[REVIEW] EZ-5 + Expansion pack 3-in-1 Opzioni

[Evrain]

EZ-V + 3-in-1 Expansion Bundle Pack

[ English Version | Versione Italiana ]

Quick Links:
Official Site: http://www.ezflash.cn/en

Ever since the discovery or a way to manufacture flashcards for Nintendo gaming units, many have attempted to enter this business, with mixed results. EZ-Team was one of the first teams, and worked hard to build a strong reputation.

Their lineup includes the most successful flashcard models to date: EZ1, EZ2 and EZ3 are even nowadays rare and in high demand, due to their excellent compatibility and quality. After the launch of the Nintendo DS, the EZ-Team released an updated version of their third model, dubbed EZ4 and specifically aimed at Slot-2 solutions, which managed to reach a consistent market share.

Back in December 2006, the bar was raised with the introduction of Slot-1 designs. These flashcards were aimed at preserving the possibility of running homebrew code whilst taking advantage of the lightweight and compact design of DS cartridges

As such, the flashcard we're going to review is the latest update of EZ-Team's valued product: the EZ-V Bundle Pack.

Introduction & Main Features

We'd like to thank the EZ-Team for their kindness in sending us a sample for reviewing purposes.
It is now time to acquaint ourselves with this flashcard, already reviewed in its previous iteration on this site.
Let's begin by noting how this card is based on a U-Disk Drag&Drop approach: although the files loaded can be preprocessed to some extent, it is generally not necessary to perform any operation prior to copying them to the card's memory. Using a flashcard has never been this simple.

Now, let's take a look at the features list, as provided by the manufacturer:

• Same size of a Nintendo DS cartridge
• TransFlash/microSD storage media
• Direct boot: the card itself functions as a third generation PassMe device, no additional hardware required
• Moonshell integrated within the bootloader: MP3, DPG videos and TXT can be opened and enjoyed on the fly, without external programs
• Open source bootloader, highly customizable and skinnable
• Dual Read mode: Clean and Hybrid: games and homebrews can either be run directly or patched for optimal usage on slower or older media
• Full FAT support, with auto savefile generation and multiple save slots available
• Hardware-stored savegames, no risk of deletion after shutdown
• Upgradeable bootloader
• Full homebrew support, with open source DLDI driver (a guide to the DLDI standard can be found on this site)

hese features, common to many of the Slot 1 solutions, make the EZ-V card a flexible and reliable choice. Simplicity first!

Inside the Box

After so much talking, it's time to open the box and see for ourselves what this is all about.
Shown in this brief photo gallery is an overview of what you'll receive after purchasing the kit:

As we can see, there isn't really much to say: the elegant sobriety of the card's packaging is one of EZ's trademarks.

After opening the small cardboard box, the sense of essentialism of the outside continues on the inside: a simple plastic cradle houses the EZ-V flashcard and its Expansion Pack.

A rear view of the packaging, with the contents laid on top of it for size reference.



Last but not least, a full overview!

As you can see, you will receive the card in a small cardboard box, painted orange and white, with a brief description of its features. Said features are printed on the back: not much of a list, but it's probably a matter of available space... The Bundle being reviewed is marked by a sticker on the front, so pay attention when you purchase it.
As for what's inside, it's only the flashcard and its Expansion Pack, which will be thoroughly examined in this review. No driver disc, no USB card reader, absolutely nothing.

Here's the appearance of the EZ-V card once inserted into a white Nintendo DS Lite: even though the outer casing of the flashcard is only available in black, this doesn't diminish its aesthetics. As you can see, even like this it's quite an elegant sight.

Various Nintendo media and flashcards: the legendary Mortal Kombat II for the Gameboy, followed by Yoshi's Universal Gravitation for the GBA platform, up to Mario Kart DS, one of the most famous kille application for our favorite console. The rest of the hardware pictured should be well known to every hacking enthusiast!

For completion's sake, here's a quick test of the card in operation within the DS Lite's bigger (literally) brother. Nothing worth of notice.

The card is obviously identical to a standard issue Nintendo cartridge: on second thought, it's impressive how the various teams have managed to cram so much hardware in such a compact shell.

Materials: a card's major weak spot, usually, as they're often overlooked to ensure a lower price. An example is the CycloDS unit, reviewed on GbaRL. Units built with poor materials and lower standards are usually prone to malfunctioning and breaking, it's therefore our advice to spend a little mroe on a sturdier model.

Back to out EZ-V: we can say the manufacturing is solid and accurate, with no imperfections whatsoever. By just touching the card you can feel how the ineer mechanisms are protected by most generic accidents and breakings. Probably due to the sample being a newly manufactured one, it's sometimes difficult to extract the microSD; on a few occasion we had to apply considerable effort to actually do that.

Solid manufacturing, there's no doubt: even the expansion pack hasn't revealed any problem during usage and extraction/reinsertion.

[Evrain]

Conclusions

EZ Team has always produced top tier products. We said it as soon as we opened this review: all of their previous products have gained a special place in the heart of GBA/NDS users, all of them fully satisfied by their purchase. Their Slot 1 iteration successfully passed all the tests we put it through.

Excellent manufacturing, accurate, quick and sustained support from the team, all aspects that make it a recommended choices for those who haven't yet thought about switching to a Slot 1 solution for their DS.

The Expansion Pack, on top of it, allows for an exceptionally versatile and multi-purpose kit, filling up the blanks left by previous flashcards.

This is the pro's and con's list we've prepared based on our review:

Pro's
+ Extremely user-friendly.
+ Videos, images, MP3's and text documents can be enjoyed out of the box, without the need for additional software
+ Near-perfect game compatibility.
+ MicroSD support, for versatility and expaindable memory
+ Integrated PassMe function
+ Fully skinnable interface.
+ Resistand and lightweight
+ Last but not least, the Expansion Pack: GBA gaming, RAM upgrade and Rumble function, all in one.


Con's
- Essential packaging: the lack of a memory card reader and a software disc, manuals and other paper instructions might be an obstacle for inexperienced users
- No touchscreen support within the Loader: although it's a minor flaw, operating straigt from the lower screen is a feature we'd love to see in future updates.
- Comparing to other Slot 1 cards, the microSD slot seems to be more narrow, making inserting/extracting the card a bit more difficult.


Review written by Nemo_DS for GBARL.it. Thanks to Evrain for his extensive support.
Unauthorized copying and editing is forbidden outside of Network RL.