Hacking CycloDS iEvolution or Acekard 2i?

[lionking]

Hi there,

I used to be really into flashcarts and ds games when the m3ds real was popular. I stopped using it and gave it to my girlfriend. That was about two years ago. I recently went on vacation and played her DS and got really hooked to tactics a2.

I'm now looking to purchase a flashcart of my own now and WOW has the scene changed!

For starters, I have a DS lite. I've been reading non-stop and have come narrowed down the list to an acekard 2i or a cyclods ievo. I will also be looking to get an ez flash 3 in 1 so I can play GBA games.

It seems that the Acekard 2i with AKAIO seems to be really popular. I was hoping someone would give me their insights on the cyclods ievo vs the acekard 2i.

Also, where is the best place to buy the ez flash 3 in 1? I'd like to buy both from one shop. Anyone here bought from kickgaming?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Nathanaël]

I'm sure you'll get an iEvo quite cheap now... Better have a look at the Cyclops forums first. They are not very happy with their card there.

 

[RoMee]

Right now Acekard 2i seems to be the better choice
Faster updates and better game compatibility

 

[The Catboy]

Actually I say, go with the middle ground an go with the Supercard DSTwo, if you have the money to get a CycloDS iEvolution.
If not that, then the Acekard 2i is the better option. Sure it lacks DSi-Mode, but honestly DSi-Mode really doesn't amount to much.

 

[lionking]

Thanks for the quick replies! I think I'm leaning more towards the Acekard 2i now.

Any problems using the Acekard 2i with AKAIO with the EZ 3 in 1? Also, will I need a separate micro SD card for the ez 3 in 1 for slot 2? Or can I drop my GBA roms into the Acekard 2i's micro sd card and load from there?

 

[Decooter]

If you're interested in playing GBA games, instead of spending $12 on an acekard 2i and $20 on EZ flash 3-in-1, why don't you just spend $35 on a supercard dstwo that plays GBA roms on it using an emulator? That way if you ever upgrade to a DSi/XL or 3DS you can still play your GBA games? (DSi, DSiXL, and 3DS do not have a GBA slot so you cannot use ez flash 3-in-1 on them)

 

[gesarichi]

Thanks for the quick replies! I think I'm leaning more towards the Acekard 2i now.

Any problems using the Acekard 2i with AKAIO with the EZ 3 in 1? Also, will I need a separate micro SD card for the ez 3 in 1 for slot 2? Or can I drop my GBA roms into the Acekard 2i's micro sd card and load from there?

no problem at all with Acekard 2i, but if you wish to play GBA games, you better get SupercardDStwo thats the best choice, the quality is the best, compatibility with almost DS games, also has GBA emulator, even you can play videos on it without need any converter, its better than you get acekard 2i and ezflash 3in1( you also need 2 sd card for both of them) so its better get 1 card with all compatibility such Supercard DSTWO, my self own both of those card, thats why i can suggest you..

 

[Deleted-236924]

AK2i is the better option, even if you have enough money to get an iEvo.

@gesarichi: What are you talking about? You only need one microSD card if you have AK2i and 3in1.

 

[Pyrmon]

Thanks for the quick replies! I think I'm leaning more towards the Acekard 2i now.

Any problems using the Acekard 2i with AKAIO with the EZ 3 in 1? Also, will I need a separate micro SD card for the ez 3 in 1 for slot 2? Or can I drop my GBA roms into the Acekard 2i's micro sd card and load from there?

no problem at all with Acekard 2i, but if you wish to play GBA games, you better get SupercardDStwo thats the best choice, the quality is the best, compatibility with almost DS games, also has GBA emulator, even you can play videos on it without need any converter, its better than you get acekard 2i and ezflash 3in1( you also need 2 sd card for both of them) so its better get 1 card with all compatibility such Supercard DSTWO, my self own both of those card, thats why i can suggest you..

Oh boy...
3-in-1=not emulation. It's perfect.
DSTWO=emulation. It has flaws.
3-in-1 does NOT require an MicroSD.

 

[lionking]

Thanks again for all the replies! I just ordered an Acekard 2i with 3 in 1 from real hot stuff and a micro sd from new egg. Thanks for all the advice.

 

[Decooter]

Thanks again for all the replies! I just ordered an Acekard 2i with 3 in 1 from real hot stuff and a micro sd from new egg. Thanks for all the advice.

This worked for me for a while, but then I got a 3DS and couldnt use 3-in-1 anymore, so I had to shell out another $35 on top of the acekard and 3-in-1 for a Supercard DSTWO, so I hope you don't plan on getting a DSi/XL or 3DS soon or you'll have to spend more money again for GBA. I tried to tell you this before but I think it was too late.

 

[Nathanaël]

Most people never use these "extra features" the DS2 offers. They just talk about it on internet forums.

Acekard 2 / R4iDSN is the best choice. Congrats!

 

[Pyrmon]

Thanks again for all the replies! I just ordered an Acekard 2i with 3 in 1 from real hot stuff and a micro sd from new egg. Thanks for all the advice.

This worked for me for a while, but then I got a 3DS and couldnt use 3-in-1 anymore, so I had to shell out another $35 on top of the acekard and 3-in-1 for a Supercard DSTWO, so I hope you don't plan on getting a DSi/XL or 3DS soon or you'll have to spend more money again for GBA. I tried to tell you this before but I think it was too late.

He could also, oh I don't know, keep his Lite?

 

[Decooter]

Thanks again for all the replies! I just ordered an Acekard 2i with 3 in 1 from real hot stuff and a micro sd from new egg. Thanks for all the advice.

