- Introduction -
The generation of slot 1 carts dominated over the slot 2
market late 2006. It seemed to be the logical step, to rid ourselves of
clunky slot 2 solutions, and use the smaller, sleeker, slot 1 carts. However,
it was lacking one major function, GBA playback.
Despite being “last generation”, there are still many
classics on the GBA that are well worth playing. From the classic Pokemon
series to the more recent Summon Night games, it seems that to this day, the
GBA still has some of the greatest games known to handheld gamers. But slot 1
carts cannot play them.
What is EZ Team’s solution to this? They pair up their
slot 1 cart with a slot 2 expansion pack that gives not only GBA support, but
RAM and rumble. The EZ Flash 3-in-1 Expansion Pack features 4MB of PSRAM,
32MB of NOR and 2Mbit of SRAM. It also features a battery to hold saves, and
a motor that rumbles.
During the initial release, the EZ Flash 3-in-1 Expansion
Pack was limited to EZ Flash V users only. It gave a great boost to EZ Flash
V sales as the expansion pack costs almost nothing in a bundle.
However, with the release of standalone EZ Flash 3-in-1
Expansion Packs for older EZ Flash V users that hadn’t had the chance to buy
one, users of other slot 1 carts wanted in. Thankfully, patches were made by
cory1492, BigBoss and anonYmous. These patches are still work in progress,
however, it is well on its way. At this point, the patches allow full support
for web browser, GBA functions, and even rumble.
- Design -
My review cart of the EZ Flash 3 in 1 was shipped in a
standard EZ Flash V box with a sticker labeled “Bundle Edition”. The box for
the EZ Flash V lives up to the other EZ Flash products, it is simple, it is
clean, and overall, real sturdy. However, I have been informed by my sponsor,
ModMyDS.com that the new batches of EZ Flash 3-in-1 Expansion Packs that they
had been receiving were coming with new packaging, which they have taken
photos of.
Here is the packaging I received.
And the nicer packaging that
ModMyDS.com is receiving.
When opened, the packaging had a nice tray holding the EZ
Flash 3-in-1 Expansion Pack. Impatiently, I popped it out and held it in my
hand. It had a very nice feel to it, and it was quite hefty compared to the
DS Lite dust cover. I recieved the black EZ Flash 3-in-1 Expansion Pack,
however a white cart and a GBA sized cart as well. I didn't have a chance to
see the white one or the GBA cart, but the black cart is of high quality. It
slid in and out quite smoothly, however, it is still no match compared with
the DS Lite dust cover.
When inserted into the DS Lite, you will probably notice
one thing, the EZ Flash 3-in-1 Expansion Pack does not have a glossy front.
Unlike the previous lite-sized EZ Flash products, the EZ Flash 3-in-1
Expansion Pack does not have a glossy layer to match the DS Lite. It didn’t
matter to me, it looked quite sleek, and either way, it would not have matched
my Polar White DS Lite. It would look quite sleek on a black DS Lite. The
second thing you may notice is the fact that it sticks out. If you look with
your eyes, you would not notice how little it sticks out, however, if you
brush your finger through the slot 2, you will notice a slight bump. It is
almost perfectly flush, but it does stick out by almost nothing. I can only
imagine the other cases being the same quality.
- Software -
The EZ Flash 3-in-1 Expansion Pack uses the EZ Flash IV
patcher for all GBA roms. In general, GBA roms need to be patched, homebrew
doesn’t.
The EZ Flash IV patcher is pretty easy to use, and is quite
standard. You run the GBA rom through, and then you drag the file into your
MicroSD to be placed into your EZ Flash 3-in-1 Expansion Pack. Personally, I
don’t like the software. It is easy to use, and runs relatively fast.
However, I have had more than my fair share of freezes using this program, and
it gets on my nerve.
- Use -
The EZ Flash 3-in-1 Expansion Pack has three different
features, which are differently implemented depending on the cart you are
using.
For the most part, I was looking forward to the GBA
functionality of the EZ Flash 3-in-1 Expansion Pack the most. It works great
with the EZ Flash V and any other slot 1 cart. First you must patch your GBA
games through the EZ Flash IV client, then you can write the rom onto the EZ
Flash 3-in-1 Expansion Pack. For EZ Flash V, you are able to write the rom
and backup the saves directly from the loader. However, with a DLDI supported
cart, you must use BigBoss’s patcher. It is fairly simple, and both work
well, however, it does take about 30 seconds to write the rom. Once you have
written the rom, the EZ Flash 3-in-1 Expansion Pack acts as a standard GBA
game, you have to select it from the menu.
One of my favorite GBA games, Summon Night Swordcraft Story.
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read the complete review here.
