iTouchDS Review



Written by Brakken
July 2008

Introduction

Welcome to my review of the M3 Team’s latest Nintendo DS™ entertainment, develop and backup unit. The iTouchDS is a low end solution compared to their other M3 branded products so I was expecting it to be like many of the knockoff clones on the market that don’t work that well. Surprisingly, I was wrong. The menu system is very simple as it only contains three icons, but it is a very well thought out system and is easy to setup, install and operate.

Even for a cheaper solution which lacks the multimedia and PDA capabilities of the higher end M3 cards the iTouchDS delivers a solid user experience as it offers most of the features found in modern flashcards including MicroSD/HC support, an integrated cheat engine, a soft reset feature, download play compatibility and more that I will discuss during the duration of this review. My assumptions were quickly thrown out the window after using the iTouchDS for the first time and you’re going to find out why.

I’d also like to take the time to thank the M3 Team for their support of my reviewing abilities. You see, they had previously sent me two units, but I gave one away and lost my Nintendo DS Lite™ on the local bus including all of my MicroSD/HC flashcards, a bunch of games, carrying case, etc … Danny from the M3 Team was kind enough to send me two more iTouchDS’s along with a brand new Nintendo DS Lite™. I’m also happy with its color as I was expecting them to do something funny and send me a pink console, but I ended up with a white one. Don’t worry, this situation isn’t going to influence the content of my review – I’m not easily bought off.

Features

Plug and play feature for it is easy to use.
100% Game compatibility.
Automatically detect and generate game save file.
Built in cheat engine.
Fully customizable skin interface.
Supports both the Micro SDHC and MicroSD. (Capacity over 4GB)
Supports homebrew applications.
Supports software reset function.
Supports Multi-Language.
Supports Download Play.
Single-chip solution, highest level of stability & lowest power consumption.
Support Multi-Language: English, French, Dutch, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean and Thai Language.

Contents

iTouchDS Flashcart
MicroSD/HC USB v2.0 Card Reader/Writer

The iTouchDS doesn’t come with much in the way of accessories like a Slot 2 solution, but due to the fact it’s a lower end card I wasn’t disappointed with its contents. Considering they throw in the MicroSD/HC USB v2.0 card reader is a bonus by itself. The iTouchDS card is made out of middle grade plastic and is help together by a few plastic snaps. Its main chip is located right under the sticker, but doesn’t stick out like some competitors flashcards. The iTouchDS also fits well into your Nintendo DS. Additionally, its spring loaded MicroSD/HC is rock solid as I inserted and ejected the flashcard over three hundred times and it’s still working.

Installation

Unlike its predecessors the iTouchDS’s setup and installation process requires a lot less effort on the users end. To keep production costs down the firmware (Operating System) it’s stored on the root of each MicroSD/HC card you’ll be using with the flashcard. The latest firmware of the writing of this review was v1.9 which can be obtained along with three optional downloads on the iTouchDS’s website. The two optional downloads are MoonShell which is a multimedia player which will allow you to watch movies, listen to music, read eBooks and look at pictures on your Nintendo DS. The second optional download it the cheat database, which the iTouchDS uses to fetch its games cheat codes from. The last download is a basic operational manual for the iTouchDS in PDF format.

Once you download the firmware you copy the contents onto the root of your MicroSD/HC card. If you want to install MoonShell you will need to run its setup file. Once in the setup you simply select which language you want to use (in my case English), after that select the drive letter assigned to your MicroSD/HC flashcard, then select the R4 cart and press setup. MoonShell’s executable file along with its data directory will be copied onto your MicroSD/HC card. The last thing you’ll want to do is to put the “cheat.db“ file you’ve downloaded someplace on your MicroSD/HC card. I tried putting mine under the iTouch directory and it’s a good thing I did! It seems the v1.9 firmware comes with a newer cheat file then the one available to download – so I didn’t replace the new one.

That’s all you need to do to setup your iTouchDS. Once this is done, you can place your homebrew and legal backups on the card. I suggest creating subdirectories for your homebrew and games to keep things organized. Note that all of the files I installed used up 36,962,304 bytes of space, which isn’t much if you’re using a HC MicroSD card.

Name Filen Size
ENG_1.9.rar
4,232,943 kb
iTouchDS Manual_v5.pdf
229,770 kb
moonshell171p1_with_dpgtools131-itouch.rar
12,820,374 kb
cheat.db
3,218,609 kb
   

Usage

Operating the iTouchDS couldn’t be any simpler. Once you insert your MicroSD/HC card into the iTouchDS and put it into the Nintendo DS and turn on the power it will automatically boot into its main menu. The main menu consists of three icons that can you scroll and select using the Nintendo DS’s buttons or the stylus. These icons are iCARD, iFAV and iGAME. The iCARD icon is used to browse your MicroSD/HC card and boot homebrew with. The iGAME is for browsing the card to launch your legal backups with. Finally, the iFAV brings you to your favorites which you can add when browsing with either the iFAV or iGAME icons.

