Best and cheapest
the R4i sdhc works on latest firmware of 3ds and i would recommend it if you are just looking to play some old ds gamesAre any of these compatible with 9.9 N3DS? (I also have an o3DS I could use if I had to) I wouldn't mind having a simple DS mode flashcart for some older games. I used to have a TTDS (I bought it in Korea before I knew anything, and he told me it was as good as the R4 which was the one I was looking for, but it insta-bricked a brand new metallic pink DS lite of a friend of mine). Anyway, I ended up washing it and ruining it, so now I figure if I'm going to get a new one, I may as well get one that works on my 3DS for convenience.
DsTWO isn't good for rom hacks or homebrew, I've heard. At least not using the default OS to run them.
The AK2i was a nice card, but it's been blocked on the 3DS and DSi for a very very long time now. The newer R4i and clones run nearly identical firmware and work on everything to date.best and cheapest usually don't go together, I would say either/or
I use my AK2i which isn't expensive and it's a nice flashcart.
DsTWO isn't good for rom hacks or homebrew, I've heard. At least not using the default OS to run them.
I would also advise that people get the DSi XL over any 3DS XL for DS games. The colors are more natural/saturated and sharper on DS hardware. To the point that I do think it makes a big enough difference to be worth mentioning.
But... If you already have the 3DS XL, and you're trying to save money like OP is... Why would you tell him to get a whole new system? Isn't just playing the games the important part? This isn't like 240p at 25fps compared to 1080p at 60fps. It's playing DS games (which never really looked good anyway) for free.I would also advise that people get the DSi XL over any 3DS XL for DS games. The colors are more natural/saturated and sharper on DS hardware. To the point that I do think it makes a big enough difference to be worth mentioning.
But... If you already have the 3DS XL, and you're trying to save money like OP is... Why would you tell him to get a whole new system? Isn't just playing the games the important part? This isn't like 240p at 25fps compared to 1080p at 60fps. It's playing DS games (which never really looked good anyway) for free.
ACE3DS Plus (a.k.a. Gateway's "blue card") and AK2i have been blocked since the 6.x days. You'll need your 3DS on an exploitable firmware (i.e. under 9.2) to be able to install the two known patches so far (timewarp-something-or-other and bluecardfix-whatchamacallit).
Just get a cheap $10 flashcart. Don't go for "3DS Gold RTS". I bought one and it was DOA. It was stuck on a white screen of death, with the proper kernel files and everything, and everywhere I looked it said that there's a high chance of breaking down. Plus the really really cheap plastic and overall quality... Bleh. So yeah, stay away from this one: