Hacking Post your questions about which flashcart to buy

[ojsinnerz.]

Hi,
As you can probably see I'm new to this forum. Having pretty much no experience with flashcarts (or the DS for that matter), I have been reading through this forum for the past hour or so trying to find the cart most suited to my needs. (I generally don't like bothering others by asking for help). And as always when I bite of more than I can chew I end up with only confusion and a headache.
What I'm looking for is a stable, reliable flashcart that can play DS and GBA games, if its possible to get SNES support too, that would be awesome. RTS and other features don't really matter, as long I can play most games with out too much trouble.
As for memory, I'm not sure I fully understand, but I'm guessing expandable means it uses SD cards and such. Honestly this does not matter much too me as long as I have enough room for 5-10 DS games and a couple of GBA/SNES games. (I'll be spending most of my summer somewhere in Turkey so I kinda doubt I'll have much access to a PC or the web)


Like I said I'm not sure I fully grasp all this yet, but I'll try to fill out this form with out making a fool out of my self.

Use? Games. DS and GBA support is most important, but SNES support would be great (If thats even possible).
Price Range? Preferably under $100 USD total. (What kind of cards are used for the expanded memory? I'm assuming these will not come bundled with the unit should I choose expandable memory... )
Slot 1/2? 1 (I think)
Built in or expandable memory? Not really sure, anything that can store 5-10 games or so is fine by me.
Special features? RTS could be useful, but not required.
Any flashcarts you are looking at in particular? Not really, sorry

For all slot-1's (ignore if you want a slot-2):
Support slot-2 GBA? If this means "Do I want to be able to play GBA games" then, yes.
Support slot-2 rumble packs? Nah.
Support slot-2 RAM (web browser)? Not needed. (These things can use web browsers? Really?)

Note: If it matters I will be using a PAL DS Lite. (Haven't bought it yet, but I don't think they even sell the old ones here anymore)


Thanks in advance for any help you may offer, and please excuse any spelling or grammar errors, as you probably noticed English is not my primary language ;-).

If you want something cheap, and easy, I recommend the DSTT/Top toy DS. It's only 19 dollors off of Dealextreme, with free shipping worldwide (However, their shipping will take from 1-5 weeks. So be prepared to wait a little.) And you can also grab a Kingston 1 gigabyte micro sd card for 7 dollars off the same site. With 1 gigabyte, you should be able to store around 6-10 games.

And if you want to play GBA games, you'll need to buy a pak that goes into the GBA slot separately. It's called the Slot-2 expansion. It'll only work with a DS flashkart, for example, the DSTT, Cyclods, R4, etc, inserted and have the right settings on. Some don't require you to do anything to activate it. So, it will cost you extra to be wanting to play GBA games. But, a good Slot 2 expansion choice would be the EZFlash 3-in-1.

OR if you want something that's around 50 dollars, but can play GBA games, etc. Go with the M3 DS real perfect pack. It's really easy to use, DS games work fine, and very good for GBA games. Don't forget to buy a Micro SD card Not a SD, or Mini SD. A Micro sd card is what you need.

Sorry to tell you, but the SNES emulator isn't very good. There aren't a lot of games that work well.


In short, If you want something cheap, but works fine, DSTT/Toptoy DS, Ez flash 3-in-1. And one 1, or 2 gigabyte Micro sd card.

If you want something a bit more expensive, but with everything you want at once(You have to buy a Micro sd separately), then
find the M3 DS real Perfect package.




QUOTE(Patrickn999 @ May 22 2008, 01:13 AM) Use?
NDS/GBA Games
Emulation [Snes]
Homebrew Games/Apps

Price Range?

 

[distorted.freque]

I'm thinking of getting a 3-in-1...I just want to know what's the difference between EZ V and EZ IV... *hides from possible flamers*

 

[Emanon]

@Ojsinnerz

Thank you for your quick reply, I think the M3 DS real Perfect Package sounds like the best option for my needs, however I'm a bit concerned with the delivery time from DealExtreme, so although it is vastly more expensive I will have to use a Norwegian shop to be on the safe side. *Bookmarks DealExtreme for later use*

Edit#1: Found a web shop closer to home

P.S Thanks for clearing up my confusion regarding the expanded memory. I have been unable to find Kingston cards, but I assume any Micro SD card will do, correct? For instance a "Sandisk Secure Digital Micro" (it is marked as Micro SDHC witch are supported as far as I understand)

 

[ojsinnerz.]

