DSi XL a good choice?

[lev11]

In the UK you can still get R4 from market stalls/ mobile phone unlocking places

[BONKERS]

can anyone tell me a good place to buy R4/dstwo cards? all the sites I've been on seem pretty dubious and often don't even have a secure checkout.

I bought an R4i gold from ... last year. No problems.

[lettuce]

can anyone tell me a good place to buy R4/dstwo cards? all the sites I've been on seem pretty dubious and often don't even have a secure checkout.

Regarding that, which is regarded to be the better card R4i Gold or the DSTwo cards?

[Einzelherz]

can anyone tell me a good place to buy R4/dstwo cards? all the sites I've been on seem pretty dubious and often don't even have a secure checkout.

Regarding that, which is regarded to be the better card R4i Gold or the DSTwo cards?

Last I knew (I'm a bit out of the scene) the DStwo was the only card that could run GBA stuff because it has a coprocessor or something on it. It's what I have, coming from an EZflash V a couple of years earlier.

[ZellSF]

can anyone tell me a good place to buy R4/dstwo cards? all the sites I've been on seem pretty dubious and often don't even have a secure checkout.

Regarding that, which is regarded to be the better card R4i Gold or the DSTwo cards?

Last I knew (I'm a bit out of the scene) the DStwo was the only card that could run GBA stuff because it has a coprocessor or something on it. It's what I have, coming from an EZflash V a couple of years earlier.

It has a coprocessor for emulating GBA games and doing a really shitty job at it. Not a recommended way to play GBA games.

But IIRC that coprocessor allows the DSTwo to play more DS games without bothering with patches.

[BONKERS]

The R4i gold with the latest firmware/Wood doesn't require patches for anything AFIK.

I've only used it to play Translated games i've imported so far. So no issues for me yet.

[lev11]

I'm not the seller, but the GBA EZflash

[Exidna]

I'm not the seller, but the GBA EZflash

"levitech-retail"
Not only that, but DSi's don't even have a GBA slot.

[BONKERS]

I'm not the seller, but the GBA EZflash

"levitech-retail"
Not only that, but DSi's don't even have a GBA slot.

Yah but DSlite/etc

[Ghegs]

Links to the flashcart sale have been removed.

[lev11]

Sorry for linking, though there is a link to a whole flashcard store a few posts above. (Missed that one, removed now as well -Ghegs)

@Exidna first three letters of usernames matching is a bit tenuous don't you think anyway it's not me was just sharing a bargain as there was reference to GBA games. But yeah I understand we don't want links to copyright infringers.

[ZellSF]

Really want a spare EZ Flash IV and a DSTwo... really can't justify spending money on spares though.

[BONKERS]

Links to the flashcart sale have been removed.

Why is that a problem when there is discussion and questions constantly about various Flashcards for other systems?
The DS is a dead system just like the others, and is the only way to play Fan Translations on real hardware.


Are we also likewise not allowed to link to someplace that sells an Everdrive or any other Flashcards??

I'm just curious.

[Ghegs]

Correct, sales or links to purchase flashcarts would fall under the no-no category. From the Forum Rules:

No ISO trading, ROM begging, copyright infringement, or assistance with any of these – for example torrent links. It doesn't matter what is legal in your country, although discussion of emulation is not a problem.

No modchip sales, flash or multicarts, no sales of consoles modified to defeat copyright protection, region mods are OK.

[Einzelherz]

Just to be clear, is it permissible to say something such as "You can get a (flash cart) at (examplestore)" ? Can we say where to find these things so long as there are no hyperlinks?

[Ghegs]

Just to be clear, is it permissible to say something such as "You can get a (flash cart) at (examplestore)" ? Can we say where to find these things so long as there are no hyperlinks?

Well, no, that wouldn't really make any sense.

[Guspaz]

You may want to relax some of those rules for devices (such as mod chips) for consoles that are no longer sold and whose software is no longer compatible with any current console.

