Hacking The Definitive R4DS/M3simply FAQ thread

[iamwhoiam]

nope, you need a convertor

 

[iamwhoiam]

4th April 2007 - Long overdue update of the FAQ has been done =] enjoy

 

[Wyvern King]

I like this FAQ

Thanks, it's answered a lot of questions.

I do have a couple left, though - I'm planning on buying an R4, but I'm not sure about the multimedia functions. The FAQ is very in depth in terms of the games menu and the technical side, but I can't seem to work out a few of the finer points of movies, etc. For a start, can it play music? And more importantly, can this music be played with the DS lid shut (ie used as an MP3 player)? Also, can anyone verify if it supports sleep mode and if so, with which functions? Thanks in advance

Edit: Also, are there any utilities at all that allow it to play backups of NES/SNES/Megadrive games?

 

[iamwhoiam]

The R4 does support sleep mode for games that support it (99% of all games?!)

(added to FAQ)



Snes try http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=47991

Moonshell, the multimedia player incorporated into R4/M3s can play MP3s... I haven't tested it out with the lid closed cos I don't have any mp3s on my flash card, but I'm sure someone has the answer!

 

[iamwhoiam]

updated:

Does the R4/M3s support online play?
Does the R4/M3s support multiple save files?

 

[darksavior]

@Wyvern King
for nes there's NESDS WIP (not updated in years but it works. some games have bugs)
for genesis there's PICODRIVE (no sound)

There's at least 3 music players which i know of. They do allow the lid to be closed. Stick it in your pocket to listen with headphones.
-Moonshell (mp3,wav, ogg?)
-Lick's(lucas) Media Player (mp3, ogg, flac, wav, maybe others) Ipod interface
-DSOrganize (mp3, aac, wav, maybe others) Also allows listening to online stations.

For movies there's only Moonshell. To encode them there's the included dpgtools or go hunt down batchdpg which is what i prefer.

 

[Torte]

I'm having trouble getting my Vista laptop to recognise the microSD card provided by dealxtreme's R4 package. Apparently I require 'driver software', and it prompts me to insert the disc that came with the Kingston 1GB card, but I didn't get one, and it seems there isn't one that exists anywhere on the internet! HELP!

 

[iamwhoiam]

If you card reader works (have you checked this? - vista should work with the current card readers on the market) then it should recognise your microSD.. I suggest it's a faulty card if it's not being recognised. Does it work on an XP system?

 

[Torte]

Works on an XP system. On my Vista, it says I need a driver, and the website doesn't have any for this particular model/size! Anyone else have this problem with stupid Vista (which is probably blocking automatic installation of the driver meaning that the comp can't bloody detect it to manually install gah!)

 

[Regiiko]

Vista has so many flaws that I would recommend anyone thinking of upgrading to upgrade when most of them are smoothed out in the first Service Pack :x

Using XP/Linux/Mac is far better because the stability & compatability has been proven.

 

[sandmonkee]

@iamwhoiam - Thanks very much for the FAQ, its really fantastic!

Also, I just wanted to give you some extra information that you can add if you like...

In regards to the spring-loaded microSD slot on the R4 - assuming you don't want to go through the bother of returning the R4 for exchange, etc, it IS possible to fix:

(assumes that you can push the microSD card in, but it won't "click" into place - it just springs back out instead)

0. Put on some safety goggles, as the spring may go flying in step 5. Or don't, its your eyes
1. Remove the plastic shell of the R4 using the little screw
2. The microSD slot is the shiny metal thing in the top corner of the R4
3. There are three little "clips" on the top of the SD slot - carefully bend up the smallest one (along the edge closest to the round black thing)
4. Under this clip you will see a very very small coil spring (like the kind inside a clicky-pen, but much much smaller)
5. Use a small jeweller's screwdriver (Flathead smallest size or something else that is really really small and pointy) to pry out the little coil spring. Don't worry if you damage it, its going into the trash.
5a. Note that Step 5 may take a little bit of time and a lot of patience!

6. When you get the spring out, bend the clip back down into place - it may not go flush, thats ok.
7. Check that your microSD card will go in and out of the slot now.
8. Put the plastic cover back on - voila!

Please note that after you do this, your microSD card will no longer be spring loaded. You'll have to use your fingernails (or whatever) to get it in and out of the R4

Disclaimers:

a) This worked for me. If it doesn't work for you, I can't help you
b) This will almost certainly void any kind of warranty you may have. Its basically meant as a last ditch effort to get yer card working again instead of throwing it out

Good luck!
Mike

 

[vEGA-rJ]

First of all, thank you for this cool faq.

