like the PSP and Ipod.
I'm surprised at how fast the DS starts up and get into
playing the game about 8 seconds!. I've heard horror stories about how
long the PSP and GP2X takes to boot up. One thing I like about the DS is
when you close the lid on the unit the game goes into suspend mode. and
when u flip it open again you continue where u left off. Nice. the
PSP have a function like that too but not sure how well it works.
As for the M3 Lite package. It came with the
following: M3 Lite with 2 extra case for other color (White + Pink),
PassCard3, 1gig MicroSD.
The M3 Lite card is the exact same size as
the GBA slot dust cover that comes with the DS. So it goes in flush and
matches the case with no extra bulk. The PassCard3 is a DS cart that goes
into the DS game slot. You need the PassCard3 to boot up DS games from the
M3 card. (Think of it like a PS2. The Passcard is the "mod chip"
that let you play backup, and the M3 lite is the USB HD that attaches to the PS2
and have game ISO files that the PS2 can play off). I just leave the
Passcard into the slot and never bother with it as it keep the dust out of the
slot. When you have the flash cart full of games there's really no
need to take it out anymore since you don't have to change carts to play a
different game.
M3 Lite + PassCard3 sit flush and doesn't ruin the look of the DS.
DS Lite next to a CDRW for size comparison.
M3 Lite Software side:
To load DS or GBA games, into the M3 for play, you go
through the "Game Manager" software to "patch" it and load it to the memory card
in the reader. "Patching" the DS/GBA games just give it extra features
like in-game key combo for soft reset (DS) and Real Time Saves (GBA) and create
related save files for each game in the storage card. You can also
just drag and drop GBA/DS games over to the storage card without the Game
Manager but it will not have the extra features, (I think DS games will run a lot
slow in loading if done this way)
With games for it's emulator (GB,GG,NES,FCE,TG16). You HAVE
to use the Game Manager to convert the roms into GBA
rom format/extension. And when u want to play it on the DS you will just
select them like a GBA game.
I must point out that MP3, VIDEO, TXT, PICS do not run
"natively" on the M3/DSLite. You have to use their desktop
converter to convert it to the GB format to be able to view it on the M3 Lite
menu while on the DS. (This is true of all FlashCarts). I couldn't care
less and have no idea how well the converted stuff is.
There is
a homebrew software I use call "MoonShell" that will read MP3,JPG,TXT files natively so
you can just do drag and drop. Down side is that you have to load the "Moonshell"
program like a DS game and then browse through the folders to your files. There's no built in file manager but
you can use another homebrew call "DSOrganize" that have a file manager among
other PDA like programs.
For Videos you have to use their desktop encoder. The
quality of the video to put it short sucks. It reminds me of the FMV from
the Sega CD. But if you use the DPG encoder tool from Moonshell it's
much better video quality, smaller filesize and encodes MUCH faster. To put it
frank, DS video is still no way near the quality of what the PSP is capable of.
The Good (M3 Lite):
- Never having to buy a DS or GBA game ever again just download the
rom off the web.
Did I just say that?! I mean you should
legally have bought the original cart for each rom
you have in your flash cart :) I'm sorry but I have problem finding a copy
of "DOA nude battle for GBA" here in the US so I'm
using a pirated rom.
- Mp3 plays well via MoonShell. and screen blanks out during music
play.
- I have no problem running most of the DS/GBA games. They all pretty
much work the only two games I had problem was "Racing Gears Advance' and "The
New Super Mario Bros for DS (usa)" (I think it's a rom issue because I used the
Euro version of the game and it worked fine)
- Added features of having Real Time Saves for GBA games. and
bunch of games in one single cart
- Homebrew baby! MP3 player, Pic viewer, FTP server and other added
functionality to the DS. But the down side is not all homebrew works on all
brand of Flashcarts. I haven't tried or test much homebrew personally (half
those that I tried didn't work but it might be me and I don't know how to
install it properly) but from other reviews I saw of the M3 it have very good
homebrew compatibility. Having homebrew just opens up so many possibility.
- Play GB and NES games on your DS lite... That is if you don't mind
the small display. The emulators for those two system are pretty good and
have decent set of feature list. (auto fire, save state etc..)
- Support Community. The company does a pretty good support for the
device with frequent updates of the loader program (firmware for the M3 lite)
and there are some good forums and communities around the web. M3 have
been around for awhile I guess with alot of products out.
The Good (DS Lite):
- Sexy and beautiful design
- bueatiful, clear and bright screen
- Long Long battery life.
- Boots up FAST. From power on to when I start playing on CastleVania it
was about 8 seconds!!
