Hacking UK: Getting a new Flashcard

[Pyrii]

I've been using an original R4 since forever (Paid £30 to get imported from the US with 1Gb cards :3)

Now I want to get a 2nd one for doing stuff like WiFi Kiosking at home and future 3DS support for when the XL price drops in the UK sufficiently.

I also want to get a bigger SDHC microSD card to fit more games and music on. And most essentially need it to be future-proof for firmware updates on the 3DS.

The decision was between Supercard DS2 and R4DS . As far as I can see the DS2 is twice the price for features I don't really need and GBA emulation that doesn't work for the games I want to play and lasty is apparently not updated anymore.

Then we look at the R4xx The problem is figuring out which R4 is the actual official one as the many stickies only mention clones.

Lastly, which class SDHC works best for Flashcards? And is there a maximum size limit for buying one?


So yeah, I have a few unanswered questions, I'll keep looking around to answer them, but I thought I'd make this topic as I hope someone with some experience will help me out. ^^

 

[yusuo]

I would go with an Acekard or DSTwo, there are no more official R4 cards, the rest are clones. I have a DSTwo and its updated very regularly (usually within a day or 2 of new updates) plus it get round every piracy protected game ive thrown at it, thanks to the onboard processor.

As for SDHC card, Transcend class 4 or above will do the job very comfortably. You'll get recommended Transcend cards from nearly anyone who knows anything about the DS scene. Most cards will do fine though.

For what its worth don't get an R4, i know a few people who have different r4 cards and all of them have gone wrong at one point or another + the lack of compatibility unless your specific card supports Wood is atrocious

 

[taken]

Go for a DSTWO.

 

[Rydian]

http://gbatemp.net/t290097-which-flash-cart-should-i-get

The DSTwo is still getting updated. It doesn't have to update it's main software every time a big-name title comes out because it's anti-piracy code is that good.

 

[Pyrii]

There seems to be a growing consensus for DSTwo, I guess my main worry is paying double for something that appears to be EOL (End-of-Life). But given it has an internal CPU it could be upgraded later for things like DSi/3DS support _IF_ (not when) it ever happens.

I also have the question of a reliable place to buy them in the UK.

 

[yusuo]

If ya give me a second ill try and find where I bought mine from, im in the UK and it was something like £28

EDIT: Right apparently there not trading anymore and its hard to find anyone in the UK who does, apparently flashcards were made illegal to sell in the UK, fun

 

[Pyrii]

Hmmm, but not in the EU, it seems Cameron enjoys vetoing EU laws but will sign up to dumb laws himself for the UK-only, like ACTA and Laws against console mods.

Well I guess it's looking for an EU supplier that doesn't charge huge amounts of euros.

 

[Rydian]

There seems to be a growing consensus for DSTwo, I guess my main worry is paying double for something that appears to be EOL (End-of-Life).

Seriously, what makes you think that? It's gotten updated for every 3DS firmware, including the latest, which was just last month.

What, just because it doesn't have to release 51 versions to fix games? It fixed all those games with only 11 versions because it's better at anti-piracy. It has to release less updates because less stuff refuses to run on it. While Wood/AKAIO/RGF users were waiting around, sometimes for a week or more, Supercard was and is playing the latest games.

But given it has an internal CPU it could be upgraded later for things like DSi/3DS support _IF_ (not when) it ever happens.

The internal CPU doesn't mean it can be upgraded for 3DS support. Nobody knows how the 3DS will get hacked or if current flash carts can be updated to play 3DS ROMs.

 

[Deleted User]

DSTwo by a long shot.
Acekard is a good card, but the team aren't as active as Supercard's. Having to wait weeks after an update comes out to be able to safely update is a bit naff really. But the DSTwo is overall superior. Not to mention it has a chip on the Flashcart that lets you emulate GBA (not perfectly, but it's okay!)

 

[Pyrii]

There seems to be a growing consensus for DSTwo, I guess my main worry is paying double for something that appears to be EOL (End-of-Life).

Seriously, what makes you think that? It's gotten updated for every 3DS firmware, including the latest, which was just last month.

What, just because it doesn't have to release 51 versions to fix games? It fixed all those games with only 11 versions because it's better at anti-piracy. It has to release less updates because less stuff refuses to run on it. While Wood/AKAIO/RGF users were waiting around, sometimes for a week or more, Supercard was and is playing the latest games.

I'm only going based on some of the threads I read here, which I stated before. If the opposite is true then that's great, but don't attack me for it please x_x

But given it has an internal CPU it could be upgraded later for things like DSi/3DS support _IF_ (not when) it ever happens.

