In the last few months GBATEMP got folded with "which card is the best " or "should I get slot1 or 2" kind of topics . So I sat down and wrote this guide to reduce the number of such threads.I'll try to make this as unbiased as possible ( Though I will say that I'll never recommend Ds-X to any one ) but you can add your comment and I'll add those who make a solid statement .
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Slot issues
Lately we have been floded with slot 1 cards that promise to have better compatibility (DS wise)and better features then slot 2 cards, but are they for anyone? The simple answer is no but there is a big explanation behind that answer.Generally you can go by that fact that slot2 card have one feature that slot 1 cards will (probably ) never have : GBA roms and homebrew compatibility , so if you aren't interested in both go for Slot1.
The problems start when one is interested in such feature , thats because today you can get the EZ-V 3 in 1 pack (rumble,GBA,DS ram pack). So is the extra money worth it? if you're looking for a cart and you're new to the scene the answer is yes , Slot-1 card are easier to use and saves lots of headaches over DS roms . If you're part of the scene ( which I guess you're not if you need this guide) you might consider buying a Slot2+Slot1 insted ( some Slot 2 cards have better Homebrew support for DS).
SO to conclude , Yes Buy a Slot 1 card .
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R4,Cyclods evo , supercard one DS , G6 real and others { just ask}
So If you read the reviews of the cards and still have a hard time this passage is for you (if thats doesn't clear things up then refer to Quick tip #1 segment at the end of the article ).
I'll start with the ever so popular R4 (fanboys get your stones and roses ready ) : Much as been said about this cart and it can all be summed up in few sentences : Easy to use .micro SD based ,card with all the basic features you need (or don't) BUT lacks some advance features of other cards and has nothing exclusive to offer . If you want a stable card with the standard feature, huge user base {which usually means more people will help} this is a safe cart to pick
Moving on to the new rage Cyclods evo:This card was recently released and together with it a huge update to other carts because of its advance features. Although it uses a standard hardware design his card is a pioneer in many ways , it was the first to feature a 100% DL/P compatibility and the first external memory cart to have Wii connectivity support , Plus the cart got a great dev team that manged to resolve problems rather quickly. Its also the only cart with SDHC support as of now ( I know that Dslink has a Chinese FW update that adds this feature but until there will be an english release I'll keep this line as it is)
So whats the down side? Simply put lack of trust, We can't really tell yet how the CycloDS long term support its in essence thier first product.
TO sum up: A good cart with almost all available features though highly expensive and you can't now nothing about the long term support.
And to the third cart{ and R4 fans anti-christ ) The Supercard DS one (V2 of course):I'll like to begin and say that you might hear about major flaws with the SCDS1 's hardware but I like to insure you they are all gone on V2 ( no more save problem as well). This said I most say that this is the most underestimated cart on the market, it got a good support ( even in long term as SC still release firmware for their Slot-2 device) , great features ( all major R4 and CycloDs one { except Wii conectivity and SDHC} and some exclusives (in game guide. in game cheat management ) , great GUI ( thouch screen all the way) , And most importantly multiply saves. The problems : you need to know how to configure it to get the max out of the card (edit ini files), Old built in Moonshell ( you can still boot newer versions as regular homebrew but the default is 1.51) and weird save name (shorten them ).
To sum up:A great cart with a lot of features , not expensive and great support all in the price of some more work
The G6real : I have to say that those who look for internal storage slot1 carts hasn't got much choice of carts , basically its the G6real or N-card clones ( as stated above stay away from the DS-x). So why the G6 real? it has a wide array of features ( everything you'll find in R4 { except 100% dl/p}), good support team and no lags ( since its internal storage). The Bad : no 100% Dl/p , limted space . up till recently 16 had a problem with homebrew, and lastly firmware updates aren't as quick as in other cart.
To sum up: Expensive but good.The choice for internal mem card
If any one wants to add a cart ( Ds-link, ninjapass ,EZ-V, just post it up and i;ll put it in ).
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Quick tip #1: How to get more information
Before choosing a cart I'll recommend getting more info about the common problems and things to consider. In order to get this kind of info go to the cart forum on GBATEMP and the company site and forum and look at the problems and the support available ( company response time is also good to look at).
