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The NDS-Gear EDGE DS Review / Guide

Official Website: http://www.edge-ds.cn

Much is written about these products on the official website and other sources - NDS-Gear are here to give a plain, short, simple review in layman's terms! Of course, the original feature list can still be found below our own review.

The EDGE DS's menu with the three buttons

The EDGE DS card is the same size as any regular Nintendo DS Cartridge. There is a slot in the back of the EDGE DS card that allows it to read Micro-SD or Micro-SDHC cards. The EDGE DS can accept up to 32GB Micro-SDHC cards, and has the highlight of being the most reliable card by a mile, even by our own stringent testing standards! It also has the nicest looking packaging of all the cards we sell, and is most ideal for a gift.

It can be used for lots of purposes, including playing homebrew (self programmed) games and applications, backups of existing games you already legally own, even turning your Nintendo DS into an MP3 player! For more information about exactly what an EDGE DS card can do for you and what you are allowed to do with it, take a look at the Legal Information page.

The EDGE DS comes in what is undoubtedly the 'sexiest' packaging of any of the cards NDS-Gear sells. It is the most suitable for a gift, quite intuitive, has a fast (not quite fastest but very good) loading time, and most importantly, is the most reliable card out of the entire range of cards we sell. We test every card prior to sending anyway, so cards sold by NDS-Gear are "100%" reliable, but the EDGE DS seems to be in a league of its own; even WE haven't spotted any dud/bad cards before sending yet!

The EDGE DS's interface is similar to the R4v2's, although more clinically presented and more professional. The user is presented with three options on startup: Games (for homebrew/backup games), Multimedia (for MP3s, movies in .dpg format, eBooks etc.), and Settings (to adjust brightness etc.) With an EDGE DS card, you are able to store many games on a single chip (no more dragging twenty or more cartridges on holiday, and no more fuss about lost games from kids!), as well as bring onboard some features such as an MP3 and movie player - features with the Nintendo DS / DS Lite originally lacked in its competition with other handheld consoles, namely the PSP.

The EDGE GUI is fully skinnable, and skins are easy enough to make so that anyone can do it! To use one or more skins, simply transfer the required skinning files to the folder \EDGE\skins on your MicroSD card and then select the desired skin from the settings menu. Please note that each skin should have its own folder within the \EDGE\skins folder – so for example if your want to use a skin called "Mario", create a directory called "\EDGE\skins\Mario" on your MicroSD card and then copy the skinning files into this directory. Skinning files consist of several .BMP files and a single .XML file – this means that you need to extract these files first, do not just copy the .ZIP/.RAR file onto the MicroSD card! So for example, for the Mario skin you might have a file structure similar to this:

• \EDGE\skins\Mario\skin.xml
• \EDGE\skins\Mario\top.bmp
• \EDGE\skins\Mario\bottom.bmp
• \EDGE\skins\Mario\scrollbar.bmp
• \EDGE\skins\Mario\cheat-icons.bmp
• \EDGE\skins\Mario\menu-icons.bmp

Action Replay / Cheat Codes

EDGE contains an Action Replay compatible cheat code engine, giving you access to game enhancements such as infinite lives, infinite health, all levels unlocked and much more - the possibilities are endless! EDGE comes with a bundled cheat database containing up-to-date codes for over 330 different games which means you can take advantage of the cheat code functionality right away.

Cheat Codes are disabled by default and must be enabled from the settings screen before they can be used. After selecting a game to play, EDGE will scan the cheat code database to see if there are any codes available for the game you have selected. If codes are found then you are asked if you wish to select any codes to enable. If Yes is selected, you are taken to the cheat code selection screen. If No is selected then the game will simply start as normal without any codes enabled.

As with the game list, the cheat code selection screen may be navigated using either the stylus or buttons. Use the D-pad for scrolling, the A button to toggle a code on/off or open/close a folder and the X button to clear all selected codes. When you are done press the START button to launch the game with the cheat codes you have selected enabled.

Quick EDGE F.A.Q.

Q: Which languages does the EDGE support?
A: English, Indonesian, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Tagalog

Q: Will I be required to patch games or alter them in any way before use on EDGE? A: No

Q: How does the save game functionality work?
A: EDGE saves a game as if it were a regular game cartridge. The resulting .sav files can be backed up to PC or replaced with a previous or more recent .sav file from the same game.

Q: Is the EDGE OS software upgradeable?
A: Yes, free and regular updates will be provided for download.

Q: Is homebrew software supported?
A: Yes, and patching DLDI drivers manually is not required.

Q: Can EDGE be used with the Rumble Pack or Opera Browser RAM Expansion?
A: Yes

Q: Will battery life be affected?
A: No, we have purposely chosen low power consumption components to avoid this issue.

Q: Can I drag and drop files to my MicroSD card using Windows, Mac OS or Linux?
A: The bundled EDGE card reader is mass storage compliant, so any operating system can be used to manage the MicroSD file transfers.

Q: Are any custom files or software required in order to manage files for EDGE?
A: No, files can be dragged and dropped to the MicroSD card using any standard PC OS.

Q: What colour is the EDGE cartridge?
A: EDGE is currently offered in black

Q: Will I have to modify my NDS or NDS Lite in any way, shape or form?
A: No, EDGE will never require any user tampering with his NDS console. Furthermore, EDGE updates are independent of console revision.

Q: Are both NDS and NDS Lite consoles supported?
A: Yes, all current and future consoles are supported

Q: Can EDGE be used on a DS from anywhere in the world?
A: Yes

Q: Do I need a PassMe or Passkey device in order to use EDGE?
A: No, just the EDGE and a MicroSD card.

Q: Can the EDGE OS be re-skinned?
A: Yes.

Official EDGE DS Technical Features List

• Supports Micro-SDHC cards up to 32GB
• Plays Commercial NDS ROM
• Plays Homebrew NDS ROMS
• Touch to execute OS system
• Works with Moonshell for multimedia playback such as movies and MP3's
• Frequently updated OS for best compatibility
• Action Replay compatible cheat system
• Brighntess adjustment for NDSL
• In game reset
• Full download play support
• Supports slot 2 expansions
• Multi language user interface
• Save game saves directly to Micro SD
• Automatic save game type detection
• Supports clean ROMs
• Robust non-spring loaded Micro SD slot
• Micro SDHC card reader included