Nintendo once teased me... and I've never gotten over it.
Some time ago, when some revision of the DS (I think the DSi) was being discussed, someone with Nintendo mentioned in some interview that they had designed a system with two card slots, but removed one to save space.
Ever since this, I've dreamed about the possibility of multiple card slots in my DS. Usually, I have a case that carries a few titles - 1) Whatever flavor of the month I'm currently playing (Previously Mass Attack, Skylanders - Now, Mario 3D Land, Professor Layton). 2) I like to carry a puzzle game with me. Pictocross, Tetris, etc. Depending if I have three titles in the first category, I may not have one of these. 3) New Super Mario Bros. Always. Mario vs. Luigi mode is a *staple* of my DS time and I'll challenge any one of you and even put money down on my victory. I wish Nintendo would just release a downloadable version of this. Throw in some new levels and I'd pay $30 for a digital download, Nintendo. Please, take my money.
Anyway, so I was in Best Buy tonight and I spotted something that seemed like the answer to my dreams - the Memorex Universal Game Selector.
Yes, apparently Memorex makes gaming accessories now.
Perhaps they shouldn't.
I was going to wait until I broke this in some more to comment on it, but I messed around with it a bit more tonight and it's pretty cut and dry. The actual concept works great - plug it in to any DS system (it advertises DS Lite, DSi, DSiXL and 3DS - but it does work with the original DS as well). Put in up to three cartridges, plug it into the system and you're good to go. A small sliding switch allows you to swap between the three cartridges you've got loaded in the selector.
Again, it works great on all DS systems - although on the original DS and DS Lite, you do have to completely power down the DS before flipping the switch. On the other DS systems, you can just swap it willy-nilly (although, of course, not while one of the games are actually loaded).
The adapter is pretty streamlined and for those of us with bigger hands, it actually helps give some grip to the system - although I'm sure some won't like the extra heft, it doesn't really add that much bulk to it. It does not use any extra batteries or any other power source, so that's a plus - I can't imagine it puts any kind of a drain on the battery either. The adapter was designed so that all ports, plugs and styli slots are accessible. However - if you plan to use it with other accessories (one of the battery grips, the Circle Pad Pro, etc.) you're out of luck it just wouldn't work.
Now, while it does sound pretty awesome - I must declare this not at all worth a purchase. The adapter is just too loose - putting it in and taking it out of my carrying case pulls the adapter out - this is a huge no-no, as I often throw my 3DS in the case with a game on Standby/sleep mode. Yanking the cartridge out is, of course, not acceptable. Because the adapter was designed for all DS units, it doesn't really "hug" the system well - it merely slides in the cartridge slot and this is all that holds it. Because of the hump at the top where it bends around to the back, and because of the ejection mechanism for DS cartridges, a simple bump will cause the entire thing to pop out of the system. I could even see some vigorous motion gaming knocking the adapter out if you moved your hands just right. Seriously, this is a huge flaw and I don't even see how this product made it out of testing. Oddly enough, the adapter is actually a pretty tight fit in the original DS - the one that it doesn't really advertise it works with.
So, there you have it. I wasted $20 so you don't have to.
Now, if you're a GBA SP fan, related, you might check out this:
http://www.amazon.com/Game-Boy-Advance-SP-Changer/dp/B00009IM2I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321250766&sr=8-1A similar attachment for the GBASP. Aside from the fact that it makes the system frickin' huge, this actually works quite well. Sadly, I got mine in 2008 for super-cheap from Amazon during a sale they were having. 2008 being long after I carried my GBA (let alone multiple GBA games) around with me. It's a great item though. It *is* limited to working on the GBASP and won't work on the original GBA, DS or DS Lite.
Topic: Memorex Universal Game Selector (Read 4009 times)
