M3i-Zero-R4dsi.com: M3i Zero Makes its Debut Online

Rumor spreaded that the lastest flashcard M3i Zero made by GBalpha Team would be appeared on 15th July, today it was eventually put on the shelves at some online shops with a quite acceptable price at $29.99. M3i followed the style in packeage and content the same as its predecessor did. Here is a review from flashcart review, enjoy the surprise M3i bring to us in advance before order it.

 

Advanced Sakura Operating System & GUI
USB 2.0 MicroSD & SDHC Reader Included
Compatible With All Speeds of MicroSD
High Quality Shell Casing & Hardware
Excellent Homebrew Compatibility
Hardware Updatable Kernel Sys

Custom Media Centre Soft
Supports MicroSD & MicroSDHC to 32GB
Real Time Save & Soft Reset Functions
Supports DS, DS Lite & DSi Consoles
Built in PDA With Notepad & More
Easy Touch Screen Navigation
Multi Skin Interface Support
Multi-Language Support

So today I was excited since I knew that the M3i Zero would arrive. The M3 team kindly sent me a sample and it even arrived before the release date, so that’s pretty cool (especially since the packaging was marked EXTREMELY URGENT).

Anyways when I opened the packaged I saw the M3i Zero box for the first time. It is quite similar to the M3DS Real, I actually prefer the lighter color on the M3DS Real box, but who cares. Opened it up, it has the same clear case as the M3DS Real, but in it was the M3i Zero. There was also a tray with the USB cable and MicroSD reader.

Now looking at MicroSD reader, some of you believed that this was a rebranded Sandisk Mobilemate reader. It isn’t, it is a knockoff. I looked at it side by side for a split second and you can see the difference. It isn’t the color or the logo that gave it away, but the connectors and the sape. The opening for the MicroSD is slightly different. For the MobileMate, the card doesn’t stick out, but in this reader, the memory card sticks out a little. 

I also had an extremely hard time pushing the MicroSD into the reader for the first time. I actually heard a huge snap when I forced it in, but now everything works fine. It’s not quite as fast, but it is a decent reader and it looks kind of cool too.I have a pretty updated review of the M3 Real, so you can head over to the reviews section of this site to see what’s up, but that’s all I can say.

Now asides from the f_core.dat, the M3i Zero runs all the same software as the M3 Real. Once you’ve loaded it all up, this is essentially M3 Sakura and an M3DS Real. It runs TouchPod as well, which is nice.

The build for the M3i Zero is worse than the M3DS Real. It is more alike to the old one. For the most part, the casing is exactly the same, it feels just as flimsy. The clips are at the exact sample place, as is the spring-loaded MicroSD slot. The slot on the M3i Zero is practically the same except this time the MicroSD sits flush instead of being held inside the cart. That means it is easier to access and put in, since you have to push your finger all the way into the notch for the M3DS Real. The problem with the build is a gigantic chip sticking out.

The M3DS Real has a small one on the side and I complained about that, the M3i Zero has one big one in the center that sticks out more that the M3DS Real chip. I guess it isn’t really a problem, but it does get annoying and scrapes the side. The sticker is much higher quality on the M3i Zero, it is thicker, glossier and the colors seem whiter or blacker, etc. I rather like the design too.makes me cringe. The plug actually fits both ways since it is so thin and has no relief. 

Keep in mind that the arrow on the USB plug points to the back of the cart. It didn’t take very long to update, maybe 10 seconds or so. I didn’t time it, but it took less than 15 seconds for sure. There is no space for the LED to be exposed, so it actually shines through the plastic of the cart. It is kind of cool, you see it best from the back. The file doesn’t seem to be available publically yet.

I did the first test with an M3 Expansion Pack. Everything works as expected, so GBA games boot up just fine and so does the web browser. M3 Sakura is a joy to use. Obviously since I got it today, I haven’t done extensive testing, so far only 1 GBA a handful of NDS and that’s it. I assume that the results will be identical to the M3DS Real for now.    

So I guess you guys can wait patiently for my review. I apologize for the quality of the videos. I didn’t really have the optimum lighting. If not, just read the M3DS Real review, it is almost the exact same flash cart with DSi support and a flashing portion. If you want to buy an M3i Zero, you can buy it at only USD25.40 /pc from http://www.m3i-zero-r4dsi.com/.