M3i Real Zero Sakura for Nintendo 3DS / DSi XL / DSi / DSi Lite / DS

DS Compatibility :

works on any DS.

Features : 

M3i Zero Kernel Update,support NDS mode of 3DS! M3i Zero support DSi V1.41 firmware with new F_core file.Download F_core V1.61 here! (2010.09.21),Newest M3i Zero arrived at Cool2deal ,m3i zero sakura full in stock nowadays,Buy m3i zero sakura from cool2deal with official price now!

Finaly, the M3i Zero by M3 team released.This can't be a news cause everyone knows the m3 team will move on to DSi card.Cool2deal has been asked why the M3i is so delayed,the only reason is that M3 team don't want their product to be a Rush one.And now we got the answer the M3i Zero will be a all upgradable dsi flashcard with the constantly support from M3 team,powerful ever.

Not surprisely,Cool2deal will be the first few sites to have m3i zero in stock and we promised you to have the world-first batch m3i zero like before.Get it with confidence.

-Unique technique, from Zero to Infinity ('0 '-> '∞ ')
1) upgradable "Boot Flash data"
2) upgradable "Kernel"
3) upgradable "Firmware"

(Maximize the ability to cope with the new DSi and coming game protection.)

M3 product does not contain any copyright data or firmware program, though users may upgrade the software to make M3i Zero become the most powerful flash cart.(Means your country's custom have nothing to do with the card!!!)

Features of M3i Zero :  
 
-Compatible with DS , DSl & DSi .  
-100% game compatibility . 
-supports Real Time Save function . (Save & Restore anytime, anywhere.)
-Supports Multi-Language System (English,French ,Germany , Italian , Spain , Portuguese, Dutch, Korea & Thai Language .) 
-Continue to update & frequency enhance software/ firmware.
-Support micro SDHC (capacity over 4GB, 8GB ,16GB & 32GB …) 
-Extreme simple to use, just plug & Play .
-Super Cheat Function   
-Fully AR Cheat Code Compatible engine .  
-Support reading individual cheat code file too. (xml, cht, dht, dat-R4 format)
-Supports software rest function .   
-Support slow motion feature .  
-Automatically detect and generate game save file .  
-Excellent homebrew support ,DLDI auto-patcher 
-Robust & skinnable GUI  
-Build in PassMe .  
-Intergraded least Moonshell 2.0 version . 
-Supports download play .
-Supports rumble pack , GBA expansion pack & DS Browser .  
-Supports 4-scale-lightness adjustment 

Upgradable and Unbeatable

The M3 Team began toting this DSi product during the summer as the end-all be-all cartridge for DSi owners. It features upgradable system software (like any other cartridge), along with a separate flashing cable for upgrading the cartridges firmware. So, if Nintendo releases a DSi update that blocks flash cartridges (like 1.4), you will be able to upgrade your M3i Zero, without the use of a DS, to defeat that change.

The M3 team also hyped up the M3i Zero as a “new” flash cartridge, from top to bottom. They slapped the M3 Sakura logo on the box, and seriously seemed to market it as something entirely different. This was the M3 that was to be designed specifically for the DSi. As you will find out, that was a bunch of horse dung.

Packaging/Presentation

Before slagging the product entirely, I must give M3 props on their presentation. The box features a great design, and the packaging is really well done. There’s a blue cartridge case, a wrist strap, a MicroSD USB 2.0 reader, the Firmware Flashing Cable, and – naturally – the M3i Zero in the box.

The Cartridge

There’s not much to say regarding size of these Slot-1 carts anymore. They all fit snug into a DS without any protrusion. The MicroSD slot is on the side, and is spring-loaded, which I still enjoy on my cartridges. The build quality is good all-around, though I still miss the “slats” over the PCB at the bottom of the cartridge.

The System

Did you know you have to flash the M3i Zero with firmware in order to begin using it at all? As in, it’s a complete useless piece of plastic without even a bootloader when it arrives? Did you also know there’s no instruction sheet for where/how to obtain/flash said firmware?

Considering I received my unit before its official street date, I had to google and forum search for about 15 minutes or more just to find someone who put the bootloader firmware on a Rapidshare site. I then found a website that sells the M3i Zero that had a PDF about how to flash the bootloader to the M3i Zero. So far, not so good.

Okay, so I got the firmware and the guide and began the procedure. Step 1, put firmware files on a MicroSD using the USB 2.0 adapter. Step 2, hook up the included Firmware Flashing Cable to the M3i Zero and plug it into the PC. Step 3, LED light begins flashing.

Side Note: I really did think that the LED inside the M3i Zero was a nice touch. I had no clue it was there until this procedure began and definitely thought it upped the “presentation” a bit. Too bad it really only needs to be used to flash the firmware which, to date, has only been required twice.

So, with the bootloader flashed, my DSi was happily seeing an M3i Zero in its main menu. Of course, I couldn’t load it, as I didn’t have the system software (menu/interface). I hunted furiously for “M3i Zero System Software” on Google. I was sent to many a website containing the M3 Real/G6 Real system software. I kept repeating to myself, “This is a brand new card; it doesn’t use the M3 Real software”. How wrong I was.

Repackaged with DSi Support

The M3i Zero is nothing but an M3 Real DS with DSi support. Believe me, with the disappoint I was facing once I realized the repackaging bait-and-switch, I was contemplating doing this for this review. The bottom line is, I am asking you to please read that review of the G6 Real DS, and then come on back here. I will be pointing out the differences from here on out.

