Hacking The Flashcart FAQ

DeltaBurnt · Apr 11, 2010

<div align="center">The Flashcart FAQ
All your flashcart questions answered

<img src="http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/1961/flashcartfaq.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" /></div>

<div align="center">Popular Questions:</div>
Q: Which flashcart is the #1 best?
A: It's really a matter of opinion. Quite a few people suggest the acekard2i for it's high compatibility rates, but some people like extra features such as RTS/RTG. I suggest you go <a href="http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=217593" target="_blank">here</a> for more in depth info.

Q: Will the HGSS pokewalker work with XXXX flashcart?
A: No, your flashcart would need an infared sensor to be able to work with the pokewalker. If you want to use it that badly get the actual game <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

" border="0" alt="wink.gif" /> 

Q: With Wood R4 out, is it a wise idea to buy an R4?
A: No, Wood R4 is more for all the people who have R4s right now. R4s still don't support SDHC, nor do they work on DSi's.

Q: Can I play GBA games on my flashcart?
A: On normal flashcarts like the acekard you need a slot-2 expansion (most people recommend the ezflash 3-in-1). But if you're on the DSi you could get the iPlayer or the upcoming SupercardDSTwo which both feature GBA emulation without a slot-2 expansion pack.

Q: Can I goto jail for using flashcarts?
A: No. Flashcarts aren't illegal. The roms you play on flashcarts are technically illegal, but even then it's still hard to be arrested. Basically take the risk of normal piracy and divide it by 2 or 3.

<div align="center">General Questions:</div><hr />

Q: So I have this question about my flashcard and...
A: It is spelled and pronounced flashcart.

Q: What can I do on my flashcart besides just loading roms?
A: You can play homebrew games, you can use AR cheats on your roms, do real time save and real time guide (some carts don't have these), and some other cool things like playing videos/music.

Q: Will every single rom work on my flashcart?
A: It depends on the flashcart. If you have a clone the chances are no. If you have a cart like the Acekard2i then probably. Some games don't work natively on a flashcart and must have patches or firmware fixes from your cart's team to work.

Q: Where can I get roms?
A: Posting links to roms is against the gbatemp rules.

Q: How does the flashcart load the roms?
A: You put them on your microsd card and put the microsd card in your flashcart.

Q: Will I be able to use my flashcart for things like Gamestop events?
A: Yes, just make sure no one catches you going through your rom list <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

" border="0" alt="tongue.gif" /> 

Q: Will my old flashcart work on my new DSi?
A: Chances are it will not. Flashcarts need to be updated physically to work on the DSi.

Q: What is a clone/fake flashcart?
A: It's just a flashcart that steals a bigger flashcart's name. They're just made so that the creators can get a quick buck.

Q: I have a clone/fake flashcart, how will this affect me?
A: You probably won't be able to play a lot of newer games or partake in newer features such as Real Time Guide or Wii to DS Connectivity.

Q: What's the best flashcart for a kid?
A: It'd probably safe to say that the Acekard2i is the best flashcart for kids because they won't have to wait as long to play the newer games. But if you think they wouldn't care, really any flashcart would be good for a kid. Not many flashcarts are that complicated. Just make sure the flashcart isn't a clone/fake R4 or other fake of some flashcart.

Q: Which flashcart should I get for the DSi XL/What flashcart work on the DSi XL?
A: Any flashcart that works on the DSi works on the DSi XL!

<div align="center">Homebrew Questions:</div><hr />

Q: What is homebrew?
A: Homebrew are homemade applications that can range from games to media players, you will need a flashcart to play homebrew (you can also use a NDS emulator like No$GBA, but that's no fun <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

" border="0" alt="tongue.gif" /> ).

Q: What homebrew can I use to watch movies or listen to music?
A: Moonshell2 is hailed as the #1 media player for the DS. It has a good GUI and it works pretty well. If you have an M3 flashcart you could also use Sakura which is like Moonshell 2 but can play roms.

Q: Wow, Moonshell2 could be it's own flashcart firmware! Can it load roms?
A: Only with the help of ysmenu. Check out <a href="http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=149734" target="_blank">this</a> guide to get it working.

Q: What homebrew can I use to play GBA games?
A: You can use GBA Exploader, but keep in mind you'll need a slot-2 expansion cart.

Q: What are the best homebrew games?
A: I'd head on over <a href="http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=70463&view=findpost&p=922551" target="_blank">here</a> for your answer to that. I personally like StillAliveDS the best though.

Q: Can I browse the web on my DS?
A: With certain homebrew you can. If you want to browse the web normally you'll need a slot-2 expansion pack (which will obviously only work for the DSL/DS Phat). If you don't have one you could always browse the web without pictures (meaning only text/links) with DSOrganize. Bunjallo is one of the more popular internet browsers that actually doesn't require a slot-2 expansion, it can view simple pages and pictures all on your slot-1 flashcart.

