Hacking SuperCard DSTWO + Lite Questions

[nitro322]

Hi, all. I currently have a CycloDS Evolution and EZ-Flash 3 in 1+ that I use with my DS Lite. The combination works great, and I've been quite happy with the pair for a number of years. But, I'd like to move on to something a bit newer for a few reasons:

• Support for the Evolution seems to be completely dead.
• It does not work on the 3DS at all.
• I'm not able to accurately dump all games to the 3 in 1+ (some games, like Chrono Trigger, result in an "underdumped" header when using NDS Backup Tool).

For a replacement, I'd like something that addresses the above issues. I primarily intend to still use it in my DS Lite, so the ability to play (and dump) GBA games through slot 2 is important, but I'd also like to be able to use it in my 3DS as well. After doing a bit of research, I like the look of this pair of devices:

• SuperCard DSTWO
• SuperCard Lite

It looks like the DSTWO should be capable of running even on my recently updated 3DS (7.1.0), is very actively supported, is reasonably priced (more so than a Gateway, at least), and includes a wealth of features over the CycloDS Evolution. However, I can't seem to find any solid information the following:

1. Can I launch GBA ROMs from the DSTWO and play them natively (not emulated) on my DS Lite? I assume I need something like the SuperCard Lite to do this, just as I did with the 3 in 1+ for my Evolution. Seems like this should be doable, but all discussion I can find regarding GBA support on the DSTWO is about emulation.
   
2. If I *can* launch GBA ROMs from the DSTWO as described above, is the SuperCard Lite a good card to use for that? It looks like it includes microSD card itself, so I'm not really sure how that would work. With my 3 in 1+, the ROM gets flashed to the slot 2 device at runtime - is there a similar way to do this with the SuperCards, or at least an alternative that's as convenient?
   
3. It looks like Wood Dumper is a good replacement for NDS Backup Tool, and I verified that it's capable of accurately dumping even games like Chrono Trigger using the wifi version. However, I'd prefer to use the slot 2 version because it's so much faster, but it doesn't support the 3 in 1+. Apparently it needs a slot 2 device that's DLDI capable (??? I'm not too clear on this part). Should I be able to use the SuperCard Lite for this?

I'd greatly appreciate any feedback from anyone with experience with this products. Any suggestions for alternative products that meet my needs are also very welcome.

Thanks!

 

[Yepi69]

Actually, the NDS Backup Tool supports 3 in 1, you just need to DLDI patch it yourself I think, anyways I wouldn't go with the SuperCard Lite for your GBA needs, some include slow downs or even lagging, EZ Flash 3 in 1 still seems like the best choice for a DS Lite, either that or an EZ Flash IV.
And no, AFAIK Supercard DSTWO can't do that, you'll still need GBA Exploader.

 

[nitro322]

Thanks for the fast reply.

The patched version of NDS Backup Tool, 0.31a, does indeed support the 3 in 1+ as you mentioned. I've used it to dump all of my games. The problem is that it cannot accurately dump *some* games. For example, if you take a look at the dat-o-matic entry for Chrono Trigger, my (repeated) Chrono Trigger dumps give me a checksum of 43ee654005a1ebd26e299fa4432067c8, which is considered to have an underdumped header. I have that issue with about five or six of my games. This obviously isn't a major issue, and I can workaround it with the (excruciatingly slow) wifi method, if I'm buying new hardware than I'd like it to be able to handle this as well.

The DSTWO being unable to directly launch GBA ROMs is a bummer. I really like that feature of the Evolution. Are you aware of any currently supported cards that work with 3DS that do support direct launching? Since most people seem to have moved on to either the 3DS or DSi, I'm having a hard time finding good information about that feature.

 

[Yepi69]

What do you mean by support direct launching?

Also changing flashcards won't change the homebrew, if you use NDS backup tool on your CycloDS and get an error while dumping Chrono Trigger, you'll get the same error on a DSTWO as well.
I had a DS lite with a supercard dstwo and an ez flash iv, to play GBA and NDS, it was an awesome combo.

 

[nitro322]

What do you mean by support direct launching?

I just mean being able to launch a GBA ROM by running it through the DSTWO, similar to running an NDS ROM. For my Evolution, for example, I select a GBA ROM from the file browser and it auto-copies itself to the 3 in 1 and the executes. No need to fiddle with a separate program like GBA Exploader.

Also changing flashcards won't change the homebrew, if you use NDS backup tool on your CycloDS and get an error while dumping Chrono Trigger, you'll get the same error on a DSTWO as well.

Yeah, I get that. That's why I mentioned switching to Wood Dumper, but as I mentioned in my initial post it does not work witht he 3 in 1+. Having another slot 2 device that does work with Wood Dumper would be nice.