Hacking R4 DS Questions..

[Sailor]

Ok, so I ordered a R4 DS from DX on October 7th, four days ago. I'm anxious so it feels like it's taking FOREVER to get here D:
But enough about that, I already know the basics of it because my friend showed me it about a week ago and explained it a bit. I also saw some YouTube vids, but I have about 3 ultimate questions I don't get.

1) Does it matter at all which MicroSD card you use? Everyone keeps saying that SanDisk saves faster..but is that it? Who cares about that :0
Also I heard that the Japanese Kingston > Taiwan [US] Kingston. I have a 1gb Taiwan and I dunno if I should buy another Japanese one..what's the difference?

2) The new R4 design, without the spring..how does that work? I'm crossing my fingers to get it shipped to me, as I don't want any problems in the future. Just wondering how it stays in though. Does it load from the side or something? Did anyone get one? :0

3) Do you get a Friend Code if you download say, a game? Like, a working one..that you can play with?
Also, does it stick with the SAV file so that if I delete the game itself I can still play it later?

That's all ^__^
Thanks to those who answer.

 

[DarkAura]

1) I would suggest that you get a Kingston. It doesn't have problems with CastlevaniaoR, whereas the Sandisk freezes. And go for 2 gig or more.

2) The new design is still top loaded, and the spring just proves to be a hassle. I think its better sans spring. I took mine out of the old one I have.

3) I think that the Friend Code is built into the SAV file, I'm not sure. To avoid that, don't delete your SAV file.

Also get the latest firmware, v 1.11, and 1.12 should be out soon.

Good luck!

EDIT: the new R4 design does not have a spring. Didn't wanna confuse you.

 

[cracker]

IMO it would be better to have an old version R4 with the spring removed. It would then be easier to remove the microSD. It's a tight fit to get your fingernail between the DS and the microSD so you can slide it out and if you have very short fingernails then forget about even trying. Wish they would have kept the top of the shell exactly the same so it had a cutout on both sides for easier access to the microSD but is still better than other cards where you absolutely need to remove the flash cart to get the media out.

 

[Truliche]

When you say spring, you mean the spring loading mechanism for the microsd card like the cyclods where you have to pry off the card or what?

 

[DarkAura]

Yup, exactly.

But the R4 is better without the spring. And I think that the new R4 might be easier to get the SD card out. After all its designed to be easier to do so.

 

[Nero]

Ok, so I ordered a R4 DS from DX on October 7th, four days ago. I'm anxious so it feels like it's taking FOREVER to get here D:
But enough about that, I already know the basics of it because my friend showed me it about a week ago and explained it a bit. I also saw some YouTube vids, but I have about 3 ultimate questions I don't get.

1) Does it matter at all which MicroSD card you use? Everyone keeps saying that SanDisk saves faster..but is that it? Who cares about that :0
Also I heard that the Japanese Kingston > Taiwan [US] Kingston. I have a 1gb Taiwan and I dunno if I should buy another Japanese one..what's the difference?

2) The new R4 design, without the spring..how does that work? I'm crossing my fingers to get it shipped to me, as I don't want any problems in the future. Just wondering how it stays in though. Does it load from the side or something? Did anyone get one? :0

3) Do you get a Friend Code if you download say, a game? Like, a working one..that you can play with?
Also, does it stick with the SAV file so that if I delete the game itself I can still play it later?

That's all ^__^
Thanks to those who answer.

You ordered 4 days ago... Lets see... They usually take about 2 weeks. So you have 10 days left.

Good luck... I had to suffer waiting for mines .

 

[Sailor]

1) I would suggest that you get a Kingston.  It doesn't have problems with CastlevaniaoR, whereas the Sandisk freezes.  And go for 2 gig or more.

I see. I have a 1gig, don't really see the point of 2gigs. Just wondering though, why do people say Japanese > Taiwan? What's the diffence between Kingston vs. Kingston :0

2) The new design is still top loaded, and the spring just proves to be a hassle.  I think its better sans spring.  I took mine out of the old one I have.

Ah, I see. Good thing then that I'm probably getting the new one ^__^
I saw some pics on another thread, and the new design is pretty ugly to be honest..but at least it's almost guaranteed not to break in about a year or so. I don't wanna have to buy another one in a year >_>"

dark_aura123) I think that the Friend Code is built into the SAV file, I'm not sure.  To avoid that, don't delete your SAV file.

Also get the latest firmware, v 1.11, and 1.12 should be out soon.

Good luck!

EDIT: the new R4 design does not have a spring.  Didn't wanna confuse you.

Ok, I will. And thanks for your help.

 

[Sailor]

IMO it would be better to have an old version R4 with the spring removed. It would then be easier to remove the microSD. It's a tight fit to get your fingernail between the DS and the microSD so you can slide it out and if you have very short fingernails then forget about even trying. Wish they would have kept the top of the shell exactly the same so it had a cutout on both sides for easier access to the microSD but is still better than other cards where you absolutely need to remove the flash cart to get the media out.

Ah, that sucks..but I guess I can't do anything about it. I do agree the new design is awkward, and doesn't look anything like a real DS Cart, but it's for the better, I think. I also hate that they don't have seperation things for the slot that goes into the DS itself. Looks horrible..but whatever.

 

[DarkAura]

Some ROMS are 128 MB. So just be sure that you have enough space to put all of your current fave games on.

EDIT: about your 2 gig thing. I was too lazy to quote.

 

[Urza]

Honestly, why the does it matter what it looks like?

I know I don't like having to take the R4 out every time I just want the MicroSD, so chalk up one vote for the spring model.

 

[fearofblood]

lol my friends have the new R4 and it kinda sucks.. you would need longer fingernails to get the SD out and the R4 seems to be stuck after pushing it out.

