v0.9 by Mooney (Last edit: May 17, 2008)
Still a lot to work on...

Intro

Whether you're getting in to NDS homebrew or you've grown tired of buying games that look good only to find out they're crap, you've probably become interested in purchasing a flashcard for your NDS. Flashcards for NDS are incredibly useful things. Not only do they allow you to play homebrew and backups of your original games, most of them will also let you listen to music, watch videos, and view picture files. Each cart has its own pros and cons, so you have to look carefully for the cart that is right for you.

What you need to know

The difference between slot-1 and slot-2

This seems to be one of the main things that baffles first time buyers. What's the difference and why the heck should you care?

Pictures:
Slot-1 on the NDS Lite
Slot-2 on the NDS Lite
Slot-1 and slot-2 on the original NDS

The difference between NDS slot-2 flashcards and GBA flashcarts

Slot-2 NDS flashcards are NOT the same as GBA flashcarts. The main difference is that slot-2 flashcards generally use seperate memory cards to store ROMs while GBA flashcarts have on-board flash memory. Since a flashcart’s memory is not expandable, and usually fairly small to begin with, they are quickly going from new technology to fossils of the past. Also, many of them have rather poor compatibility with NDS ROMs. Therefore, I will not talk about them in this guide.

Quick Overview

- Slot-1: This is the DS game card slot located on the top of the system. This slot can be used for original DS game cards, a pass device (PassMe, NoPass), or for a DS flashcard (M3 Simply, SuperCard DS).

Pros: Fits right into the slot, does not require any additional hardware, relatively cheap, can be used as a PassMe.
Cons: Cannot play GBA homebrew or backups, low compatibility with some of the early DS homebrew, too expensive to be used just as a PassMe.

- Slot-2: This is the GBA cart slot on the bottom of the system. This slot is for original GBA carts, DS option packs (Rumble pack, Opera memory expansion), GBA flashcarts (EFA, EZ-Flash), or slot-2 NDS flashcards.

Pros: Can play GBA games, great homebrew compatibility.
Cons: Requires additional hardware to play NDS homebrew and backups, rather expensive.

Slot-1

As the latest addition to an NDS owner's homebrew arsenal, the main advantage to slot-1 cards would seem to be that they fit right into the DS card slot and they don't require any other hardware (other than a memory stick, of course), so they are easy to set up and start using. Most slot-1 carts will let you drag and drop your homebrew and game backups right on to your memory card so there's no hassle with extra software. These carts will also works with DS option packs, such as Opera's memory upgrade and the DS rumble pack.

Unfortunately, even clouds with silver linings are still clouds. A huge drawback with slot-1 cards is that they cannot play GBA homebrew/backups/emulators. You may not realize the magnitude of this until you realize that some of the best emulators are for GBA (PocketNES, Goomba, SMSAdvance, PCEAdvance) and not DS.

Required Equipment

- Slot-1 flashcard
- Memory Card (Usually microSD or microSDHC)
- Memory Card Reader/Writer

Another feature that most clot-1 cards have is the ability to act as a NoPass device. This means you could use your slot-1 device to run NDS games off of a slot-2 device. However, I would not recommend getting a slot-1 device just for that feature, go with a product whose only function is to be a NoPass device. It'll be cheaper yet just as reliable.

SDHC

Most new slot-1 carts support SDHC (Secure Digital High-Capacity) cards. SDHC cards have a much higher capacity that regular SD cards (from 4GB to 8GB, soon to 16GB) and come in 3 speeds:

- Class 2: 2 MB/s
- Class 4: 4 MB/s
- Class 6: 6 MB/s

NOTE: SDHC cards will only work on slot-1 cards that support it.


