Hardware Buying a 3DS XL for the first time, need input

[recordplays]

Hello hello, going to buy a 3DS XL and I have some questions. First time buying a nintendo console since GBA so bear with me please.

1. The shop I went to only sells R4 cards, I'm not sure which one but I'm assuming it's R4i Gold since that supports 3DS. Which one is the most reliable manufacturer for this card? And how do I identify it's a fake? How does a fake card perform or what are the bad side effects compared to a real one?

2. I've read that the card can spoil, but how exactly does it spoil? Does it happen naturally or it's caused by messing around with the system files?

3. Updating the firmware of the console will cause the flashcard to not work if the version is incompatible. Is it required to update the firmware? What will happen if you don't? What are the benefits from upgrading?

4. The console does not need to be modded in anyway to make the flashcard work right? Will I still be able to play original games without any side effects?

5. From what I hear Acekard is unable to play Pokemon B/W 2, which was why he only carry R4s. Is it true? So in the future if any new games come out I'd need to update the flashcard's firmware? Or is it more on the console's firmware side that makes it unplayable?

I know I can just ask the salesperson directly but it's better if I get second opinions and do some research first in case he doesn't know about it. Also it would probably be biased since he was pretty adamant on selling it with the R4 only. Thank you for reading, that's all for now. Sorry if some questions were out of the section's specialty. Didn't know where else to post them.

 

[Chary]

1. R4i Gold supports 3DS, but I'd go with a Supercard DStwo from online, if I were you.
2. Spoil? I guess you mean bricking. Yes, if you mess with system files, you can brick the card.
3. If Nintendo upgrades the firmware, chances are, the flashcart will be incompatible. ALWAYS update the flashcart before you upgrade 3DS. The only benefit from not upgrading is having Acekard 2i support. (Which wouldn't matter to you.) Not upgrading also restricts access to the 3DS eshop
4. Nope. Everything will work, as usual.
5. Acekard isn't supported anymore. If you want to play newer DS games, you need to update your flashcart's firmware to the latest version. The console's firmware doesn't affect the game's playability.

 

[recordplays]

I'm afraid the DSTwo is out of my budget, easily double the price of a R4i. Also I'd rather not risk it by getting a faulty card or a fake one. Maybe in the future when the R4i malfunctions or something. Is there a guide somewhere to help me identify legit cards?

So it seems that updating the console doesn't do much and won't stop me from playing any new games either. I probably won't ever use the eshop since I can just buy the physical copy. Thanks for answering!

 

[Qtis]

I'm afraid the DSTwo is out of my budget, easily double the price of a R4i. Also I'd rather not risk it by getting a faulty card or a fake one. Maybe in the future when the R4i malfunctions or something. Is there a guide somewhere to help me identify legit cards?

You're more likely to get a fake R4i than a DSTwo. Also different firmwares work on different R4i and only some of them are updatable. If you really want a solid future proofish cart, go with the DSTwo. That way you'll get pretty much every feature a flashcart can offer and the ~$30 is well spent.

 

[villadelfia]

You need to realize that there is no way to play 3DS games on flashcarts, only DS at the moment, if in the future playing 3DS games becomes possible, you will need to get a new flashcart anyway.

Of the 2 options you have for flashcarts, the DSTwo is vastly superior, and if it is not within your budget, I would strongly suggest waiting until it is within your budget.

If you accidentally update your DS before you update the DSTwo, there is a way to update it (You give the update a certain name, and let it sit for 3 minutes on the error screen.)

On the other hand if the same thing happens with a R4i, you're screwed unless you manage to find a DS or a 3DS that isn't updated.

 

[Hardcase1]

What is the preferred site to purchase a DSTwo? I have used Realhotstuff in the past but thought i saw somewhere that there is a site that supports or sponsors gbatemp.

 

[recordplays]

Yes, I am aware that 3DS games are unplayable without flashcarts. There are only old DS games that I really want to play anyway, including some recent ones. I'll probably never update the console anyway, the last time I did it for my PSP it got bricked.

I'll try to procure a DSTwo by asking around. Buying one online is rather troublesome due to my country's customs. Otherwise I'll have to settle with the second-best option I suppose.