 

[pkprostudio]

OK, just to make everything clear.


Kingston Japan is better than Taiwan version, and is a perfect choice. (No freeze at all in PoR) If you want to check the other brands, click here: http://wiki.scorpei.com/index.php/R4_compa...h_Compatibility

If you have a rom file, and you create a .sav file, that will be your save. If you delete it, and you still have the rom file, you can create a new save and it will be like you have another game card.

And I don't know why people hate the spring so much. It's really nice and I hate digging out the card.

 

[wiithepeople]

Well I just got mine from DX 2 days ago... I ordered on hmm what like 2.5 weeks ago? Mine was old model with spring...

I got the chinese kind because it was cheaper at the time but is now only 40 cents cheaper. Maybe the English has no spring.

 

[striderx]

IMO it would be better to have an old version R4 with the spring removed. It would then be easier to remove the microSD. It's a tight fit to get your fingernail between the DS and the microSD so you can slide it out and if you have very short fingernails then forget about even trying. Wish they would have kept the top of the shell exactly the same so it had a cutout on both sides for easier access to the microSD but is still better than other cards where you absolutely need to remove the flash cart to get the media out.

cracker, on what do you base this opinion?

Have you actually used the new shell design? The card is NOT difficult to remove, in fact it's so easy that I can pull it out using my fingertip, without needing to get any fingernail involved.

Perhaps you've got experience with an ezflash V. Without making judgement on it's functionality, the hardware is a POS.

So here's a good reason to stop biting your fingernails. It's a nasty habit anyway!

striderx

 

[Rayder]

First off, welcome to GBAtemp. Hope you enjoy this place as much as I do.

I'll try to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge and as honestly as I can.

1. If you really want to play Castlevania: PoR, then you should buy a Japanese Kingston in either the 1 or 2gig model, otherwise it will crash or lock-up more often, if it even plays at all. If Castlevania is of no concern to you, then just about any microSD will do for any other game. The only other game that doesn't function as it should on the R4 is Tony Hawk's Downhilll Jam. That game has issues with most flashcards....something about the timer not acting right or something (I've never played it). Japanese Kingstons read and write faster than a Taiwan version, that's why people suggest the Japanese version over the Taiwan ones. I suggest you just try your Taiwan Kingston for now and see if it works for you. Worry about another microSD only if you have problems with too many games.

2. The design differences between the two R4 versions is mostly cosmetic. As you know, the old one has a spring for the microSD, but it has a tendency to get flaky on you after a few months and it won't stay locked without playing around with it. This is why the R4 team decided to go with a design without a spring. When you first get the one without the spring, it may be a little tight pulling the card out, but with a few uses it should get easier. In the long run, the version without the spring should technically have less issues since the spring has been the biggest problem for the R4 since the beginning.

3. A downloaded ROM in the R4 essentially functions exactly like a real copy of the game. 99% of the time, you just drop the ROM on the microSD and it will work, though you can trim them to save a few megs of space per game. Any differences are practically unnoticeable. Mostly just save and load times may be be a second or two longer in some cases, maybe the occasional hiccup or stutter, depending on the speed of the microSD used. No big deal.
Online play, friend codes, and local multiplayer should all work perfectly fine. In some cases, sleep mode can be flaky, making the game crash or lock up when trying to come out of sleep mode. Personally, I've never had the problem, but I've heard complaints of that. But really, how often do you use the sleep mode function anyway?
There are a couple games that currently require what is called an ARM7 fix to make work (Worms 2 and DS Simple Series 21, that I know of), but once they are fixed, they then work fine. We expect the upcoming update to address the issue with those games that currently need the fix. After you get the R4, you will learn about the ARM7 fix when you need to.



I know that's a lot to read, but I remember what it was like to be a noob when I got started in all the flashcart fun too, so I'm sure you appreciate anything anyone can tell you to get you up and running.


Once you get your R4 and load it up with your favorite games, be sure to download the huge cheat.dat in my sig to help you enjoy your games to the max. The dat contains about 90% (give or take) of the games that actually have codes for them. It's hosted and updated by me, but really, most of the R4 owners here at GBAtemp have contributed to make the dat what it is now. I like to think of us as one big happy family.

 

[scrawl]

Just wanted to agree with striderx.

I have both the new springless and the original R4.

With the new R4, it's easy to remove the MicroSD card. I find I don't have to use my fingernails at all - just a little pressure. I doubt it would fall out either - the pressure required to remove seems spot on. This is in stark contrast to the EZ-Flash V which is a little scary before it wears in a bit.

The MicroSD slot is different to the original R4. Looks like it has a plastic sleeve vs a metal one.

If you already own an R4, no real compelling reason to upgrade.

Had I the option between the two, I prefer the new R4. One less moving part = one less part to malfunction. A little more "stealthy" too (you barely notice the MicroSD card at a glance).

 

[striderx]

Just wanted to agree with striderx.

I have both the new springless and the original R4.

Had I the option between the two, I prefer the new R4. One less moving part = one less part to malfunction. A little more "stealthy" too (you barely notice the MicroSD card at a glance).

I like this scrawl person...

striderx

 

[Urza]

Can you remove the MicroSD easily without taking the R4 out of the DS?

 

[Rayder]

Can you remove the MicroSD easily without taking the R4 out of the DS?

The one without the spring? Probably not unfortunately. Though I'd be happy to have that small inconvenience compared to the flaky spring issue that I have now.

 

[Echo1]

I've owned my R4 for over six months now and usually swap my various SD cards around on a daily basis, it has yet to do any damage to the spring. I think as long as you're careful, then there shouldn't really be any problems with the spring in the older R4s.