@Ojsinnerz

Thank you for your quick reply, I think the M3 DS real Perfect Package sounds like the best option for my needs, however I'm a bit concerned with the delivery time from DealExtreme, so although it is vastly more expensive I will have to use a Norwegian shop to be on the safe side. *Bookmarks DealExtreme for later use*

Edit#1: Found a web shop closer to home

P.S Thanks for clearing up my confusion regarding the expanded memory. I have been unable to find Kingston cards, but I assume any Micro SD card will do, correct? For instance a "Sandisk Secure Digital Micro" (it is marked as Micro SDHC witch are supported as far as I understand)

On another note, DealExtreme does not have the M3 real perfect bundle. They sell the regular bundle, which only includes a rumble pack. So yes, it's a better choice to buy it off of somewhere else.

For the Kingston cards, here's a cheap one. It's also one of the fastest cards available. Link is down here.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1458

And like I said, the shipping may take a while, depending where you are.

EDIT: Lastly, you should look at the new firmware for the M3 DS Real, called the M3 Sakura. It looks amazing. It really looks great, and it will be great, seeing the M3 team is very well known for support, and helping out their users.

 

[Pyrofyr]

Use?NDS, GBA, GBC, NES, Genesis, and HomeBrew (I plan on playing it all) Daily use, avid player.
Price Range? Not really specific, but under 40 seems best.
Slot 1/2?Slot 1, although I'm looking for a Slot2 to go with it
Built in or expandable memory?microSD compatible
Special features? Would be nice, but I'm not too finicky, as long as it has great compatibility rly
Any flashcarts you are looking at in particular Interested in SCDS1 but not sure yet 100%, a few others look good too (I currently own an M3 Real, not sure if I should wait for Sakura to see...)
Other?I am VERY VERY VERYYYYYYYYYYYY interested in the In-Game-Guides and other such things(SCDS1), so I'm looking for feedback on that specifically. Mult-Save is something that I'm used to thanks to M3Real but not needed as well.

For all slot-1's (ignore if you want a slot-2):
Support slot-2 GBA?Yes
Support slot-2 rumble packs?Would be nice
Support slot-2 RAM (web browser)?Not necessary, but also, would be nice.

 

[katiesam]

Use? DS games
Price Range? up to around $25-30
Slot 1/2? slot 1
Built in or expandable memory? I have a 4GB microSD card I want to use
Special features? I'm pretty new to this and only really want to play the games as they were designed. I'm not sure what special features would be useful.
Any flashcarts you are looking at in particular I've had 2 DSTT cards from dealextreme that don't work (the 1st was not recognised by my DS and the replacement that arrived initially worked but games froze every 5 mins, then after about half an hour, it stopped being recognised by my DS). Is this just bad luck? My friend ordered 2 DSTT cards at the same time as me and hasn't had any problems so far (one of them has been in frequent use by a 9-year old!).
Other? Do I hope it's 3rd time lucky and try another DSTT? Or do I go for something else like an AceKard 2 or Edge card? I don't really know what the difference is. I do want to be able to play multi-player games against my friend with his DSTT card and to use the wifi options on games like tetris, animal crossing etc.

For all slot-1's (ignore if you want a slot-2):
Support slot-2 GBA? Does this mean do I want to be able to play GBA games? At this point, I don't need that functionality.
Support slot-2 rumble packs? Not necessary.
Support slot-2 RAM (web browser)? I have the DS Lite browser but don't use it.

For slot-2's (ignore if you want a slot-1): expansion pack or its own memory?

 

[abaddon41_80]

Acekard 2

 

[KD-JIL]

Use? Mostly games, some video occasionally
Price Range? $20-30
Slot 1/2? 1
Built in or expandable memory? I'm assuming this refers to transflash memory vs. memory built into the kart? If so, I have some microSD cards laying around and would like to use them.
Special features? None other than the uses described above.
Any flashcarts you are looking at in particular I was looking at the DSTT or Acekard 2 for simplicity.


For all slot-1's (ignore if you want a slot-2):
Support slot-2 GBA? Nope
Support slot-2 rumble packs? Nope
Support slot-2 RAM (web browser)? I've heard that web browsing on the DS can be extremely low due to memory constraints. I'm assuming this would be a solution to that and would love to be able to browse on my DS if it works well.

 

[ojsinnerz.]

