[REVIEW] DS-TT Opzioni

[JohnVS]

DSTT
[ English Version | Versione Italiana ]

Quick Links
Homepage: www.ndstt.com

Our heartfelt thanks to Ultragames for providing the sample.

The Nintendo DS flashcard's scene is undeniable mature: all the big players gave their best, creating extremely refined solutions with ever more "collateral" features, thanks to the almost complete knowledge of Nintendo's gaming hardware. Neverthless, a new brand would occasionally join the match: this is how Team TT introduces itself, releasing its very first product, a simple and low-cost Slot 1 flashcard aptly named DSTT.

Here we are again at our workbench, ready to squeeze 'till the end this new flash kit, unveiling its secrets, strong and weak points; in our review every curiosity you have will be fulfilled.

Introduction & Features

Before starting, it's best to clarify that, no matter the now widespread rumors, this flashcard isn't absolutely related to the -deservingly- famous R4 Revolution, already reviewed on this site and currently powering many of your DS'es. It's indeed assembled in the same factory that gave birth to the aforementioned flash kit, yet the DSTT is a completely different product, to the point that it's also marketed, along with a few accessories, as the Top Toy DS, a Neoflash product. However, the software that powers the card is, partially or completely, derivated from the R4 OS: the Action Replay cheats database, for instance, is fully compatible as long as you don't use an encrypted one.
Having debunked this myth, we can now begin our review by placing the TT in the same vein as the R4 and M3 DS Simply, a Slot 1 unit marked by ease of use and mainteinance, identical to a standard issue Nintendo cartridge and with virtually enormous storage capabilities granted by high-capacity microSD's.

The similarities with said brands are absolutely obvious: this is positive though, considering this design's prerogatives. Furthermore, the operating system is easy to use and completely customizable, by now a fairly standard feature.

But let's now take a look at the features breakdown, as declared by the manufacturer:

• DS original cartridge size, Slot1 interface
• Plug 'n Play, easy to use, just Drag 'n Drop file from PC to flash memory card
• No FlashMe, built-in NoPass, and the GBA cards in slot2 can be started directly
• Supports CleanROM, No covert
• 100% SDHC TF and standard TF compatibility up to 4TB(4096GB) flash memory card
• High speed SDHC. Supports any TF card speed with no lag in game
• Save directly to TF card, not to onboard chip, Never lose your saves
• Automatically detect and generate save type
• Supports Moonshell and homebrew. DLDI auto-patching
• Supports FAT/FAT32, works on any OS.
• Supports Action Replay cheat and edit the code base.
• Built-in energy-saving design.
• User friendly skinnable interface. Touchscreen or button operation. Supports Skin DIY.
• Supports the “Hot-Key” SOFT RESET.
• Supports the WiFi game, DS Rumble Pak, DS Browser.
• Supports Download play.
• Supports 4-scale-lightness adjustment (DS Lite only ).
• Free SDHC high-speed reader, Ultimate copy documents.

Notice how the microSD reader was mentioned as a feature: we guess a freebie is always something to be proud of. Nothing particularly remarkable on this list: except for a few notable cases, the TT features are the de facto standard of actual flashcarts. Support for high capacity memory cards, full compatibility with Action Replay cheat codes to obtain the best from your games and the indeed useful soft reset button combo, which makes getting back to the cart system menu without rebooting your system a breeze; this neat load of features comes for about 30€.

Whether this is truly a candidate for the R4 throne or a passenger on the train for oblivion, we'll find out in our review.

[JohnVS]

Getting Started

When it comes to setting up the DSTT, things can't get any simpler.
As shown above, the only thing we have to do is insert our (already prepared) microSD into its slot and plug the flashcard into our DS unit. No onboard memory chip makes USB cables or external, G6-like writers unnecessary; integrated card readers and the one bundled with the TT makes managing the card's content a breeze.

We mentioned how the memory card has to be prepared neverthless: said process merely involves loading the latest system software and copying it into the microSD root directory.

This is how everything looks once we copied the files over: the Games directory is our addition for easier management of games and saves; the OS can load them from every position, although the TT's user manual includes said folder's creation as part of the setup procedure. We also decided to show you the USRCHEAT.DAT file, found within the TTMenu directory: it's obvious just how much this card "borrows" from the R4, and this is further proof. As you can see, the cheats database is nothing but an unencrypted R4 one, we guess generated by the R4 Cheat Tool. The first line of text, which reads:

CODICE

R4 CheatCode     Cheat Code v1.02 Date: 2007/05/20

leaves no room for further speculation. Out of curiosity, we swapped it with the official cheat repository from the 1.15 R4 update (the most recent as this article is being written), which resulted in the OS crashing while trying to load it. The cheating system is among the portions of the OS that were reverse-engineered.

A special mention for the flashcard's bootstrap screens: while the bottom one will stay white, on the top one a cute, manga-like rendition of an ASCII Art-like microSD notifies the user of faulty memory cards or corrupted system software. It got us smiling.