Friday, September 7, 2007 - What is the M3 DS Simply?

M3 DS Simply at Digimartz.com now $39, with 1GB TF card is $57.5, with 2GB TF card is $76.99 ,and opened wholesale function.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007 - M3 Ds Simply FAQ-6

R4DS at Digimartz.com now $39, with 1GB TF card is $57.5, with 2GB TF card is $76.99 ,and opened wholesale function.

Does it matter what game I'm using with the PassMe/Key/etc?

Not unless you use ndsPatcher, which has some games save right to the card. PassMe/PassKey2 for the newer coloured (and the latest silver) DS's requires a certain game to be used, and the program on the PassKey/Me requires that game

What is FlashMe?

FlashMe is a piece of software that works much like the PassKey. Replacing your original NDS firmware with FlashMe firmware allows you to play NDS roms from the M3 without having a PassKey attached to your NDS. You can find out more info from the FlashMe Website

If I use FlashMe, why do I need a PassKey at all?

You can use a Passkey or similar passthrough device attached to your NDS in order to install FlashMe. You then run the flashme.nds as you would any other NDS rom on your M3. Once you have FlashMe installed, you might not need your PassKey again. It is also possible to use WifiMe to install FlashMe. If you are able to use WifiMe, the PassKey is not necessary.

How do I boot my NDS in GBA Mode with FlashMe?

When your NDS has been FlashMe'd, it will normally boot straight to the M3 in NDS Mode. Press Start at the M3 main menu to boot into GBA mode. Alternatively, you can hold select while booting the NDS to access the original NDS menu. From there you can select GBA mode

How do I boot to the regular NDS with FlashMe?

To boot to the standard NDS menu screen, turn on your NDS while holding the Select button. From there, you can even start your M3 in GBA mode (just press "Start GBA Game").

Monday, September 3, 2007 - M3 DS Simply FAQ-5

M3 DS Simply at Digimartz.com now $39, with 1GB TF card is $57.5, with 2GB TF card is $76.99 and opened wholesale function.

What is the PassKey?

PassKey is the device that allows NDS roms to be played from the M3 cartridge. Basically, when you play a normal NDS cartridge, your NDS checks the cartridge for a special hardware 'key'. When you try to play an NDS rom from the M3, your NDS also checks for a 'key' in the NDS cartridge slot; if you have a PassKey and a real NDS cartridge attached, the NDS will play the rom using the 'key' from the real NDS cartridge. It passes the key from the NDS cartridge to the rom in the M3.

Does the M3 Adapter come with a Passkey?

It depends. Most shops will sell it with a PassKey, but some shops will sell without it for less if you already have a PassMe variant or your DS is FlashMe'd.

Does it matter what PassMe variant I use?

Only if you have a newer DS, if not, then they all do the same thing:

• PassMe1 - Any game cart, firmware 1, 2, and 3
• PassMe2 - Specific game cart, firmware 1, 2, 3, 4 and above
• NoPass - No game cart, all firmwares

How do I know whether to get PassMe or PassMe2?

Boot your DS up with an NDS game in. Open PictoChat and go into any chat room. Remove the NDS Cart.

Depending on your firmware, one of the following will happen:

• FW1: DS will freeze, when you remove the cart
• FW2: Grayish Blue
• FW3: Dark Green
• FW4: Yellow
• FW5: Magenta
• FW6: Blue
• iQue FW: Dark Green
• DSLite FW: Purple
• FlashME (all versions): Dark Green

If you have Firmware 1, 2 or 3 a PassMe1 variant will work with your DS. If you have FW4 you require a PassMe2 variant or NoPass (PassMe3) variant. If you have an iQue DS it will not work with PassMe, but if you have an iQue, you'll know it (only available in China, says iQue instead of Nintendo on it).

Friday, August 31, 2007 - M3 DS Simply - 4

M3 DS Simply at Digimartz.com now $39, with 1GB TF card is $57.5, with 2GB TF card is $76.99

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Why doesn't this demo program work?

Format your SD to FAT32 or try starting it with "Start" instead of "A".

This program has a .nds version and a .ds.gba version. Which should I use?

Either one. The homebrew .nds versions may require that you hit Start for Demo Mode, so .ds.gba may be easier.

When should I use DS mode and when should I run it in GBA mode?

When you want to play DS games, run DS mode. When you want to play GBA games, run GBA mode.

So where can i get the M3 game manager and conversion software?

http://www.m3adapter.com/main.htm - you can also find out more about this device here

Does the software work with a Mac?