Use? Mostly games, some video occasionally
Price Range? $20-30
Slot 1/2? 1
Built in or expandable memory? I'm assuming this refers to transflash memory vs. memory built into the kart? If so, I have some microSD cards laying around and would like to use them.
Special features? None other than the uses described above.
Any flashcarts you are looking at in particular I was looking at the DSTT or Acekard 2 for simplicity.


For all slot-1's (ignore if you want a slot-2):
Support slot-2 GBA? Nope
Support slot-2 rumble packs? Nope
Support slot-2 RAM (web browser)? I've heard that web browsing on the DS can be extremely low due to memory constraints. I'm assuming this would be a solution to that and would love to be able to browse on my DS if it works well.

With your price range, I recommend buying the Acekard 2 over DSTT. It's a few bucks more, but has a smooth, and very good looking GUI. It has some features that the DSTT doesn't have, and does a lot more. But, just know that both of them does what you listed, so either of them will do.

Buy it from Dealextreme. It's very cheap, and has worldwide free shipping. HOWEVER, their shipping is very slow, so prepare to wait from about 1-5 weeks.

 

[KD-JIL]

Hi, thanks for the helpful and timely response. I was also wondering if getting a slot-2 RAM for the browser would be good enough to make browsing reasonably fast, or would it still be pretty slow? If the former, any recommendations on which to get? Thanks in advance.

 

[JoHnOfDaDeAd]

Use? Everything....Games mostly....music...pics...vids at times
Price Range? No more than $40 each. I am lookin for two differnt cards though.
Slot 1/2? 1
Built in or expandable memory? If you mean MicroSD, NO to built-in.
Special features? Whatever makes my life easier.
Any flashcarts you are looking at in particular? I was looking at the Cyclo DS Evo and something called the Supercard?


For all slot-1's (ignore if you want a slot-2):
Support slot-2 GBA? Yes
Support slot-2 rumble packs? Yes
Support slot-2 RAM (web browser)? Yes

 

[Bri]

@KD-JIL: Browsing is still painfully slow with images. Without images, it's somewhat better. A slot2 GBA expansion cart like the EZ 3in1 or the eWin 2in1 is what you want. The eWin has more memory available for the browser (it's still slow).

Both the EZ 3in1 or eWin 2in1 will also allow you to play GBA games that are stored on your slot1 microSD. With an Acekard 2 and the Bliss menu, you won't need a loader to play GBA games (it supports direct loading of GBA games to either the EZ 3in1 or eWin 2in1).

ETA: I don't know if Bliss automatically patches the EZ 3in1 or eWin 2in1 for the browser. If not, you'll need to use GBA ExpLoader to run the browser, or there are patches for the browser that will allow it to run with either the 3in1 or 2in1 without using GBA ExpLoader.

-Bri

 

[ojsinnerz.]

Use? Everything....Games mostly....music...pics...vids at times
Price Range? No more than $40 each. I am lookin for two differnt cards though.
Slot 1/2? 1
Built in or expandable memory? If you mean MicroSD, NO to built-in.
Special features? Whatever makes my life easier.
Any flashcarts you are looking at in particular? I was looking at the Cyclo DS Evo and something called the Supercard?


For all slot-1's (ignore if you want a slot-2):
Support slot-2 GBA? Yes
Support slot-2 rumble packs? Yes
Support slot-2 RAM (web browser)? Yes

Cyclo is too expensive for your price range (over 50 bucks), and SCDS1 SDHC maybe too hard for newcomers who have no knowledge of the cart itself, or its features.

I recommend the Acekard 2. Only 24 bucks at DealExtreme, but great for the price. It has a great GUI, support, etc. It's not as good as the SCDS1, but easier to use, and cheaper. SCDS1 is more of a cart for the experts.

And if you want GBA, rumble, and Ram for the web browser, then get a Ezflash 3-in-1. It has all 3 things you want, at around 19 bucks.

Make sure to get a Japanese kingston Micro sd, or A-data class 6 card. This way, there shouldn't be any problems with gaming whatsoever.

Since you said you were getting two carts, here's the list from good to least good

Acekard R.P.G>CycloDS and SCDS1 SDHC> Acekard 2> EDGE> DSTT and M3 real > R4/M3 simply> N5> DS-X> rest of clones no one heard of> crap.

I have two notes before I finish this post.

1. EDGE seems to have some issues lately, where it just dies for no reason. Maybe a bad batch, but just saying.

2. The M3 real is currently having a major firmware called the M3 Sakura. Go to the M3 section to see. It really looks great if you ask me. However, if you want to play on the safe side, since the M3 Sakura isn't finished yet, get a Acekard 2, EDGE, or DSTT.