Q: Can the DS emulate NES/SNES?
A: Yes it can. The DS can't emulate all SNES games perfectly, but it's good enough to suffice.

Q: Can the DS emulate N64/PS1/PS2/PS3/Xbox/Xbox360/Some-Other-BS?
A: No, go away.

<div align="center">MicroSD Questions:</div><hr />

Q: What is a MicroSD card?
A: It's like an SD card but much much smaller. They range from 1 GB to 32 GB.

Q: How expensive are MicroSD cards?
A: Not that expensive, you can get a class 4 or 6 4GB microsdhc card for about 10 bucks.

Q: Does the class of the MicroSD card matter?
A: Sort of, some games run slow or have problems on lower class cards. Games will also load faster on higher class cards. Currently the best class you can get is class 6, and they have almost no problems with usually problematic games like Castlevania Portrait of Ruin. Class 4 cards will work with most games, there'll just be a couple that slow down. Sometimes the class isn't always 100% accurate, it usually depends on what brand and whether the card is legit or not.

Q: What's a MicroSDHC card? Will my flashcart support it?
A: A MicroSDHC card is just a MicroSD card that can hold more stuff. Think of it as any MicroSD card that's above 2 GB. Any modern flashcart will play SDHC cards, only older carts such as the original R4 won't work with SDHC cards.

Q: I heard that a MicroSD card can be corrupted, can you please expand more on this?
A: For various reasons a MicroSD card can have a corrupt file/region. If you don't take care of this corruption it will spread and eventually make you do a full card format (and in some cases leave the card unusable).

Q: How do I fix/stop/prevent a corruption?
A: If you notice your card doing weird things then delete the last file you added onto your card. Also look for out of place things (like really really small save files). Once you find the corrupted file delete it. To fix a fully corrupted card you must reformat it, you might be able to backup the data before you reformat it...it just depends on the situation. To prevent a lot of data loss make sure you backup your game saves every week or so. You can also use a little homebrew app called diskcheck, it comes with Sakura and Moonshell2. It's quite handy for catching those sneaky corruptions.

Q: Do I have to use a MicroSD card?
A: Well there are some carts like the G6 DS Real or Acekard RPG that have internal storage, but these carts are somewhat old.

Q: Which MicroSD brand is the best?
A: Well there's quite a few good ones. Kingston and Sandisk are very popular, and so is Transcend. I have a 4GB class 4 Kingston and a 8GB class 6 Transcend, both work almost perfectly.

Q: Help! My MicroSD card is completely corrupted and now the computer won't even detect it, what do I do?
A: Try using the <a href="http://hddguru.com/content/en/software/2006.04.12-HDD-Low-Level-Format-Tool" target="_blank">HDD Low Level Formatting Tool</a>, it apparently works wonders. It that doesn't work try putting it in a cell phone and formatting it via that.

<div align="center">Game Playing Questions:</div><hr />

Q: What flashcart is the best at playing games?
A: The Acekard2i with AKAIO has 100% compatibility most of the time. There's quite a few flashcart following behind the Acekard with near perfect compatibility.

Q: Why doesn't everyone have the Acekard?
A: It doesn't have extra features like Real Time Save and Real Time Guide.

Q: What's Real Time Save and Real Time Guide?
A: Real Time Save is like save slots on an emulator, it lets you save your exact spot during any point in any game. Real Time Guide let's you bring up a text based guide for your current game at any time.

Q: Is there anything hugely different about playing a game on a flashcart compared to the real game?
A: Not really, you get the extra features for playing them on a flashcart. Like stated in another question a couple games can cause slowdowns depending on which flashcart/microsd card you have.

Q: Can I connect to my Wii with flashcart roms?
A: Some flashcarts support this, such as the Acekard2i, G6 DS Real, Cyclo DS Evolution, and the original R4 with the Wood R4 firmware.

Q: Can someone download play a game from my flashcart?
A: They should be able to. If you can't get it working, try enabling to download play option for your flashcart (most flashcarts should have this).

Q: What are rom hacks?
A: These are edited versions of original games. These hacks can span from fan translations to completely new games. Go <a href="http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showforum=41" target="_blank">here</a> for more information.

Q: Can I play DSi Only/DSi Enhanced games on my flashcart?
A: No, there are currently no flashcarts that can take advantage of the DSi's extra hardware. You can play the DSi enhanced games, but you won't be able to use any of the DSi features.

Q: Can I play DSiWare games on my flashcart?
A: Read the above question's answer.

Q: Can I play on wifi with my flashcart roms?
A: Yes, it should work perfectly.

Q: Can I get banned from wifi if I play it with pirated/backed up games?
A: No, there's no way for Nintendo to tell if you're on a flashcart. Just make sure you don't go around saying "I'm playing this game on a flashcart, haha!".