Although the converter software for Roms and Movies is designed for a PC, It can be run on a Mac through Virtual PC. The patching software has been tested with Mac OSX Tiger 10.4 and Virtual PC 7 with Windows XP, a Sandisk 12 in 1 media card reader that works with Windows plug and play (card readers that use drivers may not work). The software will transfer games and patch them. It is 100% compatable with the Macintosh system with this setup.

The movie converting software has been run through Virtual PC by a GBATMW member (the GBAMP version), and it has converted movies successfully, but as its in virtual PC, it is reported to take over 8 hours for a movie.

If you have a new mac that uses Intel processors (any of the new Mac Mini's, MacPro's, Macbooks (pro) or iMacs), then you can run the windows apps natively via apples Bootcamp software and an installation of Windows XP, or via Parallel's virtualisation software. In this setup, it will run as fast as it will on similar specced PC's.

Does M3 work with WiFiMe?

Currently WiFiMe is not working and is not a suitable alternative to getting a PassMe variant or one of the many alternatives. (Jan 6 2006 - tested M3-SD with E14 update)

Thursday, August 30, 2007 - M3 DS Simply FAQ3

How much will it cost?

M3 DS Simply at Digimartz.com now $39, with 1GB TF card is $57.5, with 2GB TF card is $76.99

Does it matter what kind of a CF/SD card I use?

Most memory cards will work. Although some cards will perform better than others .

For the M3 SD. most SD compatible cards will work, including Mini and Micro SD cards in adapter housings. If you want to get a cheaper card, it is advisable to check the Media Card Compatability List for your brand/size. Be advised that just because the 512MB one worked doesn't mean the 1GB one will (although it is usually the case that it will). For best compatibility, all major brands are thought to work. Its worth noting that the M3 SD had terrible SD card compatibility when it first came out, and later updates have fixed almost every card. If an SD card is shown to work with an update, it will almost always work with every update that came subsequent to it.

For the CF M3, almost every CF card tested has worked with the adapter, although slowdown for games is more of an issue. However, most name brand cards will work well. Type 2 CF cards (5.5mm) will not work without case modification. The most common aim of doing this is to use a Microdrive (CF based hard disk). However, hard disks consume great amounts of power, and battery life when using a microdrive plummets to around 1-2 hours. (This may last longer with the new DS Lite battery).

Which patcher should I use?

The M3 Game Manager is usually the best one to use. The ndsPatcher program works for some games the M3 Game Manager does not.

Do I need to patch my GBA games?

Not unless you want real time save. Then you should patch them through the M3 Game Manager. There are also some instances where games will not save properly, or at all into the M3's save RAM, in which case, you should patch the ROM.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - M3 DS Simply FAQ - 2

Online (WFC) play

The online feature of many games (referred to as WFC, or WiFi Connection) works on all currently released Internet enabled games. This has been tested successfully on many occasions with Tony Hawks American Sk8land, Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, Clubhouse Games and Metroid Prime Hunters. It works between 2 M3's and between an M3 and a normal game card.

If you have the FlashMe v7 firmware installed, you can still go online with Nintendo WFC. Nintendo has not been baning Nintendo DS that have Flashme v7 Firmware installed. It is not determined at this time weather or not this may be a possibility in the future.

Does the M3 Simply have built in RAM?

No. Slot-1 device cannot have RAM. The DS slot is too slow. If you need extra RAM, buy a slot-2 device.

Does the M3 Adapter and PassKey work with every DS?

The M3 is seen as a normal GBA cartridge by every Nintendo DS console. In GBA mode the M3 can run GBA backups and homebrew. If a compatible passthrough device is used, then the M3 has the ability to boot into NDS mode, and run NDS backups and NDS homebrew.

If you are using an old DS, then the DS can be used with a Passkey, or PassMe1. If the DS you're using is a newer DS (all DS's produced after Sept. '05 are new firmware DS's) then you are required to use a Passkey2, Passcard2/3 or other compatible Passthrough2 device. Variants of these include the Superpass2, Max Media Launcher (made by Datel) and the PassMe2. These require varying degrees of programming to work. The recommended device to buy with your M3 is the Passcard3 - this requires no programming, and is simply plug and play in operation.

As a rough guide, you can tell what firmware you have by when you bought your DS and what colour it is. All coloured DS's (apart early Japanese coloured DS's) have newer firmware, along with all the DS Lites. A simple test to see what generation of firmware you have is outlined.

How much will it cost?

Both the CF and SD version cost between $90 and $105 with a PassKey including delivery. Choosing a PassKey 2 will add on an extra $3 or $4. The cost of the SD/CF card is down to about $20 for a 2 gigabyte card.

Does it matter what kind of a CF/SD card I use?

Most memory cards will work. Although some cards will perform better than others .