I assume that the flashcard's firmware can be ahead of the console's, right? Like for example the flashcard may be compatible for 4.2 but it will still be backward compatible with 4.0?

 

[Hielkenator]

erhm...I have a Acekard 2i and I can play all the latest DS games with akaio, including Pokemon B/W 2.

I have to note that I'm using a DS lite. Purchased last year.

 

[Technicmaster0]

I assume that the flashcard's firmware can be ahead of the console's, right? Like for example the flashcard may be compatible for 4.2 but it will still be backward compatible with 4.0?

Yes. You can usually update your flashcard to the latest version and it will work on your 3DS firmware.

 

[Vanth88]

A lot of people will recommend the DSTWO over a R4i however that doesn't mean the R4i is bad its just because there's a lot of clones out there. Also at the moment the latest update procedure for older r4i cards is a little fickle. However all newer R4i Gold cards come preflashed with the latest firmware to support the latest 3DS update.

If you're wanting to buy a legit R4i Gold with the latest firmware already patched on it so it'll work with 3DS 4.5.0-10 then you'll want to buy it from ZhuZhuChina: http://www.zhuzhuchina.com/store/pr..._1_4_4_compatible_wood_rev_c_max_1_piece.html

It's the cheapest place to buy the R4i Gold($10 or $12 w/shipping) and the DSTWO($34.45) if you're still wanting it. The R4i Gold uses Wood R4 as its OS so it'll play the same stuff as a DSTWO meaning regardless of what you pick you'll be able to play whatever you want.

*EDIT* If you shop somewhere else make sure it says www.r4ids.cn on the front of the card. Obviously www.r4ids.cn is also the cards website if you want to check it out.

 

[The Catboy]

What is the preferred site to purchase a DSTwo? I have used Realhotstuff in the past but thought i saw somewhere that there is a site that supports or sponsors gbatemp.

I suggest GBAtemp's official sponsor http://nds-card.com/



Also to answer the questions in this thread

Hello hello, going to buy a 3DS XL and I have some questions. First time buying a nintendo console since GBA so bear with me please.

1. The shop I went to only sells R4 cards, I'm not sure which one but I'm assuming it's R4i Gold since that supports 3DS. Which one is the most reliable manufacturer for this card? And how do I identify it's a fake? How does a fake card perform or what are the bad side effects compared to a real one? I suggest checking out the R4i Gold from with the URL http://www.r4ids.cn/ from nds-card.com (the site I linked to) it should be the latest board model, which both works with the latest 3DS updates and should support future updates for 3DS.

2. I've read that the card can spoil, but how exactly does it spoil? Does it happen naturally or it's caused by messing around with the system files? I have never heard of spoiling, but if you mean a card can run out of exploits like Acekard 2i, it pretty much means the older hardware can longer support newer exploits, so they either space out the firmware updates or just stop updating the firmware for one board and create a new board for new updates.

3. Updating the firmware of the console will cause the flashcard to not work if the version is incompatible. Is it required to update the firmware? What will happen if you don't? What are the benefits from upgrading? You should always wait for your flashcard to update their firmware before updating your 3DS. Normally 3DS updates can vary from small updates that simply block flashcards to large ones that actually fix and or improve features. But if you don't update I believe you can't access the eShop until you do (IIRC)

4. The console does not need to be modded in anyway to make the flashcard work right? Will I still be able to play original games without any side effects? You do not need to mod your system to use flashcards and there are no side-effects to using flashcards. All games will run just fine, both DS and 3DS games.

5. From what I hear Acekard is unable to play Pokemon B/W 2, which was why he only carry R4s. Is it true? So in the future if any new games come out I'd need to update the flashcard's firmware? Or is it more on the console's firmware side that makes it unplayable? I believe akAIO has recently updated their loaders to work with Pokemon Black and White 2. akAIO and Wood R4 are not made by the same people so their updates have nothing to do with each other. Because the Acekard 2i is based on older hardware, they have a limited number of exploits that the Acekard team can use, the R4i Gold on the other hand had recently updated to better hardware so they can support more exploits. Also the Acekard team is not the same team as the R4i Gold team.

I know I can just ask the salesperson directly but it's better if I get second opinions and do some research first in case he doesn't know about it. Also it would probably be biased since he was pretty adamant on selling it with the R4 only. Thank you for reading, that's all for now. Sorry if some questions were out of the section's specialty. Didn't know where else to post them.

