Questions about DS flash cards, homebrew, etc.

[scottw182]

I've been trying to research this stuff, but there's so many sites, so many products, and such varying information, that it's hard to get definite, concrete answers. I figured I would be better off just directly asking people who have experience with this stuff.

The main thing I'm wanting to do is emulate. Mainly, NES, SNES, N64 (not sure if this one is possible), Genesis, GB, GBC, GBA, and DS. I'm only going to be playing games that I own physical copies of. The main reason I want to do this is because portable gaming is much more convenient for me, and what I have the most time for. If I was able to play these old console games on my DS, it would really help. I do not want to change my firmware, I want devices that run Homebrew natively so I can keep the DS firmware (I'm assuming they all pretty much do that now, but I wanted to mention it just in case).

1) What would be the best Slot 1 card for me to get, with the best Homebrew support for those emulators?

2) If I understand correctly, Slot 1 cards can't play GBA games, so I need a Slot 2 cart. What's the best Slot 2 cart?

3) Where's the best place to find emulators for the DS?

4) How good is the emulation on the DS?

[Compute]

I've had great luck with the Acekard 2, but good luck finding one..

[erehwon]

I've had great luck with the Acekard 2, but good luck finding one..
That's the one that I picked up from dealextreme. Haven't tried yet since I need a microSD card.

I was also interested in your second question about slot 2 cards. I also heard someone mention www.ndscardsale.com (http://www.ndscardsale.com). It looks they have a large choice of cards, including slot 2 cards. I wonder which one is good.

I'm mainly looking at DS flash cards so I can have a good chunk of my DS collection on hand. I've done the same thing with my modded PSP, which also helps on its battery life.

[megasdkirby]

Out of all the cards I've used, the best IMO has to be the CycloDS.

Unfortunately, it only works on DS and DSLite, and will not work with newer consoles. :(

But compatibility and stability wise, it's always been the best.

[JSoup]

Speaking of Homebrew, do we have it on the DSi? I figured that since the Wii has been hacked to hell and back, the DSi couldn't be far behind it.

[maxlords]

For the DS Lite I've been VERY happy with the Edge card. For a Slot 2 GBA on the DS, I have the EZFlash and it's been great for me as well.

[CDiablo]

I have Acekard 2i, Its great to have 1/5 of my collection on a card. It can play GBA games with the 3 in 1 cart but I have not tried it as I dont own more than 5 GBA games. I do not know about emus for the system, but I assume there have to be some really good ones out there since the system has been out forever.

[erehwon]

Upgrading isn't much of a concern for me. I don't plan on going beyond a DS Lite. I have an original DS that works fine and only cost me $15 from a garage sale. I might upgrade to a lite someday, but not any farther than that model. I like having the GBA slot more than the other features they've introduced.

[scottw182]

I have a DS Lite, so working on a DSI isn't a concern of mine.

So, the following have been mentioned:
Acekard 2
Acekard 2i
CycloDS
Edge

Those of you that have these, how's the emulation on them? Can they emulate NES/SNES/N64/GEN/GB/GBC/GBA/DS? I'm assuming the main function of most of these is to store and play DS games, so I expect them to be able to do that. Is that the only thing you mean when you say "it works well"? I'm more concerened with them being able to emulate the older systems.

[Oobgarm]

I have a DS Lite, so working on a DSI isn't a concern of mine.

So, the following have been mentioned:
Acekard 2
Acekard 2i
CycloDS
Edge

Those of you that have these, how's the emulation on them? Can they emulate NES/SNES/N64/GEN/GB/GBC/GBA/DS? I'm assuming the main function of most of these is to store and play DS games, so I expect them to be able to do that. Is that the only thing you mean when you say "it works well"? I'm more concerened with them being able to emulate the older systems.

I'd figure they're practically the same, it just depends on the emulator you're using.

[scottw182]

I'd figure they're practically the same, it just depends on the emulator you're using.

In my, rather random, research, I read a review, on gbatemp I think, of the R4 card. It failed their tests for most of the emulators and I thought they said the reason was something about the homebrew support has to be programmed into that card, leading me to believe that different cards would have different levels of compatibility. I'm sure there must be 1 or 2 cards that are known for having the best emulator support, so that's what I'm looking for.

[Ze_ro]

1) What would be the best Slot 1 card for me to get, with the best Homebrew support for those emulators?
Your best bet is the Acekard 2 or Acekard 2i (http://shoptemp.com/categories/DS-Flashcarts/Acekard/) (2i is more expensive, but works on the DSi, so depends on what you want to do). My personal favourite is the CycloDS (http://shoptemp.com/products/CycloDS-Evolution-Card-for-Nintendo-DS-DS-Lite-p-42.html), it has more features, but it's more than twice the price and doesn't work on the DSi.

