# GBAtemp: AceKard in house!



## shaunj66 (Nov 22, 2006)

*GBAtemp: AceKard in house!*

We've got it







We've just received a package from FedEx - our AceKard samples! We have them in our hands now and have begun initial testing. Have any quick questions you want answered regarding the AceKard? Post your questions (please keep them simple!) in this topic!




​The GBAtemp review should be up in the next couple of days.


----------



## Teun (Nov 22, 2006)

Yeah baby! looks hot

I don't have any questions now, but I definately wanna read the review!


----------



## boomerz (Nov 22, 2006)

Cool! 

How is it build? Does it need to shave some plastic off, like the DS-Xtreme? Can it damage the DS internal conectors?

What about compatibility?

What kind of savegames does it support?

Does the internal chip has the infamous "burn mark" like the ones in DS-X?

Does it break easy?

How is the package?

Any manuals?

How is the OS?



I'll be waiting for the review!

Good luck!


----------



## tetsuya (Nov 22, 2006)

Does it need the nds to be flashed?
Can we use the supercard or m3 as an expansion pack for it?
How does it feel to use their new format system on the sd card?
Have Fun playing with it.


----------



## Siouxsie (Nov 22, 2006)

Regarding to boomerz' post, The DS-X doesn't need to be modified in any way to be run - I have one that worked fine from the beginning and still does. There was just some dude who had a problem which he solved by scraping what he thought was excess plastic off.

Also looking forward to the review, although I'm prefectly happy with my DS-X =)


----------



## shaunj66 (Nov 22, 2006)

Q: How is it build? Does it need to shave some plastic off, like the DS-Xtreme? Can it damage the DS internal conectors?
A: The OVERALL build quality is good, and the plastic surrounding the NDS connectors are clean with no excess plastic. But the card is an EXTREMELY tight fit in the DS slot. Their is a large chip underneath the label that sticks out and the whole cart rubs against both sides of the NDS slot as you insert it. When trying to eject, the cart doesn't pop out, and the spring inside the DS slot slowly forces the card out as it rubs against the sides.  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 You have to use your thumb to pry the card out (though it will come out itself eventually 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




).

Q: What about compatibility?
A: Sorry it's too early to say.

Q: What kind of savegames does it support?
A: See above.

Q: Does the internal chip has the infamous "burn mark" like the ones in DS-X?
A: I haven't taken it apart (yet).

Q: Does it break easy?
A: I should hope not! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Q: How is the package?
A: Everything is in Chinese atm, even the firmware/software. Apart from that it's pretty good. All cardboard though. See pics.

Q: Any manuals?
A: Yes but it's all Chinese. Argh.

Q: How is the OS?
A: Very nice so far. Clean and simple, and nice progress bars to let you know what it's doing (would help more if I could read Chinese!).

Q: Does it need the nds to be flashed?
A: No. It works on any unflashed/flashed DS. It uses NoPass methods.

Q: Can we use the supercard or m3 as an expansion pack for it?
A: I don't know what you mean by expansion pack, but it has a PassMe mode to boot slot 2 devices.

Q: How does it feel to use their new format system on the sd card?
A: Bloody annoying. You can't open the card in Windows explorer. You have to use their own software (which is buggy and limited atm to view and write contents).


----------



## digital_sin (Nov 22, 2006)

hey guys, i've been waiting for this one to come out for so long so i can finally decide which one to get, acekard or ds-xtreme.

anyways, i've got a couple of questions about the cart.
1)support for download and play? flashed or unflashed?
2)does it really use clean roms, or is it just another "patch on the fly" kind of cart? since you can only write on the cart using their own software, so i'm thinking that this is the case here.

i've got a ton of questions but these can wait untill the review comes out. i know you guys are busy reviewing it right now.


----------



## lagman (Nov 22, 2006)

*It´s the Micro SD slot ok?-Seems a little fragile-
*Why is there a VHS tape?


----------



## RyuKakashi (Nov 22, 2006)

How fast is the bootup? Is there a splash screen? Does it take long to load games?

the tightness that you mentioned scares me...i wouldn't want my springs to break


----------



## shaunj66 (Nov 22, 2006)

Q: support for download and play? flashed or unflashed?
A: Initial tests show no games are working with download play to unflashed DS (same problems as older flash kits such as the M3 or SC). Sending to a flashed DS appears to be ok.

Q: does it really use clean roms?
A: As it uses it's own software to move ROMs to the card with a progress bar, I'm going to have to assume that it does patch them in some way.

Q: It´s the Micro SD slot ok?-Seems a little fragile-
A: It's quite good, it's spring loaded too. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Q: Why is there a VHS tape?  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



A: Because my room is a dump.

Q: How fast is the bootup? Is there a splash screen? Does it take long to load games?
A: No splash screen. If there's EEPROM on the card then it backs it up on boot, but this takes about 1 second. The ROMs take a few seconds to boot depending on size (there's a progress bar to help).


----------



## jpxdude (Nov 22, 2006)

Exciting news!  I'm looking forward to the review, and reading more about how the actual software works, and writes to microSD 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  Please can you test the NDS Browser too (inconjunction with an SC/M3 patch)


----------



## monkeymachine (Nov 22, 2006)

Looks like all the essentials questions have been posted so I'm looking forward to the review! Sounds quite promising so far.

The market needs products like this for other manufacturers to get their act together, even just to douse the DS-X fanboyism going around..


----------



## stinkingbob (Nov 22, 2006)

Hey Shaun, few questions for you:

1) What are your overall first impressions of the AceKard so far in comparison to the DS-X? 
2) How long does it take the software to xfer 1 rom onto the AceKard?
3) what errors have you encountered so far?
3) Based upon ease of use and compatibility, would you go with the AceKard or ds-x?
4) Do yoou know the approx cost of the Acekard?
5) I have a concern with the tight fit. Over time, do you think that this will damage the NDS or the Acekard itself?
6) How old is your monitor ? (I never knew Hyundai made monitors!)

Thanks,
B.


----------



## Costello (Nov 22, 2006)

QUOTE said:
			
		

> 1) What are your overall first impressions of the AceKard so far in comparison to the DS-X?
> 2) How long does it take the software to xfer 1 rom onto the AceKard?
> 3) what errors have you encountered so far?
> 3) Based upon ease of use and compatibility, would you go with the AceKard or ds-x?
> ...


I have received the Acekard too (well we got two units at home actually) so I think I can answer some of your questions.
1) As far as I can see the only good point with the Acekard is its DS rom compatibility. There you have your answer. Edit: oh and the Acekard works as a passme with all the slot-2 solution 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 this is a good point
2) I'll let shaun answer this one
3) Well the download play doesn't work.
3 bis) The Acekard uses a chinese OS, chinese software, chinese manual. DS-X is drag & drop. (facts) Your choice
4) The Acekard is cheap 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 you get what you pay for. I *heard* the price would be around $40 but I doubt it, that sounds too cheap. Online stores will want to make money with it so they'll price it higher.
5) Honestly I dont think it would damage your DS. I've tried inserting and ejecting it a couple of times, it's OK. It is annoying, but I don't believe it's a danger.


----------



## shaunj66 (Nov 22, 2006)

Q: What are your overall first impressions of the AceKard so far in comparison to the DS-X? 
A: I don't want to compare it to anything atm because I've not had enough experience at the moment. I wouldn't want to come across as biased.

Q: How long does it take the software to xfer 1 rom onto the AceKard?
A: It's fast, actual results will be in the review.

Q: what errors have you encountered so far?
A: Download play not working. Castlevania intro lags.

Q: Based upon ease of use and compatibility, would you go with the AceKard or ds-x?
A: I don't want to compare it to anything atm because I've not had enough experience at the moment. I wouldn't want to come across as biased.

Q: Do yoou know the approx cost of the Acekard?
A: No idea.

Q: I have a concern with the tight fit. Over time, do you think that this will damage the NDS or the Acekard itself?
A: Unlikely. It doesn't feel like it's breaking anything, just a bit tight is all.

Q: How old is your monitor ? (I never knew Hyundai made monitors!)
A: lol, 7 years? Apparently they do. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




*Edit:* Costello beat me to some of the questions. D'oh.


----------



## Siouxsie (Nov 22, 2006)

I've got a monitor, 19 inch, true flat CRT, by Hyundai. I think it's about ight years old, but I don't know, could be six-seven.
It's got the same logo as shaun's, and the same button and LED configuration as shown on his pic, although it's dark, not white. =)


----------



## enarky (Nov 22, 2006)

Since I'm obsessed with Linux lately: does the Acekard software work on Linux and/or MacOs with Wine?

Does Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam work?


----------



## stinkingbob (Nov 22, 2006)

I figure the AceKard will sell for around $80 then.
If the software and manual can be xlated(which I am sure someone will do) into English, then will the Acekard give the ds-x a run for its money?
Personally, I like the drag and drop feature of the DS-X. 3-5 seconds and you are done. Now, to go back to the days of the gba flashcarts where you have to use software to xfer a rom onto a cart and wait and wait for it to happen, I don't know. Plus,  where is the customer support? Who do you go to if you have problems and questions?
ds-x has great customer support and you can even get a response back from the lead engineers. Lastly, acekard may be cheap, but when you figure in that extra $14- $20 for international shipping, plus, you have to buy your own mini-sd card, the question is: is it really better than the ds-x?
Lets see about the slot 1 ninja.....
B.
Edit: I just read Shauns post on the speed of the xfer, so scratch my coment about waiting.


----------



## shaunj66 (Nov 22, 2006)

Q: Does Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam work?
A: Yes.

The English version of the AceKard will be announced soon as I said in a previous news topic. So those wanting one should hold off until the English version (though you MAY be able to use an English firmware on a Chinese card). English versions will eventually be available.


----------



## Costello (Nov 22, 2006)

QUOTE(enarky @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> Since I'm obsessed with Linux lately: does the Acekard software work on Linux and/or MacOs with Wine?
> 
> Does Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam work?



I have Wine installed on my PC (under FC5), I'll try it later.
Tony Hawk's works


----------



## boomerz (Nov 22, 2006)

Thank you for your replies, shaunj66! Can't wait to read your review.

Have fun testing it!


----------



## shaunj66 (Nov 22, 2006)

QUOTE(boomerz @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> Have fun testing it!


Yeah right! "Fun".


