Hacking Post your questions about which flashcart to buy

[Nomearod]

My SC One stopped working. I'm considering to buy another one or a M3 Real. Which one is better? I also thought about Cyclo DS but it costs more than twice than the others (comparing Dealextreme prices with cyclo ds).

Is the new Sakura firmware a killer feature for the M3 real?

 

[Toni Plutonij]

Well, it's actually a personal opinion of individual..Some people don't see anything special about Sakura, and someone thinks it's the best card because of it..

Sakura will let you read any media from within firmware, and in the best way there is possible to do that..Sakura has the best DPG player on the scene (it's better than Moonshell)..
It boots NDS and GBA roms faster than earlier Real firmware, and it's the nicest looking GUI of all flashcarts..
I like it enough to say it's my favorite flashcart...If you'll like it that much...I can't tell for sure.....

 

[bogi]

Use? Games, video, mp3
Price Range? 60€ and little above

Slot 1/2? booth
Built in or expandable memory? MicroSD
GBA compatibility? yes
Special features? eg. SDHC compatibility, automatic DLDI etc.
Any flashcarts you are looking at in particular Cyclo, M3 Real

 

[Toni Plutonij]

Well, by your criterion, the best flashcart for you would be M3 Real..
You buy yourself Perfect bundle (you get Rumble expansion and GBA expansion, both slot 2 carts that fit flush into lite) and M3 Real slot 1 flashcart..
It uses microSD (SDHC compatible), it has auto DLDI patch (but homebrew needs to be placed into the root of the card), it has slow.motion and cheats..(for GBA games you have cheats and RealTimeSave)..
You can use Sakura, that is a new firmware developed for M3 Real which has multimedia support within GUI (no need for moonshell or any other homebrev to watch video, listen to the music or read some eBooks...)...And I't the most impressive looking firmware at the time..

 

[ojsinnerz.]

Ok, I'm needing some help. I've had my r4 for over a year now. It's fine and everything but I feel it's time to upgrade. I've made a list of things that the r4 does which I like, and things I'm looking for in a new card.


R4 Abilities-

Supports
1. all games
2. Download play
3. Wifi
4. Clean roms
5. Cheat.dat or other variation of the cheat list here in the forums.
6. Homebrew like lemmings ds, NesDS, ect
7 Soft Reset
8. Drag and Drop
9. Skinable

New Card features I'm looking for

1: micro SDHC
2. ram pack, rumble pack, and GBA expansion pack support


Now to clear things up. My main reason for wanting a new card are those 2 features. ESPECIALLY the GBA expansion pack. I've seen the M3DS real has it, but I don't know if it's worth getting. And I also want to know the GBA capabilities of those carts that support the expansion pack.

What kind of sav files are used
If cheats are supported.
if there are savestates
if you can soft reset like in DS games

thanks

To tell you the truth, the M3 Real does, support all those features.With the M3 Sakura it looks fantastic, and if you buy the M3 Real Perfect bundle, you also get the rumble, ram, and the GBA.

Another options is getting a CycloDS with a 3-in-1. It may be very pricey, considering that the Cyclo itself is already more expensive than the M3 real perfect, but it's a great cart, with an amazing team.

And if you want something cheaper, and works well, then get the M3 real.

If you want something more expensive, but get what you paid for, then get the CycloDS.

Obviously, they both support cheats.

They're both good choices, but in my opinion, I prefer the CycloDS over the M3 Real. But just to let you know, they both support R4 saves, or so I've heard.

Also, I can make a list of advantages and disadvantages of both of the carts if requested.

yeah, i wouldn't mind a list. What are some of the features of the "enhanced mode"? Are both cards capable of that? And you never quite gave me a clear answer to my GBA mode questions.

"What kind of sav files are used
If cheats are supported.
if there are savestates
if you can soft reset like in DS games"

Unfortunately, I have almost no knowledge of Slot-2 card or even expansion packs. But I do know that both of them support cheats, but that's about it.

 

[Joe88]

from the m3 real side anyway (I dont have a 3-in-1)

1) yes cheats are supported, you can download a folder from one of m3 sites that contains a cheat file for every gba game ever released (I think almost anyway)

2) yes regular cart saves and real-time saves are supported

3) no, there is no soft rest
you must turn off the NDS and start it again
there is only simple rest which rests the GBA rom and reloads and starts it again

 

[Raikiri]

uhmm.. anyone still has some info for me (scroll up for the prefs

)

i can find a good slot 1 myself (info still appreciated though

) but have 0% experience with slot 2 cards

 

[Bri]

If you're looking for a simple and cheap solution that will allow you to play GBA games and the browser from your slot 1 microSD card, the EZFlash 3-in-1 or the eWin 2-in-1 are probably your best bets.

-Bri

 

[Jordi]

Use? Games, Homebrew
Price Range? €0 - 65,-
Slot 1/2? Slot 1
Built in or expandable memory? Expandable for DS Browser
GBA compatibility? No
Special features? Cheats
Any flashcarts you are looking at in particular M3 Real

(It has to support Wi-Fi, Download play etc., just like real games)

 

[tinymonkeyt]

ahh you guys skipped a few >.<

Mainly Games and Homebrew
Doesnt Really Matter That Much
Slot 1/2? Both?

expandable
GBA compatibility
SDHC compatibility, Cheats, Internet Broswer if possible, save states, soft reset
Not an R4, the one i have now is broken

Support slot-2 GBA? YES
Support slot-2 rumble packs? yes
Support slot-2 RAM (web browser)? Yes
well the only thing with save states is like the cyclo and the SCDS1 with their RealTimeSave option
but if you are just interested in the Games and Homebrew and not the special features
i suggest you pick up an Acekard2 or a DSTT
but lately theres been a few reports about bad acekards so you might wanna wait a bit
they are both great flash carts that come at cheap prices
you'll just have to buy and EZ flash 3 in 1 or Ewin Expansion for the slot 2
or you can go for the M3 Real Perfect Bundle that comes with the slot 2 companion