Popular Devices

- R4DS
- CycloDS Evolution *
- M3DS Real *
- M3 Simply
- TopToy DS *
- SuperCard DS One
- EZ-Flash V
- AceKard R.P.G. *
- AceKard 2 *

* Supports SDHC

Pros

- Only takes up one slot
- Compatible with DS expansion carts (RAM expansion, rumble, etc)
- Supports drag-and-drop of clean ROMs
- Not very expensive

Cons

- Does not support GBA ROMs without a slot-2 expansion pak
- Not very compatible with older homebrew (Homebrew usually requires a DLDI patch to work on a slot-1 device)

Get more info on DLDI here: Mooney's Complete Guide to DLDI


Slot-2

The first generation of flashcards made for the NDS were slot-2. As I mentioned before, slot-2 flashcards go in the GBA slot located on the bottom of the NDS. Most people who buy slot-2 cards do so because they want to be able to play GBA games and emulators, which slot-1 does not support. However, slot-2 flashcards usually do not support the convenient drag-and-drop method for writing ROMs to the memory card that slot-1 cards support, they usually require software to write ROMs. Also, since you need an extra piece of equipment to run NDS games and emulators from a slot-2 device, it can get a bit pricey.

Required Equipment

- Slot-2 flashcard
- Memory card (Usually SD, MicroSD, MiniSD, or CF)
- Memory Card Reader/Writer

Optional Equipment

- Pass Device (PassMe, PassKey, NoPass, WifiMe)

A pass device is not required to use a slot-2 flashcard. However, if you want to be able to run NDS games or emulators off of your slot-2 device, a pass device is required. The only alternative is FlashMe, but installation of FlashMe requires a pass device to get started. For more info on pass devices, please scroll farther down the page.

Popular Devices

- M3 Family: Pro, Perfect, Lite, Slim, Mini.
Memory Cards used by M3 adapters: CF, SD, MiniSD, MicroSD

- SuperCard Family: CF, SD, MiniSD, Lite, Rumble (Does not support GBA mode)
Memory Cards used by SuperCard adapters: CF, SD, MiniSD, MicroSD

Pros

- Support for GBA games and emulators
- High compatibility with older homebrew
- Works with all models of the NDS
- Compatible memory cards are relatively cheap

Cons

- Requires a pass device to play NDS games and emulators
- Flashcards are rather expensive
- Does not support drag-and-drop
- Do not support some newer homebrew designed for slot-1 cards

Pass Devices

Anyone with a slot-2 flashcard who wants to play NDS games will need one of these. A pass device is a piece of hardware that you insert into the DS card slot (slot-1) of the DS that allows you to load NDS games off of a slot-2 flashcard. It must be noted, however, that the model and firmware of your DS will decide which pass devices are right for you, as not all pass devices work with all models of DS.

How to Check Your DS’s Firmware

The following set of steps will allow you to determine the firmware of your NDS, and therefore help you choose a compatible pass device.

1. Insert an official (commercial) GBA or NDS cartridge into the DS.
2. Turn on your DS, enter Pictochat, and enter any chat room.
3. Once you have entered the chat room, remove the GBA or NDS cartridge from the DS without turning the DS off.
4. Something should happen to both your screens, usually a change in color:

- No change in color (Pictochat freezes): Firmware v1
- Both screens turn blue-gray: Firmware v2
- Both screens turn dark green: Firmware v3 (iQue DS systems have this firmware)
- Both screens turn yellow: Firmware v4
- Both screens turn purple: Firmware v5 (Most DS Lites have this firmware)
- Both screens turn dark blue: Firmware v6

^ Click for pictures ^

Now that you have determined your firmware, here is a list of pass devices and the firmwares they support.

Popular Devices

Pass Devices for Firmwares v1-v3 (Requires a commercial NDS cartridge)

- PassMe
- EZPass
- SuperPass
- PassKey

WifiMe is another option for people who’s NDS has firmware v1, v2, or v3.

Pass Devices for Firmwares v1-v6 (Not compatible with GBA Movie Player, requires a commercial NDS cartridge)

- EZPass2
- PassMe2
- PassCard 2
- PassKey 2

NoPass (Compatible with all firmwares and flashcards)

- EZPass3
- MAX Media Launcher
- PassCard3 (Not compatible with EZ-Flash IV)
- MK4 Mini
- MK4 Key
- SuperKey (Not compatible with EZ-Flash IV)
- Ninjapass Media Launcher
- Action Replay DS (With firmware 1.02 or later, hold “select” while booting up with an NDS flashcard in the GBA slot)

NoPass is becoming the most popular pass device today because it does not require a commercial NDS cartridge to be inserted into the device and it does not stick out of the DS slot at all.