<div align="center">Firmware Questions:</div><hr />

Q: What is AKAIO?
A: AKAIO stands for Acekard All in One. It is extremely superior to the official Acekard2i firmware. It has perfect compatibility, homebrew soft-reset, and Wii to DS Connectivity. It works on Acekard 2.1, Acekard2i, and the Acekard RPG.

Q: What are the downsides of AKAIO?
A: It doesn't have things like Slow Motion, RTS, RTG, etc. Most people can put up with this for the other awesome features of the firmware. Another big downside is it's independently supported, so at any time support could be stopped and you'd be stuck with the outdated official and unofficial firmwares.

Q: What is Sakura?
A: Sakura is a sleek Moonshell2-like firmware. The M3 Team commissioned it from Moonlight (creator of Moonshell2) awhile back, and since then they (the M3 Team) have been maintaining the firmware. Go <a href="http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=89197" target="_blank">here</a> for more information.

Q: So Sakura is basically a M3 exclusive Moonshell2?
A: Sorta. It features built in rom playing, RTG, RTS, Slow Motion, Global Settings, etc. Some people prefer Moonshell2 over Sakura and vice-versa.

Q: What is Wood R4?
A: It's a recently released firmware that has brought new life to the R4. It bears resemblance to AKAIO, and even has similar compatibility rates to AKAIO (according to the creator it has 99.98% compatibility). <a href="http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=219940" target="_blank">Here's an FAQ</a> for Wood R4.

Q: What is the Supercard EOS?
A: Basically it's the name for the Supercard's revamped firmware. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Njo-L7ratqU" target="_blank">Here's a video</a> showing what the EOS is like.

Q: What is ysmenu?
A: Ysmenu has been for a long time, up until recently, what was keeping the R4 alive. Ysmenu is an alternate firmware for the R4 that was better than the original R4 firmware. You could only get new updates for ysmenu when new updates for the DSTT came out (since ysmenu's loaders are built from the DSTT's loaders). Ysmenu was created by Yasu, and whenever anyone tries to distribute an already compiled version of ysmenu he gets pissed. Most people prefer Wood R4 over ysmenu now.

<div align="center">Terminology:</div><hr />

<ul><li>AP - Anti Piracy, roms with AP don't work right on a flashcart without a fix/patch</li><li>Slot 1 - Carts that go in the top of the NDS</li><li>Slot 2 - Carts made for the GBA slot of the NDS</li><li>Moonlight - Creator of the homebrew such as Moonshell</li><li>Rudolph - Creator of GBAExploader and the Wifi NDS Rom Dumper</li><li>Normmatt + Smiths - AKAIO Programmers</li><li>DS Phat - Original NDS</li><li>DS Lite - Second iteration of the DS, had sleeker design and clearer screens</li><li>DSi - Third iteration DS, featured cameras, new firmware, shop/dsiware, music player, etc.</li><li>DSi XL - Fourth iteration DS, basically a humongous DSi, it comes with 3 pre-installed DSiWares</li><li>3DS - New hand-held by Nintendo, little is known about it but it will have 3D screens (like you see in the movies) without special glasses</li><li>Rom - Backed up version of a game</li><li>HGSS - Popular term for the latest pokemon games: Pokemons HeartGold and SoulSilver</li><li>TWEWY - Term for the popular JRPG "The World Ends With You"</li><li>PS0 - Term for the popular RPG "Phantasy Star Zero"</li><li>DIY - Term for the latest Wario Ware game "WarioWare DIY"</li><li>RTS - Real Time Save</li><li>RTG - Real Time Guide</li></ul>

<div align="center">Useful Guides/Links:</div><hr />

<ul><li><a href="http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=217593" target="_blank">The "Which flashcart to buy" Info Thread</a> - By me, will help you decide which flashcart to buy and has a list of known flashcart clones/fakes.</li><li><a href="http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=89197" target="_blank">M3 Sakura FAQ</a> - By Densetsu, very helpful and in depth</li><li><a href="http://wiki.gbatemp.net/wiki/index.php?title=AKAIO" target="_blank">The AKAIO Wiki</a> - By GBATemp's Community, very helpful for anyone who needs help with AKAIO</li><li><a href="http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=146452" target="_blank">The DSi FAQ</a> - By me, it'll help you with your questions that are more specific to the DSi.</li><li><a href="http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=163493" target="_blank">The MoonShell2 FAQ</a> - By KingdomBlade, has all the information you need to know about Moonshell2</li><li><a href="http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=219940" target="_blank">Wood R4 FAQ</a> - By Mages4Ever, helpful for anyone who just got the new Wood R4 firmware.</li><li><a href="http://faq.monroeworld.com/index.php?sid=413276〈=en&action=artikel&cat=7&id=85&artlang=en" target="_blank">How to Dump Your Own DS Games via Wifi</a> - Helped me out a lot, the included homebrew also allows for dumping/restoring sav files as well</li></ul>

P.S. Credits to Rockstar for helping me out with the questions.

