Hacking Inquriing about a new flash cart

[Nerim]

Well, this is my first foray into the DS flash card lands, so I'm in need of a little help.

I've been poking around at a number of the reviews here, and reading through various forum posts about each card, and I can't really reach a conclusion myself.

I'm looking for something inexpensive, but not something that will be junk after a few uses. I'm also looking for a MicroSD card (I can't imagine I'll be needing more than a 1 or 2 GB card), and preferably something that comes packaged witha r eader, considering I don't have any sort of MicroSD reader.

If someone could recommend any options for me, I'd be grateful.

(I totally typoed the topic. Woot.)

 

[Berthenk]

First, as many have said, the Cyclo DS is best choice, and as far as i know, every card comes with a reader, and almost every micro sd card come with a reader.

 

[zhuzhuchina]

usually all flashcard slot 1 come with a usb tf card reader. so just buy a flashcard slot 1, and a tf memory card.
every cards is ok, just avoid n5-e7-r4 II
ciao

 

[Gab]

First, as many have said, the Cyclo DS is best choice, and as far as i know, every card comes with a reader, and almost every micro sd card come with a reader.

While I agree that the CycloDS is an excellent card, he/she is looking for something inexpensive. Try looking at the reviews for AceKard 2 and EDGE both which are comparably cheaper and great cards as well.

 

[Nerim]

I would also like to know why the CycloDS is the card of choice. I've been looking at AceKard and Supercard, along with CycloDS stand out from the crowd?

 

[ojsinnerz.]

I would also like to know why the CycloDS is the card of choice. I've been looking at AceKard and Supercard, along with CycloDS stand out from the crowd?

CycloDS has a support team that natively speak English, support team that answers your question directly on their forums, take suggestions from users, release beta firmwares. Enough of just the support team. Just know that they're a fantastic team, who are friendly, and excellent.

The CycloDS itself has a SDHC support, for micro sd cards that are over 2 gigs. Other than that, there are.

1. Realtime Save (Lets you save anywhere, anytime.)
2. Homebrew soft-reset
3. Realtime/ In game guide (If you're stuck on something, use this to see the guide. You'll have to put it in yourself, of course.
4. Full 3-in-1 support which means you don't have to download any programs to run the 3-in-1.
5. Multi-saves. Although it was never ment to be this way, you can have a normal save, and an alternate save
6. Smooth, and good looking GUI, that's fully customizable.

I'm not done yet, but I think you get the point.

Supercard is a good choice for features. But if you just want to play games, then get a Acekard 2, or EDGE.

If you're interested in cheaper alternatives, but still want most of the features the CycloDS has, then get the SCDS1.

But if you're getting the SCDS1, I must say that there's a few things that make it annoying to use. I don't mind it, but it may be bothersome for lots of people.

I can list all the features of the SCDS1, and the pros and cons, if you request it.

 

[Nerim]

The pros and cons of the SCDS1 would be awesome.

I've been poking at the AK2 and EDGE, and the AK2 seems to be having it's fair share of problems with dead cards and EDGE seems to have problems being in stock. Cyclo is just a bit too much in terms of being affordable.

 

[Bri]

The most recent batches of AK2's have been fine, so it appears that Acekard has fixed the problem. If you buy from a reputable store that does a lot of business, they should be through the bad batches by now. Just make sure you can exchange it for a new one if you happen to get a bad cart. Dealextreme.com has been very good about exchanging carts.

The Acekard 2 has one of the nicest and most responsive menus available, and is the cheapest of the carts you listed. But it doesn't have extra features like game state dumps or slow-motion. Most users don't use features like game state dumps or slow-motion, but if you do then these features might be worth the extra price of the CycloDS or putting up with the more sluggish menu of the SCDS1.

The SCDS1 has extra features (game state dumps, slow-motion, etc) and is a lot cheaper than the CycloDS. However, its menu system is its biggest drawback. It's based on an outdated version of moonshell, so it is a bit sluggish and overly complicated. However, if features are important to you and the menu isn't so important, and you want an inexpensive cart, the SCDS1 is worth considering.

The CycloDS has a much nicer menu than the SCDS1 and also has extra features. But as you noted it's expensive.

The Edge is similar to the Acekard 2 in that it doesn't have extra features. In my opinion, the Acekard 2 has a better menu and has better support. The microSD card also sticks out a bit on the Edge.

-Bri

 

[Nerim]

What is it about the SCDS1's menu that makes it so sluggish as compared to the other flash cards?

And judging by what I've heard, I have it narrowed down to either AceKard 2 or the SCDS1.