The internal CPU doesn't mean it can be upgraded for 3DS support. Nobody knows how the 3DS will get hacked or if current flash carts can be updated to play 3DS ROMs.

I said IF, didn't I say if? I'm not counting on it happening. If the encryption is as heavy as they say and they didn't make the same dumb mistakes Sony did (random number = always 4) then it'll be a long time/impossible to happen :3 So again, _IF_

 

[Rydian]

When I asked what makes you think that, I'm asking for... whatever information made you think that. If it's a review, point it out? If it's a thread, link it? Stating that the DSTwo is outdated and end of life is an outright lie, so we'd like to see where it's being said so we can fix it.

It's not just about the encryption, decrypting ROMs will not allow people to run them. It's about being able to sign stuff to run, or use an exploit on the system for it to run unsigned stuff.

Also the random number wasn't 4, that was a snippet from an XKCD comic that the team used for a laugh.

 

[tranfeer]

Why not have a look at r4i gold(r4ids.cn),which is officially supported by WOOD R4 and releases the updating patch just as fast as dstwo(withing 24 hours).

 

[Harsky]

I second R4i gold (r4ids.cn). Regular firmware updates in the form of Wood R4 means any latest games which have problems gets ironed out quickly.

As for microsd, I did buy some cheap Sandisk 32gb Micro SD but found that as a class 2, it had minor slowdowns in some games. The higher the class (my current one is a 16gb with class 10) the better in my opinion.

 

[Pyrii]

I just had a look at the battery tests: http://gbatemp.net/topic/289020-the-ultimate-ds-battery-test-thread-in-the-world/

Battery life is important for me as I take trips to london for medical reasons at least 2-3 times a year and like the battery in my stuff to last, while the DS2 has better life over the R4, the AC2 trumps them both, yet no-one seems to recommend it, which is interesting.

When I asked what makes you think that, I'm asking for... whatever information made you think that. If it's a review, point it out? If it's a thread, link it? Stating that the DSTwo is outdated and end of life is an outright lie, so we'd like to see where it's being said so we can fix it.

Most of the time I was reading this thread: http://gbatemp.net/topic/320828-is-the-supercard-dstwo-any-good/ I like a balanced argument, where someone's willing to say the good AND BAD things about something. the DS2 seems good for compatibilit and bettery life, but is also bad for the price, GBA compatibility and battery life if using the CPU

Also the random number wasn't 4, that was a snippet from an XKCD comic that the team used for a laugh.

I know that, but "always x" is less clear and less funny :3

 

[Pyrii]

Been looking around at prices for the DSTwo. Unfortunately the price is parallel with trust. The Lower the price, the less I trust the site XD Most of the listings in ShopTemp are completely invalid, don't exist or don't stock flashcarts any more.

ChipSpain.com (Spain) - £25.35 (Shipping: €6)
v2watch.com (China) - £26.12 (Free Shipping)
NDS-Card.com (China) - £26.39 (Free Shipping)
Snipe a Deal (UK) - £29.99 (Free Shipping)

As for an SD card, Amazon.co.uk have a 32Gb class 4 for £13.20

 

[Aeter]

You mentioned you want to use this new card on a 3DS right?
The R4i Gold 3DS (r4ids.cn) has the best battery life, you have been looking at DS battery life, not 3DS.

3DS Tests
R4iDS (original, r4ids.cn): 7hrs10mins - Brightness 1, Power Saving On, Volume 50%, snailface's battery timer
AK2i + snailface's battery timer (3ds version)* :6hr20min Brightness 1, Power Saving ON, Volume 50%, Native Resolution ON (256X192)
DStwo + snailface's battery timer (3ds version)*: 6hr35min Brightness 1, Power Saving ON, Volume 50%, Resolution (320X240)

 

[tranfeer]

Aeter, you have done a useful test.

 

[Aeter]

Aeter, you have done a useful test.

I have not, I got it from the battery life test page.

 

[Pyrii]

Hmmm, compelling ideas both ways. I've been looking at the 3DS XL and even made a pricelist to help others ( http://gbatemp.net/topic/333418-3ds-xl-price-list/ )

The real thing that keeps me on the fence is the DSTwo price, if it was £25 delivered, I'd probably buy it in a heartbeat. Which is why the R4 is still tempting.

 

[EyeZ]

Yeah the R4i from http://www.r4ids.cn/ is a decent budget card with which you can use the Wood firmware, which is well supported.