Hacking A few more questions

[Rajveer]

Sorry to create a similar thread to one already here, but I'm comparing the CycloDS and the Acekard RPG before I buy one. I like the idea of having flash memory as well as microSD so that any slow games can be stored on the flash, and also because I can keep the flash for my ds development and the microSD for my backup games (instead of using my DS-X for dev). With the first firmware I know that you can leave the USB cable connected when you power on the DS, and the RPG would load fine (as long as you don't try to access the card using your PC at the same time), is this still the case with the latest firmwares (this would quicken DS dev a lot)?

I also like the fact that the RPG is open source, but all the comparisons between these 2 cards that I can find have been from when the card was first released a year ago, so I'm wondering what extra features have been added and a year later, how does the RPG's feature list compare to the CycloDS? The card will be primarily for gaming as all dev work I can still do on my DS-X, and I really like things such as the Cyclo's in-game menu and text reader, but how does the future of this card look?

 

[Another World]

first i don't know why you would want to access the usb while its in the ds, even for development. its a risk not really worth taking at the cost of both the ds and rpg. not to mention the blow back on the pc if something fails. with that said i have never tried it so i can't comment.

the rpg can use gelu's firmware and akaio (and the official). both have some features which are nice. you won't find things like real time saves, slow motion or other gimmicks. they are just hardcore solid firmwares which do what they should and do it well. things like cut/copy/paste/delete are there. they are VERY skinnable with the ability to move entire buttons around. gelu has really great 3-in-1 support as the firmware is coded from the stand point that you keep the 3-in-1 in your nds at all times. akaio now has external loaders and some nice features are coming out in the 1.3 version (when it goes public) so its worth the wait. they both have great compatibility with minor set backs when it comes to patches (soft reset/cheats). gelu has fixed many issues which norm is porting over to akaio. ak official firmware has many speed fixes not available in akaio, and on the rpg you can't as of yet (but soon -- as the talk is going) load games using external loaders. you won't benefit from the speed updates added to the officials. however gelu's firmware has great updates and i think you will find that many problem games will run great from the msd.

as for dev -- yea you can't live without on board nand. but the nand is delicate and running the wrong code on it can cause errors and or kill it. so if you aren't that versed in coding on the ds i would stick to the msd as you can get a replacement for 5 bucks, where a new rpg will cost you $65+.

i won't comment on the cyclo, i've never used one. i know they have a paid team behind it so updates are frequent and support is very good. with the ak tho if the team dies out people can continue to make updates for the firmware. however loader fixes is another level of coding all together.

so there are good points and bad here. i can tell you that i own both the rpg and the ak2. i love them both. i use my rpg almost every day and recently started to do some development using it. i also love my ak2 and for 13.99 ... man you can't go wrong. it has all the same features of the rpg minus the nand. you might just want to pick one up for dev/gaming. both run all the homebrew/roms i throw at it. sometimes you have to manually set the save type or turn on/off patches. but its that debugging that i love about the kit.

i'm not sure if my rant helped at all, post back if you need more direction or specifics i'd be glad to help you.

-another world