Use? Games, video, mp3
Price Range? 60€ and little above

Slot 1/2? booth
Built in or expandable memory? MicroSD
GBA compatibility? yes
Special features? eg. SDHC compatibility, automatic DLDI etc.
Any flashcarts you are looking at in particular Cyclo, M3 Real

im not quite sure how much money that is because im not so good with money conversions
but anyway
between the cyclo and the M3 Real, id definitely recommend the Cyclo
its a bit on the pricey side (almost 60$ USD. you do the math)
but its definitely worth it
if you are looking at something cheaper but as great, if not better, then go for the SCDS1
it might just be a little harder to get used to
most carts already have auto DLDI, and SDHC (cept for the R4. which is a bad choice) so you wont have a problem with that
QUOTE(Jordi @ Jun 30 2008, 07:55 AM)

Use? Games, Homebrew
Price Range? €0 - 65,-
Slot 1/2? Slot 1
Built in or expandable memory? Expandable for DS Browser.
GBA compatibility? No
Special features? Cheats
Any flashcarts you are looking at in particular M3 Real

again, if you are just looking for a cart for Games and Homebrew,
the Acekard2 and DSTT are more fit
but the M3 Real does seem like an okay choice since the sakura thing came out
but then again, you can run sakura on almost any other cart

 

[Bri]

You can't run Sakura on other carts. Rudolph's DLDI version (which he removed from his site after being threatened with a lawsuit) is only a demo, and can't run commercial ROMs (it also doesn't run a lot of homebrew).

-Bri

 

[Samnitmar]

Use? Games/Homebrew/Music/Video
Price Range? I have about $30, up to $40
Slot 1/2? Mainly looking for slot-1, atm, considering getting 2 at a later date.
Built in or expandable memory? MicroSD, SDHC not needed,
GBA compatibility? Umm, none? Not really sure.
Special features?automatic DLDI, Real time saving, good wifi and DS download play for friends, and supports multiple saves for single game
Any flashcarts you are looking at in particular I was looking at the G6, but can't find any good priced ones. I currently have an R4 and love it, but hate sharing it with my brother.
I also checked out a vid about the Sakrua M3 thing, and that looks like a really nice Gui.

Any Help? Locations to buy are also helpful. Got my R4 off Amazon for about $35 including shipping.

 

[Ladrone]

i posted here a couple weeks ago after reading several posts about which cart to buy. i went ahead and purchased the acekard2 from dealextreme and i LOVE IT! it ordered it on 6/17 and it arrived on 6/30 but for < $25.00 it was totally worth the wait. the only problem i seem to have is with the micro SD - USB adapter it came with, it does not seem to work on my laptop or desktop. it really doesn't matter though because my 2gig micro SD card came with a SD card adapter and my laptop and desktop both have the necessary slot.

thanks for all the great information, it was extremely helpful!

 

[Bri]

Ladrone, have you installed the Bliss menu yet?

-Bri

 

[Dako]

I've been meaning to buy one of these for a long time, but everytime I'm about to buy one something comes up, and the next time I'm ready there's something new/better, so I'm not really updated. What's good these days?

Use? Games/Homebrew
Price Range? $20-50
Slot 1/2? Mainly Slot-1, but might consider Slot-2 for GBA/Apps like the browser
Built in or expandable memory? Expandable, MicroSD
Special features? Not really sure. Compatibility, Soft-reset, Wifi/Download Play, Real time Saving, Homebrew friendly ?
Any flashcarts you are looking at in particular I was between the M3 Simply or the CycloDS a few months ago, but the Acekard 2 looks really nice right now.
Other? Would like to try my hand at homebrew too (making homebrew that is)

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

Any info would really help (really, apps, menus, other stuff that's useful to have)

! Thanks in advance

!

 

[Slowking]

Well the Cyclo DS Evolution is still the best Slot-1 Card out there and it seems that it will stay that way for a while. They just addd EZ Flash 3 in 1 Support so that should be the Slot2 Card you should get. It has GBA-, Web Browser- and Rumble- support.
Acekard 2 and Supercard DS One share the 2nd place imo, but that's a matter of opinion. (there is a little war wich one is better) Both are far cheaper than the Cyclo, that's their main advantage over it.
M3 Simply is long since outdated...

 

[miezu]

Use? Games/Homebrew
Price Range? 30-60$
Slot 1/2? Slot-1
Built in or expandable memory? Expandable, MicroSD
Special features? Wifi/Download Play, Real time Saving, Homebrew friendly
Any flashcarts you are looking at in particular Well I can buy R4 or Supercard from my country or something from Dealextreme. I really wanted a cyclo but it seems its not on dealextreme and it's too expensive somwhere else. I saw M3Real, Supercard be good cards.
Other? Run M3Sakura maybe, compatible with DBBDX

 

[Slowking]

As far as I remember there are a few sites that ship worldwide and have the Cyclo for about 60$. Look in the Cyclo forums here on gba-temp.
From Deadlextreme Acekard 2 or Supercard DS One would be a good choice. I guess you could get an M3 Real or iTouch from there to run Sakura. Some people are really excited about it. I for one think that the M3-Team takes way to long to bring out new firmwares and incorporate new features.

Edit: Found the site I was thinking about: http://www.realhotstuff.com/cyclods-c-61.html

 

[miezu]

I saw that site they either they don't ship to my country or it's 30$

 

[Slowking]

DHL international should be cheaper but I get an error when I try this. Do you have the same problem?