 

[ojsinnerz.]

The pros and cons of the SCDS1 would be awesome.

I've been poking at the AK2 and EDGE, and the AK2 seems to be having it's fair share of problems with dead cards and EDGE seems to have problems being in stock. Cyclo is just a bit too much in terms of being affordable.

Well, I'll just take out the Pros and cons off of the SCDS1 SDHC review I wrote a while back.


Pros-

- Perfect game compatibility out of the games tested.
- 100% download play with the games tested with.
- Great support, and frequent updates from the team.
- Nice extras in the box
- Solid, and well built cart
- SDHC support
- Realtime save, Realtime Guide, and other features, making it one of the most featureful cart available.
- In-game cheats
- Multi-save option.
- Tripple loader, Lets you choose between, DSTT, SCDS1, and YSmenu of DSTT.
- Auto DLDI patching.
- Very customizable menu
- Playing music on the hacked moonshell works fine.
- Cheap, compared to other carts. The best bang for the buck. Only 28 bucks.

Cons-

- Still fairly picky about micro sds.
- Moonshell is not up to date, therefore, suffers a few problems, such as the video.
- A slow GUI, compared to some of the current Flashkarts out there.
- Not the best cart for a first timer, for it might be a little more confusing than other carts.
- The team doesn't respond much to questions on forums.
- Less frequent firmware updates, compared to the Cyclo.
- Making a skin for this might take you a while, seeing you'll need a lot of places to cover.
- Ugly green cheat menu
- If the cheat names are long, they get cut off, and you can't see the rest

QUOTE(Nerim @ Aug 1 2008, 06:12 PM) What is it about the SCDS1's menu that makes it so sluggish as compared to the other flash cards?

And judging by what I've heard, I have it narrowed down to either AceKard 2 or the SCDS1.

It takes a few second longer to load games than any other carts. Only about 2-3 second difference. It's not THAT big.

But when you're scrolling down, and whatnot, it's kind of slow, and lags a bit.

It doesn't go down smoothly, the menu takes a few seconds to load, and games take longer to load. I personally don't find that it to be sluggish, but it's slower than a few carts out now.

 

[Bri]

I should point out that I don't actually own an SCDS1, so this information is based on the most common comments from owners.

The SCDS1's menu is based on a rather old version of moonshell. In fact, I believe it's so old that it doesn't play videos correctly (I believe you actually have to install the new moonshell in addition to the menu to view videos). Most comments from SCDS1 owners concern the slowness of scrolling through the file list, slowness of loading ROMs, and also the fact that the menu is overly complicated. For example, I believe you have to install slow-motion for each game as a cheat. The cheats are also somewhat non-standard compared to other carts, so it's a little more difficult to use and add your own cheats.

The SCDS1 is only a little bit more expensive than the Acekard 2. So really what it comes down to is which is more important to you: a fast and responsive menu or extra features.

My personal opinion is that the majority of people won't use game state dumps or slow-motion often if at all, but the menu is used every time you use the cart, so obviously I prefer the Acekard 2.

ETA: Yes, you can use the triple loader to run the DSTT or YSMenu menus on the SCDS1. They are faster than the SCDS1 moonshell-based menu, but they won't allow access to any of the extra features. The Acekard 2 also has several custom menus that you can run including YSMenu, Bliss, and AIO. AIO is particularly impressive, having the same beautiful look and feel as the original menu plus loads of additional features.

-Bri

 

[caffolote]

Can you change the Supercard GUI like you can with the Acekard like how they do with the Bliss and AKAIO?

 

[Bri]

Do you mean skins? I'm pretty sure the SCDS1 supports skins. I think that's what it means by "Very customizable menu" in the list of "pros" above.

-Bri

 

[ojsinnerz.]

I should point out that I don't actually own an SCDS1, so this information is based on the most common comments from owners.

The SCDS1's menu is based on a rather old version of moonshell. In fact, I believe it's so old that it doesn't play videos correctly (I believe you actually have to install the new moonshell in addition to the menu to view videos). Most comments from SCDS1 owners concern the slowness of scrolling through the file list, slowness of loading ROMs, and also the fact that the menu is overly complicated. For example, I believe you have to install slow-motion for each game as a cheat. The cheats are also somewhat non-standard compared to other carts, so it's a little more difficult to use and add your own cheats.

The SCDS1 is only a little bit more expensive than the Acekard 2. So really what it comes down to is which is more important to you: a fast and responsive menu or extra features.

My personal opinion is that the majority of people won't use game state dumps or slow-motion often if at all, but the menu is used every time you use the cart, so obviously I prefer the Acekard 2.

