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[yee]

EZ4 Deluxe and Compact Review
By: Bernie Yee[/b]



Contents:[/b]
1.   Introduction
2.   Contents
3.   Design
4.   Features
5.   Performance
6.   Conclusion


Introduction[/b]
   A few months ago, the EZ Team released their newest additions for the NDS, the EZ4MiniSD and EZ4Lite. They were huge successes due to amazing GBA support and DS support with a ton of potential.

   Now they have done it again with the new release of the EZ4Lite Deluxe and Compact. They are completely redesigned from the inside out and with more features!


Contents[/b]
   When you first get your package, the biggest thing you’d notice is the box. The design has been simplified and no longer sports a magnetized cover. The EZ4Lite logo has also been redesigned and looks very futuristic.





A bit of info is written on the back (which most people don’t bother to read) and the front sports a nice and simple description of the product. Both the Deluxe and Compact have the same box design, but the only difference is that a sticker will be placed that says either Deluxe or Compact on the front, which is obviously which model you got. =P

Once you open the box, another difference from the older EZ4Lite is that the container no longer has a sort of suede / leather feel to it, but rather just thin plastic. Inside the container, there it is… the glorious remodeled EZ4Lite Deluxe / Compact with a complimentary SD card reader (saves you about 10 bucks.) However, it no longer has 3 faceplates (or at least my test version didn’t, even though on WinsunX it says it comes with a black casing.) and a USB extension cable, so you’re out of luck if you need one!






Design[/b]
   The redesigned EZ4Lite is now about the same size as the original dust cover. However, when compared to the Supercard Lite and the dust cover, the EZ4Lite still sticks out a bit. The little bit shouldn’t bother most people since it’s only about a MM or two. I have taken pictures from the top, bottom and side.



















The build is better in my opinion than the old EZ4Lite. However, I do have one beef with it, which is that the hinge next to the SD slot tends to pop out a lot on my Deluxe. (my Compact has no problems and works like a charm! =D) If you ever have any problems with one side being unbalanced, etc, one suggestion I’ve received is to loosen the screw a bit, but not too much so it falls out. Anyways, the plastic is pretty sturdy, much better than the older one.

The new redesigned EZ4Lite still retains the side-loading MicroSD slot (which most people prefer) and it seems to be much easier to take out the SD card in this new addition to the EZ family. Below are pictures of the back and front side PCBs of the new EZ4Lites.









Most people complained that until now, all the DS Lite Slot 2 solutions had no gloss layer, but all your prayers have been answered with the new EZ4Lite. Supposedly, the makers of the spray are the same ones that sprayed the DS Lite dust covers. The glossy layer is thin compared to the dust cover, but it does its job and an excellent one at that!
   
Features
   One thing you must note and remember if you’re in the neighborhood of buying an EZ4Lite, is that the Deluxe includes GBA support meanwhile the Compact version does not.

   As both version has also been redesigned from the inside out, the Deluxe version features 256Mbits of PSRAM so you can now load 256Mbit GBA ROMs without the need of burning to the NOR flash. The Deluxe also features another impressive memory upgrade, 384Mbits of NOR flash. This allows you to burn 384Mbits worth of GBA games to the flash portion of your Deluxe ( think of it as a GBA flash cart ) so you never need to wait 5 to 10 seconds again for a GBA game to load.

   Since the Compact has no GBA support, GBA ROMs do not show up in the DS loader. The GBA loader still retains the same theme as before, Minesweepers, etc. But when you pick a ROM in the EZ-Disk, it will say that GBA is not supported on this card.

   Basically that’s it for the new features. These two completely different flash cards will each attract buyers of all kinds, due to the GBA support removed in the Compact version. The Deluxe has been upgraded a lot and it’s pretty sweet.
   

Performance[/b]
   Performance-wise, the EZ4Lite Deluxe / Compact still retains the impressive (and possibly perfect?) GBA support, while sporting a pretty decent DS and homebrew selection and support. The main homebrews like Moonshell, BeUp all work, and I believe DSorganize works if you use an older version.

