Hacking What 3DS compatible flashcard is the best for me?

[Nerozone]

Hi, everyone!

So, here's the deal: I really want to buy a 3DS compatible flashcard, since my DS stopped working and I can't use my old R4 anymore.

Here's what I'd prefer on the flashcard:

- I only want a flashcard to play DS games on 3DS. I don't need any other feature;

- It would be better if its firmware was frequently updated, since 3DS is always blocking flashcards with updates and new roms aren't compatible with the flashcard until a new firmware appeares. (I used R4 Wood on my DS and it was always getting new updates for the most recent games.)

The ones I've considered so far are the M3i Zero and R4i/R4i Gold. I'm open to new suggestions, though.

Which flashcard do you guys think is the best for me, given the things my requirements?

Thanks in advance!

 

[xGreen]

Well, since your only requirement(s) is for the card to be able to play NDS games and , I'm going to go ahead and suggest an Acekard 2i.

I don't personally own one, but they're relatively cheap, both online and through local retailers (Depending on where you live), not to mention the majority of what I've read about this particular flashcard seems to be on the positive side (I rarely find a negative comment about it, and when I do, it's usually about some minor problem/short coming - Nothing that will interfere with your NDS Game play and Firmware updates).

This flashcard team is also on the ball when it comes to firmware updates, so I don't think you'll be having much problems with waiting for a patch/update to use it on your 3DS on the off chance that you accidentaly upgrade your 3DS Firmware.



I myself own an R4i RTS Lite - Silver (Old) and it's fine and dandy, but for some reason, I don't seem to like it much. I plan to upgrade to an Acekard 2i the minute I get an opportunity to do so.

 

[Rogue_Syst3m]

supercard dstwo imho

 

[pokefloote]

Acekard 2i. It's half the price of DStwo and plays all DS games.

People mainly purchase Supercards if they want to play GBA games, or if they want to bypass anti-piracy measures as soon as the game is out (but the games end up being fixed sooner or later anyways so it's kind of pointless). Also, Supercards can update even if you accidentally upgrade your 3DS before updating the dstwo.

Acekard 2i updates pretty fast for new 3DS menus too.

edit: I own both cards, and I love them both.

 

[EyeZ]

If you only want a flashcart for DS games and no other features then i would suggest either the acekard 2i or R4i from r4ids.cn

 

[Nerozone]

Money isn't really a problem, since I've saved enough for the most expensive ones.

Which one usually releases firmware updates more frequently? Acekard 2i, R4i Gold or SuperCard DSTwo? For example, Pokémon Black & White 2 were just released about 1 week ago. Which one was already compatible with it or got an update (or a patch) to make it compatible first? That's kind of the card I'm looking for (although DS won't live much longer now and no other big titles are expected).

 

[kineticUk]

I'd advise you to get the r4igold from r4ids.cn.
Sounds like it would do exactly what you want... I've always liked them when compared with others previously mentioned hardware quality wise and then you have wood firmware releases.
As far as updates, wood is the best.

 

[Nerozone]

Oh, I thought Wood was only for R4 DS. It also works on R4i?

 

[totalnoob617]

if money is not a problem id sat ds2 but i have been hearing about problem with the last 3 fw updates, i still have no updated my 3ds for the last 2 updates now ,maybe i will try it out, i was hoping that supercard team had solved the problem with the last update, but people are still reporting the same problem

 

[Lacius]

The M3i Zero is a horrible choice. It does not receive updates anymore. Do not get it.

Your three best options are the R4i Gold 3DS, the Acekard 2i, and the Supercard DSTWO. The Supercard DSTWO is the best option, but it is the most expensive (and in my opinion, not really worth the extra features). Basically, if you want a GBA emulator, get the Supercard DSTWO; if you don't need a GBA emulator, get the R4i Gold 3DS or the Acekard 2i.

As for the Acekard 2i and the R4i Gold 3DS, they are pretty much the same thing. The R4i Gold 3DS receives frequent Wood updates like your old R4, and it receives very frequent firmware updates when new DSi/3DS updates are released. The R4i Gold 3DS is the cheapest and updated the most frequently, so it is my personal recommendation.

The Acekard 2i isn't bad either. It receives occasional AKAIO updates, but it's definitely not updated as frequently as the R4i Gold 3DS that gets Wood updates. In fact, the last update AKAIO received was in March. In comparison, Wood received updates this month. It should also be noted that the Acekard teams takes awhile to release updates to the firmware so it can work with the most recent DSi/3DS updates. For example, 3DS update 4.2.0-9 was released recently; currently, the R4i Gold 3DS works with it and the Acekard still has to wait for an update. It should also be noted that some Acekard users experience contact issues and have to use pieces of paper so it can connect to the DS properly.

So in summary, if money is no object, get the Supercard DSTWO for the GBA emulator and other features. If you just care about playing DS games, get an R4i Gold 3DS. The Acekard 2i receives an honorable mention.

Money isn't really a problem, since I've saved enough for the most expensive ones.

Which one usually releases firmware updates more frequently? Acekard 2i, R4i Gold or SuperCard DSTwo? For example, Pokémon Black & White 2 were just released about 1 week ago. Which one was already compatible with it or got an update (or a patch) to make it compatible first? That's kind of the card I'm looking for (although DS won't live much longer now and no other big titles are expected).

The R4i Gold 3DS definitely receives the most frequent updates, followed by the DSTWO, followed by Acekard. It should be noted that, as far as I know, all of the flashcarts require patches for Pokemon BW2 to work right now. Many games work well on the DSTWO without needing a software update, but assuming a game doesn't work on the DSTWO when it's released, you can almost bet money that the R4i Gold 3DS will be the first with a compatible firmware that doesn't require a ROM patch. By comparison, you tend to have to wait awhile with Acekard.

 

[andy26129]

r4i gold supports wood, ill go with this since you are already used to r4 and wood. Patches are done like 2 or 5 hours after game is out, like for pokemon bw 2 in this case.

 

[Lacius]

r4i gold supports wood, ill go with this since you are already used to r4 and wood. Patches are done like 2 or 5 hours after game is out, like for pokemon bw 2 in this case.

Wood does not support unpatched Pokemon BW2 yet.

 

[VMM]

Acekard 2i is really good and very cheap, works with akaio,
I trully recommend you to buying one

 

[Nerozone]

Thanks for your opinions, guys. I guess I'll go with the R4i Gold, since it gets updated so frequently. DSTwo also seems cool, but I only want to play DS games and Wood is the fastest.

Once again, thanks a lot to everyone who gave me their opinion!

 

[coslow7]

im having the same problem as nerozone.i want a flashcart that is cheap and at least plays movies and ds games

 

[anthony001]

is there a difference between r4i 3ds and r4i 3ds gold Wood? can the r4i 3ds (not gold) install wood firmware? Im afraid it might be a fake one so is there a way to find out if its a fake?

 

[tranfeer]

Only r4i gold(www.r4ids.cn) and r4idsn(www.r4idsn.com) can support WOOD R4, which support 3DS V4.2.0-9 too.

 

[Nerozone]

I'm not totally sure, but I think the only one that is able to play videos is the DSTwo, and that's probably one of the most expensive cards. Again, I'm not sure.

 

[Pleng]

DSTwo is the only one that can play videos without re-encoding, iirc.

Also to note, if you're not interested in Video playback and GBA compatibility, then the DSTwo is actually a worse option, as it drains your battery much faster in sleep mode (I often forget to eject mine and find my battery has run down when I next want to play!)