Introduction

Welcome to the review of the DS Top Toy (DSTT) another Slot 1 based Nintendo DS entertainment, development and backup unit. This low priced flash cart includes most of the core features and functionality you would come to expect from a newer solution, but lacks advanced features. Although, it lacks advanced features such as integrated media players, advanced GBA rom manipulation it does offer the basics one would need to boot homebrew and legal backups without hassle.

Micro SD/SDHC Support
High Speed Micro SDHC Support
Save Directly onto the SD Card
Autodetect Save Type
Supports Homebrew w/Auotmatic DLDI Patching
Supports FAT16 and FAT32
Built in Action Replay™ Comatible Cheat Engine
Optimized for Low Power Consumption
Touchscreen/Button Compatible Interface
Supports User Created Inteface Skins
 Supports Soft Reset
Wifi Enabled Game Support
DS Rumble Pack Support
DS Web Browser Support
Download Play Support
Brightness Adjustment (DS Lite Only)

Contents

DSTT Cartridge
GBA Expansion Pack
Rumble Expansion Pack
MicroSD USB v2.0 Card Reader
USB Nintendo DS Charger
The DSTT case is made from a thin plastic, but fits firmly into the Slot 1 of your Nintendo DS. In fact, it fits just like an original game where some flashcarts are a little to large and make for a tight fit. This isn't the case for the DSTT. The DSTT uses a spring loading mechanism for the MicroSD card, but it has to be the best one I've seen to date. I've heard horror stories about the spring breaking, but I've used many flashcarts and never had any problems with these types of interfaces. The spring loading mechanism on the DSTT is really good as it's not a tight fit and the MicroSD can be inserted and removed with ease (again, unlike other carts).

 Unlike the DSTT both expansion packs are made from high quality plastic and come with a groove to easily remove them from Slot 2. This groove is also missing from some competitors products. One should know that both expansion packs aren't made by the company behind the DSTT, but are made from eWin and relabeled.

The MicroSD USB v2.0 Card Reader is very small. So small in fact it's only a little bit larger then the MicroSD card itself. It's a little cumbersome, but after toying with it for a while you'll most likely get used to it. The chain that comes with it is very cheap and can be broken just by pulling too hard on it. I wouldn't recommend chaining it to anything or just remove it so you won't lose the reader.

One unique accessory that comes with the DSTT is the USB based Nintendo DS charger. It works well and can be easily carried around as the original charger is sort of big. So if you're heading out to a place where you can access a computer with a USB port it's an optional way to recharge your portable video gaming console.

Installation


 When it comes to installation there are basically two types of flashcarts. One which comes with it's Operating System, Firmware, Menu System or whatever they call it stored on an internal chip. The other kind depends on the software for the flash cart to operate being stored on your MicroSD. This is the case for the DSTT so you must copy over it's Menu Software (they call it the TTMenu OS) to the root of your MicroSD card before you can use the device. If you don't copy it over you'll be presented with an error screen. You'll also get an error screen if no MicroSD card is inserted into the DSTT.

After extracting the contents of /eng/ directory (total of 6.9MB) from the TTMenu OS v1.07 into the root of the MicroSD card it booted into it's main menu. The main menu is basically a list of all of the .nds files you have in any location on your MicroSD card. There is no directory browser, just a simple list of what it finds on your MicroSD card. Of course, it won't display anything until you copy over some homebrew or your legal backups.

Additionally, the USRCHEAT.DAT file that comes with the DSTT is out of date and very limited to the games it has cheats for. So if you're a cheater you can download the latest USRCHEAT.DAT file from here. Note that this is the same file format as the R4DS USRCHEAT.DAT file.

 Each homebrew title or game has an option menu which can be accessed by using the "+" icon (select the title first then select the "+" icon. Once in the setup screen you can toggle it's options including the DMA Mode, Soft Reset and Cheat Toggle. If you're planning on cheating because you either suck at the game or suck at playing games in general you will first need to select the "Cheat" tab then select your cheats. Once selected make sure to toggle the Cheat option under the Option Tab to "On".


 Located in the upper left hand side of the menu list is the "SysOption" box. Once you tap on this you'll be presented with the Default Reset, PassMe Mode, GBA Mode, Power Off and Brightness options. PassMe mode will boot a legacy Slot 2 solution, GBA Mode will just boot whatever you have in Slot 2 in GBA mode, I'm sure you can figure out what Power Off does. Lastly, you can adjust the brightness of the LCD display (Nintendo DS Lite only).



If you look a little closer to the file list you'll notice some icons present under the name of the homebrew/game you've got stored on your MicroSD card. Here is a chart which outlines which each icon stands for.

	Main Toggle Button - Enables Cheats and Soft Reset
	This means cheat codes have been selected
	Wifi / Download Play Game
	Soft Reset has been enabled
	Brings you to the Options Menu

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