G6 Lite Review

Written by Brakken
August 2006

Introduction

It’s been a little while since I’ve reviewed a product, but luckily this time around I actually got a product worth reviewing. In this review I’ll be focusing on the G6 companies (same company as the M3) G6 Lite Nintendo DS development and backup unit. This is the first backup unit to hit the streets which fits snugly into the Nintendo DS Lite without anything protruding from it. Additionally, you can use the G6 Lite on regular sized Nintendo DS consoles as it comes with a shell for this purpose.

Not only will I be reviewing the G6 Lite, but also the PassCard v3 which is a perfect way to boot your images when using a Nintendo DS Lite. This small cartridge is roughly the size of an original Nintendo DS game and fits perfectly into the Nintendo DS Game Cartridge slot. Well, now let’s look at the features and contents of the package.

Features

Boot NDS Homebrew/Backups
Boot GBA Homebrew/Backups
Development/Backup Unit
Movie Player
Music Player
Picture Viewer
Book Reader
Direct Boot of NDS Homebrew
Real Time Clock (RTC)
Real Time Save (RTS) (GBA Only)
Save Game Retention
In Game Rest (NDS Only)
Built in GameBoy Emulator
Built in Sega Master System Emulator
Built in PC Engine Emulator
Built in NES Emulator
No Slowdown in GBA Games
Real Time Save (RTS) in GBA Games
FlashMe v7 Compatible
Integrated Crystal Media Engine
Integrated Moonshell Media Player
Very Long Running (Battery) Time
Supports Nintendo DS Lite
Supports Nintendo DS v1-v4 Firmware
Supports GBA, GBA SP, GBA Micro
Supports GameCube GBA Player

Contents

G6 Lite 4G (Crystal White)
GBA Sized Cartridge Case (Enamel Navy, Ice Blue or Black)
USB Burner
Installation Mini CD
PassCard v3 (Optional)

The packaging the G6 Lite comes in is really good quality. It comes inside a tin can that sits inside a box. If you know how things can get mishandled in the mail you’ll be good to know that even if the box gets a little roughed up the tin can will prevail leaving you a product in good working condition.

The G6 Lite comes out of the package inside the Crystal White casing for the Nintendo DS Lite. If you would like to use it in a normal Nintendo DS you will have to remove the one micro Phillips head screw and then place it inside a larger casing. Make sure when doing this not to touch any on the internal components. Just hold the board from the sides and switch cases. This way you won’t accidentally fry the thing.

The PassCard v3 comes in its own packaging and works right out of the box. It’s one of the many new PassMe solutions that don’t require any type of programming to use. All you do is take it out of the box and plug it into your Nintendo DS and you’re good to go.

Installation – Hardware & Software

One of the best features of the G6 series of devices is the USB Burner adapter. All you do is simply plug the G6 Lite into it and then plug the unit into a spare USB port and you’ll be present with a normal Mass Storage Device. After formatting the device it had a total of 524,009, 472 bytes free. Half a gigabyte isn’t bad as it leaves enough room for your applications, but doesn’t leave much room for large video files.

The heart of the G6 is its computer interface which is done using a program called the G6 U-Disk Manager. This program can be found on either the installation disc or the G6’s website. It would be best to download the files from the website to make sure you have the current versions, but at the time of this review both versions were identical. So I installed the G6 U-Disk Manager from the provided Mini CD.

Installation – Converting Images

When the program first loads it will ask you the location of the G6 Lite. I had already renamed it so it was easy to locate. You simply select which drive letter Windows has assigned for it and then press okay. Once this is done you’ll be presented with an interface which lists the current GBA files on your G6 Lite. The list also contains some more detailed information about them. The interface is easy enough to understand as it has the basic Wright, Read, Delete, Config and Options buttons.

To “burn” (you’re actually just flashing the G6 Lite) a game onto the G6 Lite you pick Wright and then a file selection screen pops up. From this screen you can select from either gba, gg, sms, nes, pce or gb files and it also supports zips.

Once you have selected the file(s) you wish to transfer over it will write them, but if you’ve chosen GBA files you’ll be presented with a new menu. This sub menu will allow you to tweak certain aspects of your ROM image for various reasons including, but not limited to Real Time Reset, Cheat Codes, IPS patching and compression. You also have the option of using the same settings per ROM image (as long as you don’t specify cheat codes).

Once you flip over to the Nintendo DS tab you are presented with basically the same interface minus the configuration option for the program. Once you’ve selected the ROM image(s) you are going to convert you’re presented with a conversion options screen. These set of options will allow you to toggle such as Software (Instant) Reset, select the Read Method and also let you trim the ROM image.

Additionally, on both screens you are present with a selection of saved data at the bottom of the screen. For the GameBoy Advanced you have both the Real Time Save and Save Data files at your disposal. In the Nintendo DS screen you only have the Save Data. All you need to do to backup your precious saved games is to select which Save Data Bank you wish to backup and click on Read. Next you can just save the data someplace for Safe Keeping.

Writing to the device takes a little longer than writing to a high speed flash card, but it averages around 0.087 MB/s writing speed and 1.082 MB/s reading speed. Of course once it’s inserted into the Nintendo DS the console will have direct access to high speed memory. By doing this there is no slowdown in full motion video sequences and zero slowdown while playing GBA games. The no slowdown issue is one of the major selling points of the G6 and M3 line of products.

Installation – Multimedia Files

You’ve basically got two options when it comes to multimedia playback on the G6 Lite – MoonShell and the Crystal Engine™ Media Player. Both solutions require you to pre-convert your videos (just like the ROMs) using their own separate software. Both MoonShell and The Crystal Engine software can be found on the installation disc or on the G6 Lite’s website.

