Best flashcart compatibility for plain DS

[jiminitaur]

I have a DS-lite, and I have an R4 2019 card setup for twilight menu. I established it was a timebomb variant, so it was from a sketchier vendor.

There are some games it doesn't play, like Magic School Bus, and others like Where's Waldo (twitchy video) and Reader Rabbit (harsh sound crackles), with graphical and sound glitches.

I also have a DSi with stock firmware using Unlaunch to boot to twilight menu. All the games mentioned run perfectly on the DSi.

I am wondering if there is another card I can get that will improve compatibility on my DS-lite.

All of the reviews of newer cards and compatibility seemed focused on current market hardware and DSi, but I'm interested in a better setup for my older hardware.

I like the controls and aesthetics of of the DS-lite more, and I think it would be worth one more reasonably priced cart if there is one that will improve the situation.

 

[master801]

Which card do you have? r4isdhc.com?

Try YSMenu if haven't been already.

If you used the micro SD card that came with bundled, it might not be good enough to use.

 

[Redhorse]

I had a SC DS2 (original) from when the DS lite first came out, it JUST died, I purchased a used one (recently) from an online auction for USD $ 95., no regrets it will probably outlive me. I have yet to have a problem with any game used on it... you get what you pay for...

Anyway, try to find a SC DS1 (yes there are such a beasts) The predecessor to SC DS2 they're easy to find out there and cheap.

 

[jiminitaur]

That is the url on the card, yes. (I can't post the url myself because I'm a new member apparently).

I put a class 10 card in it that I already had. I believe it should have been okay, but I'm reckon I'll try that after I test the YSMenu suggestion.

I was running YSMenu originally, but did not test these games. I had issues trying to get it to direct boot to Twilight and ended up bonking my card setup. When I redid it, I went straight to Twilight, assuming it was all the same or better.

Am I correct that I can set Twilight to launch these games using the YSMenu instead of nds-bootstrap`? Do you think that would help with compatibility, or is YSMenu more compatible when used to launch directly?

I believe I wanted to do that the second time around, but didn't figure it out. It's a little confusing with the firmware, launchers, and menu files and all, so I may have done something dumb. Like I said, I borked my setup the first time around. I was mixing files from different packs, and ended up being unable to boot the card without an error.

I like YSMenu, but I chose Twilight for the kids, to keep the two systems the same, and because the saves went in different locations, so I felt I had to to pick one and stick to it.

Post automatically merged: Jun 14, 2023

I had a SC DS2 (original) from when the DS lite first came out, it JUST died, I purchased a used one (recently) from an online auction for USD $ 95., no regrets it will probably outlive me. I have yet to have a problem with any game used on it... you get what you pay for...

Anyway, try to find a SC DS1 (yes there are such a beasts) The predecessor to SC DS2 they're easy to find out there and cheap.

The DSTwos are crazy expensive, so I didn't think to look for a 1. Thanks for the tip and testimony.

 

[RocketRobz]

Am I correct that I can set Twilight to launch these games using the YSMenu instead of nds-bootstrap`? Do you think that would help with compatibility, or is YSMenu more compatible when used to launch directly?

Yes, you can set TWLMenu++ to launch DS games using YSMenu. Compatibility will be the same as if TWLMenu++ we're not installed.

 

[jiminitaur]

Yes, you can set TWLMenu++ to launch DS games using YSMenu. Compatibility will be the same as if TWLMenu++ we're not installed.

I did some more testing and figured some things out, but I'm not sure of the best course of action.

My exact card text is:

2019
R4
3DS Upgrade
SDHC
Revolution for
3ds DSI XL/LL DSL DS
Gold Pro
Real Time Save
www.r4ishdc.com

I figured out that I set up the card with YSMenu, with a `Twilight.nds` as `DEFAULT.NDS` autoboot.

I did this because the `R4.dat` and `TTMenu.dat` that I got from the twilight package in this folder:...

R4i-SDHC, r4isdhc com cards 2014+, R4i SDHC Upgrade Revolution, R4DSiXL3D, R4i Advance, R4-IIIi, R4 SDHC Revolution, R4(i) Pocket, R4i Gold (v1.4.1) (3DS) & R4xDS

...Gave me a `fat init failed` error. I did have BOOT.NDS at the SD root

The same set of files from the pack called `RetroGameFan Multi Cart Update v7.06` does not give me those errors when booting YSMenu.

The only way I could find to boot right into Twilight was to use the YSMenu DEFAULT.NDS option.

If I drop out, by holding B when I boot the flash card, and then use YSMenu to load the games, the games run properly.

However, if I set the twilight option to `kernel`, and load the game, or try to run a YSMenu.nds file, it cycles through some load screens and comes right back to the same spot on the Twilight menu.

II also tried the R4/TTMenu set from:...

`R4IIISDHC (v3.07 kernel), R4i SDHC Silver RTS Lite, R4iTT v1.6

It game me a cutesy menu error icon.