----------



## Monkey01 (Nov 22, 2006)

QUOTE(stinkingbob @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> I figure the AceKard will sell for around $80 then.
> If the software and manual can be xlated(which I am sure someone will do) into English, then will the Acekard give the ds-x a run for its money?
> Personally, I like the drag and drop feature of the DS-X. 3-5 seconds and you are done. Now, to go back to the days of the gba flashcarts where you have to use software to xfer a rom onto a cart and wait and wait for it to happen, I don't know. Plus,Â where is the customer support? Who do you go to if you have problems and questions?
> ds-x has great customer support and you can even get a response back from the lead engineers. Lastly, acekard may be cheap, but when you figure in that extra $14- $20 for international shipping, plus, you have to buy your own mini-sd card, the question is: is it really better than the ds-x?
> ...


$80 dollar would be far to expensive for what it is imo, @bamboogaming.com it's $48.88, note that you don't get the packaging though.

Personally I think I'll go for the DS-X anyway though, I like it having single card download play support to non-flashed ds's, too bad other slot1 solutions aren't able to do so too? First I thought the feauture dropped when you patched the rom, but NinjaDS and AceKard both support clean roms, but don't support download play?


----------



## deathspawn999 (Nov 22, 2006)

so the acekard is a bust.

not being able to do the download to nonflashed SUCKS, and i was already against there AKFS thing anyways. lets see how the new ninja works.


----------



## Costello (Nov 22, 2006)

Some said that the Acekard "didn't patch the roms". I request evidence regarding this statement 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



AFAIK there's no way to know... the same people said that "roms weren't patched, proof is the acekard will support download play".
So let me ask you something: knowing it doesn't support download play, what makes you think roms aren't patched?

The NinjaDS does patch the roms on-the-fly, I don't think they ever said it doesn't. The point is, it does support drag & drop.


----------



## deathspawn999 (Nov 22, 2006)

if you have to have your own file structure, and you have to have software to move rom from point a to point b, that would be patching. if not, you tell me what is.

i really hope the new ninja is atleast on par with the ds-x. so far, that is the best solution for people who just want to play games, and enjoy ease of use.


----------



## monkeymachine (Nov 22, 2006)

Claims from the Acekard team re clean roms:



			
				QUOTE said:
			
		

> Is it true that AK supports all clean rom,no matter it’s old or new?
> 
> ??????????????????????????????????????????????????DS?????????????????AK???????????????? ????????????????????????????????
> We can support all games unless Nintendo wanna their DS can’t run games.There is no patch needed.
> ...



AceKard FAQ here: http://www.acekard.com/archives/5.htm


----------



## hirusho (Nov 22, 2006)

Hi shaun666, just wondering what micro card you going to test with acekard? there's a micro card compability list put up on acekard website and it seems the following micro cards are ideal choice:

PNY microSD 1GB
Kingston microSD 1GB(PNY oem)
PNY microSD 512MB
Apacer microSD 512MB(PNY oem)
Kingmax microSD 512MB
AData microSD 512MB(Kingmax oem) 

here's the link acekard

Acekard claims if you use the above micro cards won't come across any lag issue, can you try any card above and prove their statement?


----------



## [M]artin (Nov 22, 2006)

WTF, no Sandisk?


----------



## shaunj66 (Nov 22, 2006)

QUOTE(hirusho @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> Hi shaun666, just wondering what micro card you going to test with acekard? there's a micro card compability list put up on acekard website and it seems the following micro cards are ideal choice:
> 
> PNY microSD 1GB
> Kingston microSD 1GB(PNY oem)
> ...


The name's shaunj66  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 And I'm going to be testing the AceKard with a Sandisk Ultra II 1GB microSD.


----------



## Costello (Nov 22, 2006)

Apparently the Acekard *doesn't detect save types automatically*.
There is a "savelist.bin" file in the client folder, it seems to contain the save types of each game.
Meaning what?
- Meaning you have to manually enter the save type of a game each time you run it (it doesnt "remember" the save type)
- Meaning you'll have to update the list (from where? chinese websites?)
- Meaning some games seem to be non-working unless you choose the right save type. We just tried Final Fantasy and it wasnt working - but it turned out we had picked up the wrong save type.



			
				QUOTE said:
			
		

> WTF, no Sandisk? frown.gif


Yes Sandisk memory cards are supported... ours seems to be working fine so far.


----------



## hirusho (Nov 22, 2006)

this is complete list

KingMax 512MB 4
KingMax 256MB 4
PNY 1GB 3
PNY 512MB 3
PNY 256MB 4
Kingston 1GB 3
Kingston 256MB 4
Sandisk 2GB 14
Sandisk 1GB 13
Sandisk 512MB 13
Sandisk Ultra II 1GB 7
Apacer 512MB 3
Apacer 256MB 4
AData 512MB 4
Kingston 512MB (not supported yet)

according to acekard website they will be adding more compability list

Also, note those numbers after brand name. It indicates how fast a micro card is running. Under most games speed 13 will be fine, but in some cases like castlemania: potrait of ruin you will need a speed greater than 4 otherwise you'll run into some lag/problem issue.

Those cards I just post are recomended by acekard.

Anyway, i just like to see if shaun will be able to test any suggested cards by acekard (personally i'd like to see kingston 1GB micro card, that's the card i have)


----------



## [M]artin (Nov 22, 2006)

QUOTE(Costello @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> Yes Sandisk memory cards are supported... ours seems to be working fine so far.



Sweet! Thanks for the clarification!


----------



## ChowMein (Nov 22, 2006)

Just one question: Does it work with the DS Browser patch set up (Slot-1 DS Flash Card + Slot-2 DS Flash Cart)? Since if it does, it could technically be a slightly more expensive ($10 or so) alternative to just buying the DS Browser, while providing some extras (such as the indicated "complete compatibility")


----------



## shaunj66 (Nov 22, 2006)

QUOTE(ChowMein @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> Just one question: Does it work with the DS Browser patch set up (Slot-1 DS Flash Card + Slot-2 DS Flash Cart)? Since if it does, it could technically be a slightly more expensive ($10 or so) alternative to just buying the DS Browser, while providing some extras (such as the indicated "complete compatibility")


Yes it works fine with the DS Browser hack patch (thanks Triforce!) using the M3 or Supercard.


----------



## flai (Nov 22, 2006)

All I want to know is if FFIII, Jump Super Stars and Ultimate Stars, Mario Kart, NSMB, Metroid Prime and Elite Beat Agents work. And how the menu is. I like a good GUI


----------



## Costello (Nov 22, 2006)

The games list doesn't show the rom icons.
If you want to see the icon of a game, you have to highlight (select) it.
More generally the OS is not fantastic, just decent.
Also you can't boot the Acekard if you don't have a microSD in, meaning *it won't work as a passme if you don't have a microSD card in*.

flai, all these games should be compatible, but the major drawback is the fact that *you have to know the save type of the game you want to play*.
We tried Final Fantasy III with a random save type and the game didn't work.
Then we tried different settings and finally got it to work. Very annoying.


----------



## zatelli (Nov 22, 2006)

To what extent is it power saving? Does it have a similar power consumption compared to the DS-X? Power wise, does it compare to a genuine DS cart ?
Those are the questions I currently have on the top of my head. Definately looking forward to the review.


----------



## stinkingbob (Nov 22, 2006)

"The games list doesn't show the rom icons.
If you want to see the icon of a game, you have to highlight (select) it.
More generally the OS is not fantastic, just decent.
Also you can't boot the Acekard if you don't have a microSD in, meaning it won't work as a passme if you don't have a microSD card in.

flai, all these games should be compatible, but the major drawback is the fact that you have to know the save type of the game you want to play.
We tried Final Fantasy III with a random save type and the game didn't work.
Then we tried different settings and finally got it to work. Very annoying."


You know, I really don't have to wait until the final review is published to know that the AceKard is too much trouble and too time consuming to be used as a viable slot 1 solution. It doesn't know how to choose the correct save game file for wach game??!!!! OMG. That's pretty bad.
It seems like you are going to spend 15 minutes going from point A to point B.  
The money is still on ds-x guys.  Lets see if ninja's slot 1 can do better or equal to the ds-x (I doubt it). Of course, if you want too wait until the ninja finally omes out (maybe like what, 1 to 2 months), you uwill be missing out. Get the ds-x. Period.
BTW, if it seems like I am biased towrds ds-x, I am not. I call it like I see it. So far, ds-x does an excellent job. User interface is simple (drag and drop). Don't have to worry about icons not showing up or save game files. 512Mb is enopugh space for a few games.
But still, I am curious about what Shaun has to say about Acekard in his final review. I am going to guess and say he will give it a 4.5 out of 10.
B.


----------



## dice (Nov 22, 2006)

Q. Is that tape a recording of the bill?


----------



## Monkey01 (Nov 22, 2006)

QUOTE(stinkingbob @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> You know, I really don't have to wait until the final review is published to know that the AceKard is too much trouble and too time consuming to be used as a viable slot 1 solution. It doesn't know how to choose the correct save game file for wach game??!!!! OMG. That's pretty bad.
> It seems like you are going to spend 15 minutes going from point A to point B.Â
> The money is still on ds-x guys.Â Lets see if ninja's slot 1 can do better or equal to the ds-x (I doubt it). Of course, if you want too wait until the ninja finally omes out (maybe like what, 1 to 2 months), you uwill be missing out. Get the ds-x. Period.
> BTW, if it seems like I am biased towrds ds-x, I am not. I call it like I see it. So far, ds-x does an excellent job. User interface is simple (drag and drop). Don't have to worry about icons not showing up or save game files. 512Mb is enopugh space for a few games.
> ...


Which ninja do you mean? Cause NinjaDS has already a big SD version out and appart from the sizes the MicroSD will not differ that much.

If you mean the NinjaPass 9XTF or something, that cartridge has the same horrible savetype problem. And a terribly lame support forum which censors other brand names and copy-pastes FAQ's from ds-x site, only changing DS-X into NinjaPass. (Ow and it's UI is the most horrible thing I have ever seen, it's DOS-like and you have to select .nds and .sav files every time from the whole file list...)


Personally I don't think AceKard gets lower then a 6, the compatibility seems to be very good if you have the right save info and it's not so expensive.


----------



## shaunj66 (Nov 22, 2006)

QUOTE(dice @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> Q. Is that tape a recording of the bill?


Go back to your server room prison


----------



## tama_mog (Nov 22, 2006)

from the chinese responses posted by the acecard team, I am damn interested in this product now....choosing sav types is a huge hassle huh?  Doesn't seem all that big a deal to me since that information is all over dupelists all over.  What really amazes me is the claim they made, that unless Nintendo changes the way DS plays games (aka some game requiring special hardware), the acecard will play all past and all future games without special updates or patches....that to me after all is the most important factor in this....I'm sure the AKFS was developed for 1 purpose only, speed optimization to compensate between the SD media and the slot1 speed of the DS itself, and I haven't seen proof that it handles files strangely or randomly corrupting so that seems good.  Also if their claim that you can open a hex editor to check the roms on the AKFS versus the ones you originally started with under your operating system and it be identical....obviously no patching is necessary.  It's just their software working with the AKFS that's not native to windows.  I'll pick one up if I can find one in China this upcoming week during my business trip to give a quick 2 cents on this flashcart.


