Nintendo DS Cards and Nintendo DSi Cards allow a user to use their handheld console for a variety of different purposes. They can convert their DSi or DS into an MP3 player, video/movie player or even an office document and PDF reader. In addition to this, games would still be able to be played as usual.
The M3i Zero is one of the newest DSi compatible cards to come to market. In terms of card construction, it is somewhat similar to the EZFlash Vi card. The Micro-SD card slot is smartly located on the side of the card rather than on the top. This means that it is impossible for a Micro-SD card to accidentally fall out of the M3i Zero during play, and therefore the card and the memory are both less likely to become dislodged in general (whether it be in transit or otherwise). The mechanical construction and dimensional control on the M3i Zero is exceptional, and is made of extremely sturdy plastic that feels slightly denser than most other DSi compatible Nintendo DS flash carts.
One interesting design aspect of the M3i Zero is that the Micro-SD card slot is unusually deep. While this completely eliminates any problems whatsoever to do with the Micro-SD card not being read by the card, sometimes a fingernail is required to completely push the Micro-SD card into the slot and bring it back out again. However, many believe that this slight inconvenience is worth the advantage of never having to worry about a DS or DSi crashing mid-game or mid-application.
The M3i Zero card supports Micro-SD TransFlash and Micro-SDHC cards up to maximum of 32 gigabytes. On average, each gigabyte of data can store about eight games, which means more than two hundred and fifty games can be stored on a single card. Striking a balance between price and memory size usually means a 4GB of an 8GB Micro-SDHC card although 16GB cards can be used at increasingly reasonable prices due to the price of memory gradually falling worldwide. There is usually more than enough room to store many MP3s as well as a movie or two, with some room left over for a user's favourite games.
The firmware / software for the M3i Zero is what makes it stand out the most amongst DS cards. It is a well known fact in homebrew community circles that the firmware for the M3i Zero was co-written by the creator of the popular Moonshell multimedia software for Nintendo DS and DSi cards. The firmware is one of the most comprehensive and well written pieces of software available for any DSi card, and was the first in the world to support smooth scrolling. Firmware updates on the M3i Zero have a novel approach to them: a cable that plugs directly into the M3i Zero from a USB port is supplied with the box. The user can put the upgraded firmware on a Micro-SD card then plug the M3i Zero in to ‘flash' it, which will make a red light on the back of the M3i Zero flash for about thirty seconds. A good online shop such as NDS-Gear will have already pre-flashed the M3i Zero so that the end user doesn't have to do this, though.
To summarize, the M3i Zero was the most advanced DSi compatible card in the world at the time of its manufacture. This was partly due to its advanced mechanical design but also because of its firmware, which was co-written by the creator of Moonshell. The M3i Zero can support up to 32GB of data and allows a user to fill that with movies, MP3s, books and games. It is a fantastic multimedia device that allows people to expand the capabilities of their Nintendo DS or DSi console to the next level!