For the M3 SD. most SD compatible cards will work, including Mini and Micro SD cards in adapter housings. If you want to get a cheaper card, it is advisable to check the Media Card Compatability List for your brand/size. Be advised that just because the 512MB one worked doesn't mean the 1GB one will (although it is usually the case that it will). For best compatibility, all major brands are thought to work. Its worth noting that the M3 SD had terrible SD card compatibility when it first came out, and later updates have fixed almost every card. If an SD card is shown to work with an update, it will almost always work with every update that came subsequent to it.

For the CF M3, almost every CF card tested has worked with the adapter, although slowdown for games is more of an issue. However, most name brand cards will work well. Type 2 CF cards (5.5mm) will not work without case modification. The most common aim of doing this is to use a Microdrive (CF based hard disk). However, hard disks consume great amounts of power, and battery life when using a microdrive plummets to around 1-2 hours. (This may last longer with the new DS Lite battery).

Which patcher should I use?

The M3 Game Manager is usually the best one to use. The ndsPatcher program works for some games the M3 Game Manager does not.

Thursday, August 23, 2007 - M3 DS Simply FAQ

Digimartz.com Support

Why should I choose one version of the M3 (CF, SD, MiniSD) over the other

General Guidelines

For the most part, the version you choose will depend on your personal preferences and which type of media you would like to buy. Due to the size of the media, the CF version will stick out the most, the SD version less, MiniSD is just like a GBA cartdridge and microSD version fits perfectly in DS Lite. The price of media and the size of available media will vary based on the type you choose. For instance, microSD is currently limited to 2GB in size, while Compact Flash (CF) is available is sizes greater than 4GB. CF version has also a slight better compatibility with some homebrews.

Homebrew Compatiblity

The currently available homebrew FAT drivers offer the best support for CF cards. The current beta FAT driver has added support for SD cards, however it will require each homebrew author to add this code to their application to add SD support. Older applications may never be updated, or the author may decide to wait for the full release before integrating the new FAT drivers. In addition, reports are that the new beta FAT driver does a much better job of supporting SD than it does of MiniSD cards.

So if you plan on running homebrew applications the CF version of the M3 offers the greatest compatiblity, the MiniSD version the least. Please check official site of any homebrew you plan to run to verify compatiblity with different versions of the M3.

Does the touchscreen work when playing backup NDS ROMs?

Yes, it does. NDS Roms are loaded like any other game, and so will be able to use all the functions of the DS.

Can you still use the WiFi service when playing backup NDS ROMs?

Local Playing

Multicard games can be played in multiplayer when both players use an m3/g6. Some games may be able to perform multi-card play between a backed up rom on the M3 with a real NDS cart. Check the NDS rom compatibility list for information about the specific game.

M3 <-> Original has been tested to work with New Super Mario Bros, Tetris DS, Pokemon Pearl, and Mario Kart DS.

If you attempt to host a DS Download Play game off of a game located on your M3 adaptor, it will fail the RSA signature check performed on recieving Nintendo DS units and the game will not load. The recieving DS will just sit with a white screen, with a slightly greyed out Nintendo logo on the top screen.

Because the rom must be patched before the game will boot from the M3 Adaptor, the security key doesn't match up with the CRC of the origional Rom. FlashMe installed on recieving DS units alieviates this problem by removing the RSA signature checks on DS Download Play. It is theorized that if un-touched roms would boot straight from the m3 adaptor, single card multiplayer will probably work with any DS.

The host of the game does not have to have FlashMe installed, only the recievers do.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - M3 DS Simply MicroSD/TF Slot-1 Solution Adapter

The newest product in the M3 Perfect line up is the M3 DS Simply. The M3 DS is a Slot 1 solution, meaning instead of using the GBA slot it uses the DS slot and is the same size as a standard DS game. This means you will no longer need a Passcard3 in order to play in Nintendo DS mode! It is an all-in-one solution, just add a MicroSD/TF memory card and you are ready to go!
 

Buy M3 DS Simply  at Digimartz.com(instock)!

Feature:

• Built in passme (no need for a Passcard or other booting card)
• Uses micro SD (Transflash) memory. Hold more games by buying a larger card!
• 100% support for clean ROM's - no need for software patching
• Drag and drop functionality - just take your clean files and drag them onto your microSD card.
• No drivers or other software required
• Supports standard FAT file system
• Supports all types of microSD cards regardless of speed
• Upgradeable firmware (OS, bios, kernel)
• Touch screen menus and robust skinning support
• Never lose your saves - back the save file up directly to the microSD card
• Autodetects save type and generates the save file for you if one doesn't exist
• Homebrew support
• Moonshell built in for movie playback, music, and Text eBooks
• Supports WiFi/WFC, DS rumble pak, and the Opera DS Browser