Coming Soon
- Any changes I might make
- Anything someone might suggest to include
- Probably a whole crapload of edits and additions


Special Thanks
- lakalt (Pictures of firmwares v3, v4, and v5)
- iq_132 (Picture of firmware v2)


Sources
http://wiki.pocketheaven.com/DS_Firmware
http://wiki.pocketheaven.com/PassMe
http://wiki.pocketheaven.com/PassMe2
http://wiki.pocketheaven.com/NoPass
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PassMe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy_Adva...lash_cartridges
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M3_adapter

A few minor updates, more to come tonight.

- Added pictures of DSes showing their true colors (firmwares)
- Made a few small changes

Hi Mooney,

Every nice guide, thanks for putting it up. But I am still bit confused about some stuff....

For the Slot 1 cards, says they play NDS "CLEAN" ROMs..... what does that mean? I often see bit-torrents of NDS ROMs for download. Are most of them "clean"? If they are clean, they should work just by copying the ROM file onto the card and boot up my DS?

Also, which of the slot 1 cards do you recommend personally? I dont have much interest on GBA games, so slot 1 cards are perfect for me.

I'm not Mooney, but I can maybe answer your questions. Older cards would require that you run the games through a program on your pc to patch them so that they would be playable on the card. Most games that you see for download are "clean" and if you have a card that supports clean roms, it will run them just fine if you put them on your card.


I have (as does Mooney) and recommend an R4DS. It supports external SD Micro cards up to 2GB (Gigabytes), allowing for swapping them in and out. It is a slot 1 card, has a good team that fixes most problematic games as soon as they are dumped (Legend of Zelda was fixed a few hours after being on the net), it gets updates regularly, the firmware (which is simple and safe to upgrade), supports cheats and a "soft-reset" which takes you back to the firmware.
The M3DS Simply is exactly the same card as the R4DS, they just get the firmware updates a little later.
Also, the R4DS/M3DSS are very inexpensive $40-$50USD. And you can find a MicroSD card online for ~$25USD for a 2GB one.

The only major cons of the R4 is that it's download-play support isn't great (but is being worked on), the spring for the SD slot can only take so much of a beating before it breaks, and it doesn't support GBA games (but this is true for all Slot-1 solutions).

Other cards that you may find interesting are the CycloDS the G6DS Real.

I personally recommend the R4DS as well. I have one and love it dearly.

so a m3 is no different from r4? then why do you recommend r4 over m3?

Because it's what I own, obviously.

The R4 gets the updates sooner and is often cheaper.

The homepage has been down for a week or two now, though.

so if i get R4, i can only play NDS and not GBA? hmm anyway to play both?

Not unless you buy a slot-2 solution as well. There are some very cheap, good ones out there. I'd suggest the EZ Flash 3-in-1.

Yes, with slot-1 devices (such as the R4DS), you'll only be able to play DS games. To be able to play slot-2 games you'll need to get a slot-2 device.

hi everyone, am new here and i wanted to ask something regarding the r4, you see in shops (like amazon ebay etc) it seems to be quite a lot of r4 and all of them seem to be quite different, so is there anyway to tell which its actually the r4 and which isn't? (none of the pages list the r4 team as the seller)

thanks ^^

Honestly, I wouldn't buy the R4 from Amazon. Looking there, the prices are a bit steep (~45USD is about right). There are two different colors of R4DS (white & black), and two different styles (one with a spring in the MicroSD slot, and one with a slide-in MicroSD slot).
The M3DS Simply is the same thing, but gets the updates a little later (usually within 24 hours).

i see your point, but unfortunately for me,i can't buy from somewhere else (i don't live in the Us. so it's like my best choice) so both of the r4 are original ones? and fully functional? no difference between the two in software? (sorry for bothering so much but it's kinda scary when you buy something from internet with little knowledge of it)

The black one is much more common, the software is, more-or-less, the same (there is different software for English, Japanese, and Chinese R4s).
The R4 is one of the best cards out there (the only real cons are that it doesn't support Micro SDHC cards and Wii connectivity for the Pokemon games and you need a slot-2 device for GBA games [like all slot-1s]).