I’m not going to get into much detail on how to use both of these methods as I’ve already done so when reviewing the G6’s cousin the M3 Perfect SD. I would recommend if you want to know how the conversion process goes and how your video, music, pictures and books will turn out make sure to read that specific part of the review.

To say the least it’s totally possible to listen to your MP3 files, read eBooks (text files), look at countless pictures and watch movies using the G6 Lite. One issue I do have is the lack of storage space. Sure, it’s enough to fit a handful of music videos, but if you’re going to be watching a full DVD movie you’re only going to be able to fit one on the device.

Installation – Hardware Cases

Like I mentioned above if you are going to be using the G6 Lite in a normal Nintendo DS system you are going to have to remove a mini Phillips head screw from the case it comes in and transfer the circuit board into a larger case. I would be grounded when doing this and would try to avoid touching anything on the board. It’s really not that hard to do and once it’s in the case you want it in you most likely won’t be removing it anytime soon, but if you are it’s a simple one screw issue.

Usage – General Functionality

Okay, I’ve got some media files converted and ROM images on the G6 Lite now it’s time to see how it functions. So I inserted the PassCard 3 into the Nintendo DS slot and the G6 Lite into the GBA slot and turned the sucker on. The Nintendo DS will boot its default loading screen and then display the G6’s Operating System.

On the top screen you are presented with a basic black and white logo reading “TouchPod™ for G6 Flash” and on the bottom screen you are presented with a list of Nintendo DS images under a menu named “G6 Manager”. You navigate the menu by using the stylus and can scroll through your ROM images using it. When you find an image you wish to run you can hit the ‘a’ button or double tap it to get it up and running.

I tested a few homebrew releases and my own backups of my personal games and everything worked fine. Since the G6 is built around the same technology the M3 is you won’t be worried about the majority of your backups not working. The M3/G6 Team constantly update their software to keep you up to date with all of the current releases.

Next I let the Nintendo DS sit there for around a minute and both screens dimmed almost all of the way down. This feature is handy for saving the battery lifetime.

Once I was done creating a few saved games I went to test the G6 Lite’s internal Save Game Manager (press ‘select’ from the main screen). Depending on the way you converted your ROM image it will either save to the G6’s internal memory or the cartridge in the NDS slot (if it contains EEPROM that is).

Normally, it will just save to the G6 Lite in the default slot. From the Save Game Manager you can transfer the default save to either of two backup files. You can also transfer the data to and from the NDS card using this menu. The backup functionality of the Save Game Manager can be handy if you want to use multiple saves for one game; per say if you had more then one person playing the game.

We’re not done with the Operating System just yet – it has a lot to offer. On the top hand right corner there is a small pull down menu where you can select between NDS Game, MyCard, Media and pdaDS. NDS Game is default the image selection page. MyCard will allow you to explore the contents of the G6 Lite and launch the homebrew I’ve flashed. Media will switch you to the Crystal Engine Media Player interface. Lastly, pdaDS will boot you into a full fledged PDA application, but sadly due to time of this review this application suite has not been translated to English.

Using the MyCard option I worked my way down to the MoonShell directory and clicked on the .gba file that resided in it. I was next prompted with the option to add a header. I declined and MoonShell loaded in a few seconds. For reference the current version of MoonShell that I have in my possession is v1.3c and it works flawlessly. I played a short music video, looked at a few pictures, viewed text and played back some MP3 files all with no laggy choppy video or distorted sound.

Next I picked ‘Media’ which loads up the Crystal Engine Media Player interface. This is a basic yet skinnable (yes you can create your own custom skins for it) menu system which features a menu option for each type of media you wish to view/listen to. Movie, Music, Picture, Extend, Book and Setup are the present icons.

Extend will eventually boot MoonShell on its own (just like it does in the M3), but this feature is currently being worked on. The setup menu is pretty basic, but keep in mind you go in here to change the Nintendo DS mode skin (the GBA Crystal Engine Player mode has it’s own skin too.)

Now I’ll move onto the G6 Lite’s GBA functionality. You’ve got three ways how to get there. First you can press ‘y’ from within the G6 Manager. Second you can press ‘start’. Lastly, you can remove the PassCard v3 and boot into the Nintendo DS Firmware and then launch the GBA cartridge.

Once you’re into the menu you’ve got another set of icons. My Card will let you browse to launch homebrew. Game will boot into G6 Evolution Loader which after a quick key press will display a scrollable list of games. The games have icons for them and are displayed in a nice two by three layout. Not every game has an icon for it, but I’m sure more will be added with future software updates.

To launch a game you simply press ‘a’ or ‘start’ on it. You can also access the Save Game Manager screen by pressing ‘select’ which will, like the Nintendo DS counterpart, let you backup and restore saved data.

Other then that while you’re actually playing a game you can press ‘a + b + l + r’ at the same time to bring up the Save Data Manager. In this menu you can use the Real Time Save feature to backup and restore three game states. Keep in a mind a game state is the entire game just where you left off so you can save at any point in time in the game without having to worry about finding a save point or the save menu.

Conclusion

Once everything is said and done with the G6 Lite is a perfect solution for booting your multimedia files on your Nintendo DS and/or Nintendo DS Lite handheld video gaming consoles. Either based on the easy to use software, Plug n’ Play capabilities or nominal storage space you can’t go wrong. Additionally, the G6 Team in the past has kept their device up to date so you won’t have to worry about being left in the dark waiting for new fixes.

Negatives

None!

Positives

Read the Review Again :)

Links

G6 Lite Website



-=[ G6 Lite Review Discussion Thread ]=-

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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.