Hacking Is this the right card for me?

[deepruntramp]

I hate to be "that guy" and post a question like this, but...

I'm about to buy my first DS flashcard and am getting pretty overwhelmed by the choices. I've played with custom firmware on the PSP, and aside from the initial setup and occasional firmware updates, it's been pretty painless. Essentially copy/paste and play.

I've come down to the CycloDS and the Acekard2i. In order, I'm most interested in:

1.) Compatibility.

2.) The lowest effort:enjoyment ratio possible (which relates to #1). I don't want to have to scour forums for obscure updates and patches; I just want to copy/paste and go, with the occasional official firmware update. That might not be possible, but I'd like an experience that limits the work I have to do as much as possible.

3.) Ideally, hardware/compatibility updates that are officially released by the card manufacturer. When DarkAlexx disappeared from the PSP firmware development, shit kind of hit the fan for awhile. Eventually, the well-appreciated programmers who update firmware and OS's are going to realize they're not getting paid for their work, or they'll find a more demanding job, or they'll have a kid, or whatever. I don't want my card to be useless when this happens.

4.) Price, of course. Note that this is the least important of my interests, though.

What I don't care about:

-Cheats.
-Slow-mo.

If those mean you can recommend me a different card, great!

Thanks for your patience!

PS: Forgot to mention, I just have a DSLite and have no intention of "upgrading," so I don't need DSi support.

 

[twiztidsinz]

1.) Compatibility.Probably going to give this to AceKard/AKAIO.
They had Pokemon working before it was released (since the Korean version was fixed before the US version was released).

2.) The lowest effort:enjoyment ratio possibleProbably going to give this to AceKard/AKAIO too...
I've heard people say the only bad thing about Cyclo is the interface...
While on the other hand, AKAIO is a very nice, smooth and fast UI.

3.) Ideally, hardware/compatibility updates that are officially released by the card manufacturer.

Technically that'd probably be CycloDS since AKAIO isn't official.
But AKAIO is about as official as you can get without ACTUALLY being official.

QUOTE(deepruntramp @ Mar 22 2010, 10:47 AM)

4.) Price, of course. Note that this is the least important of my interests, though.

AceKard hands down.
You can buy 2 1/2 to 3 AceKards for the price of a CycloDS.

 

[YayMii]

The CycloDS has the least complex updating process, but you'll probably need to look around on the forums for beta updates (the TeamCyclops homepage only has 'final' updates, which are usually slower than the beta updates).
The CycloDS has the most features out of all the other flashcarts, but since you don't care about features, you should get the Acekard 2i, as it's much cheaper and has frequent updates by people here at GBAtemp (AKAIO). And it works on every DS (but you'll need to flash it if you want it to work on the newest DSi firmware).

BTW, the AKAIO firmware is unofficial, but the official Acekard team recommends it compared to the official firmware.

 

[bach3609]

Based on those facts, looks like the acekard2i is your best bet. The cyclo Ds for sure has extra features you do not want, and it is more expensive.

 

[Gunmaster51]

Yeah I would go with acekard. Its cheap, easy to use, frequently updated and a lot more people use it so you'll have more advice and tips should you get stuck.

 

[BoxShot]

Acekard 2i end of story. Every single thing you posted pretty much the Acekard wins in every point. Refer to twiztidsinz post for more detail on that.
Do not buy an Acekard 2.1 though even if you don't need the DSi support as apparently there is a big batch problems with them.