----------



## kt6192003 (Nov 22, 2006)

Just a quick question. Is there a way to transfer m3 saves over to the acekard? I'd hate to have to start all of my games over again.


----------



## Costello (Nov 22, 2006)

QUOTE(kt6192003 @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> Just a quick question. Is there a way to transfer m3 saves over to the acekard? I'd hate to have to start all of my games over again.


No, you can't import and export saves with the current software.
You can't really do anything actually.
Just transfer games.


----------



## CacheSyntax (Nov 22, 2006)

QUOTE(Costello @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> QUOTE(kt6192003 @ Nov 22 2006 said:
> 
> 
> > Just a quick question. Is there a way to transfer m3 saves over to the acekard? I'd hate to have to start all of my games over again.
> ...



Boy, can't wait to hear the review!

[sarcasm]Wonder how many people are going to think you're too subjective then?[/sarcasm]

I mean dang, if the shoe fits, wear it. If it's a piece of poo, then don't step in it. Simple, really.


----------



## XmemphistoX (Nov 22, 2006)

Damn, thats too bad that it's not living up to the hype.  My brother was looking for a cheap slot 1 solution too.  The case looks very sturdy compared to the DS-X though.  But other than that, it dosen't seems like an "ok" flash cart.

Q: How much homebrew apps run?


----------



## Kamgusta (Nov 22, 2006)

It doesn't seem a great card.
The strange file system seems like "hey-see-we-don't-use-any-patch", but it is just like patching roms as the old days.


----------



## CacheSyntax (Nov 22, 2006)

QUOTE(XmemphistoX @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> Damn, thats too bad that it's not living up to the hype.Â My brother was looking for a cheap slot 1 solution too.Â The case looks very sturdy compared to the DS-X though.Â But other than that, it dosen't seems like an "ok" flash cart.
> 
> Q: How much homebrew apps run?



Granted, I don't have one, but most if not all 'brew apps run using FAT16 format, and there isn't a way to "convert" the 'brew apps over to AKFS, without recompiling the code.

As far as I know.


----------



## tama_mog (Nov 22, 2006)

QUOTE(Kamgusta @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> It doesn't seem a great card.
> The strange file system seems like "hey-see-we-don't-use-any-patch", but it is just like patching roms as the old days.



Read, if the acekard team is up front about the information and what they've said is correct, then it is supporting clean roms.  The "patching" magic is just interfacing with a new file system of AKFS.  Same thing happens when you copy information from FAT16 to NTFS in windows, except it's natively supported.


----------



## kazumi213 (Nov 22, 2006)

So far, I don't like anything that has been posted here about AceKrap. Too many limitations when compared to the DS-X. We'll see.


----------



## Costello (Nov 22, 2006)

Also when you use the software, you have to select the brand of your media card in a list of about 20 different brands & sizes.
I'm not sure what it does if you select the wrong brand...





the software is terrible.

Also when I format my card, Windows doesn't do anything particular. It still recognizes my card, and let me explore and modify the content.
I suppose it is because the acekard manager doesn't write in the FAT of the card... oh well this is so confusing.


----------



## flipt (Nov 22, 2006)

if anyone remembers that new ninja minisd flash, would you please be so kind to remind us (someone asked earlier, no answer)

aceKard looks nice, good idea but really way to many lil issues. all added up could be a nuisance. 

plus no fun flashing lights? WTF???? 

either way, thanks for the work you wonderful testers as i do respect your reviews and your hard, monotonous work.


----------



## Chanser (Nov 22, 2006)

Pretty lights aren't that important, the AceKard got some potential, if they can sort out the translation and keep on updating the software.

This could be the ONE!


----------



## Costello (Nov 22, 2006)

As you can see on the picture above the space management is totally random. For some reason, that "FREE SPACE" thing popped out of nowhere as I was copying random files...

I ran speed tests too, the speed was good (finally something positive!)
Write speed: 4 mbyte/s.
I copied 5 files of 50 megabytes, all transfers lasted between 12 and 13 seconds.


----------



## CacheSyntax (Nov 22, 2006)

QUOTE(Chanser @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> Pretty lights aren't that important, the AceKard got some potential, if they can sort out the translation and keep on updating the software.
> 
> This could be the ONE!



The X-9 has a better chance of being "the one" before AceKard. The propietary file system that doesn't support most homebrew alone is a kicker for me, not including every other issue that has been mentioned.


----------



## ozone (Nov 22, 2006)

Anybody tried DSorganize?


----------



## flai (Nov 22, 2006)

QUOTE(Costello @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> The games list doesn't show the rom icons.
> If you want to see the icon of a game, you have to highlight (select) it.
> More generally the OS is not fantastic, just decent.
> Also you can't boot the Acekard if you don't have a microSD in, meaning *it won't work as a passme if you don't have a microSD card in*.
> ...



Completely put off now. Might buy a CycloDS though...


----------



## CronoTrig (Nov 22, 2006)

QUOTE(Chanser @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> Pretty lights aren't that important, the AceKard got some potential, if they can sort out the translation and keep on updating the software.
> 
> This could be the ONE!



The one failure, more like.


----------



## kazumi213 (Nov 22, 2006)

OMG Costello, please rename your ROMs!. Just kidding


----------



## Costello (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(CacheSyntax @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> QUOTE(Chanser @ Nov 22 2006 said:
> 
> 
> > Pretty lights aren't that important, the AceKard got some potential, if they can sort out the translation and keep on updating the software.
> ...


actually no, the Ninjapass x9 is going to suck too (from what I read - that is reports from users, howto guides, etc.) 
the real potential one is the microninja


----------



## CacheSyntax (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(Costello @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> QUOTE(CacheSyntax @ Nov 22 2006 said:
> 
> 
> > QUOTE(Chanser @ Nov 22 2006 said:
> ...



Really? 

Interesting. As always I appreciate your input Costello.

I'm still in the mind though that propietary formats blow though.


----------



## Costello (Nov 23, 2006)

I totally agree with you!
Proprietary formats, unless particularly well designed, will most likely mean PC software and poor space management (no file fragmentation, data can't be moved...)
Which is by all means a negative point for the end user.

Edit:





  noooooo! all my games and saves are lost! I clicked the "delete" button while one of the "free space" thingy was selected, and oh god, it formated my entire cart! How lovely!
All I can say is that  I wish we didn't have to base our review on this early version of the Acekard client.


----------



## kazumi213 (Nov 23, 2006)

That's enough for me today Costello, you can take a break if you feel tired. Otherwise, please be careful with that Astonishing Krappy File System. It seem even dangerous


----------



## Costello (Nov 23, 2006)

OK you can actually export saves 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 . The sav files show up on the media card and you can transfer them back to the PC. We'll try importing a save now.
I will edit my post to show the results.

Oh and also, it DOES actually remember the save type when you select it. However, if you make a mistake, there's no way back! You have to use the Acekard manager and delete the .st file that is created (that stores the save type data) when you select the save type.


----------



## shtonkalot (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(Costello @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> I totally agree with you!
> Proprietary formats, unless particularly well designed, will most likely mean PC software and poor space management (no file fragmentation, data can't be moved...)
> Which is by all means a negative point for the end user.
> 
> ...


Any reason not to wait for an English version cart to review?
I would appreciate all the info you can give on the carts you have at the moment but it really isn't the product that most of us will be buying. The English one when available is.
Perhaps by that time there will be some changes made to the OS and client software.

Not complaining but I think it may be unfair to judge the cart before release and with possibly (apart from the language) different software/OS features.
It may be easier to not format your card with English instructions and software, though I won't be surprised if it isn't...

I know a few people were unhappy with the early review of the DS-X and are still waiting for the promised follow up review. And that was a final retail sample (I know this AceKard is too, but not an English final sample).

Anyway, thank you for any and all info. I appreciate the time and effort you guys put into this.


----------



## shaunj66 (Nov 23, 2006)

There aren't going to be any differences between the Chinese and English Acekard. The software and GUI are going to be the same. They can't do anything radically different because all the hardware is already in place, and the AKFS must have taken a while to develop.

I'm sure what's said in the Chinese review will go for the English one too. If not, then we'll have to re-review the English card.


----------



## Costello (Nov 23, 2006)

What shaun said is true. Even if it was translated to English, it would still be the same buggy featureless software.
What we can promise you is that the acekard won't get any "Cons" for being in Chinese! We won't take that into consideration for the final rating.

I just tried opening the acekard manager in Resource Hacker to see if I could possibly translate the tool to english, but no way, RH won't read the form resources. Btw the Acekard manager is coded in Delphi. Which means they could theoretically port it to Linux (and then to MacOS) using Kylix but it still requires major changes in the software and judging by the skills shown in this application, I doubt the "Acekard team" is up to it.


----------



## shtonkalot (Nov 23, 2006)

As long as you are sure about it, that's good enough for me!


----------



## kazumi213 (Nov 23, 2006)

IMHO ANY product pretending to be sold worldwide and, moreover, pretending to be competitive MUST support AT LEAST English language from scratch. No excuses here. So they're gonna tell me a group of electronic/electric/mechanical/coders/whatever engineers don't know a damn word in english? C'mon.


----------



## stinkingbob (Nov 23, 2006)

Yep. Acekard seems like a winner to me. For the one and only one poster who said that the AceKard was cool, go ahead and buy it and spend 30 minutes trying to figure out how to use the darn thing. I bet you won't and I bet you would probably start a topic on this forum to get help for it.... But seriously,  I think that Shaun should stop spending so much time on the AceKard now. Preliminary tests already reveal that the AceKard does not live up to its expectations. Its futile to do further testing on the card when there are so many inconveniences with it. From the posts I have read so far from Shaun and Costello,  AceKard will never beat out DS-X. Before, I stated that Shaun would rate Acekard at 4.5/10. I change that to 3.5/10.

Anyways, someone posted:
***********
"Not complaining but I think it may be unfair to judge the cart before release and with possibly (apart from the language) different software/OS features.
It may be easier to not format your card with English instructions and software, though I won't be surprised if it isn't...

I know a few people were unhappy with the early review of the DS-X and are still waiting for the promised follow up review. And that was a final retail sample (I know this AceKard is too, but not an English final sample)"
***********

Well, if you are a company, wouldn't you want to send out a damn near perfect working copy of your product to a reviewer?? Why would you send something that is half complete?
Something that is so complicated to use? No, AceKart is not worth it, even if it cost $50.
Lastly, no one was unhappy with the DS-X review. They were being critical because the DS-X had a fixed amount of memory so they couldn't store 20+ games on it. Basically, they vented and in doing so, said the ds-x was not worthy of the price and that they would wait for other slot 1 solutions to come around. Well, here it is: the Acekard! Gotta love it, right. 
b.


