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Ewin DS Lite Rumble Pack
Manufacturer: Ewin
Site: Buy from Brando
Price: $12.00

Overview : This NDS Lite Rumble Pak (3rd Party) deliver smooth rumble experience to you. Make you have better experiences when you play the game that support Rumble.

Features :

Built-in RUMBLE system
Deliver smooth rumble experience
2 colors available, Black or White
This is not an official Nintendo Product

Quality/Usability : The Rumble Pak was first introduced on the GameBoy Advance (GBA). Since then, Nintendo has released it for the Nintendo DS as well. The first game to receive this was Metroid Prime Pinball for the DS. With the release of the DS Lite which features a smaller design and brighter screen, Nintendo released a new updated Rumble Pak that is more flush with the DS Lite rather then a protruding cart.

Unfortunately, Nintendo only released the Rumble Pak in Japan. Seeing as Nintendo failed to provide a Rumble Pak for other countries gamers outside of Japan were left high and dry. Thats where Ewin steps in. They are well known for their flash carts and their quality of products.

Ewin Rumble Pak's are available in white and black. The Rumble Pak fits flush with the system and does not protrude out of the DS Lite. Its technically the same size as the Slot-2 dust cover that came with the DS Lite. The Rumble Pak does not require any batteries to power it. This however, will not fit on the original DS (phat).

Inserting and removing the Rumble Pak doesnt require much force. As mentioned above, the Rumble Pak doesnt any extra batteries or any special attention. Just insert into Slot-2 of the DS Lite and load a game that supports the rumble feature.

At the time of this review, this is the list of games that are compatible with the Rumble Pak:

42 All-Time Classics (aka Clubhouse Games)
Diddy Kong Racing DS
Elite Beat Agents
Hotel Dusk: Room 215
The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning
Magnetica
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Metroid Prime Pinball
Metroid Prime: Hunters
Picross DS
Star Fox Command
Star Trek: Tactical Assault
Super Princess Peach

I have tested the Rumble Pak with majority of the games listed and they all work perfectly. With each hit or move, you can feel the vibration of the Rumble Pak. Although not as strong as what you would find on console controllers, you'll still feel the vibration. As it vibrates, you'll hear the sound of the motor but the sound it produces isnt loud at all. If you're in a quite area with the sound turned off, you'll notice it. But if you're in a noisy area or with the sound on, you wont hear it at all.

During the test of the Rumble Pak, I didnt notice much of a battery drain on my DS Lite. Mind you, I didnt play with my DS Lite in consecutive hours nor did I have a timer. This was going by my estimation of time.

Conclusion : Overall, the Ewin DS Lite Rumble Pak is a well built product. There arent a lot of games that utilizes the rumble feature. Those who use flash carts that uses Slot-2, will not be able to use this. Is it needed for gameplay? Not really but for the price of $12, thats really cheap. Hopefully there will be more games that will support rumble such as Mario Hoops 3-on-3. I would of like the rumble of each swipe of the ball I take or each dunk I make! I guess I can only dream for now.

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