I see your location is in South America, I'm sure that you may be able to find a reputable online store somewhere a little closer & cheaper.

Thanks for the info ^^ and i hope i can play with you by wi-fi sometime

Anyone tried the M3DS Real?

I've ordered one with a GBA expansion card as well- it seems to have the same features as the R4- auto-DLDI patching, Download and Play etc. - but also with a built in Action Replay system, is obviously bundled with a GBA slot-2 device and also supports SDHC memory.

Hey, I'm new to the site.

It seems that most of you favour the R4, but I was wondering what you guys think of the CycloDS? It seems to have everything that the R4 has and more. Here's what the site says:

"CycloDS Evolution Features


Completely plug & play - no FlashMe, PassMe or PC software required
100% game compatibility, supports clean ROM's - works on any OS
Full NDS download play support, including problem games such as Mario Kart DS
Action Replay compatible cheat code engine, comes bundled with cheat codes for over 300 games!
Uses MicroSD card, both FAT16 and FAT32 supported
Supports the MicroSDHC specification, allowing for high capacity memory cards
Save type is automatically detected, no need for a save type database
Save directly to MicroSD rather than onboard flash
User friendly, easily skinnable interface. Both touch screen and button operation supported
Multi-lingual user interface
"Enhanced Mode" which provides powerful, unique features during game play. Enhanced features are activated through an in-game menu. Enhanced mode features include:
Adjust LCD brightness during game play (NDSLite only)
SlowMotion mode which can be used to slow down game play to make fast paced action sequences easier to master
Return to CycloDS Evolution Menu (aka soft reset)
More features to come!
Excellent homebrew compatibility thanks to the DLDI auto-patcher
2 megabytes of onboard flash memory which contains the CycloDS Evolution OS and will be utilised in the future to add exciting new features. A recovery mode is also included.
Autoboot mode which when activated will directly boot into the last ROM or homebrew application executed
Moonshell included to provide media playing functionality
PassMe function (boot from slot 2)
Supports rumble and memory expansions"

(Here's the link to the site: http://www.cyclopsds.com/cgi-bin/cyclods/e...clodsevolution)

Does anyone have this one, what do they think of it? Was anyone going to get this one and decided against it? If so, why?

And lastly, can someone tell me the difference between the CycloDS Evolution, CycloDS MiniSD, CycloDS MicroSD, and CycloDS Key? It seems to me that the CycloDS Evolution has the function of all of them, or am I mistaken?

Any help would be much appreciated.


OMG there's a Spidey smiley, I must put it!

well the R4 gets firmware updates, but the only thing I saw that seemed new(not counting of which was to come) was:
SlowMotion mode

other than that, the R4 has everything else, and is also more recommended as CycloDS is more of a 3rd party device than the others.

The R4 works just fine for me, you can make your own cheat database and so forth.

DragonMinded, LiraNuna, and a few others have said that the R4 has crappy DLDI, but the CycloDS has good DLDI. While this probably doesn't mean much to non-devs, it's just something to think about.

Yea... what's a dev or in this case, "non-dev"? And you have an R4, right? Do you think it has crappy DLDI?

Edit: When I went to the "Where to Buy" page on the R4 page none of the links would work and it didn't say anywhere...

And when I went to the where to buy page for the CycloDS it had a few different websites.

Are there any actual stores that sell these? (Besides the Datel ones that you can get at like WalMart, etc.)

Dev is short for developer, so a non-dev is someone who does not program their own game/apps. As for the R4's DLDI, it always seems to work just fine for me.

Ah, ok.

I just read that the CycloDS Evo does have firmware updates. I'm reading a lot of different forums and it seems that the two that are most often recommended are the R4 and the CycloDS Evo. The thing is is that I don't know anything about this kind of stuff so I'm learning as I go.

Basically, I'm trying to figure out which one to get, either the R4 or the CycloDS Evo, based on four things: 1) Ease of use, 2) Able to do a variety of different things/run a variety of homebrew aps, 3) Price, 4) Where can I get it from that's reputable and not have to pay a lot for shipping and wait forever for it to arrive.

