Hacking Post your questions about which flashcart to buy

[xjuniorx]

Im going to order a Supercard over the weekend..because they are on sale..anyways it looks like SC is better just wanted to know
what do you mean its confusing at first?

 

[ojsinnerz.]

Im going to order a Supercard over the weekend..because they are on sale..anyways it looks like SC is better just wanted to know
what do you mean its confusing at first?

The GUI is a bit more confusing than others, although it doesn't make THAT much of a big difference.

and if you have to setup the speed for the cards, download cheat files separately, and some more minor stuff.

After that though, just play, or do what you want.

 

[Bri]

I read the the EZFlash 3in1 has an internal battery that is used to keep saves...

Is this true? And if it is, how long does the battery last and is there a way to ensure that your saves are indeed saved in case the battery dies?

Yes, it has a battery that powers the SRAM which holds your game saves. The save has to be stored in the SRAM before you turn off your NDS and must remain there until the next time you turn it back on, after which the save is stored to a file on your slot 1 microSD card. If you use a loader like GBA ExpLoader the save may only be stored the next time you run your loader program, whereas if your flash cart menu supports direct loading of GBA games, it may be stored the next time your menu is run (i.e. right after you restart your NDS).

The battery will last a year or two I believe. The battery can be replaced if it dies, but you have to do a little soldering. Yes, if your battery dies before your save is stored to your microSD card, the save will probably be lost. If you're really concerned, make sure you reboot immediately after playing the game (and if you're using GBA ExpLoader, make sure you run it after you reboot) and keep backups of your save files. GBA ExpLoader has support for multiple save files for that purpose as do some cart menu systems, otherwise you can make manual backups with DSOrganize or via your PC.

The EZ 3in1 also has NOR flash memory which is non-volatile (does not require the battery to retain data when the NDS is off), so it may be possible to store save files there (it would be slow, but GBA save files aren't that large). But it also uses the NOR memory for larger GBA games. Does anyone know if it's possible to store the save file in NOR rather than SRAM if you're playing a smaller GBA game from volatile memory?

-Bri

 

[Saladman]

Bri... don't talk about stuff you don't know about, you tit.

SCDS-1 saves directly to mem card, only if you specify 'clean save' will it use the battery..... very rarely this is usefull for a non-running new rom..... hence why the scds-1 has only had 1 problem rom in the last year or longer, which was the 'moogles of death' error, which was fixed virtually instantly by the sc team.

Actually know something about a product before further comment please... tit.

 

[sidneyyoung]

Bri... don't talk about stuff you don't know about, you tit.

SCDS-1 saves directly to mem card, only if you specify 'clean save' will it use the battery..... very rarely this is usefull for a non-running new rom..... hence why the scds-1 has only had 1 problem rom in the last year or longer, which was the 'moogles of death' error, which was fixed virtually instantly by the sc team.

Actually know something about a product before further comment please... tit.

Woah there, no need to insult him like that. You should'nt call him a 'tit' even though he is talking out of his arse.

Just because he has some kind of fanboi orientated hate campaign against supercards there's no need to resort to name calling. because in the end you are just feeding the troll.

 

[gratefulbuddy]

Bri... don't talk about stuff you don't know about, you tit.

SCDS-1 saves directly to mem card, only if you specify 'clean save' will it use the battery..... very rarely this is usefull for a non-running new rom..... hence why the scds-1 has only had 1 problem rom in the last year or longer, which was the 'moogles of death' error, which was fixed virtually instantly by the sc team.

Actually know something about a product before further comment please... tit.

Saladman, I think you need to read a little more carefully before flaming. Nowhere does Bri say anything in his post about SCDS1. His whole post is about the EZ3n1. And mostly he is right. Only thing I could add is: GBA EXPloader has an option to manually backup the SRAM, so you use that function if you want your save and don't want to reboot. and there is no way to have save files go to the NOR, AFAIK.

 

[Bri]

Bri... don't talk about stuff you don't know about, you tit.

SCDS-1 saves directly to mem card, only if you specify 'clean save' will it use the battery..... very rarely this is usefull for a non-running new rom..... hence why the scds-1 has only had 1 problem rom in the last year or longer, which was the 'moogles of death' error, which was fixed virtually instantly by the sc team.

Actually know something about a product before further comment please... tit.

Read more carefully, tit.

QUOTE(Saladman @ Jun 18 2008, 03:38 PM) Bri... don't talk about stuff you don't know about, you tit.

SCDS-1 saves directly to mem card, only if you specify 'clean save' will it use the battery..... very rarely this is usefull for a non-running new rom..... hence why the scds-1 has only had 1 problem rom in the last year or longer, which was the 'moogles of death' error, which was fixed virtually instantly by the sc team.

Actually know something about a product before further comment please... tit.

Woah there, no need to insult him like that. You should'nt call him a 'tit' even though he is talking out of his arse.

