So what IS the best DS Flashcart?

kbf · Apr 28, 2024

Since my acekard2i died I got 2 DSone's off of Aliexpress. One had a PSram error and the other won't boot. I ordered an EZ Flash Parallel but the more I read about it here and on the flashcarts sub reddit the more nervous I am about a potential brick, or having lag in certain games, or maybe just flat out not working. I'm just wondering what flashcart you guys think is the best one.

DinohScene · Apr 28, 2024

DStwo.

genistopitauniverfrocrami · Apr 28, 2024

I assume you mean currently available. You can compare the available carts here.

Current factors to consider are:

- Price (check current).
- DOA rate (mainly DSOnes).
- Shell quality (whether it fits nicely).
- Available kernels (Wood/ EOS/ YSMenu/ BL2CK/ TWiLight Menu++/ random stock kernel/ multiple).
- Ntrboot support (with switch/ flash youself/ one way flash/ none).
- RTS, RTG, slowdown (mainly EOS kernel. You might find RTS on your stock kernel, but I wouldn't compare it to EOS).
- SDHC support (mainly just not Original R4).
- Whether you need a hacked system to use it (apart from DS Phat or Lite).
- In game loading speed (slower on DSOne and EZ-Flash Parallel AFAIK).
- The amount of themes made for your kernel. (See here, here and here).
- Whether the SD card juts past the top (on Ace3DS X and r4i-sdhc.com AFAIK).

To add to that guide:

- DSOne seems to be drying up on Aliexpress ATM but is still available elsewhere. (Refer to the site archive.)
- DSOne is bloated and will bulge the cartridge slot slightly, so keep that in mind.
- If you want "Modern" or "Internal" views (a.k.a. the large icons) in Wood then avoid the Ace3DS X and "Ace3DS+ Clones". (It's broken on those.)
- Original R4 shells fit nicely but the bottom most part is thin and might snap. (It doesn't affect use though.)
- EOS has some unique features but lacks cheat descriptions.
- For high DOA rate, check your marketplace for free returns.

And to answer your last question, I think it's the Original R4. As long as you only keep what you're playing and use a modded system. Probably an unpopular opinion though.

Another World said:
Q: Why did you decide to port the Wood Firmware (for the Acekard RPG) to the R4 Flash Kit?
A: Main reason was to show that support is a most important thing for Flash Kit.

Anyway, that's all I've got. Good luck

kbf · Apr 28, 2024

DinohScene said:
DStwo.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006834266498.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.1.2101UeWzUeWzDD&algo_pvid=5e8abd6b-d600-47b7-8ad9-55f4c520b753&algo_exp_id=5e8abd6b-d600-47b7-8ad9-55f4c520b753-0&pdp_npi=4@dis!CAD!19.26!19.26!!!100.00!100.00!@2101c59517143281356546406e3c59!12000038452320531!sea!CA!1830438585!&curPageLogUid=IH8DxDUKbQ8N&utparam-url=scene:search|query_from: Is this the one you're talking about? there's so many clones and fakes out there.

genistopitauniverfrocrami said:
I assume you mean currently available. You can compare the available carts here.

Current factors to consider are:

- Price (check current).
- DOA rate (mainly DSOnes).
- Shell quality (whether it fits nicely).
- Available kernels (Wood/ EOS/ YSMenu/ BL2CK/ TWiLight Menu++/ random stock kernel/ multiple).
- Ntrboot support (with switch/ flash youself/ one way flash/ none).
- RTS, RTG, slowdown (mainly EOS kernel. You might find RTS on your stock kernel, but I wouldn't compare it to EOS).
- SDHC support (mainly just not Original R4).
- Whether you need a hacked system to use it (apart from DS Phat or Lite).
- In game loading speed (slower on DSOne and EZ-Flash Parallel AFAIK).
- The amount of themes made for your kernel. (See here, here and here).
- The sticker that it comes with (or not. But IMO you'd probably want your own).

To add to that guide:

- DSOne seems to be drying up Aliexpress ATM but is still available elsewhere. (Refer to the site archive.)
- DSOne is bloated and will bulge the cartridge slot slightly (at least on a DS Lite). So keep that in mind.
- If you want "Modern" or "Internal" views (a.k.a. the large icons) in Wood then avoid the "Ace3DS+ Clones". (It's broken on those.)
- I assume that the Ace3DS X would be the same as Ace3DS+ Clones, but I have yet to test it.
- Original R4 shells fit nicely but the bottom most part is thin and might snap. (It doesn't affect use though.)
- EOS has some unique features but lacks cheat descriptions.

And to answer your last question, I think it's the Original R4. As long as you only keep what you're playing and use a modded system. Probably an unpopular opinion though.

