We have received a few new elements of information from resellers and hackers who have participated in the CycloDS iEvolution project. The recent announcement of a DSi mode flashcart created a certain hype, it's the least you could say, but we would like to clarify certain points and provide additional information.
First, for those who have already preordered the card, we have received word from a couple of resellers that the card will not ship until the second week of January. It was initially going to be shipped out mid-December but there were delays in production apparently so you will all have to be patient.
There are three new features that this card was supposedly going to offer. DSi mode homebrew was the one most openly advertised by the Cyclops Team and they will deliver when it comes to that, except for one little disappointment- the SD card slot cannot be accessed by homebrew. Unfortunately running homebrew on the DSi will only offer a few extra advantages such as the use of the camera(s) and increased power and RAM, no storing or reading from the SD card (we could have imagined interesting ways to make use of it though: a video player that reads video files from the SD card...).
The second of those 3 features was announced officially as "coming later": DSi-enhanced rom support. It's those games that already work on the DS but when played on a DSi those should offer additional features and enhancements. But as it turns out: nobody has got anywhere near being able to run those games in DSi mode on the CycloDS iEvolution. Let's hope some people figure it out in the future!
And finally, the last of the 3 features we were expecting: DSiware ROM support. Well don't hold your breath because that will probably never come. Not only DSiware roms have yet to be decrypted (which is a necessary step towards possibly executing those ROMs in the first place), but those games also need to be written and run from the NAND onboard memory of the DSi, which hasn't been unlocked. Our source suggests that there might be a possibility to run DSiware from the SD slot in the future... but it would only be games that you legally downloaded from DSiware.
Note that the Cyclops Team recently issued an update on their website stating that "only USA and European" DSi consoles will be supported, until "our development team has completed the necessary stress testing". Too bad for all our Japanese readers out there, you'll have to wait some more.
Even with those news it is still encouraging to see that people are working towards unlocking the DSi. We are confident that other teams will jump on the bandwagon and offer the same DSi mode features. To show our support to the homebrew scene, we are going to unveil a new revamped and surprising version of the Homebrew Bounty. It will be announced in the next few hours or tomorrow.
The review of the CycloDS iEvolution will be published as soon as possible, though they haven't shipped out a sample yet. Stay tuned!
First, for those who have already preordered the card, we have received word from a couple of resellers that the card will not ship until the second week of January. It was initially going to be shipped out mid-December but there were delays in production apparently so you will all have to be patient.
There are three new features that this card was supposedly going to offer. DSi mode homebrew was the one most openly advertised by the Cyclops Team and they will deliver when it comes to that, except for one little disappointment- the SD card slot cannot be accessed by homebrew. Unfortunately running homebrew on the DSi will only offer a few extra advantages such as the use of the camera(s) and increased power and RAM, no storing or reading from the SD card (we could have imagined interesting ways to make use of it though: a video player that reads video files from the SD card...).
The second of those 3 features was announced officially as "coming later": DSi-enhanced rom support. It's those games that already work on the DS but when played on a DSi those should offer additional features and enhancements. But as it turns out: nobody has got anywhere near being able to run those games in DSi mode on the CycloDS iEvolution. Let's hope some people figure it out in the future!
And finally, the last of the 3 features we were expecting: DSiware ROM support. Well don't hold your breath because that will probably never come. Not only DSiware roms have yet to be decrypted (which is a necessary step towards possibly executing those ROMs in the first place), but those games also need to be written and run from the NAND onboard memory of the DSi, which hasn't been unlocked. Our source suggests that there might be a possibility to run DSiware from the SD slot in the future... but it would only be games that you legally downloaded from DSiware.
Note that the Cyclops Team recently issued an update on their website stating that "only USA and European" DSi consoles will be supported, until "our development team has completed the necessary stress testing". Too bad for all our Japanese readers out there, you'll have to wait some more.
Even with those news it is still encouraging to see that people are working towards unlocking the DSi. We are confident that other teams will jump on the bandwagon and offer the same DSi mode features. To show our support to the homebrew scene, we are going to unveil a new revamped and surprising version of the Homebrew Bounty. It will be announced in the next few hours or tomorrow.
The review of the CycloDS iEvolution will be published as soon as possible, though they haven't shipped out a sample yet. Stay tuned!