- compact and small. Easily pocketable
- no need to get a case as the unit close to protect the screen
- when closed is smaller than the PSP. (and you need a case for the PSP
when traveling around to protect the screen, thus making the PSP even bigger and
less pocketable)
- Cost Factor. at $129 for the DS and average of $35 for new games it's not that
bad of an impulse buy. (PSP is $249 and $49 for release new games)
Here's a comparison between the DSlite and the GBA SP. The GBA SP is the
blue thing on the right ;)
The Bad: (M3 Lite)
- the PDA program for the M3 Lite is in chinese :( there's no
english version.) I would have been sweet if it was available in
English as there are alot of useful programs there. (Heck even if it is in "Engrish"
It's better than nothing)
- Drains battery faster than having normal original carts in the DS. But
not really that much. And it's not just the M3 all brands of flash carts
have the same effect.
- it might be a little confusing initially with the Game Manager, savefiles, and
patching. But it's not bad at all. and somewhat self explanatory.
But that's the nature of flash carts I guess. I got the hang of it 5-7
minutes after installing their Game Manager Program. But the main
thing is when you want to play GBA games or the emulators (they are based on GBA)
you have to press "start" on the M3 menu on the DS to get to GBA mode again self
explanatory.
- The M3 menu on the DS is a little bit slow, there's like a 0.2 second delay
between pressing the dpad and the icon selection move. The interface
does look nicer than say the SuperCard (Icon vs just text). I'm kind
a picky and it doesn't bother me to tell ya the truth since there's only about 8
icons for functions and I only use the one for "Game". It's not an issue
really. Just nickpicking
- Startup time is longer now. With a regular DS, you boot up and tap
on the safety warning message and you go straight to the cart game.
With the M3 you get an additional screens for:
- (~3 secs) the PassCard ,
- (~3 secs) "This product is not licensed by intendo"
disclaimer of the M3
- (~2 secs DS, 5 sec GBA, 3 secs for missing save file:
depending what u played last) Auto saving the savegame data. Tho you
can disable the autosaving and skip this step. But it gets confusing with which
file to save for which if you manually do it or worst forget to save.
After that you're into the M3 menu. u select "Game"
and browse to the game lists (it starts in the last folder u opened). YOu
press start or A twice and the game loads up. If you want to play GBA
games you will have to press start and it will boot to GBA mode
On the GBA mode you will see the normal GBA intro
screen and then another "This product..." disclaimer and then you get a smililar
menu where u can pick game, music, video ...
For quick GBA mode just pop the PassCard3 out of the DS slot
before you turn on the DS. It will boot directly to the GBA mode.
Those extra screen/menu are a necessary evil I guess and
probably all brands have something similiar. Again it's nick picking
and really not bad at all.
The Bad: ( DS Lite)
- To be able to surf the web you have to buy the OPERA game
cartridge. where the PSP is free.
- Compard to a PSP, less raw horse power cpu/video, no built in storage slot. (but
then again it's $120 cheaper)
- glossy surface is easily prone to attract finger prints.
- GBA games on the DS screen is are smaller than an
actual GBA. The DS screen is actually a little bigger and
have slightly higher resolution than the screen on a GBA. When a GBA game is
played it is shown pixel to pixel accuracy. Pixels on the DS are more
compact and smaller so the end result is a smaller GBA game screen on the DS.
The picture is centered and have a black border
around it.
 |
Photo comparison with a GBA SP playing the same game. Notice the
brighter and clearer screen of the DSL. For GBA games on a GBA SP the
actual image is about 7.5cm diagonal. where the DS is 7cm. 0.5cm
may not be much but in real world use, it's a very
noticeably smaller than the GBA SP. This makes playing GBA
games more of an eye strain. To me the smaller GBA display
on the DS really sucks, especially playing RPG and other games that
require a lot of reading or have a lot of texts. If you play the
same game on a regular GBA SP and then on the DS after an hour you'll
notice more eye strain related effect from the DS.
I do wish the DS would have just scaled the GBA picture to full
screen :(
Shit I don't know how those people that have a GBA Micro manage to
play their game on a 1.5 inch screen ?! |
The Ugly: (M3 Lite)
- The video are limited to the low res, low frame rate, low color count.
Worst than mpeg1 quality. But works ok for cartoons like southpark and
simpsons (I had them in my DS). Use the DPG encoding tools that comes with
Moonshell for better results. still dark scenes are almost impossible to
make out in the videos. If you intend on doing alot of video
watching, and video is important to you. you're better off with
something else.
To tell ya the truth, this should be under the "ugly" part of
the DS. As it's the hardware of the DS and NOT the fault of the M3 Lite.