I did not see another folder that had the same pair of files, but I may have missed something.

Best course of action?

 

[RocketRobz]

I did some more testing and figured some things out, but I'm not sure of the best course of action.

I figured out that I set up the DS-lite up with the Twilight.nds as "DEFAULT.NDS" so it is the auto-boot from YSMenu.

I did this because the `R4.dat` and `TTMenu.dat` that I got from the twilight package from this folder:...

`R4i-SDHC, r4isdhc com cards 2014+, R4i SDHC Upgrade Revolution, R4DSiXL3D, R4i Advance, R4-IIIi, R4 SDHC Revolution, R4(i) Pocket, R4i Gold (v1.4.1) (3DS) & R4xDS`

...Gave me a `fat init failed` error. I did have BOOT.NDS at the SD root

The same set of files from the pack called `RetroGameFan Multi Cart Update v7.06` does not give me those errors when booting YSMenu.

The only way I could find to boot right into Twilight was to use the YSMenu DEFAULT.NDS option.

If I drop out, by holding B when I boot the flash card, and then use YSMenu to load the games, the games run properly.

However, if I set the twilight option to `kernel`, and load the game, or try to run a YSMenu.nds file, it cycles through some load screens and comes right back to the same spot on the Twilight menu.

II also tried the R4/TTMenu set from:...

`R4IIISDHC (v3.07 kernel), R4i SDHC Silver RTS Lite, R4iTT v1.6`

It game me a cutesy menu error icon.

Best course of action?

To actually fix the FAT init error, you need to download the latest version of TWLMenu++, and use the

`R4i-SDHC, r4isdhc com cards 2014+, R4i SDHC Upgrade Revolution, R4DSiXL3D, R4i Advance, R4-IIIi, R4 SDHC Revolution, R4(i) Pocket, R4i Gold (v1.4.1) (3DS) & R4xDS`

autoboot folder.

Because a prior version is known to cause the error.

Without the proper autoboot file(s), and if your flashcard autoboots YSMenu, launching your flashcard would just start the game last launched by TWLMenu++.

 

[FriendlyPolygon]

@jiminitaur timebombed cards are usually DSTT clones.
I think you might try ported R4 wood from here, if your card have same error screens:
https://gbatemp.net/download/r4-wood-for-dstt-r4-clones-r4gold-sdhc-and-others.38053/

 

[jiminitaur]

To actually fix the FAT init error, you need to download the latest version of TWLMenu++, and use the

autoboot folder.

Because a prior version is known to cause the error.

Without the proper autoboot file(s), and if your flashcard autoboots YSMenu, launching your flashcard would just start the game last launched by TWLMenu++.

The new version straightened me out.

I was using V25.9.6, and V25.10.0 fixed it for me. What a difference a week or two can make. I see in the changelog where this very issue was addressed.

I did have one more issue with kernel launch after getting autoboot working.

The final piece was another experiment I forgot about. As you pointed out and I forgot, once I launched my first game I'd get bootlooped back to that game when launching the card.

My hack around this was to mark the YSMenu.ini file as read only. It solved my short term problem, but then explains why things a kernel launch would fail and loop back to Twilight.

I really appreciate your time on this, so many moving parts and information to digest, plus all of the copying and tinkering getting going. I would not have figured it out for a while on my own for sure.

Thanks for everybody weighing in as well. Looks like this is a solid enough product for my purposes, once set up properly. I am interested in other cards and firmware for helping others, and these are good leads.

Post automatically merged: Jun 14, 2023

@jiminitaur timebombed cards are usually DSTT clones.
I think you might try ported R4 wood from here, if your card have same error screens:
https://gbatemp.net/download/r4-wood-for-dstt-r4-clones-r4gold-sdhc-and-others.38053/

Will try this when I dig out another sd card. The error screen pics were very clear and helpful.

I was a little confused on the dates and version for this since they seem to not match the mainline versioning number. Might be helpful to put a note indicating the main wood version equivalent.

Am I correct in understanding this will not play ball with the Twilight Launch, but it may demonstrate improved compatibility compared to YSMenu?

 

[FriendlyPolygon]

I was a little confused on the dates and version for this since they seem to not match the mainline versioning number. Might be helpful to put a note indicating the main wood version equivalent.

Based on core of R4 Wood 1.25. But since porting it made some major changes to make it work on DSTT hardware, it doesn't really matter anymore.

Am I correct in understanding this will not play ball with the Twilight Launch, but it may demonstrate improved compatibility compared to YSMenu?

Didn't quite get what you mean. TWiLightMenu cannot use this as kernel when launching games. Furthermore this kernel need to be initially loaded when flashcard starts to use it's core(which works different, so yes, compatibility is better in general, with some exceptions, most of them can be solved by AP/compatibility cheats). It will not work properly if launched from another loader such as YSMenu (but you can start YSMenu or TWiLightMenu from it)