 

[recordplays]

Thanks everyone for your input, much appreciated. I bought the 3DS XL today, and a R4i SDHC with 3DS on it as all 5 shops in town that I went to only carried that. Some didn't even know what a Supercard was. I updated it to the Metroid icon and it seems to work with my console which is Ver. 4.1.0-8U. I'll be using this card for now until I get a new one, DSTwo hopefully. I only tried running Pokemon Black 2 on it, worked fine except for it crashing at the 'start' screen at one point.

Is there anything else that I should know or do for it right now? Like any system updates or kernel and whatnot.

Also is there a way to view the flashcard menu in-game like the PSP's CWCheat or that sort? More specifically I want to be able to view text files in-game, is that possible?

 

[Vanth88]

If you want to view text files in game you'll need a DSTWO. DSTWO, unlike other flashcards, come with build in ram and cpu which allows you to use a real time menu in DS games so you can view text files, enable and disable cheats, etc. etc. etc.

If you're wanting to update your flashcard then visit the site thats on it for ex. If your card says on it "http://www.r4i-sdhc.com" then you can download updates from that site. However... if you're asking about updating your 3DS then don't do it unless you know your card can support it. I don't know which clone you have as theres a couple r4i sdhc cards out there. Visit your cards site and see what it says. Make 100% sure your card can work with 4.5.0-10 and if the site mentions it came out with a new card that supports 4.5.0-10 then make sure your card is one of them.

 

[recordplays]

Ah balls. Guess I really have to get one.

Yes it is indeed from that website. I checked the 'Truth Inquiry' and it appears to be a legit card. Unless they somehow improved on making fakes since they last update that section. What I meant was things like Wood, Ysmenu and Moonshell. I see those words being used a lot but I don't have a clear understanding of what those are yet or how they'll affect my overall console experience.

Forgot to add, how do I find and add cheats? The F.A.Q says to add them in the urscheat file but it's in some weird format which I don't know what to do with.

 

[Vanth88]

Wood and YsMenu isn't officially supported on your flashcard. Think of them as an operating system like Windows and Linux but for different cards. Wood is one of the best out there though and supports high game and homebrew compatibility. Google them if you want to know what they do and look like. Your card has its own menu and you can find updates and stuff for it here http://www.r4i-sdhc.com/downloade.asp.

Moonshell is like a DS media center. You can play music and videos and stuff. Your card may support it but I dunno. You can download the last update here http://filetrip.net/nds-downloads/a...e-child-zwai-edition-full-package-f12830.html

 

[nl255]

A lot of people will recommend the DSTWO over a R4i however that doesn't mean the R4i is bad its just because there's a lot of clones out there. Also at the moment the latest update procedure for older r4i cards is a little fickle. However all newer R4i Gold cards come preflashed with the latest firmware to support the latest 3DS update.

If you're wanting to buy a legit R4i Gold with the latest firmware already patched on it so it'll work with 3DS 4.5.0-10 then you'll want to buy it from ZhuZhuChina: http://www.zhuzhuchina.com/store/pr..._1_4_4_compatible_wood_rev_c_max_1_piece.html

It's the cheapest place to buy the R4i Gold($10 or $12 w/shipping) and the DSTWO($34.45) if you're still wanting it. The R4i Gold uses Wood R4 as its OS so it'll play the same stuff as a DSTWO meaning regardless of what you pick you'll be able to play whatever you want.

*EDIT* If you shop somewhere else make sure it says www.r4ids.cn on the front of the card. Obviously www.r4ids.cn is also the cards website if you want to check it out.

However, it will probably take you a month to get it from there as cheap shipping from China is slow. Realhotstuff is still one of the best if you live in the USA (especially the Eastern half), IMHO.

 

[The Catboy]

However, it will probably take you a month to get it from there as cheap shipping from China is slow. Realhotstuff is still one of the best if you live in the USA (especially the Eastern half), IMHO.

Zhuzhuchina has some of the fastest shipping compared to most sites I have ever bought from. I have bought from them several times both times it took little over a week (close two weeks shipping to Massachusetts and a few days over a week to ship to Indiana.)