SuperCard DS ONE (HC) - 9/10

SuperCards DS One (HC)


This is the latest product from Supercard.

Package Contents:
* DS slot one cartridge
* USB to MicoSD adapter
* USB driver CD for W98
* Brief Instructions


Setup
Setup of this cart is very simple. All that is required is to download the latest OS from the SuperCard website. Plug your microSD card into your computer via the USB adapter or the card reader adapter that usually comes with your microSD card. Transfer the OS to the card with a simple drag and drop.
I created folders on the micoSD to keep things separate, Movies, Apps etc and then copied the files into the folders.
Turn on your DS, navagate the menu and run what you want.

OS 3.0
The latest OS on the web site is version 3.0 SP2 for the HC version of the card. If you get the non HC version make sure you download the correct OS as the versions differ.

The OS is simply a highly modified version of Moonshell. To me having Moonshell as the OS is a fantastic idea. There is no need to load different applications to run music, moves, ROM's etc as they all run right from Moonshell. Editing the global.ini file gives you alot of customization.
The interface is skinable but make sure you get a SC and not just a Moonshell skin.

Features
*ROMS*
Plays all clean ROMS with no patching. Just copy them across and run them. I have not found a ROM that this cart will not run properly.
If for some reason the ROM needs DLDI injection, the OS will do this when run. This has only failed once for me where I had to DLDI patch the ROM manually.

*Real Time Save*
By far the coolest feature of this cart. This feature takes a snapshot of your game and allows you to resume from that point, not from the last checkpoint but from this point. This is great for those games which have tough long levels and make you restart the level when you die. This way you just save before the tough bit and then resume from that point if you die.
This is also great for games that just give you a password to jump to levels and games that do not have saves at all.

*Multi Save*
I have not used this feature but I am sure it would be good for some people and some games. Most games give you 3 slots to save your game. What this feature does is give you unlimited number of 3 slots to save. So before you run the game you just select the save file that you want to use and you get those 3 slots to resume your game. I think there is also a way to swap save files during your game as well.

*Real Time Cheat Codes*
This feature is enabled in the menu like most of the features of the cart. If enabled when ROM is run you will be presented with a list of available cheats. The OS already comes packed with cheats but if your game does not have a cheat but they are available on the internets then you can add it to the cart. The SC website has software to convert to the correct format if the cheat is for another cart/device. Your ROM does not need to be named anything in particular but is somehow recognized and the correct cheats loaded.
If you want to change your cheat during a game you can press a sequence of buttons to bring up the cheat menu.

Real Time Game Guide
This feature is meant to allow you view downloaded walkthroughs/guides during game play. Unfortunately this feature has not been perfected and does not work due to the amount of characters on 1 line and the amount of characters spread over 8 lines. If someone invented a program to alter existing guides to the formatting that the reading software required then this would work. Even a macro in word would be good.
At present this feature is broke.

Interface
As advised earlier the interface is a modified moonshell interface.
This in its self offers multiple customizations. What has been added is sub menus and buttons to allow you to enable/disable features and then save them for each individual ROM.

Performance
This cart loads games quicker than my previous slot 1 cart N-card. It is also far more compatible with most ROMS.
I have had very few freezes while using this cart and no other problems with it. It will execute .nds, .mp3 .dpg and alot more without any extra software. I have had no problem running homebrew like Quake, DSOrganize, SNES emulator and lots of other apps like drum kits and so on that you find on the net.

Tech Specs
SuperCard DS one HC will take up to 8gig microSD card with the latest OS installed. I have tested this with a 2gig Sandisk micoSD but have been informed that a Kingston micoSD will perform even better.
The OS can adjust the read write speed to the microSD, by default it runs at 2X but mine has been auto set to 17X by the OS.
The USB to MicroSD adapter that comes with the package is very handy if you do not have a SD card reader on your machine.

Conclusion
I know every one goes on about their R4 and M3 but I cannot see anything that they can do that this cart can't, in fact this cart does more.
When first opening the package I thought the instructions were a little thin but then realized that they did not need to be detailed as the cart was extreamly easy to setup. The SC website has lots of tools and apps already geared for this card and the forums are active, not that I needed to use them.
The only reason I have given this card a 9/10 is that nearly nothing is perfect. The couple times that this thing has hung on me in the 2 months I have had it makes it not perfect but this is minor.
I am looking for a cart for my son and am finding it hard to go past another one of these.

Handy Links
SuperCard Website eng.supercard.cn/
Supercard Compatible Skins sebastiencc.free.fr/

Submitted by Eldude 20/02/2008 5666 6

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