Hacking some questions about the dstwo

[esoterica]

Ok, first of all, sorry if what I am about to ask has been asked before or could easily be found in the search. I have read a few FAQs and posts by other members, but I'd just like to confirm.

I'm about to purchase a DSi XL for myself and wanted to buy a flash card. I understand the DSTwo is currently the best card? What exactly makes it better than the Acekard?
Is it that much more superior in terms of compatibility? And is the battery consumption really that bad? What kind of micro SD card should I use?

How is the SNES emulator? Does Final Fantasy 3 work okay? (I've been dying to replay that game)

 

[Sebbel]

Well, what makes it better than the Acekard, are the extra features. Acekard isn't a bad flashcard, I had one before I bought my Supercard, but it is really just a "normal flashcard", with no other features included. So, if simplicity works for you, you can get the Acekard. But you'll miss features like:
-the GBA-Emulator, which is not perfect, but it works good for me with most of the games
-the SNES Emulator of course, which I didn't tested yet, so I can't talk about compatibilty there
-real time features, which are just great on the SC 2: You can play a Game and in every part of the game you can just press a set combo of buttons and you get in a In-Game-Menu, the game itself pauses at the exact state of play. There you have access to features like gameguides in txt. formats, real time cheats you can set, slow motion (which is good for some games), and real time saves (like in a Emulator).
-the compatibility is PERFECT. Okay, maybe 99,9 percent. But you can easily say that the card works with every game you get in your hands, it can bypass every single AP.
-the menu looks better than other flashcard menus ; D
-not to forget the videoplayer which will be released in the next days/weeks, which can also play .avi and other formats, and not just the usual .dpg

-> Overall you can say that, if you just want a plain flashcard with a rather good compatibility and no extra features you can go with the Acekard. But if you have some extra money in your pocket the Supercard is defintely worth every penny you'll pay more.

 

[RoMee]

with the acekard you need updates to play new games
but with the dstwo you can be on an old EOS and it can play games that the acekard can't
best realtime menu of any flash cart

 

[RupeeClock]

What exactly makes it better than the Acekard?
Is it that much more superior in terms of compatibility?
And is the battery consumption really that bad?
What kind of micro SD card should I use?

How is the SNES emulator? Does Final Fantasy 3 work okay? (I've been dying to replay that game)

It has a lot more features than the Acekard 2i, namely the real-time menu, that enables savestates, reading guides or toggling cheats, or the integrated CPU that can emulate GBA/SNES titles, along with play DivX/Xvid video, and is open-source allowing for stuff like MAME.
It also can update itself to bypass DSi Firmware, just by upgrading the firmware on the microSD.

It's much better in compatibility, having a unique system of bypassing Anti-piracy. Other flashcarts have quickly been developing their own anti-anti-piracy which is effective, but the DSTwo's is unique and original.

The battery consumption isn't that bad, it does eat up the battery more, but I wouldn't say it's much more than any other flashcart.

MicroSD? I'd suggest anything with at least a class 4 read speed, by transcend, A-data or kingston (not Sandisk)
I personally use a Samsung Plus, which has been fantastic for me, but I can't find anywhere that sells them outside the UK.

The SNES emulator is pretty good, the framerate is maybe a little choppy but games can play full speed with good compatibility.
Don't know about FF3 in particular.

 

[Recorderdude]

MicroSD? I'd suggest anything with at least a class 4 read speed, by transcend, A-data or kingston (not Sandisk)

Hate to jack the thread here, but I bought a $40 16gb sandisk from shoptemp a week ago with my dstwo. I always thought they were the best brand. Doesn't the DSTWO like them?

As far as the OP's question: short and sweet, if you want DS games, get an acekard. If you want DS games and GBA/SNES games, Arcade games and more get a DSTWO (the Acekard can run emulators for really old stuff like NES and Gameboy fine but SNES and newer stuff isn't that good and GBA is nonexistent)

 

[RupeeClock]

Hate to jack the thread here, but I bought a $40 16gb sandisk from shoptemp a week ago with my dstwo. I always thought they were the best brand. Doesn't the DSTWO like them?

DStwo would probably use them fine.
But given the choice, Kingston are pretty much always the better choice.

 

[Recorderdude]

Hate to jack the thread here, but I bought a $40 16gb sandisk from shoptemp a week ago with my dstwo. I always thought they were the best brand. Doesn't the DSTWO like them?

DStwo would probably use them fine.
But given the choice, Kingston are pretty much always the better choice.

Okay then. That's fine.

Kingston was hard to find on ShopTemp (it sez you can bundle one but it doesn't show up when you add it) and cost more than SanDisk (plus I've had a few fake kingstons that have corrupted/broken on me almost instantaneously after I used them) so I went for a SanDisk this time.

I guess if I ever get another card from ST tho I'll get a kingston.

 

[esoterica]

Whats a good site to buy it from? I'm not sure how I feel about 2-6 weeks to receive the item. I mean... MAYBE... since I don't even have the DS yet.

 

[RoMee]

Whats a good site to buy it from? I'm not sure how I feel about 2-6 weeks to receive the item. I mean... MAYBE... since I don't even have the DS yet.

If you're in the US than I suggest http://www.realhotstuff.com/
fast free shipping in the US

 

[Snailface]

Whats a good site to buy it from? I'm not sure how I feel about 2-6 weeks to receive the item. I mean... MAYBE... since I don't even have the DS yet.

Shoptemp. I know they are affiliated with this site, but they really are the best. They test their cards before they ship -- I like that.

 

[Recorderdude]

Whats a good site to buy it from? I'm not sure how I feel about 2-6 weeks to receive the item. I mean... MAYBE... since I don't even have the DS yet.

If you're in the US than I suggest http://www.realhotstuff.com/
fast free shipping in the US

Indeed that's fine for the DSTWO - but for your SDHC card look elsewhere - the prices on RHS suck compared to shoptemp; An 8gb card on RealHotStuff costs only a few dollars less than a 16gb card on Shoptemp.

Since you're impatient, though, I recommend you get your SDHC card in a local store. Stick to the brands Rupee was talking about but beware fake kingstons.

 

[esoterica]

What about www.4coolday.com? Free shipping, comes with screen protector, and looks like it takes about 7-10 days? I would love to support the store affiliated with this site, but 2-5 weeks is pretty long man.

 

[Recorderdude]

What about www.4coolday.com? Free shipping, comes with screen protector, and looks like it takes about 7-10 days? I would love to support the store affiliated with this site, but 2-5 weeks is pretty long man.

 

[Snailface]

What about www.4coolday.com? Free shipping, comes with screen protector, and looks like it takes about 7-10 days? I would love to support the store affiliated with this site, but 2-5 weeks is pretty long man.

I just so happened to get my DStwo today, took 13 days from order. Average time with several purchases from Shoptemp is about 10 days.

 

[RupeeClock]

What about www.4coolday.com? Free shipping, comes with screen protector, and looks like it takes about 7-10 days? I would love to support the store affiliated with this site, but 2-5 weeks is pretty long man.

Actually if you order from shoptemp, most people wait 1-2 weeks on free shipping, and there's proof.
It's true that Shoptemp list 2-5 weeks, but that's a sort of safety net.

I strongly recommend you order from Shoptemp because of said reliable free shipping and of the fair pricing, you won't get much better than $35 for a DSTwo.