Hacking under $30? which one?

esoterica · Aug 28, 2008

After careful evaluation and reading the charts and various posts, I've come down to decide between the Acekard 2, DS Top Toy, or the Edge. I would buy a CycloDS but I don't feel like paying an extra $20-30 for a few features I probably won't even use.

My primary concerns are:
-Non laggy and somewhat attractive GUI
-Study build quality on cart casing
-Reliable and good compatibility

I'm leaning towards the Acekard 2.. the Edge seems nice but I am concerned about the memory card not sitting "flush" in it as stated on the GBA review of it. DSTT also seems decent, but the review says the GUI is a bit laggy.

So out of those 3, which would you recommend?

IOwnAndPwnU · Aug 28, 2008

esoterica said:
After careful evaluation and reading the charts and various posts, I've come down to decide between the Acekard 2, DS Top Toy, or the Edge. I would buy a CycloDS but I don't feel like paying an extra $20-30 for a few features I probably won't even use.

My primary concerns are:
-Non laggy and somewhat attractive GUI
-Study build quality on cart casing
-Reliable and good compatibility

I'm leaning towards the Acekard 2.. the Edge seems nice but I am concerned about the memory card not sitting "flush" in it as stated on the GBA review of it. DSTT also seems decent, but the review says the GUI is a bit laggy.

So out of those 3, which would you recommend?

I would highly recommend the Acekard 2 from personal use of both the Acekard 2 and DSTT. Although, if little kids will be touching the flashcart, you may want to reconsider because the Acekard is not glued, it is held by clips which isn't as sturdy as clips. It's not as though it will fail on you though. The problem with the Bad Batch has been resolved so no need to worry about that. Also, the AK2 has a excellent GUI, much better than the unorganized DSTT. I can't really comment on the EDGE because I don't know much about it.

So, Acekard 2 is probably the best option.

4zndude345 · Aug 28, 2008

esoterica said:
After careful evaluation and reading the charts and various posts, I've come down to decide between the Acekard 2, DS Top Toy, or the Edge. I would buy a CycloDS but I don't feel like paying an extra $20-30 for a few features I probably won't even use.

My primary concerns are:
-Non laggy and somewhat attractive GUI
-Study build quality on cart casing
-Reliable and good compatibility

I'm leaning towards the Acekard 2.. the Edge seems nice but I am concerned about the memory card not sitting "flush" in it as stated on the GBA review of it. DSTT also seems decent, but the review says the GUI is a bit laggy.

So out of those 3, which would you recommend?

DSTT easy menu its go right to the games very easy to use

AcIdPort · Aug 28, 2008

Go for Acekard 2 --> GBATemp Golden Award

Greets.

manobon · Aug 28, 2008

Unless you find the acekard for Significantly cheaper, I would get the EDGE.

For the GUI, you can use any CyclosDS skin (or EDGE skin, onviously)- and the GUI is pretty much no-nonsense to begin with- alphabetizes everything in the list forms...I just really love it (I used to have a R4 before needing a microSDHC compatible cart).

I've had mine for about...I Want to say 6 months, but I'm not sure. Regardless, it's been compatible with every game I've played, and the updates come out often enough (I think the time between the most recent update and the previous one was about 2 months? Before that, it was like, every month or so...or maybe it just seemed that way? You can check on this site).

As far as the 'sticking out' issue...I really really haven't noticed it. I'm sure it's not flush perfectly, but we're talking literally about 1-3 (maybe?) millimeters here. Of course, if that Is a concern of yours, then 'no dice' for the EDGE card.

Also, I usually play my ds on subways, trolleys, buses- anything the Philly transit system has to offer (meaning, not-consistently-smooth travel =^D)- and it's not like the micro sd card falls out or anything- everything is pretty secure, and I can even play Guitar-Retard-Hero without trouble. (Trouble with the Guitar-grip on the other hand...)

Hope that helped (also, I Clearly love parenthesis)!

klein · Aug 28, 2008

For the DSTT you can download something called Ysmenu which organizes them and I think looks a bit nicer. So a decent menu and sturdy build make it a good card

Honestly all those cards are nice, just go for whatever you prefer.

Bri · Aug 29, 2008

The Edge is a little bit sturdier, but the Acekard 2 has a much nicer menu system. I wouldn't even consider the DSTT -- it doesn't come close to the Acekard 2 or Edge.

-Bri

13375p34k3r · Aug 29, 2008

The AceKard 2 is in a league of its own, especially when compared to these other 2 flashcards. I mean it has an extremely nice and responsive GUI. Plus it has a great community of supporters, with people like Normatt and Smiths working on their custom firmware.

So Yeah, AceKard 2 for sure.

cerenade · Aug 29, 2008

i have ak2 and tt, only for a few days yet i would still recommend the ak2 the interface is so much better than the tt, and imo is just better

layzieyez · Aug 29, 2008

EDGE wins. My 2 AK2's were defective. I'm sure that AK2 batch is gone, but I've NEVER had a defective EDGE card. The sticking out issue isn't even an issue. I actually feel like it helps when I need to take the microSD out of it. The microSD card sticks out a little less than the space between these two lines =. I own 3 EDGE cards (one in my DS, one in my wife's DS, and one for when my daughter starts asking for her own). Also, menus loaded up faster on EDGE (which is more important since for me since I don't play with the interface, I'm really interested in playing games after all).

mysticwaterfall · Aug 29, 2008

I've been loving the AK2. Granted, it's the only flash card I've ever used (picked it after reading all the reviews), but it's done everything I've wanted it to and more. People saying it was flimsy worried me at first, but I've taken it out a whole bunch of times to change the stuff on the card with no problems.

