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[NT]

A few people have asked for more info on the EZ 3n1 expansion pack, so I'll post some thoughts about it.  The important thing to note is that I bought the 3n1 to complement my R4, and I do NOT have the EZV slot 1 cart that is sold along with the 3n1.  



As you can see, the 3n1 is a slot 2 cart that is in the shape of the DS Lite dust cover and fits flush in a DS Lite.  A DS Phat sized version is in the works and should be on sale soon.  

Being that this review is from an R4 standpoint and not a EZV one, here are the features that R4 owners should be able to take advantage of on the 3n1:

1.  Perfect GBA compatibility similar to the old EZFlash GBA flash carts
2.  Expansion RAM that works with the DS Opera Browser as well as some homebrew
3.  A rumble motor for games that utilize it

Back when the 3n1 was first announced it was stated that it would only be compatible with the EZV.  Luckily a couple of homebrew developers have written software that will enable 3n1 features on other flashcarts.  The two programs you need are linked below:

Rudolph's 3in1 ExpPack
cory1492's GBALDr

In regards to GBA games on the 3n1, you can use either piece of software to make this happen.  ExpPack has the ability to write GBA games to either the PSRAM or the NOR on the 3n1.  I prefer GBALDr which has the ability to write to the NOR.  I have not used the PSRAM for GBA games for a couple of reasons.  First, the PSRAM is volatile RAM, so games must be re-written every time you boot the DS.  Second, many GBA games do not run well on PSRAM as Supercard owners can attest.  PSRAM does have the advantage of being very fast when written to.  Supposedly you can write a GBA game to the PSRAM in a few seconds.  Flashing a game to the NOR takes a good while - even over a minute or two in some cases depending on the size of the game.  But NOR is non-volatile, so games stay on the cart until they are overwritten with something else.  The biggest advantage of NOR is that you get near perfect GBA game compatibility.  The fastest, most intense GBA games should run at near-flawless levels, just like an old EZFlash II or something similar.  You can only have one game saved to the PSRAM and one to the NOR at any given time.  It is not recommended to run games on both types of memory at the same time.  What I mean is, don't play a game on the NOR and then play a different one on the PSRAM without first backing up your save files.  The reason for this is that both PSRAM and NOR share the same SRAM for save games.  And regarding SRAM saving, remember that GBA games must be run through either the EZ4 Client or GBATA so that they can properly save to the SRAM.  

The other two functions are quite simple to employ.  If you want the 3n1 to function as an Opera RAM pack, start ExpPack and hit the R button until you are given the option to enable Opera RAM.  Once this is selected, ExpPack will perform a soft reset back to the R4 menu.  Then you can start the Opera Browser and your RAM will be enabled.  It is necessary to do this every time you want to run Opera.  I also tested dslinux and found that it properly detects and utilizes the RAM.  You do not need to run ExpPack to enable the RAM for dslinux.  

The method for enabling the rumble feature is similar.  The ExpPack menu has three levels of rumble intensity to pick from.   Once you've selected rumble mode a soft reset back to the R4 menu is performed.  Then run the rumble game of your choice.  I tested with Metroid Prime Pinball.  The rumble feature was detected and worked in-game.  It's possible that all games might not support rumble in this manner.  

Again, this review is focused on the R4.  If you have a different slot 1 cart, keep in mind that some of these features may not be supported with your cart.  For instance, I have heard that the soft reset in ExpPack is made for the M3/R4 and may not work on other carts.  There's no way to know until it's tested.  You can search the EZFlash forum links I posted above to look for information about your cart.    

All in all I am very happy with the EZ 3n1 expansion pack.  I mainly got it for GBA games, which it runs like any solid NOR-based cart will.  The Opera RAM and rumble features are icing on the cake.  At $22 plus shipping from RealHotStuff you can't go wrong.

[PharaohsVizier]

Really nice and informative review.  I didn't know about the GBATA, I thought it was just the EZ4 Client.  

[NT]

Really nice and informative review.  I didn't know about the GBATA, I thought it was just the EZ4 Client.  

Both will work.  I use the EZ4 Client because it can patch multiple ROMs at once.  However, it does have an annoying bug where some ROMs will be output with a blank filename.  If anyone knows of better GBA ROM patching software that can do multiple ROMs, please let me know.

[h8uthemost]

Very nice review. I think I'm going to pick one up for the hell of it.

[m2pt5]

I've been waiting for a store (any store!) to get the GBA-sized ones in stock, because I really want one.

This review only makes me want one more.

One thing about the PSRAM, though - DS games that trigger off of a certain GBA game are supposed to be able to detect that game in PSRAM. Unfortunately, the unofficial loaders only support 64k saves at the moment, so you can't import from Pokemon GBA games into Pokemon DS games. Yet.

[PharaohsVizier]

WAIT, Cory released a patch allowing Pokemon GBA to migrate into Pokemon DS.  

[m2pt5]

HE DID?!

Freaking awesome. Now I just need to get the damn GBA sized one.

Edit: Where can I find this patch?

[NT]

The EZ Team can definitely attribute a lot of 3n1 sales to cory1492.  They should put him on the payroll.

[PharaohsVizier]

http://ezflash.sosuke.com/viewtopic.php?t=5342

The second page.

Yea cory's apps are amazing!  I'm still using GBALDR.

[m2pt5]

Now for the big question - does D/P just look at the save file and not the game at all? If so, I could theoretically use a Supercard to transfer pokemon, by loading the Pokemon GBA ROM, doing a quick power cycle and rebooting to the R4, then running the pokepatched D/P ROM.

Edit: I'll test it tomorrow; I'm going to bed right now.

Edit2: No such luck.

[Altor]

Has anyone opened one of these up?  Do you think that, with some doing, it could be made to fit inside the standard "dust cover"? I guess the answer's yes no matter what, I've got all the tools of a machine shop at my disposal if I take it in to work. (and don't get caught!)

The black color is a real PITA in my opinion.  Better than nothing, but I want a white one to match my DS, really bad.  How hard would it be to change the color of the resin for crap sake...

[Lemoe]

Has anyone opened one of these up?  Do you think that, with some doing, it could be made to fit inside the standard "dust cover"? I guess the answer's yes no matter what, I've got all the tools of a machine shop at my disposal if I take it in to work. (and don't get caught!)

The black color is a real PITA in my opinion.  Better than nothing, but I want a white one to match my DS, really bad.  How hard would it be to change the color of the resin for crap sake...

A white one has just been released....

[Altor]

I JUST DISCOVERED THAT!!!!!!

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1894

:lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:          

[hiddenone]

Has anyone opened one of these up?  Do you think that, with some doing, it could be made to fit inside the standard "dust cover"? I guess the answer's yes no matter what, I've got all the tools of a machine shop at my disposal if I take it in to work. (and don't get caught!)

The black color is a real PITA in my opinion.  Better than nothing, but I want a white one to match my DS, really bad.  How hard would it be to change the color of the resin for crap sake...

Sorry bud I hard tried and tried with no luck. I have gone through 2 dust covers trying to get both this and the G6 Lite to fit within the dust cover. No luck as there is always an issue in some way shape or form.

[m2pt5]

Does anyone know if the GBA-sized is available anywhere in the US/Canada yet?

I'm kind of annoyed that Bamboogaming is the only place that has it, because they're in Australia, and I'm in northeastern US.