The DS just doesn't have the horsepower to run high quality video formats like
mpeg2/mpeg1 and Divx. What the M3 does is just enable video playing on
limited video playback hardware of the DS. so it's either crappy video or
no video.. ugly girl or no girl?
- SMS, GG, TG16 emulators doesn't work. I tried 3 out of 5 games in each
system and none of them work so I gave up. The best I got was some garbled
screen. For some reason NONE of the other reviews on the M3 Lite
mention about the none/useless working emulators. After all,
IT IS in the M3 lite features list. I'm a big fan of old school games and a gamer since the days of the NES.
So asside from the working NES and GB emulator I'm REALLY
disappointed.
- GBA games and GB/NES roms taking up an extra 1 MB per game. When you
load the games into the cart with the game manager it patches it. and makes a
special save file for it that the M3 use for stuff like game saves and save
states. Here the problem comes up. The savefiles for each games is
created regardless if the actual game uses saves or not or if you want to
use save sates. For DS games it's not that bad because the save file
is only about 200k. DS games range from 8MB to 128MB so an extra 200k file
is no biggie.
With GBA games and GB/NES roms (after all, all the emu roms
are converted to GBA extension and treated like a GBA game), it is
worst. The save files are 1MB each. GBA are roms around 4MB to 16MB so it
adds about 10%-25% to the storage space requirement per game.
Now we come to the REALLY UGLY PART
of this. GB and NES games are from 32k to 512k. So pretty much if I
want to put a 32k GB game on the cart It would it would take 3100% the storage
space because of the savefile. I was wondering why the Game Manager
told me my card was full when started with 200megs and tried to put in about 12
megs of GB/NES games in it.
You CAN manually just copy GBA games over or goto into the "GAMESAVES"
folder of the storage card and delete the associated games. But then
I don't think you can save anymore or do realtime saves. and when you
restart the DS it nags you for a few seconds about missing save file upon
startup. (of course you can turn off autosave and skip the saving/nag messages)
The Ugly: (DS Lite)
- seeing finger prints and other stuff smear in the smooth clear
exterior.
- Puny eye straining display of emulated games. To me GBA
display is kinda small compared to a regular GBA. When you run
emulators on it, it gets worst. Say NES games. it is already
scaled down and hard to see on the GBA with the resolution difference btw a NES
and GBA. Games with alot of text is hard to make out. NES emulator
is easier to see/play on an actual GBA. (I tried it on both a GBA and DS).
GB roms is face the same problem and is even smaller.
How I described the GBA image is smaller on the DS is the same thing with GB
games on the GBA. so it's double the shrink down. again I wish it is
scaled to the full size GBA screen. It is playable but to me feel very
small. I played 15 minutes of Super Mario Land it was fine.
How the screen size look in comparison to different games played on it
From Left to Right: GB, NES, GBA, NDS
I put in a quarter on the lower left for comparison
I can't really blame the M3 for this as the emulator for
GB/NES works but it's just GBA based and screen size/resolution is not their
problem. I never really play much GB or NES games, either because of
the small display or there's so many newer better GBA/DS games that is
available.
It's not all bad, the screen on the DS Lite, is clearer,
brighter and sharper then a GBA, or a GB. (I remember seeing alot of
ghosting when I first played Super mario Land on my original GB and GBpocket.
on the DS there's no ghosting at all and it's smooth). So I guess it's a
trade off. but to me I like the slightly bigger screen size.
If you want to be an optimist, hopefully down the
line we can get good quality DS based emulators that will use the extra horse
power, screen size and resolution of the DS.
Performance and Usability:
I don't really have any problem with the DS
hardware it runs fine and can't complain other than the small GBA display.
You can pictures of the DS Lite and read about it but until you actually hold
one in your hands you really can't see how nice it is.
As for the M3 Lite. It works fine some of the
negative stuff I mentioned are just nick picks. Multimedia is
workable but not great.
Verdict:
At $280 + it might be pricey for a DS Lite + M3
package. What you get is a gaming powerhouse with the the ability to plays
thousand of games from GBA/DS to GB/NES right out of the box in portable form..
I'm not ashamed to say it, but I'll gladly put in the extra money for the cow so
I will never have to buy milk ever again. And it's a pretty good looking
compact cow too. That along with the added functions of MP3 player and
homebrew apps it's put things in perspective.
Currently, emulation on the DS is not so great and multimedia
functions is only decent. If you are more heavily toward video and music
this might not be a good investment.
I would recommend this to anyone that is into gaming.
I'm happy with it and works great. My only beef with it is the crappy
emulators and small screen display of GBA games. (but the screen problem
is a Nintendo issue not the M3)
Score: 8.8 out of 10
Comments, questions, threats, ridicules? Send them to:
genivs2@geniv.com
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