----------



## EeK (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(Costello @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> actually no, the Ninjapass x9 is going to suck too (from what I read - that is reports from users, howto guides, etc.)
> the real potential one is the microninjaÂ



You're serious about the MicroNinja being "the one", Costello? Why's that?

I've been considering buying a DS-X for quite some time, now (since it's been announced, actually), but with so many new slot-1 flash carts being released, I thought it would be wiser to wait just a little bit more. Since the AceKard don't seem all that great, the only other option that could prevent me from buying the DS-X was the NinjaPass X9, But if you're serious about the MicroNinja, then I would like to know its advantages/disadvantages, if that's possible.

Thanks in advance.


----------



## Costello (Nov 23, 2006)

Well this is just my opinion, that is based on quick users comments and a howto guide explaining how the X9 works. There is also the fact that the FAQ is copied from the DS-X website. And there's that too: (from their FAQ)


			
				QUOTE said:
			
		

> Q: What countries will the X9TF be available to?
> A: About at this November 2006.








About the microninja we have had several topics about it already. Check them out here:
http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=38734&hl=microninja
http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=39073&hl=microninja

The microninja is the same as the NinjaDS except for the size (the microninja is the same size as a DS cart.)
The NinjaDS is truely a good product, the only huge drawback is its shape. The new firmware will supposedly bring 100% DS compatibility, and I'd like to remind you that it actually supports drag & drop, doesn't require any PC software at all, and doesn't require any particular operation to get the games running or saving (unlike the X9).
The OS is also attractive (unlike the X9) and it has interesting built-in features such as an image viewer, a music player, and more.

So yeah... to me the microninja is the most promising of the three.


----------



## furyoo (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(deathspawn999 @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> if you have to have your own file structure, and you have to have software to move rom from point a to point b, that would be patching. if not, you tell me what is.
> 
> i really hope the new ninja is atleast on par with the ds-x. so far, that is the best solution for people who just want to play games, and enjoy ease of use.


To use NTFS in DOS, you need a third party software to move files around because DOS cannot support NTFS natively. So does it imply you're patching the files everytime you move it? The only reason you don't have to do this in XP is because NTFS is supported natively, hence no need to use a third party software to shift around with FAT and NTFS because the algorithm is already built in.

It's the same with this card. Just another file structure with a different way of arranging data. That is not patching, otherwise every data in the world can be labelled as patched.


----------



## RyuKakashi (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(Costello @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> Well this is just my opinion, that is based on quick users comments and a howto guide explaining how the X9 works. There is also the fact that the FAQ is copied from the DS-X website. And there's that too: (from their FAQ)
> 
> 
> 
> ...



isn't the x9 by the people that made ninjapass and not ninjads?


----------



## digital_sin (Nov 23, 2006)

a stand alone software that has to be used to manage the cart is really REALLY annoying. that's what you get from using your own file system.

the ds-x has limited memory, but the upside is it's just drag and drop, wherever there's internet (which is EVERYWHERE), and wherever there's a PC nearby, you can just upload new stuff on it. it doesn't even matter what OS is it. that's a big plus for me.


----------



## CacheSyntax (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(furyoo @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> To use NTFS in DOS, you need a third party software to move files around because DOS cannot support NTFS natively. So does it imply you're patching the files everytime you move it? The only reason you don't have to do this in XP is because NTFS is supported natively, hence no need to use a third party software to shift around with FAT and NTFS because the algorithm is already built in.
> 
> It's the same with this card. Just another file structure with a different way of arranging data. *That is not patching, otherwise every data in the world can be labelled as patched.*



It's time for an analogy!

Let's say you're driving down the road, and you're tire goes flat. If there isn't a spare, you attempt to patch it.

Now, let's say you're driving down the same road, same quick car, enjoying yourself just as you would above, and you get stuck in the mud. Great, now you have to attempt to get out yourself, or get pulled out.

What do both of these two analogies have in common?

They both take time away from fun, and they both suck ass.

Unless that's your idea of fun, then have at it!


----------



## CacheSyntax (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(Costello @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> What shaun said is true. Even if it was translated to English, *it would still be the same buggy featureless software.*What we can promise you is that the acekard won't get any "Cons" for being in Chinese! We won't take that into consideration for the final rating.
> 
> I just tried opening the acekard manager in Resource Hacker to see if I could possibly translate the tool to english, but no way, RH won't read the form resources. Btw the Acekard manager is coded in Delphi. Which means they could theoretically port it to Linux (and then to MacOS) using Kylix but it still requires major changes in the software and judging by the skills shown in this application, I doubt the "Acekard team" is up to it.



Careful Costello, we wouldn't want anyone to think you're biased or anything.


----------



## Hypnotoad (Nov 23, 2006)

Intersting read, I look forward to hearing about the card after you do a full review on it.


----------



## shtonkalot (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(stinkingbob @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> Anyways, someone posted:
> ***********
> "Not complaining but I think it may be unfair to judge the cart before release and with possibly (apart from the language) different software/OS features.
> It may be easier to not format your card with English instructions and software, though I won't be surprised if it isn't...
> ...


Hi, someone here  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Well I'm not a company but I do see your point. I would "want to send out a damn near perfect working copy of your product to a reviewer" but I didn't say anything about that. My point was only that the cart may perform differently to the retail English language versions. Shaunj66 and Costello have made it clear that they believe that is not the case. Cool.

And on the other point I'm sure if you bother to look that you will find some people were vocal about having issues with the review of the DS-X, not the product. Though you are correct about some people complaining about the internal memory size that is again not at all what I was getting at.
Some people were under the impression that the DS-X team had influenced the review and even suspicious because there is a dedicated forum for the DS-X. Others complained that the compatibility was not tested thoroughly enough or that the card that GBAtemp received was of better quality.
I was not one of those complainers. I liked the review. I am still waiting for the follow up though, the more info the better.


----------



## ozone (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(ozone @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> Anybody tried DSorganize?


----------



## Extreme Coder (Nov 23, 2006)

The thing is, if AceKard would have taken some time to debug their software, or maybe even implement it seamlessly in Windows(like Explore2FS for example, which allows you to view and modify files in ext3 partitions). All the bugs mentioned so far, could be fixed with some more work on their software.
I'm feeling kinda sympathetic now for the AceKard


----------



## OSW (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(stinkingbob @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> Yep. Acekard seems like a winner to me. For the one and only one poster who said that the AceKard was cool, go ahead and buy it and spend 30 minutes trying to figure out how to use the darn thing. I bet you won't and I bet you would probably start a topic on this forum to get help for it.... But seriously,  I think that Shaun should stop spending so much time on the AceKard now. Preliminary tests already reveal that the AceKard does not live up to its expectations. Its futile to do further testing on the card when there are so many inconveniences with it. From the posts I have read so far from Shaun and Costello,  AceKard will never beat out DS-X. Before, I stated that Shaun would rate Acekard at 4.5/10. I change that to 3.5/10.
> 
> Anyways, someone posted:
> ***********
> ...



man, many other carts use software to transfer (and patch) roms to the cart, which is partially similar. DS-X has the merit you suggest, but it has many flaws too. ds compat is good but not great. limited memory. Mega Expensive. Think about it. not everyone is rich.

and to the dude predicting a 3.5 rating. surely a card with 100% compatability (including future games) is worthy of at least a 5/10

this cart is intended primarily for playing ds games. My only concern at the moment is the single cart download play. For the extras, a slot2 cart would be a wise choice.

What a rant!

The END

EDIT: I also look forward to hearing more of micro ninja, although it may be aout of my price range /_\


----------



## stinkingbob (Nov 23, 2006)

OSW, 
what you are basically saying is to ignore the AceKard's crappy OS, the crappy save file system, the user-unfriendly UI,  the time and process involved in writing a ROM to the SD mini card,etc  all because the Acekard boasts 100% compatibility(which has not been proven yet). Do you honestly think that when it is translated into English that the Company will make any improvements tot he flashing software?? I really don't think so cuz as Costello said, you get what you paid for. And you see, that is the point I was trying to make. Yes, DS-X costs more, but in reality, not a whole lot more considering that you get a drag and drop capability, compatiblity with Mac OX, flexibility, ease of use such that, you don't even need instructions,  and great customer/tech support, to name just a few. 
So, now, with the AceKard, OSW, tell all the GBAtemp readers where do they go for tech support? I bet you can't.

I am curious about your statement where you said that the ds-X has many flaws to it. You listed price. But price is not considered a "flaw" with the unit itself.
Then you listed its  limited memory. Again, the DS-X comes standard with 512Mb. This was well known to the public months before its release. So, this is cannot be considered a "flaw" with the unit. Next, you listed compatibility as a flaw. Well, you are correct with this as a "flaw" of the unit. HOWEVER, firmware update 1.0.2?
fixed almost all of the compatibility issues with roms.
So, tell the gbatemp readers, what other flaws WITH THE UNIT ITSELF have you noticed or have had first hand experience with, OSW?
I want to know. I have the ds-x and the compatibility for me is 100% with Roms. But maybe you know someting more than the rest of us do, so I would like for you to share these flaws you mentioned about.

To date, the only slot 1 device with the great features is the ds-x. And it is not mega expensive as OSW purports. Again, if you get the AceKard, you have to pay for internationsal shipping, then you have to pay for the mini-SD card itself, then you have to pay for the mini-SD card-SD card adapter(if it wasn't included with the mini-SD card). All in all, the price will be just about the same as if you bought a ds-x!

And yes, I am still guessing that Shaun will give the AceKard a 3.5 rating. Compatibility isn't everything. You have to take into account other factors as well as it relates to the overall gaming experience from start to finish.
B.


----------



## jpxdude (Nov 23, 2006)

The fact that the DS-X required windows to update is a glaring flaw to their original claims :-P  They should have drag and drop updates!

To be completely honest, as long as the AceKard works as it should, I don't care about the how the OS looks, Unless you spend more than 30 secs at a time on the OS screen (I can't see why!), then its just a precursor to your backup's and 'brew.  

The proprietary file system should ensure stability in the game without slowdown or freezing, and it's already been proven that sav's CAN be exported and set accordingly.  I look forward to the review, but will probably wait until I see a working english release client.  If the chinese release client can't be fully translated and understood, then the review will probably not cover functionality fully and without a varying degree of bias.  

If the claims from the chinese forums are true, I'd take this ANY DAY over a DS-X.  Who wants to pay a premium for blinking lights and limited storage?  Chop the DS-X price by half and remove the lights, then I'd consider it a somewhat worthwhile purchase.