I will be comparing the EZ4 to the other famous Slot 2 solution, the Supercard Lite in this section.

   By the way, these are the details of my MicroSD card taken with HDTach:
•   Burst speed 4.0MB/s
•   Random access 2.7ms
•   Average read 3.9MB/s

As you can see, my card’s not that fast, but it definitely gets the job done when used with my Supercard Lite. Now let’s see if it does the same on the new EZ4Lite Deluxe and Compact.

   I tested Animal Crossing: Wild World by walking outside and walking back inside my house and recording the times with a stop-watch on both my Supercard Lite and new EZ4Lite. How I tested was that I started immediately the moment the whole screen turned black and stopped when the whole screen was filled with beautiful pixels. Here are my results:

   For the EZ4Lite, it took 6.5 seconds for it to load the outside world and 2.65 seconds to load the inside of the house.   Meanwhile, for the SC-Lite, it took 4 seconds for it to load the outside world and 2 seconds to load the inside.

   As you can see, there’s quite a huge difference, especially since 6.5 seconds is a long time, but the September 6th release of EZ4 Client did speed things up a bit as I am pretty sure they use to be much longer.

   The Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow intro was perfect except for the crackling sound effects on the SC-Lite. On the EZ4Lite however, along with the new update by the EZ Team, the intro has improved greatly and only skips a bit compared to more than half the intro skipping before.

   Lost Magic also lagged a bit during load times on the EZ4, but most people shouldn’t notice it unless they have another flash cart to try or the original.

   For the GBA side of things, I must say I am and has always been impressed. The EZ Team has always been excellent at GBA support and this time it’s no difference. With the newer memory upgrades, it makes its products really stand out GBA-wise.

   I tested the following games without slowdowns, when they did on the SC-Lite and they are: Dragonball GT: Transformation, Metal Slug Advanced, Super Street Fighter II: Turbo Revival and NHL2002.

   So it’s pretty safe to say that even though the SC-Lite has better DS performance at the moment, the EZ4Lite’s only a tiny bit behind, and retaliates with better GBA performance.


Conclusion[/b]
   The newly redesigned EZ4Lite Deluxe and Compact are excellent products with average DS support and outstanding GBA support with many features. Many people should choose this if they want an amazing mix of DS/GBA as only a few games have slowdowns on the EZ4Lite. The potential of the EZ4Lite is also amazing as there are constant updates to the software and firmware providing better compatibility and performance.

   The looks of the new EZ4Lite is also outstanding even though it seems to stick a bit more than the current SC-Lite and dustcover and is the first DS Lite flash cart to have the sexy gloss. =D

Pros: [/b]
1.   One of the 1st DS Lite flash cart to have a glossy layer
2.   Excellent GBA support again
3.   New and improved GBA flash memory
4.   A great mix of DS support ( with lots of potential )
5.   Are super cheap compared to the M3 Lite and G6s
6.   Almost the same size as the dustcover
7.   Easier and better MicroSD slot
8.   Plastic is definitely durable, although flexible

Cons: [/b]
1.   Isn’t fully flushed and sticks out more than the other competitors
2.   MicroSD is still sort of hard to take out
3.   The hinges on the cover tend to pop out
4.   The build can always been improved on
5.   Average Joes might have problem wondering what to do without any manuals
6.   Homebrew support is average


FINAL SCORE = 8.5/10[/b]


Review kits supplied by the EZTeam, thanks.[/u][/i]

[DeVS]

Nice first post and GREAT review! Welcome to SCDeV.org!

[yee]

Thanks, I have been snooping around this site every so often

[DeVS]

One thing though, you say:

Pros:
1. 1st DS Lite flash cart to have a glossy layer

But my M3 Lite and G6 Lite are glossy too.

[yee]

Oh, I overlooked both of them... and it's corrected!