 

[JoHnOfDaDeAd]

Actually, I am quite familiar with flash carts, having a M3 DS Simply for over a year. I wouldn;t mind spending extra for a Cyclo. So.....

In the end, which two should I buy?

 

[distorted.freque]

For the Supercard...I'm just wondering...why do people keep saying that this is more for the experts? In what sense? Because it needs a good MicroSD? Something to do with the setup? I just want to know because I'm thinking of getting a new card and although the Acekard 2 looks promising, I'm quite concerned about its "flimsy" build. It's for my sister and she isn't really the most careful of people. For the Supercard, I'm willing to learn how to make it work. Unless it really is that hard to use for newbies.

 

[JoHnOfDaDeAd]

Right now, I am lookin at:

Acekard 2
EDGE
Supercard

But my only question is....when is the SC 2.0 comin out?

 

[Pizzaroo]

Use? games and homebrew/emulators
Price Range? anything under $50
Slot 1/2? slot 1, with
Built in or expandable memory? dosent matter. both, if there is one.
Special features? uhhh... not really, soft reset is all I need
Any flashcarts you are looking at in particular? Acekard R.P.G. and iTouchDS
Other? NOTE: THIS IS MY SECOND FLASHCART! I dont need a cyclo, thats what I use for testing my own crappy stuff.
For all slot-1's (ignore if you want a slot-2):
Support slot-2 GBA? if It's cheap
Support slot-2 rumble packs? nah.
Support slot-2 RAM (web browser)? Not at all.

 

[ojsinnerz.]

For the Supercard...I'm just wondering...why do people keep saying that this is more for the experts? In what sense? Because it needs a good MicroSD? Something to do with the setup? I just want to know because I'm thinking of getting a new card and although the Acekard 2 looks promising, I'm quite concerned about its "flimsy" build. It's for my sister and she isn't really the most careful of people. For the Supercard, I'm willing to learn how to make it work. Unless it really is that hard to use for newbies.
Because it requires you to set things up before actually playing games. And if you have a slow micro sd card, you need to choose, DMC mode, do a speed test, check off patches, etc. There's alot more to do than any other cart out there.

QUOTE(JoHnOfDaDeAd @ May 25 2008, 05:42 AM) Right now, I am lookin at:

Acekard 2
EDGE
Supercard

But my only question is....when is the SC 2.0 comin out?

There's a review of the SCDS1 SDHC on my blog here. The GBAtemp review of it is EXTREMELY outdated, and doesn't have any of the features that the current SCDS1 has.

Click my account, click view profile, scroll down a bit, and you should find it.

Due to the fact that i own a SCDS1, and the fact that it has more features than any other carts out there, even beating the Cyclo, I recommend it the most. However, like I've previously mentioned before, you have to fix some stuff before doing much with it. But still the best card for the price, for it has a support team that never drops support for any of their products. Besides, it's only a few bucks more than the Acekard 2.

And what do you mean SC 2.0?

 

[distorted.freque]

Isn't Acekard RPG a bit expensive? >_> Also, iTouch DS doesn't really look at all that good. Why not just get a budget card like everyone keeps saying? Acekard 2, maybe? Dunno.

EDIT: Thanks ojsinnerz! I appreciate the explanation.

Now to look for one of those setup guides...

 

[ojsinnerz.]

Use? games and homebrew/emulators
Price Range? anything under $50
Slot 1/2? slot 1, with
Built in or expandable memory? dosent matter. both, if there is one.
Special features? uhhh... not really, soft reset is all I need
Any flashcarts you are looking at in particular? Acekard R.P.G. and iTouchDS
Other? NOTE: THIS IS MY SECOND FLASHCART! I dont need a cyclo, thats what I use for testing my own crappy stuff.
For all slot-1's (ignore if you want a slot-2):
Support slot-2 GBA? if It's cheap
Support slot-2 rumble packs? nah.
Support slot-2 RAM (web browser)? Not at all.

Sorry to break this to you, but Acekard RPG is 80 bucks. And iTouchDS doesn't have a good reputation.

I recommend DSTT, SCDS1 SDHC, EDGE, Acekard 2. They're all under 30 bucks, and you have to get a micro sd with it. Just choose what you like. Each has their own advantages, and disadvantages. I can name them if you want.

I have a REAL review of the SCDS1 on my proflie. Check it out if you want...