Also, I already have an Action Replay (I got it before I learned about homebrew and stuff), so when I get either the R4 or CycloDS Evo, can I still use the Action Replay or does it take the place of it?

I haven't noticed ANY DLDI problems

about the action replay:
It already contains an action replay built into it(for the roms you may have on it)
you can take the save off your real games and with a conversion have it for use on the device
so the action replay is completely useless unless you still want to use the real physical NDS cards, I just run all my games on my R4 so I never have to worry about loosing a game or taking any with me, since they are ALL on my R4
I actually sold mine to my friend after I got my R4.

Well, I don't mind having the actual games since I plan on using either the R4 or the CycloDS Evo primarily for homebrew aps, movies, and music. And as for it already having the action replay built in, I figured as much - just my luck. But meh, what're ya gonna do.

Still doesn't help me decide which one to get, though .

(Is it me, or are there more smileys today than there were yesterday?)

Well I've been using my M3 Real for a week or so now. Not much to say except that it has 100% compatibility with NDS roms, homebrew and GBA roms as far as I can tell. Features that might not be apparent from the official site include;

-GBA Slot-2 Card doubles as a RAM / Browser Pak
-You can boot roms directly from the GBA menu list- no emulator required for NES, SMS, PCE, GB, SGB, GBC, GG roms.
-In-built cheat database, RTS and reset options.

I have a NDS with the v3 Firmware.

What do I need to buy, and where would be the best place to buy it?

You've got a few options:
- Get a PassMe device and a GBA flashcart (the most old-school option)
- Get a PassMe device and an NDS slot-2 flashcard
- Get a slot-1 flashcard (the newest, and probably best, solution)

You can get all of these at places like Divineo, DealExtreme, EchoStore, etc. Google is your friend.

very very useful thread. ive been interested in this for a while but I have been on the fence about which to get. props man^^

This thread is way out of date at this point, but it is hard to keep up with all this stuff so I understand. The hot products now (best on the market) are the following (although the MicroSD could be replaced with a MicroSDHC, but it's not as widely accepted, however it does work in the CycloDS):

***CycloDS Evolution (comes in black and white, identical innards)
[This is what lets you run the MicroSD card on your DS, runs DS software only]
http://www.electrobee.com/cyclods-evolution-p-33.html

***Kingston MicroSD 2Gb (make sure it is made in Japan, they're faster)
[This is what you store all your files on]
http://www.electrobee.com/product_info.php...;products_id=30

***EZ-Flash V 3-in-1 Expansion Pack (get the white, NOT the black, there is a difference)
[This allows you to run GBA games, GBA launched DS software, rumble, and RAM expansion]
http://www.realhotstuff.com/expansion-pack-p-194.html

***DS Motion Pak (you don't need this, it's just extra for fun)
[Motion detection ]
http://www.electrobee.com/ds-motion-pak-p-25.html

You will definitely need the CycloDS Evolution and Kingston MicroSD 2Gb.
The EZ-Flash is highly recommended as it gives you that extra RAM, rumble, and all the GBA stuff, however you do NOT need it to run 100% of the licensed DS software out there and 95% of the homebrew DS stuff out there, but it will let you run that stuff better due to more RAM and with the rumble feature. If you want to run GBA stuff at all, however, you do need it. You cannot run GBA stuff from just the CycloDS and MicroSD.
The DS Motion Pak is purely for fun. Check out http://ndsmotion.com/ to see what it does and what games it works with, but feel free to hold off on getting it until you feel you want it. It's just a piece of hardware you should know about and consider.

Erm, you need it for the official Web browser software.

Also, the Cyclo is good, the Edge is a very nice clone of that.
Other great available options are the m3/g6 real, the DS Top Toy, and the Supercard One (iirc has MicroSDHC support).

The m3ds Simply / R4DS is also a very good option with quite a broad userbase, incredibly simple to use, decent support, etc.

I've had an r4ds for almost a year with no complaints.

so as it stands right now the r4 sounds like the best slot-1 to go for, i was thinking of getting a ez-flash 5 but will check the prices now.

just a quick question regarding gba compatibility of the slot2 devices, does m3 or ez-flash families have better gba compatibility?

