Hacking Need help getting cheap/basic cart for little kids

snub17

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So ive been away from the scene a while, and when i was last here it was all about the SCSD and Superkey or if you had money SCD1. Well having to see my relatives cringe to get a new game for their kids every time i figured id check out whats out there for carts now. As far as i can see the R4 clones really blew up in the market, question is for me whats the cheapest i can get thatll just get the games running for the kids with no extra features but at the same time be easy to use and be updated.

So in short im looking at one of the Chinese sellers on shoptemp and based on price the R4i-Gold pro seems to fit the budget but i cant find much reviews on it. Do you guys recommend this variant or something else, i have to get 4 carts so saving some money would be nice.


Thanks
 

Wizerzak

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If they all have DS / DS Lites then an R4 (or R4i Gold if you want SDHC support, but if not R4 is better) would do perfectly. You just have to be careful where you buy from though as many places will sells clones (fake R4s) that do not support Wood R4 kernel (which is better than the default R4 one).
 

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RchUncleSkeleton

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r4i gold and acekard 2i are only like half the price of a retail game, if these people cringe at the thought of buying a new game all the time they what's wrong with spending the cost of 1 game or less to get all the games? Honestly a Supercard DS TWO is only like $10 more than the average retail game, then get a microsd card for $5 and you'll be running any game. Also an Ak2i will only run you about $15-$20 plus around $5 for a 4gb microsd from newegg.
 

snub17

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r4i gold and acekard 2i are only like half the price of a retail game, if these people cringe at the thought of buying a new game all the time they what's wrong with spending the cost of 1 game or less to get all the games? Honestly a Supercard DS TWO is only like $10 more than the average retail game, then get a microsd card for $5 and you'll be running any game. Also an Ak2i will only run you about $15-$20 plus around $5 for a 4gb microsd from newegg.

I agree with you are coming from, but the kids only get 1-2 games a year and im getting the carts as gifts for them to save some headache for the parents. I just dont have the funds to buy four ak2i (belive me i would if had the money). So thats why im looking for a cheaper alternative
 

Wizerzak

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r4i gold and acekard 2i are only like half the price of a retail game, if these people cringe at the thought of buying a new game all the time they what's wrong with spending the cost of 1 game or less to get all the games? Honestly a Supercard DS TWO is only like $10 more than the average retail game, then get a microsd card for $5 and you'll be running any game. Also an Ak2i will only run you about $15-$20 plus around $5 for a 4gb microsd from newegg.

I agree with you are coming from, but the kids only get 1-2 games a year and im getting the carts as gifts for them to save some headache for the parents. I just dont have the funds to buy four ak2i (belive me i would if had the money). So thats why im looking for a cheaper alternative

What type of DS' do they have?

If DS / DS Lite:
Buy an R4. Cheapest option ($2) and most compatible with the newest games. Although if you wish to have more than ~30 games you'll have to swap SD cards around which can be fiddly for little kids.

If DSi / DSi XL / 3DS:
Buy an R4i Gold. Quite a bit more expensive (%-wise) and slightly less (I think pretty much the same) compatible with the newest games. Also supports Mirco SDHC (over 2GB) if you wish to hold more than ~30 games on each card.
 
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snub17

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r4i gold and acekard 2i are only like half the price of a retail game, if these people cringe at the thought of buying a new game all the time they what's wrong with spending the cost of 1 game or less to get all the games? Honestly a Supercard DS TWO is only like $10 more than the average retail game, then get a microsd card for $5 and you'll be running any game. Also an Ak2i will only run you about $15-$20 plus around $5 for a 4gb microsd from newegg.

I agree with you are coming from, but the kids only get 1-2 games a year and im getting the carts as gifts for them to save some headache for the parents. I just dont have the funds to buy four ak2i (belive me i would if had the money). So thats why im looking for a cheaper alternative

What type of DS' do they have?

If DS / DS Lite:
Buy an R4. Cheapest option ($2) and most compatible with the newest games. Although if you wish to have more than ~30 games you'll have to swap SD cards around which can be fiddly for little kids.

If DSi / DSi XL / 3DS:
Buy an R4i Gold. Quite a bit more expensive (%-wise) and slightly less (I think pretty much the same) compatible with the newest games. Also supports Mirco SDHC (over 2GB) if you wish to hold more than ~30 games on each card.

