DCEmu Review has now reviewed the MK5

DCEmu Review has now reviewed the MK5.

http://reviews.dcemu.co.uk/review-neoflash-mk5-8gbit-giga-cart-1gb–55970.html

NeoFlash MK5 8Gbit GIGA Cart (1GB)
Manufacturer: NeoFlash
Site: Buy from www.IC2005.com
Price: $49.00

Overview : NeoFlash MK5 8Gbit GIGA is a slot 1 device (no passcard required). It does not use any external storage cards such as microSD. It holds up to 1GB of storage.

Features :
Support clean rom,not need any patch,just need drag and drop
Huge memory space,from 8Gbit upto 64Gbit
USB 2.0 high-speed data transfer
USB disk function, compatible with any operation system
Build in the last moonshell V1.5 and upgradable
Support homebrew
Build in SMS multi save function,and auto save
Menu upgradable,just need drag and drop the new core to MK5
Multi rom support,media play support
MK5 turbo engin, 100% full game running speed, without any delay
Build in passme function, can boot almost GBA flash cart perfectly

Quality/Usability : NeoFlash has entered the DS scene with their version of the Slot-1, MK5. Included with the package is Slot-1 MK5 8G DS Cartridge, Slot-2 GBA Linker, mini-CD and USB cable. Before you get ahead of yourself, this is not 8GB. This is 8Gbit which means 1GB of flash memory. There is also a 16Gbit as well (2GB – $59.00).

Out of the box, there were preloaded apps such as Moonshell and DSOrganize. The Slot-1 MK5 DS cartridge is the same as that of the real DS cartridge. It acts as a pass-me similar to that of the M3 Simply and R4DS. Unlike other Slot-1 cards, the MK5 uses flash memory to store all data rather than external cards such as microSD.

To transfer data, you will need to insert the MK5 GBA Linker. This is the cartridge that looks and is the same size as a GBA cartridge but has a USB port built-in. If you are to insert this into a DS Lite, the cartridge will stick out. Since the MK5 uses flash memory, the GBA Linker is used to communicate with your PC to transfer data. This does not store any data.

So how does this work? Insert your MK5 DS cartridge into Slot-1 of the DS and insert the GBA Linker into Slot-2 of the DS. Once the GBA Linker is inserted, connect the USB cable to the GBA Linker and PC. Turn on your DS and the PC will recognize the device as a removable storage. All you have to do now is just transfer your files. File transfer is pretty quick. When you have transfered all your files, turn off the DS. Since the GBA Linker only communicates with your PC, you will have to remove it. If you do not, you will not be able to access any of the MK5's feature and will be prompted with a message.

Upon turning on the DS (after you have removed the GBA Linker, you are brought to the DS menu screen. You will have to manually select the MK5. Once inside MK5, you can control the menu either with d-pad with A button to confirm or with the stylus. The menu screen itself isnt really attractive. With other Slot-1's you have some slight control over the look of the menu such as skinning. Unfortunately, you are unable to with the MK5. Although, you are able to customize Moonshell since they are based on BMP images and the fonts on MK5 via "global.ini".

The top screen shows the selected ROMs information such as ROM icon, filename, file size, last save date and page numbers (if you have more than 12 files).

The bottom screen shows the ROMs that you transfered onto the MK5. Each ROM has a 3D icon. As the current ROM is selected, the icon pulses to let you know which one is highlighted.

The MK5 worked perfectly with all the homebrew files I loaded onto the card. All homebrew booted quick and without a problem as it supported DLDI.

Booting of commercial ROMs were quick as well. The MK5 gets its save game size from a database. Luckily, the database is updated often. If for whatever reason the game save is not available, you can manually make one yourself by holding SELECT and pressing LEFT or RIGHT to select the save size. But this takes some trial and error if you dont know the size. You can see the compatibility and save game list here.

If you have a Slot-2 GBA Flash Cart, MK5 acts as a Pass-Me card which allows you to boot the GBA cart.

The MK5 also allows for future firmware upgrade. Upgrading the firmware is similar to that of loading a commercial ROM. It only takes a few seconds to upgrade the firmware.

A nice feature that NeoFlash included is the ability to format the MK5 incase it is corrupted. To format, just insert the MK5 and GBA Linker into the DS but dont insert the USB cable and dont turn on the system just yet. Hold down the L Trigger + R Trigger and the Down button then power on the DS. The MK5 logo will appear. While still holding the L Trigger + R Trigger and Down button, now press A + B button. The GBA Linker will now format the MK5. Since it is formatted, all data have been erased and you will need to transfer all data to the MK5 again.

Another unique feature that NeoFlash has released since the release of the MK5 is the ability to use the DS as a USB joypad and mouse. For more information, you can check out the official release.

Conclusion : Overall, the NeoFlash MK5 8Gbit GIGA Cart met my expectations if not more. The drawback of the MK5 is not being able to upgrade the memory since it is flash memory. But the price makes up for it considering the DS-X is 4Gbit and is twice the cost! For those first time users of Slot-1, you may not mind the menu screen but once you see or try others, you'll notice how plain the MK5 is.