M3DSReal is better than the R4DS. It has 100% GBA compatibility and comes with a Slot2 card especially for that which can read roms off your main SD card in Slot1.

that sounds right on, although I have only been able to find the m3 slot 1 with rumble gba cart so far where I am right now. In fact some shop owners have looked border-line insulted that I waS asking for a gba flashcart considering the number of legit gba carts they had for sale. the crackdown on r4 I read about overhere is looking realistic as they are all trying to sell the TTds slot-1 card.

What's a trustworthy site to order an M3DS Real package from? I'm not sure what the rumble cart is, but I definitely want the GBA cart with it.

The rumble cart is a cartridge that goes in the GBA slot that a few DS games use to produce a rumble effect (How's that for pointing out the obvious? ), just like a rumble pack for N64.

As for a trustworthy site, I guess I'd say Gameyeeeah, DealExtreme, or Divineo, since Jandaman doesn't seem to have it.

Divineo looks goods, that's where I was before. Even has a buy in bulk option. I might toss the idea to The Basement, see if anyone else wants one.

So I ended up buying it from DealExtreme, it's still en route, though. I have a question about the Slot-2 device. From the way it's shaped, it looks like it'll only fit into a DS Lite. I don't have a problem with buying a DS Lite, it means I can give my old DS to someone, but I sort of need to know if it'll fit.

I'll assume your question was about whether the slot-2 device is for Lite only?

Yes, the slot-2 device included with the M3 DS Real is for DS Lites only. It will not fit in an old, fat DS.

That was my question, yes. I thought it was pretty clear, but thanks for answering, regardless.

the best place to get a cyclods evolution is probably realhotstuff.com.
I made an account on realhotstuff and payed with visa card.
i ordered it february 18th and i got it at 9:47 AM on February 23, 2009.
it was free shipping too
it took 5 days
it was shipped from new jersey to washington state

and cyclods evo is really good because
it can play commercial roms and
it has cheat codes and
it has a real time save function and
it has a wide game compatibility and
it can use different skins and
it can play dpg video and
it can play a wide range of audio formats and
it comes with a usb card reader and
it has auto dldi patching and
it is stylus and dpad operated and
it has an in-game text reader and
it has a wide array of languages to choose from. more than the ds lite has and
it supports download play and
it comes with a cheat managing program and a rom trimmer and
it has an in-game slow motion feature and
it can return to main menu anytime even during applications or gameplay and
it has an in-game brightness control (ds lite only) and
it is compatible with action replay codes and
it supports micro SDHC cards (biggest is 16GB i think) and
it doesn't require any pc software and
it supports Wii connectivity and
it includes 2 MB of onboard flash so the firmware can be updated and
it can automatically boot the last ROM or homebrew booted and
it has a recovery mode and
it comes with moonshell and
it has a passme function (which means you can boot something from slot 2) and
it comes in a cool metal case that sort of looks like a mint tin and
it supports rumble packs and memory expansions (like the opera browser uses).


not really good because:
it has a usb card reader that can potentially fry your micro SD card (happened to me before) i recommend a micro sd to sd adapter and a big clunky multi card usb reader with a long cord and costs more than $15. that one works nice. nice and reliable and
it cant boot gba files directly from slot 1 (nothing can) and
it's micro SD slot makes it hard to pull the micro SD out (with 32 GB, who needs to take it out?) and
it only supports clean roms (don't know what the heck that means) and
it is expensive ($50 US) and
it cant play all video types (like mpg, avi, wmv, mov, etc) and
it is not available in stores (not many flash carts are).

I found:
27
6

so it is 81.81r%

and it is 18.18r%
(r means repeating cause i cant effectively put a bar over the numbers)

____________________________________________

also, somebody better make a gba emulator for the dsi 'cause it ain't got no slot 2.
finally we have a reason to boot gba roms from slot 1!

dont buy games n music. sucks. it just sucks. i used to have one. believe me it sucks.

does the cyclods support nds roms that have been trimmed by tokyo trimmer? it sais cyclods supports only clean roms.