Hacking Which one: CycloDS, R4, or Acekard?

Manjack

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Well, I've spent pretty much the whole day lurking through the site, and I've narrowed it to these three. I was originally going to get a DS-Xtreme, and I really must thank you all for the vast amount of information condemning it, although I am sad to be missing the LED's XD Anyways. Here is what I want out of my hardware

I want it to be able to run whatever homebrew I throw at it (specific homebrews like art programs and organizers)
I want it to be durable
I really prefer DS cart sized ones
I know nothing of programming, so whatever's the simplest would be good.
Music playing and Vid watchin would be nice, but aren't required
I plan to put the Comic reader on it

This will be a Homebrew only cart. I do not want ROMs, I prefer to buy my games so I can get the manuals and any goodies that come with the game. I'm not against 'em, but I DON'T WANT THEM XD

My DS is a black Lite, encased safely in its black Nerf armor shell

Other than that, please feel free to tell me about other ones if you have used them and one of the ones I've already listed and you have a preference
 

Kingwad

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The Acekard RPG is the only card you listed that doesn't need micro sd (But it will take it if you want it too) with 1 GB built-in memory. The only homebrew I'm aware it has problems with is DSLinux.
 

golden

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I want it to be able to run whatever homebrew I throw at it (specific homebrews like art programs and organizers)
Every cart you said can do that except the RPG kernel panics on DSLinux and crashes. Everything else works on everything thanks to DLDI.

I want it to be durable
This is the only place the Cyclo comes down. Last batch's defective rate was 20%. It was a terrible disaster but this is batch 4 and the black cyclos seem to be great and the whole thing has been fixed but I still don't know about the overall durability. It doesn't seem too great but at least they aren't defected anymore. R4 and cyclo are FAR superior in this department.

I really prefer DS cart sized ones
All of them are DS cart sized. Some with a bit of resistance to put in and take out but all DS sized nonetheless.

I know nothing of programming, so whatever's the simplest would be good.
There goes the biggest part of the Acekard. >.> It shouldn't be ruled out yet but it's main attraction, open source, won't appeal to you directly now.

Music playing and Vid watchin would be nice, but aren't required
Moonshell. Everything can do it perfectly so nothing can be ruled out here.

I plan to put the Comic reader on it
DLDI compatible so all of them can run it.

All questions answered.
smile.gif
Hopefully you will like your choice.
 

Manjack

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I want it to be able to run whatever homebrew I throw at it (specific homebrews like art programs and organizers)
Every cart you said can do that except the RPG kernel panics on DSLinux and crashes. Everything else works on everything thanks to DLDI.

I want it to be durable
This is the only place the Cyclo comes down. Last batch's defective rate was 20%. It was a terrible disaster but this is batch 4 and the black cyclos seem to be great and the whole thing has been fixed but I still don't know about the overall durability. It doesn't seem too great but at least they aren't defected anymore. R4 and cyclo are FAR superior in this department.

I really prefer DS cart sized ones
All of them are DS cart sized. Some with a bit of resistance to put in and take out but all DS sized nonetheless.

I know nothing of programming, so whatever's the simplest would be good.
There goes the biggest part of the Acekard. >.> It shouldn't be ruled out yet but it's main attraction, open source, won't appeal to you directly now.

Music playing and Vid watchin would be nice, but aren't required
Moonshell. Everything can do it perfectly so nothing can be ruled out here.

I plan to put the Comic reader on it
DLDI compatible so all of them can run it.

All questions answered.
smile.gif
Hopefully you will like your choice.
So the Cyclo breaks easily? I thought it was construction issues, rather than actual durability of the materials. And also, which has the best interface? I know the Acekard's customizable, but that's a bit beyond me at the moment is all. I think I'm gonna kick R4 off the list though, it just doesn't seem as interesting as these two. Thanks for the reply!
 

wiithepeople

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Many slot-1 flashcarts almost perfectly fit what you want. R4, M3 real, m3 simply, g6 real, supercard ds one, DSTT, Acekard RPG, etc. can all play music, videos, and support DLDI and therefore support almost all homebrews. But you should get a cart that does autoDLDI patching, so it'll be much less hassle. I think the r4, cyclo, and acekard support it. So do the m3 real, m3 simply, and DSTT.