From what I can tell, homebrew support is pretty much universal these days, so any modern card will probably work... but just get the Acekard. Everyone has one, so you'll have an easy time getting help if something doesn't work.


2) If I understand correctly, Slot 1 cards can't play GBA games, so I need a Slot 2 cart. What's the best Slot 2 cart?
Don't bother with a Slot 2 memory card. What you want is the EZFlash V 3-in-1 (http://shoptemp.com/products/EZ-3-in-1-Extension-Kit-for-Nintendo-DS-Lite-p-40.html). This card sits in Slot 2, and Slot 1 cards can "feed" it GBA roms which it then plays. No need for extra SD cards just for GBA games. This also provides RAM expansion (for Opera), and rumble pack support. Note that your Slot 1 card has to specifically support this device. I know the CycloDS does, and I'm 95% certain the Acekard does.

--Zero

[Enigmus]

I'm not sure why I'm asking this, but I've read in a few places that the Action Replay DS software has an option to set the ARDS for use as a flash card. Has this been confirmed by anyone at all?

[scottw182]

Thanks Zero, that helped a lot. I just found an entire forum on gbatemp devoted to this stuff so I'll be getting the rest of my info there. Thanks for all the responses.

[Cryomancer]

The "does this card support homebrew" stuff was mostly regarding the DLDI feature, and I am pretty sure all modern cards have that taken care of automatically. You shouldn't have many issues not being able to run homebrew if you get an acekard or cylco or whatnot.

Most of these cards also have their own cheat functions built in.

[norkusa]

I also heard someone mention www.ndscardsale.com (http://www.ndscardsale.com). It looks they have a large choice of cards, including slot 2 cards. I wonder which one is good.

Yeah, this is DealExtreme's new site for flashcards only. So they're legit.

Pretty much everything Zero said is right on. I use the Acekard 2/EZ Flash 3-in-1 setup on my Lite and I've never had any problems. Just make sure you use the custom AKAIO firmware for the Acekard instead of the stock fw.

[erehwon]

So, where is a good site for DS homebrew and apps? I have a couple sites for PSP stuff, but don't know of any for the DS?

[kedawa]

So are the DSi-LL and DSi-XL the same as a regular DSi as far as these things are concerned?

[maxlords]

Yeah, this is DealExtreme's new site for flashcards only. So they're legit.

Pretty much everything Zero said is right on. I use the Acekard 2/EZ Flash 3-in-1 setup on my Lite and I've never had any problems. Just make sure you use the custom AKAIO firmware for the Acekard instead of the stock fw.

Thank goodness DealExtreme set up a new site for that. I was pissed when I went to buy a card for my DSi and found they had nothing on their main site.

[kedawa]

I don't think that site is all that new. I was browsing for a bit and some of the content was a couple of years old.

[maxlords]

Long time but bump!

Ended up getting a new iEdge from that site...everything went smooth as hell. Course now I'm looking for an original Edge for a buddy and they don't make em anymore :(

Anyone know if the iEdge works on the DS Lite?

[poloplayr]

Get the DsTwo - its onboard prop processor allows for GBA emulation. And works across the board with DSs.

[norkusa]

Get the DsTwo - its onboard prop processor allows for GBA emulation. And works across the board with DSs.

The DStwo is made by the Supercard Team, right? I had the DSone and it was the biggest piece of crap flashcard I've ever used. Extremely bloated OS and half of the options/features didn't even work. Don't know anything about this new one though. Did they do a total overhaul with the OS?

GBA emulation sounds great. How well does it work? Only reason I'm still holding onto my DS Lite & 3-in-1 expansion is for the Slot 2.

[Gapporin]

The DStwo is made by the Supercard Team, right? I had the DSone and it was the biggest piece of crap flashcard I've ever used. Extremely bloated OS and half of the options/features didn't even work. Don't know anything about this new one though. Did they do a total overhaul with the OS?

Actually, they did, and the great part about it is that they've made a backwards version to work with the DSOne. I have a DSOne, and while I've never had any problems with it, I could understand your concerns. But the new OS has some great features, including load and save states, in-game pausing, brightness adjusting on-the-fly, returning to the main menu without resetting, and more.

[megasdkirby]

Get the DsTwo - its onboard prop processor allows for GBA emulation. And works across the board with DSs.

I heard that emulation was buggy as hell.

Nice to have, but if what I read is true...

[maxlords]

I have a DSONEi card....HORRIBLE interface...total garbage. IMO, DS Lite with the 3 in 1 expansion is the ONLY way to go.