For example, the GameCube. You can't use its games on any current Nintendo console, nor are any of its games available in the virtual console: it's a fully "used market" console where it is not possible for a mod chip to impact a first-sale, be it hardware or software. Furthermore, the currently accepted best way to play Game Boy games on the Game Cube is to use homebrew, which requires either a mod chip, or exploit, or media loader, all of which essentially serve the same purpose.

I may be an atypical case, but I modded my gamecube specifically to run the Game Boy Interface homebrew, which is basically a replacement for the official Game Boy Player disc with lower latency and 240p support.

[BazookaBen]

Yeah, rules for out of production consoles definitely need to be relaxed. Especially since there are lots of developments for Sega Saturn and PS1 and SD card readers. It's the best way to preserve libraries on these consoles.

[BONKERS]

I understand the need to keep your hands clean and I can respect that. It can make things a bit difficult with examples shown above though.

[Exidna]

Well it looks like there's a panel lottery with DSi XLs just as there is with the New 3DS XLs. (the reason I haven't bought one yet)
I bought two DSi XLs and one screen is a neutral white, while the other has a blue cast to the image.
The neutral screen is also noticeably brighter, at 185cd/m² while the blue one only reaches 140cd/m²
Interestingly, both have a small amount of backlight bleed on the touchscreen in the exact same location. Looks like a design fault.



Quite annoyed about this, as the blue one was the first one that I opened up.
If I hadn't bought two I would have just assumed they were all like that.

Measurements:

• Neutral Screen
• Blue Screen

[Einzelherz]

Are these both new consoles?

Fwiw I have several GBA SPs and they exhibit the same variance. It doesn't surprise me at all given how manufacturing works.

[Exidna]

Yes, brand new from the same store.
Both serials end in the same number too, which I think is what people were using to try and get a dual-IPS n3DS XL. So that doesn't seem to be any guarantee of getting a good screen.

It just shows that Nintendo don't give a crap.
They clearly just have a very loose spec for the panel being used if some are approximately 6500K while others are approximately 9300K.

Really annoyed because now I have to deal with online returns, and because I don't know whether to just get a refund or go through the lottery again in the hopes of getting another good one.
I really wanted to have a second console, but I don't know if I want to deal with these returns or the possibility of getting several more "bad" screens.
As I said, it's the reason I haven't bought an n3DS XL at all yet. If I could pay another $50 to guarantee that I get a good one, I absolutely would.

[bobrocks95]

Yes, brand new from the same store.
Both serials end in the same number too, which I think is what people were using to try and get a dual-IPS n3DS XL. So that doesn't seem to be any guarantee of getting a good screen.

Dual IPS? I thought the bottom screens were only ever TN? Only talk I saw about that was the top being IPS or TN.

It just shows that Nintendo don't give a crap.
They clearly just have a very loose spec for the panel being used if some are approximately 6500K while others are approximately 9300K.

Really annoyed because now I have to deal with online returns, and because I don't know whether to just get a refund or go through the lottery again in the hopes of getting another good one.
I really wanted to have a second console, but I don't know if I want to deal with these returns or the possibility of getting several more "bad" screens.
As I said, it's the reason I haven't bought an n3DS XL at all yet. If I could pay another $50 to guarantee that I get a good one, I absolutely would.

To keep yield high and/or costs low they don't really bother to calibrate the screens or throw any away. How many people who bought a DS also had a colorimeter they used on it?

Doesn't justify it really, it's poor QA, but when the overwhelming majority wouldn't bat an eyelash I can at least see why they did it.

[Exidna]

Yes, brand new from the same store.
Both serials end in the same number too, which I think is what people were using to try and get a dual-IPS n3DS XL. So that doesn't seem to be any guarantee of getting a good screen.

Dual IPS? I thought the bottom screens were only ever TN? Only talk I saw about that was the top being IPS or TN.

Some people seem to be getting dual IPS displays on certain editions. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.ph ... tcount=746

To keep yield high and/or costs low they don't really bother to calibrate the screens or throw any away. How many people who bought a DS also had a colorimeter they used on it?
Doesn't justify it really, it's poor QA, but when the overwhelming majority wouldn't bat an eyelash I can at least see why they did it.