This worked for me for a while, but then I got a 3DS and couldnt use 3-in-1 anymore, so I had to shell out another $35 on top of the acekard and 3-in-1 for a Supercard DSTWO, so I hope you don't plan on getting a DSi/XL or 3DS soon or you'll have to spend more money again for GBA. I tried to tell you this before but I think it was too late.

He could also, oh I don't know, keep his Lite?

Buying something without considering the future is foolish, but maybe he did consider the future and either doesn't want a 3DS, or wouldn't mind keeping both an old DSlite around and having a new 3DS. I don't know. But it's always safer to go with a SCDS2 in these cases, what if he doesn't want to carry around two systems, or what if his DSlite breaks in the future and DSlites are hard to find? Then he's screwed if he wants to play GBA games, unless he buys a SCDS2 or other GBA-enabled flash card, which he could have had in the first place.

It never hurts to be prepared.

EDIT: Oh and @ Nathanael:

Saying most people don't use the extra features of SCDS2 is just plain wrong. Everyone benefits immediately from SCDS2's advanced anti-AP, and the way it passes the DSi/3DS 2 step AP check when loading a rom is slightly more future-proof than the Acekards 'brute forcing' method, and often times doesnt even need a firmware update to pass new DSi/3DS firmware updates (for example: the latest DSi firmware, SCDS2 worked without a need for firmware updates, while Acekard took a day or two to release a working update)

Also people definitely use the extra processor for GBA/SNES emulation all the time. It's the main selling point. Not to mention the in-game menu which allows you to activate cheats without closing and restarting the ROM, which last time I used my acekard 2i with AKAIO, it didn't have that.

That's just to name a lot

 

[jurassicplayer]

Buying something without considering the future is foolish, but maybe he did consider the future and either doesn't want a 3DS, or wouldn't mind keeping both an old DSlite around and having a new 3DS. I don't know. But it's always safer to go with a SCDS2 in these cases, what if he doesn't want to carry around two systems, or what if his DSlite breaks in the future and DSlites are hard to find? Then he's screwed if he wants to play GBA games, unless he buys a SCDS2 or other GBA-enabled flash card, which he could have had in the first place.

It never hurts to be prepared.

EDIT: Oh and @ Nathanael:

Saying most people don't use the extra features of SCDS2 is just plain wrong. Everyone benefits immediately from SCDS2's advanced anti-AP, and the way it passes the DSi/3DS 2 step AP check when loading a rom is slightly more future-proof than the Acekards 'brute forcing' method, and often times doesnt even need a firmware update to pass new DSi/3DS firmware updates (for example: the latest DSi firmware, SCDS2 worked without a need for firmware updates, while Acekard took a day or two to release a working update)

Also people definitely use the extra processor for GBA/SNES emulation all the time. It's the main selling point. Not to mention the in-game menu which allows you to activate cheats without closing and restarting the ROM, which last time I used my acekard 2i with AKAIO, it didn't have that.

That's just to name a lot

Point is, he read your post, and didn't find a well enough reason to go for the DSTWO. Being prepared is fine, though I would expect someone willing to fork over the money for a 3DS would have already planned for it at some point in time, so if he is already going for an AK2i, then he probably isn't getting one.
GBA/SNES emulation is decent at best and for the most part, unless you are just straight up lazy or just HAVE to have it portable, there are better alternatives with higher compatibility, better speeds, etc. Not only that, but there seem to be less and less gamers that actually even care enough to enjoy those older games (probably going to continue...stupid advances in game graphics :/). The main point of the DSTWO isn't the GBA/SNES gimmicks that are added on as a selling point, it's the latest nds games compatibility and customer support (if you can speak Chinese anyways...). Even now, the DSTWO's main point is losing value (those lame "Is this the end of the DS?" threads aren't helping squat) unless you really want to play the marvelous shovelware that gets released. Many of the DSTWO's "extra features" consist of tools for cheating the regular gaming experience (RTS, RTG, FreeCheat, ...RTC? that is what I want to dub it anyways..., and Slow Motion). Unless there are a lot more lame gamers than I'm imagining, then I really wouldn't expect most of them to use ANY of those features (maybe the RTS and RTG every so often).

The phrase "Also people definitely use the extra processor for GBA/SNES emulation all the time. It's the main selling point," bothers me, because if I recall correctly, most people with a DSTWO definitely didn't buy it for GBA or SNES games.

 

[Deleted-236924]

Jurassicplayer: People usually recommend the DSTwo with GBA/SNES emulation in mind.

or what if his DSlite breaks in the future and DSlites are hard to find?

>DS Lite
>hard to find

What?
This is not the Gameboy Micro.
Old consoles like the NES and Gameboy Pocket are still easy to find.
I wouldn't expect the DS Lite to become "hard to find" until ages later.

 

[lionking]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the replies. I think everyone made a valid points for both flashcarts. I ended up choosing the Acekard because I am not planning on buying a dsi or 3ds until we get a price cut on the former or the 2nd gen is released on the latter.

In the meantime, I just wanted to enjoy nds and gba games and wanted the best experience - I did hear the emulation did have some issues I didn't want to deal with. Additionally, the review of the dstwo on GBA temp didn't compel me towards the cart.

And yes, I figured that if I do buy a DSi or a 3DS in the future, the cost of a new flashcart is relatively cheap to the cost of the console so that's not a big issue for me either.

Thanks again for everyone's feedback. This is a great community!

 

[RoMee]

The DSTWO review is great, but it's old and using a very old EOS
It's a lot better now

even though the dstwo is the better flash cart the Acekard is a good basic cart

 

[lionking]

is the build quality any better?

 

[Nick Nack]

Buy a dstwo.I have one and i am veeeeeeeeeeery happy with it.I have never encountered a problem so far.