[dgdgagdae]

This thread is a little over 2 years old, and I don't see anything newer related to DS flash cards. I have a DSi XL and 3DS XL. I'd like to get a flash card for the DSi, mostly for playing GBA games, since there is no GBA slot on a DSi. Is the DSTwo still the one to get? Are there firmware concerns, as in it won't work with some level of firmware? What's a reputable source for these?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

This thread is a little over 2 years old, and I don't see anything newer related to DS flash cards. I have a DSi XL and 3DS XL. I'd like to get a flash card for the DSi, mostly for playing GBA games, since there is no GBA slot on a DSi. Is the DSTwo still the one to get? Are there firmware concerns, as in it won't work with some level of firmware? What's a reputable source for these?

Both the EZFlash Vi and AceKard 2i seem to have ended support for 3DS firmware updates.

I now have the Supercard DSTwo. It is right now, from all the research I've done, and what I've experienced, the most actively supported card. Time will tell - but all of the claims are that this card was made with the current style of how Nintendo works their card-blocking firmware updates in mind and can more easily circumvent that.

It allegedly uses hardware and firmware that is less susceptible to being locked out by Nintendo's firmware updates and the devs frequently have firmware and system updates on the same day/week as US 3DS firmware updates.

It also has "plugin" support for emulators specifically coded to run off the cartridge hardware.

I've only used the GBA plugin and outside of games that use special hardware or otherwise processor intensive 3D graphics, it's pretty good.

Like most GBA emulation some games will work perfectly, some won't and some might run SLIGHTLY slower than they should.

I got mine at digitopz.com so I'd say that's a reliable source to buy one. Shipping was super fast from what I recall.

[dgdgagdae]

Any idea what this means, aside from the bad translation?

The SD card with latest kernel and games are stopped offer at the moment for too much order on hand, we will offer this service to our customers again when time is available, thanks for your support!
SD card without kernels and games still available to all our customers!--Dec.11,2012

A kernel sounds like something I need.

[xelement5x]

Any idea what this means, aside from the bad translation?

The SD card with latest kernel and games are stopped offer at the moment for too much order on hand, we will offer this service to our customers again when time is available, thanks for your support!
SD card without kernels and games still available to all our customers!--Dec.11,2012

A kernel sounds like something I need.

From my understanding it basically means that they can sell and ship you the SD card with the files already preinstalled. You can just download them from the links though and do the installation yourself. SD cards are cheap so I would buy one on my own instead of paying the premium for theirs. Also, it looks like you can request an invoice and pay by PayPal if you're more comfortable that way.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Any idea what this means, aside from the bad translation?

The SD card with latest kernel and games are stopped offer at the moment for too much order on hand, we will offer this service to our customers again when time is available, thanks for your support!
SD card without kernels and games still available to all our customers!--Dec.11,2012

A kernel sounds like something I need.

If you get one I can point you in the right direction for all the current files.

[dgdgagdae]

What about a good flash cart for the GBA? Is the EZ Flash IV pretty much the cream of the crop? It seems hard to find.

[BlastProcessing402]

What about a good flash cart for the GBA? Is the EZ Flash IV pretty much the cream of the crop? It seems hard to find.

Is that the one with a micro SD slot? If so, that's definitely the way to go. I got something else and it has to be hooked directly to the PC via USB, and the software you have to use to get games on and off the thing is incredibly cumbersome and non-userfriendly.

And any GBA card seems to be getting hard to find, and sometimes when you find them they're the damn ones that only fit in a DSLite, not a DS or GBA.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

What about a good flash cart for the GBA? Is the EZ Flash IV pretty much the cream of the crop? It seems hard to find.

Yeah, EZ Flash IV probably runs the highest number of games correctly with no slowdown, etc. however it is hard to come by these days and it has a pretty terrible menu system.

And, it uses a MINI SD ... which are also a bit of a PITA to come by.

[BlastProcessing402]

Mini SD? wow, yuck. I though it used Micro which are common as dirt. Mini... might as well use some stupid proprietary card like Sony.

[superaccount]

The supercard dstwo (http://www.thegamerdepot.com/supercard-dstwobest-flashcart-for-3ds-xl3dsdsids-p-152.html) is the best option for playing gba games, it has a built-in emulator and near perfect compatibility

[BlastProcessing402]

The supercard dstwo is the best option for playing gba games, it has a built-in emulator and near perfect compatibility

Compatibility may be near perfect, as in games will run, but there's still some issues with the emulation, as in they don't all run right. It's only best if your system lacks a GBA slot. If you have a DS or DSlite, one of the many GBA carts is still a far better option, since then you're not emulating at all.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Compatibility may be near perfect, as in games will run, but there's still some issues with the emulation, as in they don't all run right. It's only best if your system lacks a GBA slot. If you have a DS or DSlite, one of the many GBA carts is still a far better option, since then you're not emulating at all.

Agreed.