----------



## pte (Nov 23, 2006)

There will never be a product that is perfect for everyone, the DS-X needs updates, the memory can't be upgraded but you can also see that they have put time and effort in it.

The AceKard is the modern Chinese version of a Slot 1 solution, there isn't an English version out so drop the retarded speculation, mmkay? None of them are perfect, if you think the product suits _you_ the best just buy it. If there is a product that doesn't suit your needs it doesn't mean it is a bad product.


----------



## jpxdude (Nov 23, 2006)

An English version of the AceKard has already been announced soon, so I don't see where the retarded speculation came from.  It's logical that if something isn't fully understood, then there will be a certain degree of bias when trying to explore it.

Like you said, there are no perfect solutions on the market, but I never refered to any as being bad.  Infact the DS-X is one of the best solutions out there, especially for anyone new to the scene, with its only misforgivings being its price IMO.  Storage is adequate, and support seems great.

AceKard has a lot to live up to, it won't be for everyone, but for those looking for a cheap, workable solution, that doesn't compromise stability and performance in backups, then it 'could' fit the bill.  Let the reviews roll!


----------



## DjoeN (Nov 23, 2006)

That's why i wait 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




maybe flashkit makers should consider to release first an english version instead of chineese 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



Should make reviewers more happy and should avoid misinformations in reviews cause of chineese language.


----------



## kobewan (Nov 23, 2006)

Well, I had high hopes for the AceKard but its not looking very good right now. Pretty much the only good things that it has going for it are "it could technically be a slightly more expensive ($10 or so) alternative to just buying the DS Browser, while providing some extras (such as the indicated complete compatibility)"

Some questions : --- Can you post your results for trying it in Wine?

--- I seem to remember something about them having a custom built Moonshell for it, any idea how that is? How are you supposed to transfer your media files back and forth? 

--- Costello, you mentioned previously that "it doesn't support file fragmentation". Is that why those lines with "free space" popped up in the manager? Can you still write a same size or smaller ROM to those free spaces, or so you need to reformat to make use of them? 

--- Also, have you found any ROM that doesn't work? Even if there was a single one that didn't, it would waste their claims.

So far, looking pretty bad in my eyes. No download play is not good for them. How can we be sure that there is no patching? Would a hex editor be able to open the AKFS files?


----------



## OSW (Nov 23, 2006)

stinkingbob, no need to start a flame war! i was just stating my opinion. Although you have made some good points - ie. its true i have no first hand experience (although my thorough research should account for somethin 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




), you should be carefull first about the flaws in your argument. i'm sure even you have no expeince with acekard and thus cannot make a fair comparison with ds-x, the product you suggest you own and obviously own bias to.

Not to mention such a comparison is not fair, considering the differing GOALS of the two products. One is intentionally well rounded. The other aims for perfect DS compatability (which IS what i have EMPHASIZED obviously). both products seem to achieve their goal well.

for one, this unit uses "microsd" rather than "mini-sd" a mistake you repeated multiple times.
ds-x does not have 100% compatability (you obviously don't own "backups of every game" or if so haven't tried them all)
price is a flaw. i never specified it was with the unit itself, rather, it is a flaw of the sale. even so, my point was clearly recognisable (ie. flaw = downside)
The way you treated this also suggests that you are so wealthy that price is not an issue. well it aint like that for me and many others. I'm a teen student with no job and the associated income. no pocket money (and neever did get any). Thats right Intelligent, but with little money. DS-X is beyond my reach, but it is obvious that i understand its flaws well enough to not desire the item either.

likewise, it isn't a "flaw" that the unit was not in perfect form for gbatemp to review.

my post was never meant to be fully pro acekard, if you actually read it, or any other posts i've made in these forums, i raise some points against it too.

I believe everyone is entitled to an opinion and i support your right......
.....but just to emphasise my superiority, at this moment, i have posted exactly 2x you post count.

Peace out bro.


----------



## CronoTrig (Nov 23, 2006)

Does AceKard have GBA support?


----------



## Costello (Nov 23, 2006)

*I would like to clear up the "patching" debate*
The roms are copied straight to the MicroSD, the data is NOT modified. The client DOES NOT modify the roms.
I found out by transferring some roms on my MicroSD, then transferring back from the microSD to the PC, and doing a data comparison. The rom files are exactly the same in every case. So that's true, it doesn't patch the games.
But what's the point of this, knowing that download play doesn't work in most games? What's the point of "not patching" the games if it doesn't do anything different and doesn't even support download play? I'm not saying there's no point, I'm saying I don't see the point. Perhaps someone could explain 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Now I'll run more tests!
- I'll try some homebrew apps
- I'll try to use the acekard client under Wine (I doubt it'll work though since it uses devices)
- What can you do with "free space" in the middle of the cart.

Edit: my results so far
- 0 of the 8 homebrew I tried worked (DS Organize, NDS Mail, BeUP, NesDS, Moonshell latest version, PicodriveDS, SnezziDS, SnemulDS)
- I can't format my microSD card anymore, whenever I try I get that message ("divide by zero error") like I posted a few posts before


And yes webez it can still patch on the fly, that's absolutely right. I still don't see the point.


----------



## webez (Nov 23, 2006)

They can still patch on the fly. The rom will remain unchanged on the microsd


----------



## Noobix (Nov 23, 2006)

Hehe I just want to know if it runs EVERY DS rom like it claims!!!

Oh well not long to go now before the English version is out...hopefully that'll be enough time for them to sort out "problems" like skinning the interface, etc.


----------



## trebus (Nov 23, 2006)

I remember there's an option in the manager to install moonshell. You gotta check around for it as the Acekard moonshell is the only one that works.

Potentially, the OS, Horrible Game Manager and so on does seem to detract the qualities of it. But the reviewers can't read chinese so it also poses as a detractment to the Acekard. But to counter the points is that the AceKard is built for DS games and looks like it can play any and all DS games as soon as they are released. The OS you just need it to be fast and responsive not pretty and you just need to use it to play games. Ninjapass X9TF cannot play the latest games without updating it as it needs a list of settings for each games. 

I would think with these qualities, AceKard would get a low score but I can see that all these problems are of software and is fixable. Not to mention Acekard team is a new company and lack experience. What AceKard has is potential for the future and able to play any and all DS games, but with the software problems and so on it would be hard. Only time would tell if AceKard would probably be good.


----------



## kobewan (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(trebus @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> Potentially, the OS, Horrible Game Manager and so on does seem to detract the qualities of it. But the reviewers can't read Chinese so it also poses as a detractment to the Acekard. But to counter the points is that the AceKard is built for DS games and looks like it can play any and all DS games as soon as they are released. The OS you just need it to be fast and responsive not pretty and you just need to use it to play games. Ninjapass X9TF cannot play the latest games without updating it as it needs a list of settings for each games.



Well, if AceKard does keep in the ~$40 price range, they could get a lot of customers buying it as a second card to go with their SCL/M3L/G6L even with all the obvious flaws. Download play may be fixed in the future, but I'm not counting on it right now. It's better for the so-far-unproven future 100% compatibility, and the ability to do things like using the Opera browser or any other game that will want Slot-1/2 interaction. For right now though... that's all that I would consider buying it for. Could be useful for something like playing multi-cart multiplayer with a friend who refuses to flash his DS.

CronoTrig, no Slot-1 card has GBA support and they most likely never will. webez, don't all no-patching solutions patch on the fly? From what I know, it will always be necessary until at least the RSA encryption is properly figured out.

Costello, thanks for clearing up the patching point and for continuing to test everything. One _possible_ reason I can think of for not wanting to patch it is to have their 100% future compatibility (or, if they don't have it, to make people think they do).

EDIT : Could you try a homebrew that doesn't require fatlib? Just a simple .ds file?


----------



## Costello (Nov 23, 2006)

NDSmail doesn't require fatlib (well you have an option not to use FAT which will also mean that your settings aren't saved).
But it still freezes randomly, on startup and when writing text, etc...
Also snezziDS doesn't use FAT, the snes roms are included in the .nds file, but for some reason the acekard OS refuses to load it (the load progress bar stops at 0%.)


----------



## gab10 (Nov 23, 2006)

acekard support download play with some games

refer to 
http://wiki.scorpei.com/index.php/AceKard_compatibility_list



QUOTE(kt6192003 @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> Just a quick question. Is there a way to transfer m3 saves over to the acekard? I'd hate to have to start all of my games over again.
> 
> you can
> acekard support sc save
> ...


3 is the fastest speed
prefer to use pny 1G,kingston 1G(pny oem)


*Edited by staff: please do not triple post! thats what the "edit" button is for!*
sorry 
and it is a video of acekard with G6
http://youtube.com/watch?v=abp7s64foYE


----------



## gab10 (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(kt6192003 @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> Just a quick question. Is there a way to transfer m3 saves over to the acekard? I'd hate to have to start all of my games over again.


you can
acekard support sc save
you can change the save from m3 to sc format first
and edit as xxx.nds.sav


----------



## gab10 (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(hirusho @ Nov 22 2006 said:


> this is complete list
> 
> KingMax 512MB 4
> KingMax 256MB 4
> ...


3 is the fastest speed
prefer to use pny 1G,kingston 1G(pny oem)


----------



## simpson17 (Nov 23, 2006)

if 3 is the fastest why is the ultra 2 the slowest?


----------



## madraving (Nov 23, 2006)

2gab10: thx... -) i guess no one will have any questions after this video -)



QUOTE(simpson17 @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> if 3 is the fastest why is the ultra 2 the slowest?



i guess it's a software problem -) they'll fix it for sure.


*Edit by staff: please STOP double or triple posting! There is an "edit" button on the forums, use it if you want to add something to your messages!*


----------



## madraving (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(simpson17 @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> if 3 is the fastest why is the ultra 2 the slowest?



i guess it's a software problem -) they'll fix it for sure.


----------



## Costello (Nov 23, 2006)

Here is an example of the problems generated by their proprietary file system:








Edit: another example.