Thanks ill get those and i guess i splurged and and got 2 pcs of the R4i-sdhc v1.4.3 for 13 bucks. Ill see how those workout as well
 
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Sora de Eclaune

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The R4i Gold you people posted is a clone, this is the real one and it's only for 9.99: http://www.eachgame.hk/goods-5651.html
...The R4i Gold is a clone either way! It's a clone of an R4.

Nope, it's not a clone of an R4 at all...

Besides, I'm linking him to the proper cart to ensure proper support for his cart while others linked him to a clone that will eventually lose support.
Every cart with an R4 label except for R4 Revolution for DS is a clone card. If not of the R4 itself, then of some card.

There is no such thing as an R4i Gold cartridge that isn't a clone.
 
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The R4i Gold you people posted is a clone, this is the real one and it's only for 9.99: http://www.eachgame.hk/goods-5651.html
...The R4i Gold is a clone either way! It's a clone of an R4.

Nope, it's not a clone of an R4 at all...

Besides, I'm linking him to the proper cart to ensure proper support for his cart while others linked him to a clone that will eventually lose support.
Every cart with an R4 label except for R4 Revolution for DS is a clone card. If not of the R4 itself, then of some card.

There is no such thing as an R4i Gold cartridge that isn't a clone.

So you're saying just because it was named R4i Gold, it's considered a clone?

I think you might need to do a research of the R4i Gold(r4ids.cn) version to figure out what I'm trying to say here.
 

Sora de Eclaune

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The R4i Gold you people posted is a clone, this is the real one and it's only for 9.99: http://www.eachgame.hk/goods-5651.html
...The R4i Gold is a clone either way! It's a clone of an R4.

Nope, it's not a clone of an R4 at all...

Besides, I'm linking him to the proper cart to ensure proper support for his cart while others linked him to a clone that will eventually lose support.
Every cart with an R4 label except for R4 Revolution for DS is a clone card. If not of the R4 itself, then of some card.

There is no such thing as an R4i Gold cartridge that isn't a clone.

So you're saying just because it was named R4i Gold, it's considered a clone?

I think you might need to do a research of the R4i Gold(r4ids.cn) version to figure out what I'm trying to say here.
It's not because it was named R4i Gold.

It's because the R4i Gold is actually a clone of the R4i SDHC, which is a clone of an R4. Or, at least, that's what I found. I could find no evidence supporting that the R4i Gold is not a clone of an R4, though.
 

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So you're saying just because it was named R4i Gold, it's considered a clone?

I think you might need to do a research of the R4i Gold(r4ids.cn) version to figure out what I'm trying to say here.
Its considered a clone because their just ripping off money from the original name. Call it a copy or a cheap knock off whatever, You get the point.

EDIT: and the fact that its identical lol. Not "look" wise though.
 

Wizerzak

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The R4i Gold you people posted is a clone, this is the real one and it's only for 9.99: http://www.eachgame.hk/goods-5651.html

This is true. That is the R4i Gold you will need to get if you want one with real support (supports Wood R4).

The other R4i Golds are 'considered' clones as they are not as good as this one and do not have support for Wood R4.
 

jurassicplayer

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Anything that isn't the main flashcarts is a clone and even some of the main ones are as well (IIRC DSTT is a clone of Supercard...or maybe it was the other way around...either way one is a clone of the other). If it has R4 in the name and it isn't an original 2GB one, it's a clone. WoodR4 or not, the R4iGold/R4iDSn are also clones. If you ever get convinced otherwise, just leave the DS scene. The difference that people should care about is how the clone teams deal with things.
And btw, just as a perk, the R4iGold is an AK clone.

To the OP:
For the most part, it would probably be easiest to aim for a flashcart that supports either YSMenu or WoodR4. Of course, most people would prefer WoodR4, but on occasion possibly the more simplistic look of YSMenu might be more suitable for kids. Another option is to take a look at the different homebrew GUI frontends available for ysmenu/autoboot-able-flashcarts. I have a demonstrations video thread (errr....here) that shows two different frontends available (homebrew section of it) and if there are other frontends that you would like to see, just tell me and I can try to show those right after my finals (finished on Thursday). The most popular frontend in my opinion is Moonshell2, for which there are a variety of videos of on youtube (though I have yet to make my own since there is quite a bit to cover on that one).

For a bit of background, I set up my old R4 for my youngest brother who was maybe in 1st-2nd grade or possibly younger with Moonshell2 and WoodR4. He has never stumbled upon any issues due to random clicking around (Moonshell2 is generally extremely safe, as there is absolutely nothing that can be done in Moonshell2 that will significantly alter your microSD beyond sending something to the dustbox).
 
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