What best card for the DS lite these days

[kittybear]

So picked up an old DSlite, not had one since the early days, Back then I was using a cheap R4 card, I do remember tho towards the end some games wouldn't run due to new protections put in place by the game devs, even remember having to put a modified SW on it to get more games to work, But that was many years ago and I'm hoping those bugs have been worked out and compatibility is much better these days, So were better to ask what card:

.Has the best compatibility with games/homebrew
.Can take decent size micro SD cards (The last R4 I had did have issues going over 2 GB or 4 GB )
.Maybe has some kind of media options (Might not be a thing but thought MP3 player+)
.Any other cool features

The first 2 are what I'm looking for compatibility/SD size mainly anything else is a bonus.

Thanks.

 

[Nikokaro]

R4 Gold Pro (yellow cartridge with gold label): compatible with virtually all titles via its software, less compatible using YSMenu (alternative software). Uses a micro SD up to 32 GB maximum. As of 2022 it should no longer have the infamous "timebomb" (software expiration), however, which can be circumvented via YSMenu (or by changing the console menu date). Very cheap, and the quality of the plastic is poor, as indeed are all the latest, most popular flashcarts.

 

[Apache Thunder]

I would not recommend time bomb carts. If you can find one at a decent price an Acekard 2i would be a good cart or perhaps an original R4. og R4s that don't support SDHC still work great and run the last version of Wood (1.62 or so from what I recall). OG R4s don't work on unmodded DSi/3DS consoles but you mentioned using a DS Lite which was the console that flashcart was intended for so it would work fine for that one. (otherwise you'll need Twilight menu's slot1 launcher or NTR Launcher to boot an og R4 if using DSi/3DS)

I can't imagine you'll need more then 2GB but if you need more then that then a Acekard 2i would be a good option...if you can find one. DSTwo could work you too but those are pricey these days.

I happen to have a R4i Gold Pro coming in the mail. Found it on Wal-Mart website and it was only $14 or so after tax when I got it. (used a gift card given to me for Christmas). From what I've seen the timebomb for the 2024 one is in September of 2024.

I got it because it should be ntrboot compatible so I don't actually plan to use it as a flashcart.

I've had spotty compatibility with YSMenu...though it has been a looong time since I used that loader....

 

[SylverReZ]

I would not recommend time bomb carts. If you can find one at a decent price an Acekard 2i would be a good cart or perhaps an original R4. og R4s that don't support SDHC still work great and run the last version of Wood (1.62 or so from what I recall). I can't imagine you'll need more then 2GB then a Acekard 2i would be a good option...if you can find one. DSTwo could work you too but those are pricey these days.

I happen to have a R4i Gold Pro coming in the mail. Found it on Wal-Mart website and it was only $14 or so after tax when I got it. (used a gift card given to me for Christmas). From what I've seen the timebomb for the 2024 one is in September of 2024.

I got it because it should be ntrboot compatible so I don't actually plan to use it as a flashcart.

R4i-SDHC timebomb cards should be okay; these are nothing special other than the stock kernel will stop working if it passes a certain date. YSMenu and TWiLight Menu++ are recommended kernels to use. The Acekard 2i is another card that I recommend because of how high-quality it has been built. The parts are less power-consuming, so your DS won't lose power really quickly and will last gaming sessions for much longer.

 

[Apache Thunder]

Well there is this:

https://github.com/lifehackerhansol/r4itool

It's a tool that supposedly patches out the timebomb from the original kernel. Curious if it will work for the Gold's loader. I may have to poke lifehackerhansol tomorrow to see if he can provide a compiled build. (I have been unable to compile it. Uses a version of cmake I don't have right now)

 

[kittybear]

Thanks for your replies guys, gives me a couple of options, and learned a couple of things too

I would not recommend time bomb carts. If you can find one at a decent price an Acekard 2i would be a good cart or perhaps an original R4. og R4s that don't support SDHC still work great and run the last version of Wood (1.62 or so from what I recall). OG R4s don't work on unmodded DSi/3DS consoles but you mentioned using a DS Lite which was the console that flashcart was intended for so it would work fine for that one. (otherwise you'll need Twilight menu's slot1 launcher or NTR Launcher to boot an og R4 if using DSi/3DS)

I can't imagine you'll need more then 2GB but if you need more then that then a Acekard 2i would be a good option...if you can find one. DSTwo could work you too but those are pricey these days.

I happen to have a R4i Gold Pro coming in the mail. Found it on Wal-Mart website and it was only $14 or so after tax when I got it. (used a gift card given to me for Christmas). From what I've seen the timebomb for the 2024 one is in September of 2024.

I got it because it should be ntrboot compatible so I don't actually plan to use it as a flashcart.

I've had spotty compatibility with YSMenu...though it has been a looong time since I used that loader....

Thank you for the detailed information, I am a bit more up-to-date now, Thanks and at least now I know the situation with the DSlite .

Post automatically merged: Jan 11, 2024

R4i-SDHC timebomb cards should be okay; these are nothing special other than the stock kernel will stop working if it passes a certain date. YSMenu and TWiLight Menu++ are recommended kernels to use. The Acekard 2i is another card that I recommend because of how high-quality it has been built. The parts are less power-consuming, so your DS won't lose power really quickly and will last gaming sessions for much longer.

That sounds interesting sounds like, I could end up with both lol.

Post automatically merged: Jan 11, 2024

So I assume these so-called time bomb cards are programmed to fail or corrupt themself judging by the name, if that's the case that sucks! Is it stored in OTP memory or can it be changed/disabled/ reflashed, pretty crap if it was done on purpose, but then again I may have the wrong end of stick, it just sounds like that's what timebomb sounds like.