The r4 is the easiest to use but the others shouldn't be so difficult, with online guides and a great community like this one it'll be a piece of cake
wink.gif
Therefore, I recommend whichever is cheapest, which is the DSTT.

If you're just going to use homebrew and NOTHING else, you could even get a 256mb microSD card and tons of homebrew would fit on there
rofl2.gif


But if you're going to have music, you'll need more, probably 1gb. If you're going to have lots of videos...
 

Manjack

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Many slot-1 flashcarts almost perfectly fit what you want. R4, M3 real, m3 simply, g6 real, supercard ds one, DSTT, Acekard RPG, etc. can all play music, videos, and support DLDI and therefore support almost all homebrews. But you should get a cart that does autoDLDI patching, so it'll be much less hassle. I think the r4, cyclo, and acekard support it. So do the m3 real, m3 simply, and DSTT.

The r4 is the easiest to use but the others shouldn't be so difficult, with online guides and a great community like this one it'll be a piece of cake
wink.gif
Therefore, I recommend whichever is cheapest, which is the DSTT.

If you're just going to use homebrew and NOTHING else, you could even get a 256mb microSD card and tons of homebrew would fit on there
rofl2.gif


But if you're going to have music, you'll need more, probably 1gb. If you're going to have lots of videos...
Price is third to durability(#2) and performance(#1 priority for me). But yeah, this seems to be getting me closer to a decision. I'm thinking of getting the Cyclo now, and MAYBE the Acekard at a later date, should I ever begin to program(considering my desire to work in robotics, I'm fairly certain I will XD). Is the DSTT similar or better than the Cyclo in performance, anybody?
 

golden

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QUOTE said:
So the Cyclo breaks easily? I thought it was construction issues, rather than actual durability of the materials. And also, which has the best interface? I know the Acekard's customizable, but that's a bit beyond me at the moment is all. I think I'm gonna kick R4 off the list though, it just doesn't seem as interesting as these two. Thanks for the reply!Construction issues? Yes, batch 3 had construction issues, don't know about batch 4 though. Breaks easily? You decide, if it has construction issues then what do you think will happen...*cough*break*cough*
rolleyes.gif


QUOTEPrice is third to durability(#2) and performance(#1 priority for me).
If price is third then R4 wins but you said it was taken out. Don't know why you would though. For durability, I don't know what is the most durable but I have heard cyclo is weak in this department. Most important, for performance, all of them should satisfy you 100% if you want homebrew and media and don't care about ROMs. Cyclo has the best features FOR PLAYING ROMs. Slow motion, real time save, and quick cheats and in game menus. That's the main features of the Cyclo and it would be a waste to buy it IMO if you are never going to use its highlights.


The bottom line is, the cyclo is far superior in running ROMs but if you are never going to use those features, ANY flash cart can work for you as DLDI can have you running all your favorite homebrew, music, and other media. If you want things just for homebrew then I suggest the cheapest and coolest looking cart with the coolest looking GUI. You decide what you like as they will all do the job.
 

gratefulbuddy

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QUOTE said:
So the Cyclo breaks easily? I thought it was construction issues, rather than actual durability of the materials. And also, which has the best interface? I know the Acekard's customizable, but that's a bit beyond me at the moment is all. I think I'm gonna kick R4 off the list though, it just doesn't seem as interesting as these two. Thanks for the reply!Construction issues? Yes, batch 3 had construction issues, don't know about batch 4 though. Breaks easily? You decide, if it has construction issues then what do you think will happen...*cough*break*cough*
rolleyes.gif

I wouldn't praise the black cyclo quality yet. Seems RHS got an entire shipment of defective black CycloDS.
 

MadBob

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To be fair TC posted this.

