DSTT (DS Top Toy) Review

Written by Brakken
January 2008

Introduction

Welcome to my review of the DS Top Toy (DSTT) another Slot 1 based Nintendo DS entertainment, development and backup unit. This low priced flash cart includes most of the core features and functionality you would come to expect from a newer solution, but lacks advanced features. Although, it lacks advanced features such as integrated media players, advanced GBA rom manipulation it does offer the basics one would need to boot homebrew and legal backups without hassle.

Features

Slot 1 Based Solution
Original DS Cartridge Size
Plug n' Play Installation
Built in PassMe Functionality
Supports Clean ROM Images
Micro SD/SDHC Support
High Speed Micro SDHC Support
Save Directly onto the SD Card
Autodetect Save Type
Supports Homebrew w/Auotmatic DLDI Patching
Supports FAT16 and FAT32
Built in Action Replay™ Comatible Cheat Engine
Optimized for Low Power Consumption
Touchscreen/Button Compatible Interface
Supports User Created Inteface Skins
Supports Soft Reset
Wifi Enabled Game Support
DS Rumble Pack Support
DS Web Browser Support
Download Play Support
Brightness Adjustment (DS Lite Only)

Contents

DSTT Cartridge
GBA Expansion Pack
Rumble Expansion Pack
MicroSD USB v2.0 Card Reader
USB Nintendo DS Charger

The DSTT case is made from a thin plastic, but fits firmly into the Slot 1 of your Nintendo DS. In fact, it fits just like an original game where some flashcarts are a little to large and make for a tight fit. This isn't the case for the DSTT. The DSTT uses a spring loading mechanism for the MicroSD card, but it has to be the best one I've seen to date. I've heard horror stories about the spring breaking, but I've used many flashcarts and never had any problems with these types of interfaces. The spring loading mechanism on the DSTT is really good as it's not a tight fit and the MicroSD can be inserted and removed with ease (again, unlike other carts).

Unlike the DSTT both expansion packs are made from high quality plastic and come with a groove to easily remove them from Slot 2. This groove is also missing from some competitors products. One should know that both expansion packs aren't made by the company behind the DSTT, but are made from eWin and relabeled.

The MicroSD USB v2.0 Card Reader is very small. So small in fact it's only a little bit larger then the MicroSD card itself. It's a little cumbersome, but after toying with it for a while you'll most likely get used to it. The chain that comes with it is very cheap and can be broken just by pulling too hard on it. I wouldn't recommend chaining it to anything or just remove it so you won't lose the reader.

One unique accessory that comes with the DSTT is the USB based Nintendo DS charger. It works well and can be easily carried around as the original charger is sort of big. So if you're heading out to a place where you can access a computer with a USB port it's an optional way to recharge your portable video gaming console.

Installation

When it comes to installation there are basically two types of flashcarts. One which comes with it's Operating System, Firmware, Menu System or whatever they call it stored on an internal chip. The other kind depends on the software for the flash cart to operate being stored on your MicroSD. This is the case for the DSTT so you must copy over it's Menu Software (they call it the TTMenu OS) to the root of your MicroSD card before you can use the device. If you don't copy it over you'll be presented with an error screen. You'll also get an error screen if no MicroSD card is inserted into the DSTT.

After extracting the contents of /eng/ directory (total of 6.9MB) from the TTMenu OS v1.07 into the root of the MicroSD card it booted into it's main menu. The main menu is basically a list of all of the .nds files you have in any location on your MicroSD card. There is no directory browser, just a simple list of what it finds on your MicroSD card. Of course, it won't display anything until you copy over some homebrew or your legal backups.

Additionally, the USRCHEAT.DAT file that comes with the DSTT is out of date and very limited to the games it has cheats for. So if you're a cheater you can download the latest USRCHEAT.DAT file from here. Note that this is the same file format as the R4DS USRCHEAT.DAT file.

Each homebrew title or game has an option menu which can be accessed by using the "+" icon (select the title first then select the "+" icon. Once in the setup screen you can toggle it's options including the DMA Mode, Soft Reset and Cheat Toggle. If you're planning on cheating because you either suck at the game or suck at playing games in general you will first need to select the "Cheat" tab then select your cheats. Once selected make sure to toggle the Cheat option under the Option Tab to "On".

Located in the upper left hand side of the menu list is the "SysOption" box. Once you tap on this you'll be presented with the Default Reset, PassMe Mode, GBA Mode, Power Off and Brightness options. PassMe mode will boot a legacy Slot 2 solution, GBA Mode will just boot whatever you have in Slot 2 in GBA mode, I'm sure you can figure out what Power Off does. Lastly, you can adjust the brightness of the LCD display (Nintendo DS Lite only).

If you look a little closer to the file list you'll notice some icons present under the name of the homebrew/game you've got stored on your MicroSD card. Here is a chart which outlines which each icon stands for.