I have a question; i was wondering if it's possible with R4 inserted to boot with a key combo in the original ds setting menu. I tought that the combo was start+select but i was wrong. Anyone knows if this it's possible? Thank you in advance for the help.

 

[Destructobot]

i was wondering if it's possible with R4 inserted to boot with a key combo in the original ds setting menu.

Nope, not possible.

 

[bugmenot52]

Here is an attempt at updating the some of FAQ, to fully incorporate 1.08 features, or just to be more clear.
Changes are in bold italic. Comments in italic.


Q) Does download play work?
A) Download play (single cart multi-player) works on most games and fails on others, most notably Nintendo franchise games (Mario, Metroid etc). This is because of the way the original cart's secure part of the ROM is implemented. A R4/M3s download play compatability chart can be found here.

I've heard that the compatibility is better if the DS without the cart has flash-me. The only logical reason I can think of for that is that the RSA signature checking is disabled. I've never really understood the secure part of the DS cards, but I'm guessing that in this case the DS is sending the unencrypted form of the download binary to the other DS, and the original sent the encrypted version. Thus the RSA checksum does not match, but flashme'd DS's will ignore this.

A few of the games on the compatability list mention problems with multi-cart play. I have absolutely no idea what is going wrong there. The above question should be updated to address these things.

Q) What is the best MicroSD card for the R4/M3s?
A) Toshiba or Kingston-JAP (i.e. made in Japan, model number: SD-C01G) is the most compatible card for R4/M3s if you want to play Castlevania - Portrait Of Ruin. If you dont play it, any other card will work fine with the other 1000+ games on the "list". Sandisk Ultra2's is also likely to work ultra flawlessly with POR, but the price is ultra absurd (double the price of kingston). PNY/Viking also OEM from the same factories that make the kingston silicons, but there's no guarantee that these cards are exactly the same as the kingston ones. There's a chance that the taiwanese cards made by all companies work flawlessly with POR, but like I said, it's only a chance. Or you could buy any MicroSD you want, and buy the original POR game. After all it is only one game (imho, isn't that good), and probably a small glitch in the dumped backup. For a list of POR compatibility click here.
Important: At the end of the day, the better cards don't guarantee CVOR compatability, but only increase the likelihood that they will work and this is due to variable manufacturing quality.

That answer is pretty good, although there are a few other games with minor problems (generally not cauing playability problems) on the slower cards, besides the infamous CVOR. The answer ought to mention that.


Q) Does the R4/M3s support multiple saves?
A) No. The only way to do it is to have multiple copies of the ROM either a) in different folders or b) with different names, to ensure a different .sav file is created per ROM. Recent firmware versions have a feature to keep a backup copy of the save file, but still does not have full multiple saves support

--------------------------------------

A new question:
Q) What does the Slot-2 option do?
A) Originally, the Slot-2 option would simply cause the DS to boot the slot-2 device in DS mode. In recent firmware versions it will still boot flashcarts with a DS bootsector in DS mode. All other carts (flashcarts without a DS bootsector or original GBA carts will be booted in GBA mode using the image file '/_system_/gbaframe.bmp' as the frame.

I'm not sure if it uses the firmware setting to decide which screen to use for GBA mode, or if it is hardcoded. If anybody does know that, it should be added to the above question.


Disclamer: I do not (yet) actually own an R4DS.

 

[iamwhoiam]

bugmenot52: I shall look into it

Many thanks for your input

 

[Initial D]

As a newcomer, I had a couple of questions that I thought might be useful to the FAQ:

1) Are there any known FAKE R4s and if so, which stores to stay away from? I notice some online stores are selling cheap R4s that aren't listed on the R4's "Where to Buy" page.

2) As stated in a previous post, dark replacement shells won't be included (although posted a few months ago). Are there any places to buy these replacement shells or other colors?

 

[bugmenot52]

There are Fake R4s. They talk about having internal memory and make no mention of the micro-SD card.

I'm not certain, but I think the most recent batches have been shipping with the black shells, (and without the white ones).

As for plans for other shells, I have not heard anything. It is probably possible to make one yourself by buying one of the replacement shells for a different slot-1 cart, and using a Dremel (or other tool) to cut the SD card slot and make any other needed modifications. But it is probably not worth it.

 

[sandmonkee]

I'm not certain, but I think the most recent batches have been shipping with the black shells, (and without the white ones).

I got my R4 about 2 weeks ago, direct from Hong Kong. It has a black shell.

Yer mileage may vary though

 

[htoxad]

The latest shells are black.
I believe I saw an option to buy a white R4 (for like a buck extra) at some store this week.

Mill around the usual suspects if you care about the color.

 

[superrob]

You need to update your faq.
The spring of mine was also broken.
And now i just pulled it of and TADA its working!