It’s 95% G6 Real DS, 5% Updated G6 Real DS Software. Since that initial review, the G6/M3 team has updated the Save File extensions to be the preferred “.sav” extension, and added in Real Time Saving. Cheat support is identical (and still just as slow), the GUI is just as unresponsive and bloated, and skins are still few and far between. I will actually take from the G6 Real DS Usage section and put it below, if only to explain the clunkiness.

The GUI

Startup from DSi Menu to M3i Zero GUI takes over 15 seconds. That’s not very good. However, startup time aside, the M3i Zero interface fully supports the touch-screen, along with the control pad. You’re presented with 6 options at the main menu: Game, MyCard, Boot, Media, PDA, and Setting.

The “Game” menu loads whatever is in the “NDS” directory, and is the meat-and-potatoes of the M3i Zero. The “MyCard” menu is a file browser, and is what is currently used for launching homebrew. “Boot” is used for launching Slot-2 cards (No use on DSi), with NDS or GBA options. “Media” launches a modified Moonshell. “PDA” launches a PDA application, which you have to download separately from the M3 off-site download site. The “Setting” menu contains two options: “BootIcon” and “Skin”. “Skin” obviously lets you select different skins, and the BootIcon is for those with unflashed DS units (remember, this is still compatible with the regular DS/DSLite units). Setting this option to “Yes” will make you go to the NDS startup menu each time you turn the machine on. Setting this to “No” will start the M3i Zero automatically, and even automatically bypass the Nintendo Health and Safety warning after 1 second. Neat.

The Game menu contains all the options for running NDS Roms, including cheats, slow motion, Download Play, Real Time Save, and In-Game Reset settings.

Real Time Saving
While it’s a feature many desire, I still do not see the need for Real Time Saving (RTS) on a portable unit. It’s still too slow to be “split-second” (takes about 4 seconds for saving, 4 for loading), and the majority of DS games are programmed with the idea that you’ll be stopping/starting at any time. While it may be good for those RPGs where you’re about to take on a big boss, or Pokemon games where you’re hunting for just 1 rodent, it’s not that great for games where you have to make a jump or dodge a bullet.

Plus, sometimes your saves will restore with crackling sound or broken graphics. This affects the majority of cards with RTS, so I can’t totally slam M3 for it.

ROM Compatibility

Everything seems to be working. If there are incompatible games, the M3 teams claims they are “focused” on releasing updates as soon as possible. Time will tell on that claim.

Download Play
The Download Play option, available in each game’s settings menu, will disable all patches and launch a game with as “true” a header as possible. Is it 100% compatible? No idea. But it did work for what I threw at it.

Homebrew Compatibility
DLDI. It works.

Upgradable

This is the main selling point of the M3i Zero. The team boasted and boasted how they would promptly be able to defeat any Nintendo Protection. The M3i Zero is 100% “Future Proof”, according to their site.

People on forums talked up this feature, saying it would be their main reason for purchasing the card. As of its release, Nintendo had yet to perform any DSi Updates that could verify M3’s claims. However, less than a month after the M3i Zero’s release, Nintendo released Firmware 1.4 for the DSi. This was M3’s time to shine (and the main reason for the delay of this review). How would they act? What would their solution be? Would it be prompt?

The answers to the previous questions were resounding turd plops. The AceKard team, who never even remotely advertised their AK2i’s ability to be flash upgraded, released a fix on forums. While you needed a non-1.4 DSi or another DS to run the update, it still was prompt. EZ released an update as well. And M3i Zero owners waited. In fact, the M3 team posted to a user via e-mail that they were “working on it obtaining a DSi so they could address the issue.”

That was about when I was done with this card. But it got better…

The M3 team eventually released their 1.4-compatible firmware, which was nothing more than the AceKard solution (stealing the Danny Phantom DS Header and flashing it to the card, this making the DSi see an ‘official’ Danny Phantom cartridge and load it. Highly illegal, I might add). So the solution of the M3 team for their upgrade-proof card was to just take another team’s work, but allow you to flash it without using a compatible DSi or second DS unit.

And it took them an extra two weeks. If that doesn’t bode well for your confidence, I don’t know what will.

Conclusion

This is nothing more than a repackaged M3/G6 Real cartridge that works with the DSi. Its upgradability is its only selling point, but even then it was not what they toted it would be. Hack cards should change the game header and icon to Danny Phantom. You’d think the M3 team would have had more abilities with their firmware flashing cables and future-proof claims to figure out their own solution.

Game compatibility is high and it has RTS/Cheats/Slow-mo. However, the GUI is still sluggish, and there are just far better cards out there with more features and companies that seem to be focusing on putting “new” things into their products. Re branding it with a new name and packaging does not change the fact the M3 team is duping people into just buying the M3 Real(i).

Even the Sakura logo on the box doesn’t alter the fact that there is no documentation on what Sakura is available from the M3 team, and you have to go through GBATemp forum threads to even figure out how you get it working.

Installation Guide Step By Step

STEP1: Preparing your PC

Install winrar. WinRar is a FREE tool that allows you to extract ZIP and RAR files.

NOTE: You only need to download and install WinRAR once for your PC, so only complete this step if you have never done this for the PC you are working on!

1) Click on this link to go to the WinRAR site
2) Choose to download either the 32bit or the 64bit version shown in the image below. The version you choose should match that of your operating system. So if you have installed a 32bit version of windows then you will need the 32bit version of winrar. If you have no idea what version of windows you have then read this to find out: How do I find out what version of windows I have?

3) Once the download is finished go to your desktop where you saved it. Double click the file to start installing WinRar.

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