----------



## gab10 (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(simpson17 @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> if 3 is the fastest why is the ultra 2 the slowest?



um...difficult to expain as i am not pro at computer knowledge
it is relate to the akfs file system

akfs manage the space in TF in sequence. like this abcdefg
FAT manage the space as random. like that abefgcb

FAT can read the data even the data is not sequence
but akfs must storge the data in sequence and read in sequence, ie. it can read data faster

pny and kingston have only one block between the space, so it can run faster 
other TF cards have more than one block




this pic can expain it clearly
you guys can see some free space in the right
they are blocks in the tf
but pny tf only have one block ie, only show one free space in the right 

Costello
i think u should change your TF cards
the following cards are Acekard recommend, they only have one block in the TF card. Others TF card may have problem with Acekard.
PNY microSD 1GB
Kingston microSD 1GB(PNY oem)
PNY microSD 512MB
Apacer microSD 512MB(PNY oem)
Kingmax microSD 512MB
AData microSD 512MB(Kingmax oem)

those block is not affect under FAT as data is write and read at random
but under akfs is different
e.g. a 1G TF have 3 blocks
each is about 300M
The first block storged about 280M
if we put a 30M file in TF, it can not place in the first block as it have not enough volume
it will place in the second block, akfs can not put 20M in block 1 and 10M in block 2
as the data is read in sequence
that is same as Costello's case

and one more things
after format to aksf
u can not put the TF to other devices as a memory card
because the devices don't suppout  akfs, it is same as win98 don't suppout NTFS
if you need to use as a memory card, you can use windows format the TF card back to FAT

i don't konw, i expain that clearly or not as my english is not good
if you guys don't understand,may be wait pro expain it later

use a right TF
enjoy your acekard


----------



## Costello (Nov 23, 2006)

To answer the question asked a few posts before:
The acekard manager does not function properly under Linux using Wine. The main window does show up, but it's all messed up. And the software does not detect the microSD card at all, no matter what I tried.
Can't really blame them though, I doubt any other manager (M3, SC, ...) is supported by Wine.


----------



## kazumi213 (Nov 23, 2006)

Not sure on all of the following statements, please confirm (all come from previous posts)

1. On first usage of the AceKard Client you format the MicroSD in AKFS.
2. Depending on your storage media, you have to evaluate the order of ROM transferring for maximum capacity.
3. After transferring, deletion of a single ROM can cause deletion of the full card contents.
4. You can't re-format in AKFS from within AceKard Client, you have to re-format in FAT from Windows format, then you can format again in AKFS from the AK Client.

Now a question: if you choose the wrong save type, is it necessary to re-transfer the ROM?


----------



## Costello (Nov 23, 2006)

1) You don't have to. When you format as AKFS, it doesn't actually format your cart, just creates a "virtual file system". You can't see any difference under windows, because windows reads the FAT ("file allocation table", a sort of list of all the files on the card, their sizes, etc.) and the acekard manager doesn't use the FAT. It writes directly on the cart. So, no you don't have to format your card. And even when you do format it, Windows doesn't notice the difference.
2) It has nothing to do with your storage media. You will always have to "evaluate the order of ROM..."
3) This seems rather random. It happens to me almost every time I try do delete a "free space" (but why would you do that...) but deleting roms seems to work.
4) I think using the AKFS is independent of the actual file system used by your card. The acekard manager just writes directly to the card, and doesn't modify the FAT.
5) As far as I know, if you choose the wrong save type, you have to put the microSD card back in your card reader, open the acekard manager, delete the .st file associated to the rom (romname.st) and when you will try to boot the rom the next time, it will ask you to enter a save type again.


----------



## gab10 (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(Costello @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> 1) You don't have to. When you format as AKFS, it doesn't actually format your cart, just creates a "virtual file system". You can't see any difference under windows, because windows reads the FAT ("file allocation table", a sort of list of all the files on the card, their sizes, etc.) and the acekard manager doesn't use the FAT. It writes directly on the cart. So, no you don't have to format your card. And even when you do format it, Windows doesn't notice the difference.
> 2) It has nothing to do with your storage media. You will always have to "evaluate the order of ROM..."
> 3) This seems rather random. It happens to me almost every time I try do delete a "free space" (but why would you do that...) but deleting roms seems to work.
> 4) I think using the AKFS is independent of the actual file system used by your card. The acekard manager just writes directly to the card, and doesn't modify the FAT.
> 5) As far as I know, if you choose the wrong save type, you have to put the microSD card back in your card reader, open the acekard manager, delete the .st file associated to the rom (romname.st) and when you will try to boot the rom the next time, it will ask you to enter a save type again.


you can press Y to change the save type
no need to put back in your card reader 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




A run the rom
B skip save and run the rom
X use slot2 card
select+right decraese sd read speed
select+left   increase sd read speed


----------



## Costello (Nov 23, 2006)

Thanks. You should write a manual since your english is good 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



We can't speak chinese at all so we might be missing tips like this.


----------



## shtonkalot (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(Costello @ Nov 24 2006 said:


> To answer the question asked a few posts before:
> The acekard manager does not function properly under Linux using Wine. The main window does show up, but it's all messed up. And the software does not detect the microSD card at all, no matter what I tried.
> Can't really blame them though, I doubt any other manager (M3, SC, ...) is supported by Wine.


M3 Manager works well enough under WINE for a friend to use it. Probably the G6 client works too.


----------



## libredr (Nov 23, 2006)

I can confirm M3 manager works well under Linux with Wine.
What would have been nic is a Java client: it would have been multi-platform from the start.


----------



## azndragonguy115 (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(Costello @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> Here is an example of the problems generated by their proprietary file system:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




there it is, the flaw of what could of been the greatest


----------



## enarky (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(shtonkalot @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> QUOTE(Costello @ Nov 24 2006 said:
> 
> 
> > To answer the question asked a few posts before:
> ...


SC Software works here with Wine, too 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 .

Anything that runs natively on my OS would be welcome 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 . Someone should start reverse engineering SC/M3 etc. patches and add that to Ucon64.

P.S.
Thanks for testing, Costello!


----------



## meangreenie (Nov 23, 2006)

Still.. if you take into account the end of mem card storage problem and the download and play hiccup,.. it would seem that this is the only cart that is truely 100% comptable at this moment in time.


Not bad if the prices are kept in the budget range.


----------



## Kamgusta (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(tama_mog @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> QUOTE(Kamgusta @ Nov 22 2006 said:
> 
> 
> > It doesn't seem a great card.
> ...


Who cares about supporting clean R0Ms, if I still have to use a manager for moving them to the Card?
This is just like patching R0Ms, even if you don't _physically_ do it.
That's not all... The FS is buggy and I can't drag&drop files.
CONS>PROS


----------



## CronoTrig (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(meangreenie @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> Still.. if you take into account the end of mem card storage problem and the download and play hiccup,.. it would seem that this is the only cart that is truely 100% comptable at this moment in time.
> 
> 
> Not bad if the prices are kept in the budget range.



I'm pretty sure that the fact that the AceKard is 100% compatible and the empty memory space issue go hand in hand. That's the way the OS works, and it would probably require a huge rewrite of the code to have it not create the empty spaces.

Have fun, AceKard buyers.


----------



## meangreenie (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(CronoTrig @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> QUOTE(meangreenie @ Nov 23 2006 said:
> 
> 
> > Still.. if you take into account the end of mem card storage problem and the download and play hiccup,.. it would seem that this is the only cart that is truely 100% comptable at this moment in time.
> ...





well exactly the point... the few of us in the know who can get vania2(POR) and ultimate spiderman running on slower setups will no longer be exclusive since the software seems to dictate the solution for end-users who are not to tech savvy... savvy 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	





No one else here think that the fact is does indeed have 100% compatabilty a decent enough + point ??   be fair no other cart can claim this ...... even the rocket reviewed (9.5!! 9.5!!) ds-x can't manage that


----------



## tama_mog (Nov 23, 2006)

QUOTE(Kamgusta @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> QUOTE(tama_mog @ Nov 23 2006 said:
> 
> 
> > QUOTE(Kamgusta @ Nov 22 2006 said:
> ...



Truth is it's too early to tell how well the AKFS operates.  Hmm, what's the difference (seeing the gui) between selecting a rom to transfer it selecting a save size versus draggin the rom onto the card?  One takes maybe 5 seconds longer than the other?  And the tradeoff is 100% compatibility?  Maybe there's something I'm not seeing in people's pt about drag and drop, yeah it's convenient but to me it's not a deciding factor in purchasing a flashcart.  Yes apparently the software is buggy.....but that once again has too many factors I'm not going to get into.  It doesn't help the staff here reviewing the cart can't read chinese and maybe adding to the frustrations of constantly trial and error to perform seemless tasks that need slight bugs ironed out.  I'm not trying to make people buy this cart of giving this cart a nods of the head, hell I don't even have it in my possession.  But I think some of the points brought up here as negative is just subjective conjecture.  And thanks to the admins for giving good information on how the cart's working out and handling AKFS.


----------



## CronoTrig (Nov 24, 2006)

QUOTE(meangreenie @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> QUOTE(CronoTrig @ Nov 23 2006 said:
> 
> 
> > QUOTE(meangreenie @ Nov 23 2006 said:
> ...



AceKard isn't 100% compatible: Download Play fails on many games.


----------



## meangreenie (Nov 24, 2006)

[sarcasm] 100% compatability means nothing obviously if you have to wait an extra 2-3 seconds for the rom to transfer....... obviously (duh.........) [/sarcasm)


omg this doen't live up to the ds-x !!!! 1111 !!!! 1111 cart... the roms transfer much faster and it doesn't matter if some roms don't work or stutter badly because it's gbatemp 9.5 approved... thumbs up  and giant grin (insert sarcasm bracket as you wish)


----------



## cory1492 (Nov 24, 2006)

QUOTE said:
			
		

> AceKard isn't 100% compatible: Download Play fails on many games.


*CronoTrig:* that will likely be corrected when they figure out what it is in their OS that is leaving bad data in the DS memory after it exits.


_Alot_ of people don't seem to get this:
FAT/FAT32 have access time overhead BECAUSE of possible fragmentation. Most file systems are _made that way_ because the OS's that use it frequently write and rewrite files that change size (cost of speed is less than seeking large enough blocks to contain and move an entire file to when it outgrows it's current allocation).

DS carts don't write at all - meaning the entire file system _never_ changes (thus fast seek times because the data is always where it is supposed to be - at an offset wrather than a block addressed by a FAT table). Putting a DS file system on a FAT device adds a second file system overhead which has to be accounted for with delays (processor time and seek time), and additional patching if the program running expects the data faster.

As with GBA games, the data needs to be stored sequentially to be accessed as it if was native to the device (meaning: no time lost seeking fragments). To do this, there are 2 options: use a flash chip and store the data sequentially, with no fragmentation, or, use RAM to copy the data to before using it, so it is available sequentially like the device expects it to be.

_What AceKard apparently does_: uses the SD card as if it was the flash chip in a flash cart. It stores the data sequentially with no fragmentation so that the AceKard, when doing it's hardware based address translation, does not have to recalculate for every fragmented block, and does not need an excessively large controller with a higher power draw to do those microsecond consuming seeks (that would crash many games without patching) and feed the correct data to the DS. The price of this is having to manage consecutive free space.

