Hacking Where to begin?

[Dteyn]

Forgive me if this is a commonly asked question. I've tried browsing and searching but haven't found the info I'm looking for.

I regularly browse the Wii Hacking forum and I've happily had homebrew running successfully on my Wii for many months now. I am a pretty technical person and have no problem reading lots of information to become knowledgeable about a topic.

However I will likely be buying myself a Nintendo DS for X-mas. I've had a bit of trouble finding general information on how DS homebrew (and hacking) works. I would like to learn about these things and as I said I don't mind doing a lot of reading, I'm sure this has all been covered before. I have lots of basic questions that don't seem to be readily answered by any of the threads I've looked at in the DS section. I would have posted these questions in a 'General' section but I couldn't seem to find one.

Does a DS require a modchip to run DS roms and other homebrew/emulators? If so, where can I find more information (reviews/comparisons)?

I see a lot of information about flash cards, from what I've read it looks like ROMs are loaded onto flash cards that are then loaded on the DS. Where can I find more information about the basics of this process? I'd like to know about the differences between types of flash cards, circumstances for the use of flash cards, firmware modifications or anything DS hacking/homebrew related.

If someone can point me to some threads covering these (and other beginner topics), that would be great.

 

[Curley5959]

It really depends on what flashcard you are willing to get.. And what price.?? Do you need special features??

Anyway, What happens is you have a micro SD card.. That gets shown up through the USB through a mini SD to USB connector. This comes with all flashcards.. You load the firmware on the SD where the Instructions tell you to and put the roms that you download from the net on the SD.. You put the Micro SD card in you flashcard and play the games..

Here are some official GBATemp flashcart reviews
http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showforum=99

The others like emulators are in different topics... I would suggest just browsing through the DS topics and you will become more familiar with all the types of stuff for the DS..

If you need any more info, Just say so, Im willing to help you out.. Like which flashkart you want to buy (depending on the amount of money you wish to pay and the extra features if you want them) Where to buy (Such as DealXtreme)..

I hope this helps you out but it is a tad confusing at first..

 

[Vincent T]

If you plan to use alot of money, get the Cyclo DS. The Cyclo DS is a flashcart built for the Nintendo DS/Lite. It lets you play "backup" games(known as roms). You'll also need a Mirco SD. It's a small little chip where you put your roms at. You can search roms on google. GBAtemp doesn't allow us to post links to romsites. There are many comparisons about flashcarts on GBAtemp. So hope you find the info your looking for. Good Luck!

 

[Dteyn]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the replies. I'm definitely not asking for places to get ROMs, I know that's not allowed here. I'm mainly just asking about how the DS works in terms of homebrew.

I'm not sure at the moment which flash card I'll get, I'll read the reviews and I'm sure that will help me decide.

I'm still kinda unclear on one thing. Do I need to modify the hardware or software/firmware on the DS before it will play backup ROMs? What about if I want to run homebrew applications and games? Is it as simple as buying a flash card, loading it with homebrew and/or ROMs, and loading it up on the DS?

I will do a bit more browsing to become more knowledgeable about the DS, I was just basically looking for a good starting point.

Thanks again for your replies, they are most helpful.

 

[Vincent T]

Yes, you can download homebrews here on GBAtemp in the download's sections. If you plan to buy the Cyclo DS, it will be some firmware when it arrives. You can update the firmware on Team Cyclops website. www.cyclopsds.com All you have to do is drag and drop homebrews and ROMS. Your Welcome.

 

[EmperorOfCanada]

My only advice, if you are going to buy a DS make it a DS Lite, do NOT 'treat' yourself and import in a DSi or you will be sorry lol.

There is really no hacking involved to playing roms on your DS Lite. It so simple a 5 year old could probably do it (literally)

 

[Curley5959]

Well I can see where he is coming from because he came from the Wii Hacking section..