Just because he has some kind of fanboi orientated hate campaign against supercards there's no need to resort to name calling. because in the end you are just feeding the troll.

You too.

(And I have nothing against Supercards. I've recommended them to many people who prefer RTS over a fast menu.)

-Bri

 

[Bri]

Only thing I could add is: GBA EXPloader has an option to manually backup the SRAM, so you use that function if you want your save and don't want to reboot. and there is no way to have save files go to the NOR, AFAIK.

Thanks for mentioning that. So you can get back to GBA ExpLoader without rebooting the NDS? How do you do that?

-Bri

 

[peterg19]

I am looking for recommendations for a DS flashcart (or two). They are for my two kids who love their DS's but are young enough (4 and 6) that they do not always handle and manage the cartridges well. So I would like to load everything up so they do not have to carry and switch carts. I am tech savvy but clearly they have limited technical expertise.

Use? DS games, GBA games, Homebrew (MoonShell mostly). They love to use the communication features of pictochat, mario 64, mario kart etc.

Price Range? As much as I need to but as little as I can

Not over $80 per cart including memory would be preferable but I understand I may be closer to $100 for what I need.

Slot 1/2? Slot 1 (and slot2?). They only have DS games but they love Pokemon games and I expect to get some GBA games at some point. Also I understand slot2 is better to store movies and music?

Built in or expandable memory? MicroSD is probably the most convenient but I am open to suggestions. I expect they will have about 20 games each plus some home brew by the end of the year. I also want to put some videos and music on them too (cartoons and mp3s). I may need to switch out cartridges occasionally (mostly the cartoons and mp3's) but for the most part the memory will stay put.

GBA compatibility? Enough to play old GBA games.

Special features? Slow motion and cheats (helps them with the hard games) are a must. Ease of use is a must. I am not looking to pirate games. I just need to load games they own.

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[wilddenim]

I'm still a newbie to DS scene but you need Slot 2 to play GBA. You can only use Slot 1 to play movies and music. From what you want it look like you would be better off if you buy Slot 1 AND slot 2 sets.

 

[Bri]

The DSTT is an excellent cart for younger kids. Extremely simple menu, and very fast at loading games. All games on the microSD card are presented in a single list -- it doesn't display folders (not displaying folders is usually considered a negative, but for kids it simplifies the menu interface considerably). Its major annoyance is that it doesn't sort games alphabetically, but that's probably not so much an issue if you don't have a huge number of games. It's also very cheap -- around $22 from dealextreme.com ($32 with a 2GB Japanese Kingston microSD). However, it doesn't have slow-motion.

For $28, the SCDS1 supports slow-motion but its menu is somewhat slower and more complicated than the menus of other carts. It will actually run the DSTT menu but you won't be able to use slow-motion while using the DSTT menu (but then again, you also wouldn't be able to use slow-motion with the DSTT since it doesn't support it). Because you can run slow-motion with the more complicated menu but also run a simpler menu, this is the cart I'd probably recommend for your kids. Oh, since you mentioned moonshell, the SCDS1 menu is actually a (slightly older) version of moonshell, so there would be no need to install that application with this cart (but you can easily install moonshell on any cart).

The CycloDS is much more expensive, but it has a fast menu and supports slow-motion. Its menu does display folders so it isn't quite as simple as the DSTT menu.

For $23, you might also consider the Acekard 2 which has a beautiful and fast menu, but again displays folders so might not be as simple as the DSTT menu. With the AKAIO menu that is coming out in a few days, it will have slow-motion.

Nearly all carts nowadays have cheat support, so that's not going to be an issue. Just grab the appropriate cheat database for your cart from cheats.gbatemp.net and place it in the right folder on your microSD card. If they're only going to have 20 or so games, you would probably be fine with a 1GB microSD card, but you might as well get a 2GB. A Japanese Kingston microSD is usually recommended (format it with FAT16 using the Panasonic formatter program).

To play GBA games, you'll also need a slot 2 GBA expansion cart such as the eWin 2-in-1 ($14) or the EZFlash 3-in-1 ($20). The eWin is probably a little bit easier to use because the EZFlash 3-in-1 has two different types of memory that you have to worry about. For some of the flash carts mentioned above (I'm looking at you, DSTT), you'll need to download a loader program such as GBA ExpLoader (you can find it in the download section of this site) which loads the GBA game from your slot 1 microSD card to the slot 2 GBA expansion cart for playing. Other carts have a GBA loader built into the menu system.

-Bri

 

[DanTheManMS]

Oh, since you mentioned moonshell, the SCDS1 menu is actually a (slightly older) version of moonshell, so there would be no need to install that application with this cart (but you can easily install moonshell on any cart).