Main Toggle Button - Enables Cheats and Soft Reset This means cheat codes have been selected Wifi / Download Play Game Soft Reset has been enabled Brings you to the Options Menu

Usage

The DSTT wasn't joking when it comes to 100% compatibility. All of the legal backups I tried ran perfectly, with no slowdown, no glitches or graphical artifacts on the screen. Download Play works as it should. The cheats work. Soft Reset works (while in a game/homebrew title press "L+R+A+B+X+Y" to go back to the menu list). Additionally, games that support the Rumble Expansion Pack worked fine. Saving and Loading your progress works flawlessly too, but sadly each save file is 512KB instead of it's real size.

The rumble expansion pack isn't as loud as the official Nintendo edition. Additionally, as Nintendo didn't release the Rumble Pack in the USA it's not a bad addition. It doesn't require any type of batteries to run, but only works with a handful of games. The motor is still a little loud, but you can barely notice it's sound when playing a game with the volume turned up.

When it come to homebrew the DSTT does it's job right. It has what they call "automatic" DLDI patching. DLDI is an interface driver that allows homebrew to be run on flashcarts that support it. If it wasn't for DLDI each homebrew author would have to release 30+ versions for all of the flashcarts on the market. What's cool about the DLDI being automatic is the fact you don't have to use a DLDI patcher to patch your homebrew before you run it. This saves a lot of time and frustration.

The DSTT also supports GBA homebrew and legal backups via the included eWin GBA Expansion Pack. Sadly, there is no built in support for this in the TTMenu OS, nor is there any documentation on how to use it. Pretty crappy support if you ask me. Anyway, what you'll need to do to get the GBA Expansion Pack working is to download the "eWin Expansion Pack Loader 1.6.0 for R4 + DSTT". In this archive contains the English executable (.nds) file needed to use the GBA Expansion Pack. Copy it over to your card along with some GBA stuff and you're ready to go. For reference the size of the loader is 1.3MB.

Once you boot the loader you'll be presented with a file list menu. In case you forgot to insert the GBA Expansion Pack it will remind you to do so with the following message - "please insert EWIN SD-RAM expansion card, press A button to retry". Once it's loaded it will initialize the file system and then bring you to a file browser. From this browser you can select your .gba files and load them.

The first time you load a GBA file it will load it and then patch it which takes around 20-30 seconds depending on the size of the file you're loading. Once it's patched you won't need to patch it again. This loader is very basic and doesn't support the features of some competing products, but it does load and let you save your .gba files with perfection.

To launch a .gba file press "A" on it, press "B" to go back a directory, "X" for a help screen, "Y" to setup Nintendo DS to GBA Linkage (this is used by some games to import data from your GBA game to your Nintendo DS game) and you can press "L+R" to prep the GBA Expansion Pack for use with the Nintendo DS Opera Web Browser. Once it's prepped you can run it and you know, browse the Internet. The last option is pressing "select" which will bring you back to the DSTT menu.

After running a .gba file a directory in the root of your MicroSD card named "EWIN_GBA" will be created which holds information and your save data in the "SAVE" sub-directory. Each save is 128KB in size no matter what the original save game data size was.

Conclusion

 

If you're just looking for a cheap and reliable solution for your entertainment, homebrew and legal backup needs the DSTT does the job well. While it's menu system is simplistic and it lacks features of more advanced flash carts this could be overlooked due to it's cheap ($30 USD) price. That's including the GBA and Rumble Expansion packs. If you're hard up on cash or don't need more advanced features you should consider purchasing this product, but if you want a top of the line flash cart you should pass this one up.

Negatives

Menu System Simplicity
No File Browser
No Directory Structure
Lack of Intergrated Media Player(s)

Positives

Ease of Operation
Great Compatibility
Automatic DLDI Patching
Extra Status Icons
Included GBA and Rumble Packs
Included Nintendo DS USB Charger

Links

DSTT (English) Website

-=[ DSTT (Top Toy) Review Discussion Thread ]=-

Nintendo DS Flash Carts also known as "Development and/or Backup" units are intended for expansion of the Nintendo DS's abilities including running "homebrew" software which is created by amateur unlicensed developers. Homebrew is totally free and legal to use as long as you follow the licensing agreement that comes with each title. Homebrew comes in many forms, but most "Flash Carts" come with homebrew that allows you to listen to music, watch movies, read books and look at pictures. These flash carts also let you run other homebrew titles. The use of homebrew does not infringe on Nintendo's or any of it's related companies rights. Flash Carts also allow you to make and playback backups of original and third party games for safe keeping purposes. Making backups of your data is also a non-infringing action. However, it is illegal to download and play ROM images of games you do not personally own. ISO-420 Reviews and TehSkeen.com do not encourage using Flash Carts in any illegal manner and do not endorse or condone users to "pirate" ROM files. Please support game companies and their developers by purchasing your games.