Hacking Some questions before i purchase an acekard..

[RyoHazuk1]

So i'm new to the whole flash cart thing with the DS, although I am very computer savvy. So i'm sure everything will be easy for me to understand, it's just a matter of which flash cart I should get. I've been reading on the acekard and it seems very solid compatibility wise and what not. So I think this will be my choice I just want to know from everyone who has one first though on what your opinion is? Is there a better cart out there than the acekard with higher compatibility? my main concern is just playing games not worried too much about homebrew to be honest.

I apologize if this is the wrong section for this, just trying to find some help before I make my final decision.


Edit: also would you say 2gb is enough or should I go with 4gb if I plan on putting gba games on there too with the whole ez 3 in 1 expansion pack thing.

 

[ssjkakaroto]

AK2 has indeed a very good compatibility. I have yet to find a game that does not work with it. I only found some glitches with the Castlevania series, but this is a know limitation of AK2 reading speed.
Also the AKAIO Team is always improving compatibility and fixing bugs, which is a very positive point IMHO.

Since you're going to be playing GBA games too, I suggest you get a 8GB card so that you won't have to worry about space any time soon.

 

[Bri]

Since you're asking your question on the Acekard forum, it's likely that you'll get mainly positive responses about the Acekard 2. That said, the Acekard 2 has one of the nicest menus of any flash cart.

You might consider the CycloDS if you find that real-time game state dumps are something you'd use, but I don't personally think it's worth the substantial additional cost for that feature.

A 2GB card will hold between 30 and 40 games at a time. If you need to have more games than that on your microSD card, consider a larger one. Do keep in mind that in general a microSD card (which are under 4GB and can be formatted with FAT16) will be slightly faster than a microSDHC card (which are over 4GB and must be formatted with FAT32). Also, I believe that microSDHC uses slightly more battery life. If you do get a microSDHC, you'll want to make sure it's a Class 6 (the higher the class the faster the card). And if you need to reformat it, use the Panasonic formatter and not the built-in Windows format.

-Bri

 

[RyoHazuk1]

30 to 40 DS games or 30 to 40 mixed (meaning both gba and ds?)? So if I get a single 2gb card I can format it with fat16 and it will be slightly faster than a 4gb sdhc card? If so i'd rather just get 2 cards of 2gb each being they're really cheap online.

I think i'm sold on the Acekard 2 as well. Just one last question, i plan on buying everything off of realhotstuff being i'm located in NYC and it's not that far from NJ. I plan on adding the EZV 3 in 1 slot as well for gba compatibility. the options listed for adding it in are black, white and gba size, would I go with black or white if i have a ds lite?

 

[Another World]

30 to 40 DS games or 30 to 40 mixed (meaning both gba and ds?)? So if I get a single 2gb card I can format it with fat16 and it will be slightly faster than a 4gb sdhc card? If so i'd rather just get 2 cards of 2gb each being they're really cheap online.

I think i'm sold on the Acekard 2 as well. Just one last question, i plan on buying everything off of realhotstuff being i'm located in NYC and it's not that far from NJ. I plan on adding the EZV 3 in 1 slot as well for gba compatibility. the options listed for adding it in are black, white and gba size, would I go with black or white if i have a ds lite?

black or white is a color choice and means nothing in regards to how the card functions. if you have a ndsl you want the 3-in-1 lite. the normal gba one is a gba size shell and will stick out (annoying so) on the ndsl. if the dropdown is not clear, e-mail them and ask. but i assume the color option is the 3-in-1 lite. realhotstuff is a great reseller. they have good customer service and ship fast to NY.

you should also consider homebrew. the full scummvm library is over 5gb, neogeo is over 3gb, etc. there is much more to do on your nds then just play nds/gba games. something to consider when you opt for a smaller memory card. you will not notice any speed problems with the modern dma patching routines in akaio, honest! just get a good msd that has the size you want. i can recommend the transcend 8gb class6. i own 3 of them.