_What this means to the end user_: higher compatibility of essentially a flash cart, on a removable/replaceable/upgradeable memory storage device (with much higher write speeds than most types of other flash chips that Chinese manufacturers would use on such a device). All without buying a flash cart per game, without worrying about onboard flash chips failing, with far better non-manufacture supported compatibility (ie: dont need to update because xx game isnt working today) and without having to buy a whole new flash cart when you want to upgrade the amount of memory there is.

_That said, I always ask this question of software that handles flash chips on a page level_: how does it account for bad blocks? If my F2A gets a bad block near the beginning, the whole thing is pretty much unusable.

I think AK is a great idea, and just like SC, M3 or G6 the initial menu software is going to have it's flaws. The fact is, you say the software is buggy - but it has damn high compatibility already considering the bugs (and lack of features; like English in the Chinese version).


----------



## CronoTrig (Nov 24, 2006)

QUOTE(cory1492 @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> QUOTE said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I guess we'll just have to wait and see.


meangreenie, you realize that people aren't bashing on the AceKard because it takes longer to transfer files, they're bashing it because of the EMPTY SPACE issue, poor file manager, and lack of English support.


----------



## cory1492 (Nov 24, 2006)

QUOTE(CronoTrig @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> QUOTE(cory1492 @ Nov 23 2006 said:
> 
> 
> > QUOTE said:
> ...


Yes, we will. Its a question of whether they will fix it wrather than whether it can be fixed.


----------



## CronoTrig (Nov 24, 2006)

QUOTE(cory1492 @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> QUOTE(CronoTrig @ Nov 23 2006 said:
> 
> 
> > QUOTE(cory1492 @ Nov 23 2006 said:
> ...



It could very possibly not be fixable. Did you design the AceKard or something, you seem to be quite confident about what you're saying.


----------



## stinkingbob (Nov 24, 2006)

Tama,

Basically, you are saying that you would neglect all the problems with the AceKard just because it's claim of being 100% compatible.

In other words, you would buy a car with busted windows, no doors, no hood or trunk, rusted out body, non working lights, and ripped seats just because it runs and is cheap!!

For me, I would rather spend a few extrra dollars to make sure I am getting something that works well without any problems.

Since you think AceKard is so great, go ahead and buy it. But, when you have problems with it, who are you going to go to for help??

Lets face it, the cons of the card outweigh the pros. Wait unitl the ninja comes out, because realistically, the AceKard just doesn't pass muster.

BTW, I haven't seen any posts from Costello or Shaun in regards to the games they have tested so far and if any problems were experienced while running the games.

B.


----------



## meangreenie (Nov 24, 2006)

ITS oFFICIAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


ACECARD IS THE NEW SUPERCARD... LET THE FUN CONTINUE
(caps deliberate)


...let me guess I bet it has bad battery life too


----------



## cory1492 (Nov 24, 2006)

QUOTE(CronoTrig @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> It could very possibly not be fixable. Did you design the AceKard or something, you seem to be quite confident about what you're saying.


I am quite confident in the _ideas_ behind AceKard. I also understand how touchy alot of the stuff around download/play and cart encryption is with regards to the proper data being in the DS memory.

Am I going to run out and buy one? Nope. Good ideas, believe it or not, can be implemented badly (like not fixing dl/play or the ROM manager's bugs). But it is also why I am waiting on others who got review devices as well as something other than what appears to be Alpha phase software wrather than looking for vague reasons to bash a device I have never seen before.


----------



## tama_mog (Nov 24, 2006)

QUOTE(stinkingbob @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> Tama,
> 
> Basically, you are saying that you would neglect all the problems with the AceKard just because it's claim of being 100% compatible.
> 
> ...



First of all, don't compare this to a car because it's a totally different story and I happen to be an enthusiast.  2nd, none of these flashcarts are overpriced as far as I'm concerned in terms of price.  Hell even if they're 50% compatible they're worth $$ to buy multiple ones to run certain games, because why?  It's obvious, check prices of DS games.  It's all for convenience for me.  I'm buying one to test it out for myself, I already have plenty of flashcarts I could use (1 m3 sd, 3 m3 lites, 2 supercard lites, 2 g6 3rd gens).  If you notice I don't cry and scream on any forums if I need "help" with a product, I try to search around and see if I could read something that might help and I happen to read chinese, so I make frequent visits to China for business so support could be different for me compared to you.  You guys are all just too quick on dismissing a card's potential due to preliminary bugs.  Pricing is not an option to me, I could care less, I just want something that performs and excuse me for being optimistic about a potentially nice product down the line.


----------



## meangreenie (Nov 24, 2006)

Any one else wondering why a cart

... that can only be beaten by one cart in down-load and play (possibly fixable, more likely not)


..but is the ONLY 100% compatable cart that play all ds roms and beats every other cart around without EXCEPTION.


is subject to such ridicule and general meh ?

boo boys make the acecard you're new supercard, to hate and loathe and bash in any concievable way...make sure you point out any weakness while completely dismissing anything that might make it look ok.. it's the natural order of things...obviously... do you're duty boo boys and lets completely destroy this cart before it gets off the ground... these are you're orders, now you're gbatemp allegiance demands you perform you're duty ... all hail ds-x9.5


----------



## CronoTrig (Nov 24, 2006)

QUOTE(meangreenie @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> Any one else wondering why a cart
> 
> ... that can only be beaten by one cart in down-load and play (possibly fixable, more likely not)
> 
> ...



Defending the AceKard with false claims and information is just as bad as bashing it with false claims and information. You should also work on proper English, I couldn't understand most of what you typed.


----------



## Costello (Nov 24, 2006)

Hey some people are taking this too seriously.



			
				QUOTE said:
			
		

> ...let me guess I bet it has bad battery life too


actually... from our first impressions it does drain battery life rather quickly.
we need to confirm this by making more accurate tests!


----------



## trebus (Nov 24, 2006)

Of course, AceKard as it seems now doesn't look so good. But the idea is there. The Potential is there. Remember Supercard when it came out? it was buggy but with a dedicated team they made it what it is today. AceKard has potential to fix these flaws because most of the problems are not in the hardware but software. I will not buy one, but I will wait and see how it progresses. I'm willing to bet if the team is dedicated enough these flaws would be fixed in the coming months. Also remember that since it has 100% compatibility other than download play, the team only needs to work on the software and improve the interface rather than work on making each and every game work when new releases comes like M3 and Supercard.

If you take a look at Supercard reviews here you can see them getting a 7 score because some GBA games can't run and some problems but now it can easily get a 8.5 and more due to the progress. If you want to bash the AceKard, then do so but I am defending the potential it has, the idea behind should not be bashed.

P.S. I noticed that by using Kingston and PNY, the cheapest Micro SD cards for the fastest performance. That is opposite of the other cards like spending a lot more to get Sandisk Ultra 2 for better performance. So in other words with less money you get better performance?


----------



## shaunj66 (Nov 24, 2006)

Geez guys get some new hobbies would you?  You're flaming and defending FLASH KITS made in Chinese sweat shops for fuck sake!


----------



## stinkingbob (Nov 24, 2006)

Tama,

You wrote:
*****************
I happen to read chinese, so I make frequent visits to China for business so support could be different for me compared to you. You guys are all just too quick on dismissing a card's potential due to preliminary bugs.
******************
You have an advantage over us non-Chinese gamers in that you can read and understand
Mandarin/Cantonese, plus, you make frequent trips to China which none of us can do. And, as you said, you are wealthy. So, your comments don't really hold water for the rest of us gamers. 
Bottomline is that if you are going to send over a preview unit to a reviewer, you should make sure that it reflets very closely to what the end product will do. Note that no one has said that the software being in Chinese was a negative. We understand that it will get xlated(hopefully). Our gripes are with the problems that Costello and Shaun are experiencing with it so far. Note that thye have had a day to fool around with the AceKard and it seems like they are continusoulsy finding problems with it. Regular gamers like us who can't spend hours trying to debug something to get it to work just don't see a real advantage to the card.
I'd rather spend my time playing than trying to figure out out to get around a system error.


----------



## roguefan99 (Nov 24, 2006)

I'm thinking about the gaps thing, and it reminds of the flash linker days (with Littlewriter).  I have a question.

How easy is it to backup your saves and upload your saves to the card (with the game)?  If this is easy to do then reconstucting a card isn't that big of a deal to me (supercard can be so slow to patch roms anyway), if its difficult this would turn me away from Acekard.


----------



## jeremy77 (Nov 24, 2006)

Lastest akmenu.nds version 1.04 
ALL games work fine until now with using PNY microsd 1G and kingston microsd 1G(PNY OEM) (IMPORTANT) 
Don't using FAT, Using AKSF which is the special file system for AceKard 
Don't support most of Homebrew software except MoonShell 

http://wiki.scorpei.com/index.php/AceKard_compatibility_list


----------



## tama_mog (Nov 24, 2006)

QUOTE(stinkingbob @ Nov 24 2006 said:


> Tama,
> 
> You wrote:
> *****************
> ...



I can agree with that, that it shuold be tailored for the average joe in terms of operation.  I'll also say that DS-X has done well so far since launch in general being that slot1 cards (ones that are worth anything @ least) are relatively new.  However, I do not think any of the new slot 1 devices that are hastily being hashed out from different Chinese manufacturers are going to be as problem free as people like it to be immediately (trust me, I know this from too much experience dealing with Chinese manufacturing).  It's going to take time through firmware/software revisions to get the job done right and none of the slot 1 cards (to be fair) really has had the time/refinement that's went into slot 2 cards.  I disagree about the regular gamer bit you're putting out, because if you're a regular gamer, you should be proceeding to buy the games in stores instead of hitting up roms to run in flashcarts.  I still think this product if given the right attention and opportunity, will shine through time but like I said earlier, only time will tell, no one here is a prophet in any sense.


----------



## digital_sin (Nov 24, 2006)

QUOTE(shaunj66 @ Nov 24 2006 said:


> Geez guys get some new hobbies would you?Â You're flaming and defending FLASH KITS made in Chinese sweat shops for fuck sake!



lol


----------



## stinkingbob (Nov 24, 2006)

Actually, wee arent flaming. Its just that some people are saying that the AceKard is the best thing to happen since the vcr, even with all its flaws.
It may be 100% compatible but still, the problems that Shaun and Costello have experienced with it, doesn't justify in my opinion, someone going out to buy it when there is the perfectly well working DS-X.
Tama, you are correct. Given time, I am sure that whomever may perfect the software. But the question is when. Why release a product that is half-working. It reminds me of some game companies that knowingly released buggy software and then fixed things up little by little via patches. 
The thing is, they made the consumer, their free beta testers. And you see, this is what Costello and Shaun are doing. Beta testing this product for free for this company, when the company should have did this themselves.
What is going to happen is that they will read Shauns review which wil list all the problems encountered and then they will try to fix them. Pretty smart on the company. Got free technical advice. Of course, that is, if the Company really cares. I mean, if this product costs $40, I doubt they will want to recode it and make it better. Well, lets see.....