I mean, it's not like it's a little off, it's 6500K vs 9300K. A blue screen vs a white screen. (though if you're used to blue displays, you might say it's a "yellow" screen vs a blue one)
It's not even a calibration issue, it's that they're sourcing very different parts because they don't care. The bluer LEDs were probably a fraction of a cent cheaper when they ordered that batch.
If it was a tolerance issue I'd have expected to see maybe a 6000-7000K range across various screens, but it's clearly something they don't spec for.

The bigger difference between the two for most people is probably the fact that one is 30% brighter than the other.

As I said, if I hadn't seen both of them, I would have assumed that the blue one was just how they were and it would have been fine.
If they had both been the same - either both white or both blue, that would have been my assumption and I wouldn't have cared.
It's not like the blue screen looks bad, but when there's a possibility of getting one which is roughly 6500K (which matches every other screen I own) I absolutely don't want a 9300K panel.

[BazookaBen]

Wasn't 9300k the typical temperature of NTSC-J broadcasts?

[Ikaruga11]

Wouldn't the DS Lite or DSi be the best? The DSi XL has a lower PPI.

[bobrocks95]

Wouldn't the DS Lite or DSi be the best? The DSi XL has a lower PPI.

The thread has strayed into general discussion, which is perfectly fine, but in my OP I said "I don't really care about ppi." I've never really noticed a screendoor effect before, even on a 42" 854x480 monitor, which has the lowest ppi of anything I could think of.

[Exidna]

Wasn't 9300k the typical temperature of NTSC-J broadcasts?

Often claimed but never backed up with any real data that I've seen.
Regardless of whether that may have been historically true, D65 is the modern standard, and a 6500K screen means that it matches everything else that I own.

It's not that the 9300K screen is bad - your eyes should adapt to it fairly quickly. (it's going the other way that adaptation is slow)
But if a 6500K display is available, then I don't think it's acceptable for them to be shipping 9300K screens and have what you get be totally random.

I'd be happy to pay a premium if it meant that I'd be guaranteed the best display panel. (6500K on the DSi XL, dual-IPS for a New 3DS/XL)

Wouldn't the DS Lite or DSi be the best? The DSi XL has a lower PPI.

I'd get a New 3DS XL instead of a DS Lite or DSi if you want a higher pixel density.
With 1:1 pixel mapping on those screens, the image is approximately the same size as the standard DSi.
However the New 3DS XL has those nice IPS displays (or it can do) instead of the TN panel on the DS.

The reason you'd buy a DSi XL is if you want the biggest image that you can get for DS games. (on original hardware)
The pixels are huge on it, but for some people that's the appeal.
Sprite-based games look especially good on these screens, and I think a lot of people would appreciate the larger image.

I've never really noticed a screendoor effect before, even on a 42" 854x480 monitor, which has the lowest ppi of anything I could think of.

I had an 848x480 DLP projector 10 years ago putting out a 100" image, so that's nothing.
I really miss that too, it was amazing for SD consoles.
I upgraded to a 1080p projector that I was never really happy with, so I wish I had still kept it around.

Personally I find screendoor very noticeable on most displays, and would normally prefer that it isn't there, but it looks "right" for a lot of low-res handheld games, the same way that scanlines do for 240p consoles.

[bobrocks95]

Nintendo should have advertised it as having new screens with better color and gone all IPS, but they didn't...

I just got a Japanese DSi LL in today, first impression is that it looks awesome, haven't given it a spin yet though.

[Ikaruga11]

Nintendo should have advertised it as having new screens with better color and gone all IPS, but they didn't...

I just got a Japanese DSi LL in today, first impression is that it looks awesome, haven't given it a spin yet though.

I returned my Pokemon New 3DS because it was dual TN. Shame too since the design is good. If Nintend would just get their shit together and stop making things into a lottery, people would like them more.