Anyway, that's all I've got. Good luck

I remember flashcarts being a lot simpler like 15 or so years ago when I first got into them..damn. Didn't have all these problems either. I guess then the R4DSpro would be the best option for me as I have a DS lite and a DSI XL coming soon that I'll need to hack to get it working. It's been awhile since I modded a DSI but I don't think it was that hard from what I recall. Is it reccomended to buy more than one R4DSpro like the DSone? for the DSone, before they removed it from the reccomended flashcart list said to buy two because they're prone to being defective..

Deleted member 698398 · Apr 28, 2024

kbf said:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006834266498.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.1.2101UeWzUeWzDD&algo_pvid=5e8abd6b-d600-47b7-8ad9-55f4c520b753&algo_exp_id=5e8abd6b-d600-47b7-8ad9-55f4c520b753-0&pdp_npi=4@dis!CAD!19.26!19.26!!!100.00!100.00!@2101c59517143281356546406e3c59!12000038452320531!sea!CA!1830438585!&curPageLogUid=IH8DxDUKbQ8N&utparam-url=scene:search|query_from: Is this the one you're talking about? there's so many clones and fakes out there.

I remember flashcarts being a lot simpler like 15 or so years ago when I first got into them..damn. Didn't have all these problems either. I guess then the R4DSpro would be the best option for me as I have a DS lite and a DSI XL coming soon that I'll need to hack to get it working. It's been awhile since I modded a DSI but I don't think it was that hard from what I recall. Is it reccomended to buy more than one R4DSpro like the DSone? for the DSone, before they removed it from the reccomended flashcart list said to buy two because they're prone to being defective..

I have the R4DSPro running BL2CK. Works great. I use it on my DSi XL too.

kbf · Apr 28, 2024

Sorry if this is a dumb question but just making absolutely sure; in the DSI hacking guide it says you'll need Twilight menu but on the description for the R4DSpro it says not to run YSmenu on it or it could brick. YSmenu and Twilight menu are two different things right?

Deleted member 698398 · Apr 28, 2024

kbf said:
Sorry if this is a dumb question but just making absolutely sure; in the DSI hacking guide it says you'll need Twilight menu but on the description for the R4DSpro it says not to run YSmenu on it or it could brick. YSmenu and Twilight menu are two different things right?

Technically all you need to install on your DSi to use the R4DSPro is Unlaunch. It'll patch the stock DSi home menu to accept blocked flashcarts (as well as removing the region lock on DSi enhanced carts). Just install Unlaunch with the memorypit exploit (takes like 5 minutes max) and set to autoboot "Launcher". You'll be good to go. You can also use Twilight Menu++ as a home menu replacement. Just copy the DSi build of TM to your SD and set Unlaunch to autoboot into that instead. If you use TM as your home menu set the slot-1 launch mode to reboot because direct launch doesn't work with the R4DSPro. I have mine set up that way.

genistopitauniverfrocrami · Apr 29, 2024

genistopitauniverfrocrami said:
Is it reccomended to buy more than one R4DSpro like the DSone? for the DSone, before they removed it from the reccomended flashcart list said to buy two because they're prone to being defective..

I've only head about the high DOA rate for DSOne. Other carts are simpler, less to go wrong.

kbf said:
Sorry if this is a dumb question but just making absolutely sure; in the DSI hacking guide it says you'll need Twilight menu but on the description for the R4DSpro it says not to run YSmenu on it or it could brick. YSmenu and Twilight menu are two different things right?

No worries. Yes, YSMenu and TWiLight Menu++ are different things.

Deleted member 698398 · Apr 29, 2024

Ah. I forgot to mention. Whenever this thing comes out it'll probably take the crown for best flashcart. I can't say for certain though. Seeing how it's not out yet.

The Real Jdbye · Apr 29, 2024

kbf said:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006834266498.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.1.2101UeWzUeWzDD&algo_pvid=5e8abd6b-d600-47b7-8ad9-55f4c520b753&algo_exp_id=5e8abd6b-d600-47b7-8ad9-55f4c520b753-0&pdp_npi=4@dis!CAD!19.26!19.26!!!100.00!100.00!@2101c59517143281356546406e3c59!12000038452320531!sea!CA!1830438585!&curPageLogUid=IH8DxDUKbQ8N&utparam-url=scene:search|query_from: Is this the one you're talking about? there's so many clones and fakes out there.

I remember flashcarts being a lot simpler like 15 or so years ago when I first got into them..damn. Didn't have all these problems either. I guess then the R4DSpro would be the best option for me as I have a DS lite and a DSI XL coming soon that I'll need to hack to get it working. It's been awhile since I modded a DSI but I don't think it was that hard from what I recall. Is it reccomended to buy more than one R4DSpro like the DSone? for the DSone, before they removed it from the reccomended flashcart list said to buy two because they're prone to being defective..