"Slightly older" is an understatement. 1.41 is practically ancient. Yes it will let you play mp3 files and view images directly from the SCDS menu, but for movies it's recommended that users manually install the latest 1.71 version and the latest conversion tools.

Otherwise an excellent post.

 

[peterg19]

Thanks Bri, that was an excellent post.

 

[Bri]

You're welcome, and thanks to DanTheManMS for correcting the record about moonshell on the SCDS1.

BTW, you may want to wait until AKAIO comes out for the Acekard 2 and see how good the slow motion for it is. The SCDS1 slow-motion seems a bit of a pain to use since it's actually part of the cheat system, although once you have it set up it shouldn't be too bad.

I also wonder if it's possible to create a skin for some of these carts that lock out the settings button(s). The Acekard 2, for example, has a single menu where all the settings are. If it were possible to create a skin that didn't include that menu you could potentially make it so your kids couldn't change any of the settings (you would set a different skin by modifying the .ini file on the microSD cart to change the settings).

-Bri

 

[gratefulbuddy]

Only thing I could add is: GBA EXPloader has an option to manually backup the SRAM, so you use that function if you want your save and don't want to reboot. and there is no way to have save files go to the NOR, AFAIK.

Thanks for mentioning that. So you can get back to GBA ExpLoader without rebooting the NDS? How do you do that?

-Bri

The misunderstanding here comes from my choice of words and phrasing. Let me try again:
Only thing I could add is: GBA EXPloader (also the custom OS' for AK2 and RPG) only transfers GBA SRAM save data to the uSD upon the next launch of a GBA rom. So there is an option to manually backup the SRAM, so you use that function if you want your save and don't want to launch another GBA rom and then reboot to get it.

 

[slog99]

Hi all. I'd like to get a new slot-1 flashcart to go with my slot-2 G6 Lite. Advice is appreciated.

Use? NDS, homebrew, GBA, media files.
Price Range? Doesn't matter
Slot 1/2? 1
Built in or expandable memory? Expandable - I'm looking at an 8GB A-Data microSDHC
Special features? The more the better, I suppose. Good homebrew support and soft-reset are important.
Any flashcarts you are looking at in particular? CycloDS Evolution, SuperCard DS One, M3 DS Real
Other? I have a G6 Lite slot-2 already. Ideally, I would like to load GBA games from the menu of the slot-1 cart, using the G6 Lite like a GBA expansion card. I know this works with the G6DS Real, but I don't know if it does with other slot-1 flashcarts. Being able to boot to slot-2 is also important.

Also, being able to run media files from the main menu would be great. I know that the DS One and the M3 with Sakura can do that, but I'm not sure about the CycloDS or others.

Thanks

 

[ojsinnerz.]

Hi all. I'd like to get a new slot-1 flashcart to go with my slot-2 G6 Lite. Advice is appreciated.

Use? NDS, homebrew, GBA, media files.
Price Range? Doesn't matter
Slot 1/2? 1
Built in or expandable memory? Expandable - I'm looking at an 8GB A-Data microSDHC
Special features? The more the better, I suppose. Good homebrew support and soft-reset are important.
Any flashcarts you are looking at in particular? CycloDS Evolution, SuperCard DS One, M3 DS Real
Other? I have a G6 Lite slot-2 already. Ideally, I would like to load GBA games from the menu of the slot-1 cart, using the G6 Lite like a GBA expansion card. I know this works with the G6DS Real, but I don't know if it does with other slot-1 flashcarts. Being able to boot to slot-2 is also important.

Also, being able to run media files from the main menu would be great. I know that the DS One and the M3 with Sakura can do that, but I'm not sure about the CycloDS or others.

Thanks

Get a M3 Real perfect. I think you already know that M3 Real is G6 without the built-in memory. Homebrew is the same for all the carts, since all of the new flashkarts use auto-DLDI patching.

 

[Bri]

The misunderstanding here comes from my choice of words and phrasing. Let me try again:
Only thing I could add is: GBA EXPloader (also the custom OS' for AK2 and RPG) only transfers GBA SRAM save data to the uSD upon the next launch of a GBA rom. So there is an option to manually backup the SRAM, so you use that function if you want your save and don't want to launch another GBA rom and then reboot to get it.

OK, thanks for clarifying. I assumed that GBA ExpLoader would actually write out the save (if there is one in the SRAM) when it launched rather than when you launched a GBA rom. I also assumed that the OS would write out the save (if there is one in the SRAM) when it booted up rather than waiting for you to launch another GBA rom.

-Bri

 

[slog99]

Thanks ojsinnerz,
Do you happen to know if the G6 Lite can work as a GBA expansion card with the M3DS Real as it does with the G6DS Real? In particular, I'm wondering if it works with Sakura. I assume it does, but it would be good to know for sure.

 

[cosmo2389]

Thanks again for the help Bri!! Now I have to wait for the site to get some in stock and I'm going to order right away!