Still worth keeping these R4 cards?

[Nisei]

A couple of years ago (I believe it was shortly after the New 3DS got cancelled) I bought 2 New 3DS XL systems, along with 2 R4i+ Gold from r4ids.cn
However, my life took a different turn shortly after so I never used them. Now that things have settled down again I came across them in a box (both still brand new in box) so I figured I might as well give one of them a try.
I was surprised to see how much has changed and how easy it is to hack to CFW so of course that's what I've done. I can't believe how much this thing can do!
So, now that I'm using the CFW, I was wondering if there's still any use for these R4 cards? I still see them on eBay but what would you need them for?

 

[supergamer368]

I believe flashcards have better compatibility loading original DS game backups compared to something like twilightmenu, which is an app you install on your 3ds to load og DS game backups right from your 3ds sd card. They can probably also be used with NTRBoot, which is one (obsolete) way of installing CFW on your 3ds. So if loading backups of OG DS games is not of interest to you, probably not much use for them.

 

[Nisei]

... So if loading backups of OG DS games is not of interest to you, probably not much use for them.

Thanks, if that's all they can do (better) then I don't have much use for them.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

A couple of years ago (I believe it was shortly after the New 3DS got cancelled) I bought 2 New 3DS XL systems, along with 2 R4i+ Gold from r4ids.cn
However, my life took a different turn shortly after so I never used them. Now that things have settled down again I came across them in a box (both still brand new in box) so I figured I might as well give one of them a try.
I was surprised to see how much has changed and how easy it is to hack to CFW so of course that's what I've done. I can't believe how much this thing can do!
So, now that I'm using the CFW, I was wondering if there's still any use for these R4 cards? I still see them on eBay but what would you need them for?

View attachment 475040

Still one of the best DS flashcarts around. Maybe not of much use to most DSi/3DS users these days, but flashcarts remain the only option on DS Phat/Lite. Personally, I like having all my DS games on a cart so they're separated from my 3DS games, but that's just me.

They're also useful for ntrboot, which IMO is the easiest way to mod a 3DS, but of course it's not the only cart that can use ntrboot (and there are cheaper carts available that can), nor is it the only way to mod a 3DS on latest firmware. Mainly having a flashcart with ntrboot makes sense if you provide modding services so you can more quickly mod a lot of consoles. Otherwise it's a one time thing that only saves you a little bit of time and hassle.

You could probably get a decent chunk of change by selling them, as they aren't available anymore. The flashcarts you find on online stores (including eBay) now are inferior R4 clones. They have timebombs, and lack RTS, and you have to use a 3rd party kernel like YSmenu to get much use out of them. It's really hard to find a decent DS flashcart these days.

 

[SylverReZ]

A couple of years ago (I believe it was shortly after the New 3DS got cancelled) I bought 2 New 3DS XL systems, along with 2 R4i+ Gold from r4ids.cn
However, my life took a different turn shortly after so I never used them. Now that things have settled down again I came across them in a box (both still brand new in box) so I figured I might as well give one of them a try.
I was surprised to see how much has changed and how easy it is to hack to CFW so of course that's what I've done. I can't believe how much this thing can do!
So, now that I'm using the CFW, I was wondering if there's still any use for these R4 cards? I still see them on eBay but what would you need them for?

View attachment 475040

Definitely, that is if they still work. The R4iDSN+ cards have stopped production since 2020 after a defective batch has been sent to consumers, which in turn resulted in games to not boot correctly. So, if they boot, they're totally worth collecting for.

You can get a decent chunk of them second-hand off eBay or Vinted, or heck some uncommon rare ones for really cheap. Car boot sales or thrift stores are also good to look out for. I make sure to watch any search results, and if any items are listed, I get notified via e-mail.

I've always kept my R4 cards from when I bought them over the course of several years.

 

[Nisei]

Thanks for the replies. These may as well be ones from that faulty batch, I have no clue. I 've just downloaded Wood V1.64 for it now, which should be the latest version they released. What should I test to see if they're not faulty?

 

[SylverReZ]

What should I test to see if they're not faulty?

Try booting some games using the stock kernel, that is, the Wood R4 1.64 kernel here.

If you end up with a white screen, or that it is frozen while loading, you can continue to use it with the BL2CK kernel.

 

[Nisei]

Try booting some games using the stock kernel, that is, the Wood R4 1.64 kernel here.

If you end up with a white screen, or that it is frozen while loading, you can continue to use it with the BL2CK kernel.

Thank you so much, I'll give it a try. Appreciate the help!

 

[Atlas0_0]

Yo question, do you still have these and would I be able to buy one off you?