No idea what that flashcart is, but it sure isn't a DSTWO. It's probably not even from SuperCard. It says the brand name is "ZUIDID".
The DSTWO/DSTWO+ hasn't been in production for a while, and they're hard to find because not many people are willing to sell theirs. Even when they were easily available, they were like $40 new. They're even more than that now used.
Still, it remains the best flashcart on the market. No other flashcart has the same feature set. On a 3DS, this may not matter that much, since the main stand out feature is GBA and SNES emulation and this can be done better with 3DS homebrew. On a DS, it's a much bigger deal. Another stand out feature is the in game menu, having cheat searching features that no other flashcart has, as well as being able to turn cheats on and off without rebooting, but those features aren't important to everyone.
Any flashcart that runs Wood R4 and has RTS is great as well, not as good as the DSTWO, but good enough for most people. Many of the clone carts that run Wood R4 lack RTS though (because the open source version that the clones are based on didn't have it), only a few carts that have official Wood R4 support from Yellow Wood Goblin have the RTS feature.

Sinrion · Apr 29, 2024

The Real Jdbye said:
No idea what that flashcart is, but it sure isn't a DSTWO. It's probably not even from SuperCard. It says the brand name is "ZUIDID".
The DSTWO/DSTWO+ hasn't been in production for a while, and they're hard to find because not many people are willing to sell theirs. Even when they were easily available, they were like $40 new. They're even more than that now used.
Still, it remains the best flashcart on the market. No other flashcart has the same feature set. On a 3DS, this may not matter that much, since the main stand out feature is GBA and SNES emulation and this can be done better with 3DS homebrew. On a DS, it's a much bigger deal. Another stand out feature is the in game menu, having cheat searching features that no other flashcart has, as well as being able to turn cheats on and off without rebooting, but those features aren't important to everyone.
Any flashcart that runs Wood R4 and has RTS is great as well, not as good as the DSTWO, but good enough for most people. Many of the clone carts that run Wood R4 lack RTS though (because the open source version that the clones are based on didn't have it), only a few carts that have official Wood R4 support from Yellow Wood Goblin have the RTS feature.

That's just a Ace3DSPlus in disguise.

Checking some of the product pictures in it (scrolling down) shows the Ace3DSPlus AOS.

Jayro · Apr 29, 2024

In my opinion, hunting down some of the older R4i Gold 3DS (RTS) carts rev D or better are worth it. (Rev C had so many issues.)But any cart that can run WOODR4 menu is going to keep you happy, so just pick up a Acekard 3DS cart on AliExpress or whatever, I hear they're pretty good. The EZ-Flash NDS card has some issues that hopefully newer updates can fix, so while it's a nice looking card, that's about all it has going for it is the clear shell.

kbf · Apr 29, 2024

Well I have a DSONE supercard, an EZ-flash paralell still coming in the mail, and I just ordered an R4DSpro off of Aliexpress. I might just keep the EZ flash sealed until better updates come out for it.

Jayro said:
In my opinion, hunting down some of the older R4i Gold 3DS (RTS) carts rev D or better are worth it. (Rev C had so many issues.)But any cart that can run WOODR4 menu is going to keep you happy, so just pick up a Acekard 3DS cart on AliExpress or whatever, I hear they're pretty good. The EZ-Flash NDS card has some issues that hopefully newer updates can fix, so while it's a nice looking card, that's about all it has going for it is the clear shell.

I wasn't able to find the Acekard3DS on Aliexpress when I looked.

Really sucks that the acekard2i isn't being made anymore. I loved that thing and apparently had lower power consumption than most cards. Which the EZ flash I've heard is also suppose to have. But it just seems to iffy right now to risk bricking my consoles with.

4d1xlaan · Apr 30, 2024

dstwo is cool, but it's waaay too power hungry. I got rid of mine.

ak2i with akaio is kind of the goat otherwise, just because you can flash ntrboot to it and simultaneously be able to still use it as a flashcart. and akaio is just kind of the best loader ever made. but I hear acekard tends to have issues with making proper contact.

r4i gold 3ds+ would be a close second I think, having to flip a switch to use ntrboot is a bit annoying but you rarely need to do it, I guess. and there's really not much of a difference between latest wood r4 and latest akaio. I'm really not a fan of the build quality though. feels like flimsy plastic casing, and it never quite fits right in a 3DS (keeps wanting to slant down one side, on DSi it sits straight)

I wish I never replaced my cyclods with the dstwo honestly, that thing was the best. incredible build quality, in line with retail carts, and support lasted long enough that every important game worked on it. I liked its menu and the theming a lot better than akaio/wood too.

So what IS the best DS Flashcart?

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