The first thing I did was use the iCARD function to test out the iTouchDS’s homebrew compatibility. Below is a list of some popular homebrew games and applications I tested. All of them worked fine except for Bunjallo v0.5.4 which froze when loading. The iTouchDS is DLDI compatible so most modern homebrew should and does work. DLDI, if you didn’t know, is a standard that allows homebrew to access the medium on which it’s stored on across a wide variety of flashcards. Basically, it’s a good thing that the iTouchDS supports automatic DLDI patching.

Name Filename Description Works?
BeUp v0.2 MSN Messanger Client
Yes
Bunjallo v0.5.4 Web Browser
No
Colors! v1.06h Painting Application
Yes
DSAIM v0.03e AIM Chat Client
Yes
DSOrganize v3.2 PDA Application
Yes
Fire on the Water v1.0 Adventure Book
Yes
IRCDS v0.3 IRC Chat Client
Yes
jEnesis v0.7.4 Sega Genesis Emulator
Yes
Lameboy DS v0.10 Gameboy Emulator
Yes
NeoDS v0.2.0 NeoGeo Emulator
Yes
OpenTyrian DS v0.3 2D Platformer Shooter
Yes
Pocket Physics v0.6 Physics Playground
Yes
SNEmulDS v0.6 WIP 2 Super NES Emulator
Yes
Sonic r256 3D Engine Tech Demo
Yes
       

The next thing I tested was the iGAME icon. Note that you cannot run homebrew using this icon. Once I browsed to my legal backup directory it displayed a list of my games with their respective icons and each one had a small icon to the right of it that when touched brings you to the games options screen. You can also press “X” to access this screen.

The game options screen consists of eight icons: Select Cheat Code File, Cheat Code Switch, Slow Motion Switch, Backup Function, Method, Select Items of Cheat Codes, Reset Switch and Slow Motion Level. One thing I was disappointed in is the fact you must select the game options per game as there is no global settings for valuable options such as the Reset Switch and Slow Motion Level. Now let’s look at what each option does.

Select Cheat Code File

This option will allow you to browse your MicroSD/HC card and select the “cheat.db” file you wish to use. This means that you could have multiple cheat database files per say one for each region. This is handy if you like to play import games. Once you select the file it will ask you if you want to save the changes.

Cheat Code Switch

This option will allow you to toggle the cheat code’s you’ll be selecting. It has two sub-options which are Switch On and Always On. Switch on means you’ll have to press a button combination to enable or disable the cheat codes and Always On means the cheats will always be active.

Slow Motion Switch

This option lets you toggle the slow motion feature of the iTouchDS. You can turn it off (default) or turn it on and assign one of two different button combinations to activate it (L+SELECT or R+SELECT). The slow motion feature will slow your game down via the Slow Motion Level you select. This is handy to help you get through tough spots in games.

Backup Function

This option is also very useful. It basically lets you backup your current save game file into two different slots for safe keeping. It will also let you restore them. This is handy if you have multiple people playing your Nintendo DS games.

Method

The Method button is for Download Play compatibility. Earlier flashcards on the market weren’t compatible with the Nintendo DS’s unique Download Play capability. If your game supports the Download Play option you will want to turn it on by selecting “DownloadPlay”.

Select Items of Cheat Codes

This is the cheat code selection screen. Once in this screen and if your game is in the “cheat.db” file you can select which cheat code(s) you wish to use. Once selected, you’ll want to enable them with the Cheat Code Switch icon.

Reset Switch

This has to be the most useful option of them all. By toggling this option on you can reset your Nintendo DS by pressing the button combination you select (L+R+B+A+X or L+R+B+A+Y). This option allows you to quickly reset your Nintendo DS and return to the iTouchDS’s menu system.

Slow Motion Level

This allows you to select how slow you want your game to run. There are five different speed settings which you can select from.

The final main menu item is the iFAV which is a collection of icons linking to your favorite homebrew or legal backups. You can create links using the iCARD option. Select which homebrew or game you wish to add to your favorites and press “X” on it. The iTouchDS will ask you if you wish to add it to your favorites. Once added you can quickly access the game or homebrew from the iFAV option. To delete one of your favorites press “X” on it.

So the iTouchDS has great homebrew compatibility, but what about backups? All of the backup games I tried booted flawlessly, loaded very quickly, had no lag and all of the options (cheats, slow motion, in game reset and download play) worked. In game videos also had no problems playing as they played back at full speed with the sound synchronized perfectly. No complaints in the backup department.

Conclusion

Overall I’d say the iTouchDS is a great low budget entertainment, backup and development unit for the Nintendo DS. Although, it lacks the advanced features of some of the other flashcards the M3 Team created it will work out well for someone who just wants a quick and good working way to play homebrew and enhance their game experience and protect their investment with playing their legal backups.

Negatives

Basic Functionality
No Real Time Save Feature
Cased in Mid Grade Plastic
Instruction Manual is too short

Positives

Simple and Elegant Interface
Interface is Skinnable
Favorites Menu
All Advertised Features Work
Works as a PassKey Device

Links

iTouchDS Website
M3 Team's Website



-=[ iTouchDS 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.

 

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