Now, for the driver disc: interestingly enough, it contains not only the OS for the DS ONE, but also for all other Supercard products, proving useful for those users owning them and wishing to take full advantage of the already mentioned interaction between them and the DS ONE. Neverthless we'd advice downloading the latest version from the official site, seeing how the revision included is an old v3.0 released on December 2007.

The Supercard DS ONE comes bundled with a compact microSD USB 2.0 reader, HC compatible. It features a simple yet elegant design, with a white plastic case and removable cap protecting the USB connector: the card slot is on top of the unit, where a small notch for attaching it to a keychain or necklare can also be found. When connected, it's automatically recognised by all major OS'es (we've tested Windows Vista and Ubuntu Linux) and a red LED lights up within the unit. Our complain for an otherwise excellent and stylish reader is how unprotected the microSD is: almost like the old Supercard CF, the card is only halfway inserted, hence prone to break should one accidentally hit it; on top of it, it broke down after roughly two weeks.

Now, let's examine the flashcard itself: the DS ONE Mk.II is a Slot-1 flashcard, identical in size and shape to a standard, Nintendo produced cartridge, differing from its non-HC counterpart by its white shell and new sticker graphics, which covers the entire front. Once turned around, you will notice the drawing detailing the correct orientation for memory card insertion, as well as a tiny screw: the latter's role will be explained later.

The microSD slot is spring-loaded: whether this is a pro or con it's somewhat of a matter of personal taste and build quality of the hardware; some manufacturers opted for springs, other did otherwise. As disastrous as it was the the older R4 revisions, we do prefer this kind of mechanism, as it allows for easier removal of the card, which would otherwise require one's fingernails. While the card will not stick from the top of the DS ONE (actually stopping half a millimeter short of it), the usual drawback of requiring a small fingertip or nails to apply pressure on it is unavoidable: the spring itself poses quite a bit of resistance against the microSD, something we assume is due to either the flashcard being brand new or the component's quality being remarkable.

We mentioned a small screw on the back of the card: while other manufacturers chose either to keep the two halves of the shell joined by plastic clasps or by old plain glue (the latter something we are thoroughly annoyed with, to tell the truth), unscrewing it will grant easy access to the circuit board, as shown above. We didn't completely remove it from its casing as the components (namely the PSRAM module) on the back actually stick out from a hole in the shell and adhere to the sticker, but that's something that does not hinder the user when operating on the board. Owners of the older model will notice how the circuitry is now green, as opposed to red, although this is just a cosmetic change; we mentioned how, as of February 2008, the manufacturer seems to have updated the card's design: apparently, the only modifications were a relocation of the controller chip (hidden under a large drop of black epoxy in the pictures above) and the battery (whose function is unclear) moved in its place.

This change is understandable if you think of one the DS ONE's greatest weaknesses: PSRAM. The entire Supercard series, ever since its first specimens, always used this component, whose failure almost invariably cripples the hardware. Lately, a noticeable batch of units turned out to be either faulty or extremely fragile in this regard, which explains the team's prompt redesign.

Overall, this DS ONE Mk.II proves to be a well-built unit: the plastic shell is solid and safely kept closed by plastic pins and a single screw, something which ensures protection against accidents while allowing power users to take a peek inside; what did not convince us, though, was the choice (shared with other products such as the DS-Link, first-generation DSTT and EDGE DS) to keep the PSRAM vulnerable, covered only by the sticker. Seeing how another sensitive component -the internal battery- was moved to a safer place and how said memory chip is at the root of a common hardware fault trying to squeeze it inside the casing would've been wiser.

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