QUOTE said:
Regarding RHS black Cyclo stock problem, it's a totally different issue that won't affect end users at all. The factory made an error by sending them (and only them) a full batch of CycloDS programmed with an old code. We're in the process of sending them a proper batch.
 

Eyedunno

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Based on your criteria, I can confidently say R4. Easy to use, durable (since the chip is protected by the plastic of the unit, unlike the Cyclo), will run all popular homebrew with no fuss and no screwing around, and it's cheaper than the other two. The biggest problem is that the R4 only supports up to 2GB cards, but for homebrew only, I would assume that's more than enough.

I have a white DS Lite, and I really like the look of the white Cyclo, both in terms of color and label graphics, but other than that, I'm happy with my R4.
 

Manjack

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Gah, well now I feel a bit of a fool XD Thank you all for your input, it's much appreciated. I'm still not entirely sure yet, but I've got a very good idea.
 

Manjack

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I'm planning to go get a CycloDS Black from Gamersection(if their ship to US is cheap), and buy a SanDisk 1GB micro off Ebay. Thank you all for your help!
 

ackers

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I'm planning to go get a CycloDS Black from Gamersection(if their ship to US is cheap), and buy a SanDisk 1GB micro off Ebay. Thank you all for your help!
I wouldn't buy MicroSD cards from eBay if I were you. Many are fakes so you're best off getting one from a reliable store. I'm also buying a black CycloDS from gamersection.ca but they're shipping it to me in the UK! xD
 

hollabackitsobi

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The CycloDS Evolution is by far the best and easiest to use card out there. It DEFINITELY bests the R4 and Acekard R.P.G.

I have one, and it was from the defective batch (which was indeed pretty bad) but mine is working perfectly for me, and of course it auto DLDI patches any homebrew you put onto it so everything works like a charm.

Also, why don't you use them for ROMs? I'd recommend a 2GB Kingston card for speed, and also Rudolph's EZ Dumper, which I'm sure is somewhere on this site. If you buy a Cyclo/R4 and an EZ Flash 3 in 1, you can dump your own games/saves, and save space in your pockets by buying your games and putting them saves and all on a MicroSD card in your slot 1 card of choice. Or, you can just buy the game and download the ROM or something, it just seems easier than carrying everything around.
 

Extreme Coder

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The CycloDS Evolution is by far the best and easiest to use card out there. It DEFINITELY bests the R4 and Acekard R.P.G.

I have one, and it was from the defective batch (which was indeed pretty bad) but mine is working perfectly for me, and of course it auto DLDI patches any homebrew you put onto it so everything works like a charm.

Also, why don't you use them for ROMs? I'd recommend a 2GB Kingston card for speed, and also Rudolph's EZ Dumper, which I'm sure is somewhere on this site. If you buy a Cyclo/R4 and an EZ Flash 3 in 1, you can dump your own games/saves, and save space in your pockets by buying your games and putting them saves and all on a MicroSD card in your slot 1 card of choice. Or, you can just buy the game and download the ROM or something, it just seems easier than carrying everything around.

I wouldn't say BY FAR.. I mean, the M3 DS Real and AceKard RPG are right behind it.
The only thing CycloDS Evo has on the AceKard RPG is the enhanced menu, and the slow-mo stuff. And the AceKard RPG has built-in storage.
 

Manjack

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I'm planning to go get a CycloDS Black from Gamersection(if their ship to US is cheap), and buy a SanDisk 1GB micro off Ebay. Thank you all for your help!

I wouldn't buy MicroSD cards from eBay if I were you. Many are fakes so you're best off getting one from a reliable store. I'm also buying a black CycloDS from gamersection.ca but they're shipping it to me in the UK! xD
I bought a simple 1 GB SanDisk off of a seller with over 5k sales and a 99% positive rating(it's probably higher, as it seems someone on Ebay spammed a lot of bad reviews at the guy at some point) Total cost for it? $11.93 with the shipping. Dunno if I got a good deal, but it was cheap enough I won't feel too guilty. Might spring for a bigger one later, and then I'll go to a different site.
 

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