----------



## OSW (Nov 24, 2006)

QUOTE(stinkingbob @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> Tama,
> In other words, you would buy a car with busted windows, no doors, no hood or trunk, rusted out body, non working lights, and ripped seats just because it runs and is cheap!!
> 
> 
> ...



Well, that would surprise me considering that they claim almost identical power usage to an original cart. Then again, you are the one with the cart, and thus i have faith in in your comments.


----------



## cory1492 (Nov 24, 2006)

QUOTE(shaunj66 @ Nov 23 2006 said:


> Geez guys get some new hobbies would you?Â You're flaming and defending FLASH KITS made in Chinese sweat shops for fuck sake!







"Jeeze guys, get some new hobbies will you? You are jumping around screaming because a bunch of guys, who are getting paid millions, which you will never know or meet have/don't have the ball/puck."

Now I think I understand why these companies and release groups started calling themselves "teams".. they want the cheers of unknown strangers.


----------



## stinkingbob (Nov 24, 2006)

OSW,

We can finally agree to something.
You stated:
*******************
a better analogy would be;

would you buy a car without any good extras, that runs every time without fail, or would you buy a car with a mass of extras, that only runs 90% of the time, and at a potentially slower speeds.
********************
I would want the car that runs evertyime without fail (the DS-X) instead of the one that runs 90% of the time (AceKard).

So people, straight from OSW's mouth, go out and get a DS-X.  It is much better and without the flaws of the Acekard.
Thank you OSW. I knew you would come around and see that the DS-X is much better.
B.


----------



## enarky (Nov 24, 2006)

QUOTE(cory1492 @ Nov 24 2006 said:


> Now I think I understand why these companies and release groups started calling themselves "teams".. they want the cheers of unknown strangers.


Maybe they should start selling merchandise, like Baseball caps, Stickers or T-Shirts soon.

Honestly, this thread is ridiculous, it's really tiring wading through ten pages of the same repeating arguments. Those flashcard threads remind me of the movie groundhog day somehow, unfortunately there's no girl you can impress in the end.


----------



## OSW (Nov 24, 2006)

QUOTE(stinkingbob @ Nov 24 2006 said:


> OSW,
> 
> We can finally agree to something.
> You stated:
> ...




LMAO - 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 twisting my words to suit you, you scoundrel.
... anyway, i have been rambling on a bit, arguing too much, that kind of mood. My apologies.

Lets be friends


----------



## gab10 (Nov 24, 2006)

The 100% support clear rom is true with using right TF card
it start selling in china about half month and the end-users prove it, no need to argue with that
may be u can say it is 99.9% as some of games cannot use download play
but if u want to use Homebrew, true english interface,easy to use,confuse in the akfs file system,buy ds-x
if u want more game support, cheaper price,buy acekard
if u want to buy a perfect card
wait until next year, may have


----------



## Extreme Coder (Nov 24, 2006)

gab10, are you from the AceKard team? If so, please go inform your superiors WE NEED A FATLIB for this card to have any chance, with also non-buggy software.


----------



## trebus (Nov 24, 2006)

One thing I don't understand here is that if you support something that means you work under that company and is planning to convince people that the card is as good as possible. God forbids having some guy who is just a fan and if he say something nice he must be a developer.


----------



## Noobix (Nov 24, 2006)

Well the DS-X got a massive 9.5 on launch with all it's starting flaws, and I'm waiting to see how it handles the next big bunch of new games. I think I will pick up an Acekard as is, simply for the 100% Rom compatability.

Like every other product currently on the market, of course there is room for improvement, and hopefully that will happen sooner rather than later. 

Just knowing that any new game will work off the bat is cool, but I will couple it with my EZ4 lite since it also works as a passcard! Massive storage with 2x2GB!!! (60-70 games +vids etc ?)

Hope Santa figures out which one to buy. 

Anywayz still early days!


----------



## gab10 (Nov 24, 2006)

QUOTE(Extreme Coder @ Nov 24 2006 said:


> gab10, are you from the AceKard team? If so, please go inform your superiors WE NEED A FATLIB for this card to have any chance, with also non-buggy software.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


i am not
just a user 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



i know yyjoy.com start sell it in china and send 8 samples to hk,8 to taiwan, thier review prove that 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



may be u can go to acekard.com's forum express your opinion
and the acekard team's production is low, hk and taiwan still not start selling


----------



## CCNaru (Nov 24, 2006)

Can someone check if this makes Castlevania Portrait of Ruin JAP crash or not? thanks.


----------



## shaunj66 (Nov 24, 2006)

QUOTE(CCNaru @ Nov 24 2006 said:


> Can someone check if this makes Castlevania Portrait of Ruin JAP crash or not? thanks.


Where does the game normally crash? If someone has a Supercard sav near the crash I will happily test it.


----------



## nightwalker (Nov 24, 2006)

http://www.bamboogaming.com/ has the *english* acekard for pre-order and expects it to be shipped dec. 1

anyone wanna be a guinea pig


----------



## Costello (Nov 24, 2006)

QUOTE(Noobix @ Nov 24 2006 said:


> Well the DS-X got a massive 9.5 on launch with all it's starting flaws



Excuuuse me princess (?), but what flaws are you talking about?
The compatibility thing was a mistake from our part, (we tried 60 games - that includes playing until you can save, then reloading to check if the save works - that was pretty time sucking), out of all the games that we tried, only one didn't work, so we assumed our tests would be representative of the reality. Unfortunately more games were found non working, which resulted in a compatibility of approximately 97% instead of 99%. Two weeks later, a new firmware was released to fix the compatibility issues.

The DS-Xtreme really deserves its rating, believe me (if you don't want to believe me, buy one)


----------



## jpxdude (Nov 24, 2006)

from the bamboo site, the acekard works out to be ~£25 not bad!


----------



## Kamgusta (Nov 24, 2006)

QUOTE(trebus @ Nov 24 2006 said:


> If you take a look at Supercard reviews here you can see them getting a 7 score because some GBA games can't run and some problems but now it can easily get a 8.5 and more due to the progress. If you want to bash the AceKard, then do so but I am defending the potential it has, the idea behind should not be bashed.


SuperCard has the same old problems it had when was reviewed "long time ago": can't run some GBA games, slowdowns, bad-looking interface, etc. This wasn't the best example you could pick!
If we had to "defend the potential, the idea behind", every flashcard should get "10+"...
IF the team will be able to resolve the issue, I'm sure everyone will be pleased to change their mind and gave it better scores. Until then...

In Italy we have a proverb that says something like this: "Who spent life hoping, died in an uncertain date".

Very nice price, BTW!


----------



## stinkingbob (Nov 24, 2006)

I checked out the link to the bamboo website for the acekard. It sells for $65 Austrailian money, which xlates to around $60 USA if the online currency calculator is up-to-date. The site was xlated into english so the grammar wasn't all to good. So, I figure, 60 for the game, maybe 15 for shipping, and around 30 for a 1 Gig  mini sd card when it is on sale.  So, you are looking at about $105 for the ace Kard.
Question is, from  what you have read so far about the AceKard, do you risk it and buy it, spend an extra 40 and get the ds-x, or wait until soomething better comes along(hopefully soon)....
OSW, I was playing with ya in the last post! Just joking with ya. You are cool, man.  At least everyone here is expressing their opinions, sans ad hominen.
Hey Shaun, how close are you to finishing up that review?  I am dying to see if my rating predictionof 3.5/10 for the AceKard is true or not.

On another note,  I am tired of turkey. Will be having turkey for the next 3-4 days.
B.


----------



## simpson17 (Nov 25, 2006)

stinking bob towards the bottom on the lefthand side u can change the currency on bamboogaming to US dollars and they are charging $48.88
and to make it fair why dont u get a 512mb flashcart from newegg, the PNY 512 model comes out to $19 but $23 after shipping since u had to order it from an extra place -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16820178124

so that would be about $72 compared to the ds-x's $125


----------



## OSW (Nov 25, 2006)

QUOTE(gab10 @ Nov 24 2006 said:


> The 100% support clear rom is true with using right TF card
> it start selling in china about half month and the end-users prove it, no need to argue with that
> may be u can say it is 99.9% as some of games cannot use download play



Do you know if theres any chance that download play can be fixed for the games that don't have it working?

also, is there different models of PNY 1GB microsd cards? cuz i'm looking at purchasing this one if its a good choice.

thx


----------



## cenotaph (Nov 25, 2006)

If it's cheap, I might get one just for the hell of it. Could use it in conjunction with my M3 and have 2x2G cards or something. I'd have lots of games available, anyway...


----------



## gab10 (Nov 25, 2006)

QUOTE(cenotaph @ Nov 25 2006 said:


> If it's cheap, I might get one just for the hell of it. Could use it in conjunction with my M3 and have 2x2G cards or something. I'd have lots of games available, anyway...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


some users have asked the download play problem in yyjoy.com
acekard have not reponse
i don't know they will fix it or not

and the pny 1G like that have some number in the bottom, kingston 1G oem is similar, only change the brand name, other pny may have problem, ensure that before buy it


----------



## 7llusion (Nov 25, 2006)

This really looks nice it's the price of a game here in Europe (39€ = 25£) seems to have have just two problems, the download play on some games (possible fix by an upgrade?) and the AKFS format, since I use my MicroSD for my cellphone...(But you can find some 256Mb ones at 9.90€ = 6.7£). Also the program should be easily translated using Resource Hacker.
Illusion


----------



## Costello (Nov 25, 2006)

Like I said before it can NOT be translated using resource hacker.
But the acekard team have already made an english version anyway.


----------



## Costello (Nov 26, 2006)

All right fellows, we aim at releasing the review today.
We'll work hard and will let you know when we're done.


----------



## azndragonguy115 (Nov 26, 2006)

im guessing a 6.5 due to the format?


----------



## meangreenie (Nov 26, 2006)

QUOTE(azndragonguy115 @ Nov 26 2006 said:


> im guessing a 6.5 due to the format?




nah, that will be becuase of bung given by ds-x


----------



## azndragonguy115 (Nov 26, 2006)

i had to go to wikipedia to see what bung was


----------



## Costello (Nov 26, 2006)

stop trying to guess the rating... it is getting annoying  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



the rating will be what it will be: fair, objective, unbiased, based on facts

oh and someone went too far and was hitten by the ban stick


----------