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SO thats it for now , leave comments and remember that this guide was written when I was tired as hell
.
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Slot issues
Lately we have been floded with slot 1 cards that promise to have better compatibility (DS wise)and better features then slot 2 cards, but are they for anyone? The simple answer is no but there is a big explanation behind that answer.Generally you can go by that fact that slot2 card have one feature that slot 1 cards will (probably ) never have : GBA roms and homebrew compatibility , so if you aren't interested in both go for Slot1.
The problems start when one is interested in such feature , thats because today you can get the EZ-V 3 in 1 pack (rumble,GBA,DS ram pack). So is the extra money worth it? if you're looking for a cart and you're new to the scene the answer is yes , Slot-1 card are easier to use and saves lots of headaches over DS roms . If you're part of the scene ( which I guess you're not if you need this guide) you might consider buying a Slot2+Slot1 insted ( some Slot 2 cards have better Homebrew support for DS).
SO to conclude , Yes Buy a Slot 1 card .
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R4,Cyclods evo , supercard one DS , G6 real and others { just ask}
So If you read the reviews of the cards and still have a hard time this passage is for you (if thats doesn't clear things up then refer to Quick tip #1 segment at the end of the article ).
I'll start with the ever so popular R4 (fanboys get your stones and roses ready ) : Much as been said about this cart and it can all be summed up in few sentences : Easy to use .micro SD based ,card with all the basic features you need (or don't) BUT lacks some advance features of other cards and has nothing exclusive to offer . If you want a stable card with the standard feature, huge user base {which usually means more people will help} this is a safe cart to pick
Moving on to the new rage Cyclods evo:This card was recently released and together with it a huge update to other carts because of its advance features. Although it uses a standard hardware design his card is a pioneer in many ways , it was the first to feature a 100% DL/P compatibility and the first external memory cart to have Wii connectivity support , Plus the cart got a great dev team that manged to resolve problems rather quickly. Its also the only cart with SDHC support as of now ( I know that Dslink has a Chinese FW update that adds this feature but until there will be an english release I'll keep this line as it is)
So whats the down side? Simply put lack of trust, We can't really tell yet how the CycloDS long term support its in essence thier first product.
TO sum up: A good cart with almost all available features though highly expensive and you can't now nothing about the long term support.
And to the third cart{ and R4 fans anti-christ ) The Supercard DS one (V2 of course):I'll like to begin and say that you might hear about major flaws with the SCDS1 's hardware but I like to insure you they are all gone on V2 ( no more save problem as well). This said I most say that this is the most underestimated cart on the market, it got a good support ( even in long term as SC still release firmware for their Slot-2 device) , great features ( all major R4 and CycloDs one { except Wii conectivity and SDHC} and some exclusives (in game guide. in game cheat management ) , great GUI ( thouch screen all the way) , And most importantly multiply saves. The problems : you need to know how to configure it to get the max out of the card (edit ini files), Old built in Moonshell ( you can still boot newer versions as regular homebrew but the default is 1.51) and weird save name (shorten them ).
To sum up:A great cart with a lot of features , not expensive and great support all in the price of some more work
The G6real : I have to say that those who look for internal storage slot1 carts hasn't got much choice of carts , basically its the G6real or N-card clones ( as stated above stay away from the DS-x). So why the G6 real? it has a wide array of features ( everything you'll find in R4 { except 100% dl/p}), good support team and no lags ( since its internal storage). The Bad : no 100% Dl/p , limted space . up till recently 16 had a problem with homebrew, and lastly firmware updates aren't as quick as in other cart.
To sum up: Expensive but good.The choice for internal mem card
If any one wants to add a cart ( Ds-link, ninjapass ,EZ-V, just post it up and i;ll put it in ).
---------------------------------------------------
Quick tip #1: How to get more information
Before choosing a cart I'll recommend getting more info about the common problems and things to consider. In order to get this kind of info go to the cart forum on GBATEMP and the company site and forum and look at the problems and the support available ( company response time is also good to look at).
------------------------------------------------------
SO thats it for now , leave comments and remember that this guide was written when I was tired as hell