-another world

 

[RyoHazuk1]

30 to 40 DS games or 30 to 40 mixed (meaning both gba and ds?)? So if I get a single 2gb card I can format it with fat16 and it will be slightly faster than a 4gb sdhc card? If so i'd rather just get 2 cards of 2gb each being they're really cheap online.

I think i'm sold on the Acekard 2 as well. Just one last question, i plan on buying everything off of realhotstuff being i'm located in NYC and it's not that far from NJ. I plan on adding the EZV 3 in 1 slot as well for gba compatibility. the options listed for adding it in are black, white and gba size, would I go with black or white if i have a ds lite?

black or white is a color choice and means nothing in regards to how the card functions. if you have a ndsl you want the 3-in-1 lite. the normal gba one is a gba size shell and will stick out (annoying so) on the ndsl. if the dropdown is not clear, e-mail them and ask. but i assume the color option is the 3-in-1 lite. realhotstuff is a great reseller. they have good customer service and ship fast to NY.

you should also consider homebrew. the full scummvm library is over 5gb, neogeo is over 3gb, etc. there is much more to do on your nds then just play nds/gba games. something to consider when you opt for a smaller memory card. you will not notice any speed problems with the modern dma patching routines in akaio, honest! just get a good msd that has the size you want. i can recommend the transcend 8gb class6. i own 3 of them.

-another world

Oh I understand it is a color choice but I was assuming it meant it's the ndsl. version because it has black and white then it says GBA Size, so i assumed the black and white meant for the ndsl version. I'll definitely look into bigger memory sticks at some point just want something to hold me off for now or I just might purchase it right away.

Thank you guys for the help, really appreciate it.

 

[Another World]

as for memory if you order off RHS you get a 1gb msd for free with your ak2.1. you can get a 2gb japanese branded kingston from DX for under 5 bucks with free shipping. takes about 12 days from china to ny. for the transcend 8gb class6 check newegg.com. i got mine for 13 with free shipping when they were on sale.

-another world

 

[RyoHazuk1]

Just wanna say thanks again to everyone. I ordered yesterday from real hot stuff and it came in today haha, i didn't even do over night shipping. Good value.


Everything is running smooth and i'm quite impressed.

Thanks alot guys.

 

[lilaznkid]

Do keep in mind that in general a microSD card (which are under 4GB and can be formatted with FAT16) will be slightly faster than a microSDHC card (which are over 4GB and must be formatted with FAT32). Also, I believe that microSDHC uses slightly more battery life. If you do get a microSDHC, you'll want to make sure it's a Class 6 (the higher the class the faster the card). And if you need to reformat it, use the Panasonic formatter and not the built-in Windows format.

Oh man, I almost panicked when I learned just now from your response that there are different classes of speed for microSDHC cards. It was bad enough that only two days ago I ordered a 4gb microSDHC on ebay only to learn later from forum sites that it won't work in the old R4 that I bought at launch.

Luckily, I rechecked the microSDHC order to find that it was indeed a class 6 card. I also put an order on an Acekard 2 from RHS and am still waiting for both to arrive possibly tomorrow. Goddammit, I used to always research everything extensively before making a final purchase. I can't believe myself.

 

[geek_power]

From my personnal experience, I would say there are 19 chances out of 20 that you got a fake memory card on eBay. The "class 6" doesn't mean anything in that case. Juste benchmark the writing speed, and don't use this card for critical data, such as a camera.

 

[lilaznkid]

I'm pretty sure it was a real microsdhc card that I ordered, at least that's what the seller's 100% seller rating with 921 positive to 2 neutral and 0 negative feedback ratings would lead me to believe, especially when most of the feedback came from buyers who bought the same Kingston 4gb card. Of course, I won't know for sure until the card arrives in my mail.

 

[gk.7]

If ALL you want is to have an excellent compatibility w/games and download play get it then. I have one and love it.

By the way. What Bri says on her first post is true. I've tried different ones and really i don't care about all those features. As long as I can play my games is all that matters to me. It will all depend on what you want and how much you wanna pay.

If you havent got the card yet, Best Buy has an 8gb Sandisk for 24.99 this week until Saturday.