Note: I know that I write too many FAQs, now leave me alone so I can go off and write my next one!

ProtoKun7 · Apr 11, 2010

Flashcard is still permissible. After all, official DS games are on cards.

DeltaBurnt · Apr 11, 2010

ProtoKun7 said:
Flashcard is still permissible. After all, official DS games are on cards.

Meh, flashcard is just such a noobish term.

It's like going up to someone and say "Thy sandwich is very tasty looking" instead of the just "Your sandwich looks tasty"

Leo Cantus · Apr 11, 2010

Nice FAQs, answers a lot of common questions.

House Spider · Apr 11, 2010

Nice FAQ.

ZeroPF · Apr 11, 2010

Good job with the FAQ

DeltaBurnt · Apr 11, 2010

bik75 said:
Nice FAQs, answers a lot of common questions.

QUOTE(N64Temp @ Apr 11 2010, 04:50 PM) Nice FAQ.

Thanks

ProtoKun7 · Apr 11, 2010

DeltaBurnt said:
ProtoKun7 said:

Flashcard is still permissible. After all, official DS games are on cards.

Click to expand...

Meh, flashcard is just such a noobish term.

It's like going up to someone and say "Thy sandwich is very tasty looking" instead of the just "Your sandwich looks tasty"

Er...ok...

Also, for the DS "generations", I'd probably say "versions", as all of the consoles are seventh generation.

supersonic5000 · Apr 11, 2010

Nice FAQ!

DeltaBurnt · Apr 11, 2010

ProtoKun7 said:
DeltaBurnt said:

ProtoKun7 said:

Flashcard is still permissible. After all, official DS games are on cards.

Click to expand...

Meh, flashcard is just such a noobish term.

It's like going up to someone and say "Thy sandwich is very tasty looking" instead of the just "Your sandwich looks tasty"

Click to expand...

Er...ok...

Also, for the DS "generations", I'd probably say "versions", as all of the consoles are seventh generation.

Well yes the consoles themselves are in the seventh generation of gaming. But these versions of the consoles are different generations of the console.

Kinda how there's the ipod touch 1g, 2g, 3g, etc.

EyeZ · Apr 11, 2010

I'm impressed!, i like the topics in the General Questions section, very informative.

tk_saturn · Apr 11, 2010

DeltaBurnt said:
ProtoKun7 said:

Er...ok...

Also, for the DS "generations", I'd probably say "versions", as all of the consoles are seventh generation.

Click to expand...

Well yes the consoles themselves are in the seventh generation of gaming. But these versions of the consoles are different generations of the console.

Kinda how there's the ipod touch 1g, 2g, 3g, etc.

The DSi XL is the 4th iteration of the DS, not the 4th generation; it doesn't matter how you spin it. They are just hardware revisions of the same console. Tt's also presumptious to include the 3DS in the same generation as the DS until more technical information is availible.

DeltaBurnt · Apr 11, 2010

tk_saturn said:
DeltaBurnt said:

ProtoKun7 said:

Er...ok...

Also, for the DS "generations", I'd probably say "versions", as all of the consoles are seventh generation.

Click to expand...

Well yes the consoles themselves are in the seventh generation of gaming. But these versions of the consoles are different generations of the console.

Kinda how there's the ipod touch 1g, 2g, 3g, etc.

Click to expand...

The DSi XL is the 4th iteration of the DS, not the 4th generation; it doesn't matter how you spin it. They are just hardware revisions of the same console. Tt's also presumptious to include the 3DS in the same generation as the DS until more technical information is availible.

I guess iteration is a better word for it.

Mages4ever · Apr 12, 2010

There's a repeat, but other than that, this is probably really helpful for all the Newbies.

DeltaBurnt · Apr 12, 2010

Mages4ever said:
There's a repeat, but other than that, this is probably really helpful for all the Newbies.

You mean the if you should buy the R4 question?

Mages4ever · Apr 12, 2010

Mhmm.

eponie · Apr 12, 2010

very nice FAQs!
I googled "RTS" and "RTG" few days ago and found nothing useful.
Now I know what these mean. Thanks!

fearofshorts · Apr 12, 2010

Great FAQ!
But would you mind adding a reference to Bunjalloo under the internet section? It can view picures and generally runs better than DSO's one, IMO.

rockstar99 · Apr 12, 2010

Cheers.Nice to see you posted it.I like the questions you added

pichon64 · Apr 12, 2010

Nice FAQ. Still I'm one of those saying 'flash cards'.

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