Bri · Aug 29, 2008

PharaohsVizier said:
I would say I have to disagree with wasup. The EDGE and the AceKard 2 should definitely be head to head, they are far superior to the DSTT. But when it comes to EDGE vs AceKard 2, that is a tough decision. The AceKard 2 feels flimsy, their software is great, but I can't imagine your AceKard 2 lasting very long, probably 2 years tops. But the EDGE on the other hand is sturdy, it doesn't feel like you will EVER need to replace it.

Any evidence that the AK2 would fall apart after 2 years? It's not that flimsy (it's not going to fall apart or anything, and probably wouldn't break if you threw it against a wall). The plastic isn't thinner than that used by other carts -- the problem is the plastic clips. I imagine you could glue it together and it would be as sturdy as most other carts. I hardly ever have a reason to remove mine from the NDS so I don't see it as a big deal anyway. Certainly nothing to be concerned about.

I agree with you that the Acekard 2 and Edge are both worth considering, but I personally would choose the Edge if I had a particular reason to be concerned about build quality (for example, if you have small children that often need to remove the flash cart by themselves and/or have a history of throwing flash carts). Otherwise, if the menu is more important to you, the Acekard 2 would probably be the better choice.

layzieyez: I agree that if you're going to compare a defective Acekard 2 with a working Edge, I'd choose the working Edge. Of course, most of us were comparing two working carts (as you said, any Acekard 2 you're likely to buy now is not going to be defective).

-Bri

esoterica · Aug 29, 2008

Hmm... well I don't have any small children, nor am I a small child and I don't plan to throw my NDS or flash cart against the wall intentionally.... I'm just worried if the card is flimsy that it will just come apart or not last long. How is skinning for the Edge and Acekard 2? And is the Acekard RPG much better than the Acekard 2? It's a bit more expensive, and the only thing I can see is that it has some onboard memory?

Bri · Aug 29, 2008

esoterica said:
Hmm... well I don't have any small children, nor am I a small child and I don't plan to throw my NDS or flash cart against the wall intentionally.... I'm just worried if the card is flimsy that it will just come apart or not last long. How is skinning for the Edge and Acekard 2? And is the Acekard RPG much better than the Acekard 2? It's a bit more expensive, and the only thing I can see is that it has some onboard memory?

Skinning works well on both carts. The Edge essentially uses a stripped-down CycloDS menu and can presumably use CycloDS skins. The Acekard is one of the most skinnable carts, with nearly every button skinnable and movable (including a clock and calendar on the top screen). There are also several skin editors for the Acekard. Go to skin.acekard.com and you can see lots of skins created by users.

In my opinion, the Acekard RPG isn't worth the extra cost. It has onboard NAND memory, and also a built-in USB port. I think it also lacks the clips, making it sturdier as well. But it has a few drawbacks compared to the Acekard 2, including the fact that its save files are limited in size (causing problems on a small number of games). Otherwise, the menu systems on the Acekard 2 and Acekard RPG are pretty much the same.

-Bri

Swip · Aug 29, 2008

Bri said:
I think it also lacks the clips, making it sturdier as well.

-Bri
Sadly its also held together by clips

QUOTE(Bri @ Aug 30 2008, 06:21 AM) But it has a few drawbacks compared to the Acekard 2, including the fact that its save files are limited in size (causing problems on a small number of games).

-Bri

The 64mbit saves issue has been fixed by gelu

Bri · Aug 29, 2008

Swip said:
Sadly its also held together by clips

Thanks, I wasn't sure.

QUOTEThe 64mbit saves issue has been fixed by gelu

Sort of. It requires a fast microSD card that is formatted a specific way, but people are able to successfully run games with larger save files. The bottom line is that there is a hardware limitation which makes dealing with larger saves less than ideal compared to the Acekard 2 which supports larger save files.

-Bri

esoterica · Aug 30, 2008

So overall....

Acekard 2: Better menu and GUI
Edge: Studier?

If both carts were equally sturdy, then would the choice definitely be Acekard 2?

Bri · Aug 30, 2008

In my opinion, if they were equally sturdy, there would be no question that the Acekard 2 is better. But that's just my opinion. Some people like the Edge menu, but I find it rather unattractive. You can see both menus in the reviews on this site, I think.

-Bri

layzieyez · Aug 30, 2008

I like the speed of the menu, the fairly quick support when a problem game arrives, build quality overall of the card, and the not worrying if I'm getting a bunk/defective card. EDGE.
Oh, also the lack of having to format specifically to FAT32 and requiring a class 6 card and slowdowns in MarioKart, Portrait of Ruin, and whatever other problem games there are for AK2. I've never had to put much thought into getting my EDGE to work. It just does.

esoterica · Aug 30, 2008

Thanks everyone, lots of very helpful replies!! But I'm torn as ever between the Acekard 2 and EDGE!! I know it doesn't really matter in the end, I'm sure I'll be happy with either one. I had previously owned an R4 and thought it was great and perfect for what I needed it for and the GUI didn't bother me at all. Is the Acekard 2 GUI really so much better that makes it worth buying over the Edge? I'm starting to lean towards the Edge now... argh... I just don't know! Very indecisive! But I will make my decision soon since each day I stall is one less day I can play my DS. I looked at the videos of the GUI for both cards and I don't see anything wrong with Edge's GUI... reminds me a bit of the R4. The Acekard 2's GUI looks nice as well, but seems to have a lot of extra fancy options that doesn't really matter to me. So if it's not the GUI I'm concerned about, then would you say Edge is better??

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