[FifthE1ement]

The m3 Lite isn't glossy... I have heard from a few different people and they say it looks just as glossy as the SuperCard Lite. Someone even posted a movie to show its not glossy.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=o510OJMxgSw

To me that Black M3 Lite is not glossy at all and looks no different than the SuperCard Lite.
Also just found another user who did an M3 Lite review who said the cases were matte:

http://forums.gameaxis.com/showthread.php?t=1391025

And YYJOY and M3 had even said that the M3 Lite was not glossy like the G6 Lite. YYJOY had done the first pics on the M3 Lite and said the plastic was a bit shinerer than the SuperCard Lite but it was no where near glossy as the G6 Lite.

No offense but I have to call'em as I see'em. I still love you DeVs <3 <3!  :wink:

FifthE1ement  

[squall51489]

How is the GBA preformance compared to the m3lite? I hope to run ds games from slot1 and gba/homebrew from slot2, im just not sure which of each flash cart yet

[FifthE1ement]

GBA performance on the EZ products is the best while DS isn't quite as good. And M3 has better GBA than the SuperCard Lite but DS isn't quite as good.

Basic DS, GBA, and Homebrew rating of the "Big Three":
SuperCard - Excellent DS and homebrew support with OK GBA support.
M3 - Great DS and good homebrew support with great GBA support.
EZ - OK DS and poor homebrew support with Excellent GBA support.


I just feel bad for all the early adopter EZ Lite owners that now have a defunct product that sticks out.  :oops:

Be sure to check out "FifthE1ement's Complete Guide to Homebrew and Flashcarts on the DS" in downloadable PDF form with pictures, comparisons and a breakdown of every slot 1 & 2 flashcart released and upcoming! The guide also includes a link and description to every homebrew game and application and includes the basics with pictures on how to get started with flashcarts and homebrew! You should be able to find the guide on this forum including many DS news sites and other forums!

FifthE1ement  

[DeVS]

The m3 Lite isn't glossy... I have heard from a few different people and they say it looks just as glossy as the SuperCard Lite. Someone even posted a movie to show its not glossy.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=o510OJMxgSw

To me that Black M3 Lite is not glossy at all and looks no different than the SuperCard Lite.
Also just found another user who did an M3 Lite review who said the cases were matte:

http://forums.gameaxis.com/showthread.php?t=1391025

And YYJOY and M3 had even said that the M3 Lite was not glossy like the G6 Lite. YYJOY had done the first pics on the M3 Lite and said the plastic was a bit shinerer than the SuperCard Lite but it was no where near glossy as the G6 Lite.

No offense but I have to call'em as I see'em. I still love you DeVs <3 <3!  :wink:

FifthE1ement  

Don't know what to tell you bud but again MY M3 LITE IS GLOSSY. Here is a video I just took to prove it is just as glossy as the G6 Lite. The funny thing is when I posted about my G6 Lite being glossy everyone said "no it's not" and then all of a sudden people started getting glosssy G6 Lites,lol. Im looking at it IT"S GLOSSY! Theres a distinct diffrence in the M3/G6 Lite and the SC Lite, it's easy to tell which are glossy and not (SC Lite is not). Here's my video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5gqkhK7TfI

[yee]

Oh the drama...!

[sonicwind]

lol fifth stop advertising!  :lol:
This review is interesting though makes the ez look alot better but its alittle too late.

[FifthE1ement]

Sorry yee I removed the big type and coloring. I didn't mean to jack the thread.  

Anyway DeVs IMO your own video shows that the M3 Lite isn't glossy. It just happens to have a shiny plastic that is moreso then the SuperCard Lite's. In your vid you can easily see the shine on the G6 Lite while the M3 Lite only shines when it his the light just right which is exactly what the SuperCard Lite does in other videos.

FifthE1ement  

[yee]

This review is interesting though makes the ez look alot better but its alittle too late.

What do you mean?

Currently, I am using my EZ4 Deluxe over my Supercard ATM, even though the DS performance is a bit worse.

The glossy layer is pretty good, but it could be thicker.

[sonicwind]

I mean they released it too late nothing else.  I mean dslink is already out and ez just got this thing on the market.  The old one may have been first but it was completly rushed out they should have waited and released this first.

[rorix_bladewing5]

Does deluxe cost more than compact?