ETA: Yes, you can use the triple loader to run the DSTT or YSMenu menus on the SCDS1. They are faster than the SCDS1 moonshell-based menu, but they won't allow access to any of the extra features. The Acekard 2 also has several custom menus that you can run including YSMenu, Bliss, and AIO. AIO is particularly impressive, having the same beautiful look and feel as the original menu plus loads of additional features.

-Bri

Yeah, the videos in SCDS1 lags very much, without the use of the latest Moonshell. its sound changes as well, for some reason. It's really not recommended to watch videos with it. Music, however, isn't a problem.

And is 2-3 second of a loading time THAT big of a difference? This isn't directed at Bri, but some of those that complain about the speed of rom loading. Are people so impatient that they can't wait 2-5 seconds? I mean, it's not THAT huge difference, Sure, it is actually slower than a few carts, but only by a few seconds.

As for the rest, it's pretty true. The annoying cut-off cheats, downloading the Slow-mo, etc. But still, the reasons why I bought the cart over others is the support team, SDHC, and Realtime save. Those 3 alone, makes my purchase a good one, Imo. Everyone has their own opinions, etc.

 

[Nerim]

So, you can install Moonshell on top of the menu in the SCDS1, right? That's not really an issue then, just a roundabout way of going to watch videos...

It's looking more and more like the SCDS1 is the card for me, considering I'm patient enough to wait a few seconds and clunky menus are doable. I'd rather have the features than the speed.

You did mention that it's picky about MicroSDs, could you elaborate on this please? And maybe point me in the right direction of one that would be compatible?

 

[ojsinnerz.]

So, you can install Moonshell on top of the menu in the SCDS1, right? That's not really an issue then, just a roundabout way of going to watch videos...

It's looking more and more like the SCDS1 is the card for me, considering I'm patient enough to wait a few seconds and clunky menus are doable. I'd rather have the features than the speed.

You did mention that it's picky about MicroSDs, could you elaborate on this please? And maybe point me in the right direction of one that would be compatible?

Some cards that are slower may not work too well. I have a 8 gig class 4 Sandisk Micro SDHC, and it works perfectly, and all, but it freezes somewhat frequently.

If you're getting a Japanese Kingston, class 6 A-data, or fast cards, then you'll have no problems. if you want 1, or 2 gigs, get the Japanese Kingston cards. They're cheap, but one of the fastest cards around. Over 2 gigs, get a Class 6 A-data card.

Lastly, if you don't mind the downsides of the SCDS1, it's an excellent card. Overloaded with features, and a perfect compatibility out of about 80 games I've tested.

 

[Nerim]

Freezes somewhat frequently? That's not exactly what I like to hear...and considering I'm going on a budget, I wouldn't be getting much more than a 1 or 2 GB card. Should I consider another option, then?

 

[ojsinnerz.]

Most games should run fine, even with a slow MicroSD, however there are a few games that are extremely picky, even on retail carts they freeze. Needless to say, with a slow MicroSD they freeze frequently. If you are getting a 1-2GB card, go with a Japanese Kingston, they are the fastest. With those, there shouldn't be any freezes on the average rom, and maybe a rare freeze or two during really demanding games (Castlevania, Tony Hawk). Slowdown is also fairly rare, but like I said, they are on flash carts across the board, so high action games like Bleach (I found it annoying like hell), may lag when all 4 characters are pulling out their ultimate moves with a dozen fireballs on screen, etc.

O yea forgot to mention. I didn't read thru the whole thread, but someone might have mentioned the triple loader. If you go with the DSTT menu, the lag will be as nonexistant as possible. There is no other cart on the market that can honestly say it performs faster, because most of them are the same. If you have no clue what I'm talking about, just reply, and if I'm not there to fill you in I'm sure someone else will be.

Yes, using the DSTT menu kills off the lags, and such. When I was using it with the DSTT firmware, it never EVER froze. But, because the cheats weren't compatible, I was turned off. DON'T WORRY, the YSmenu recognizes the SCDS1's saves, and the DSTT's saves, so it should be fine. Although using the other menu kills off all the lags, and slow-downs which are very rare, you lose the ability to use the special features.

If you're getting a Japanese Kingston, you'll never have any problem with the games.

 

[caffolote]

Is Slow Motion supported by the SCDS? You have to download it though right? How is it compared to Cyclo's?

 

[ojsinnerz.]

Is Slow Motion supported by the SCDS? You have to download it though right? How is it compared to Cyclo's?

I heard its pretty decent. Yes, you have to download it separately.

I never used it, because I don't really have a big use for it.