Other homebrew solutions
The following Slot-1 cards aren't as well-known or popular as the others, but they all run homebrew. Getting a less popular card may put you in danger of infrequent firmware updates, but for the most part if you just want to run homebrew programs, they'll do the trick. Of course, the prices speak in their favor as well.
Acekard 2
Slot-1 (All-in-one)
Also needed: MicroSD card
Price: $25
Find it: DealExtreme
The Acekard has excellent compatibility, and software in constant development by the group at the official message board. It doesn't have any of the fancy extra features of the Cyclo DS, but it has the feature of being quite cheap.
Edge
Slot-1 (All-in-one)
Also needed: MicroSD card
Price: $31
Find it: DealExtreme
The Edge card has a quick, easy-to-use menu interface, which can cycle instantly between three display modes. It also comes in a really cool triangular box. Not that that matters.
DS Top Toy
Slot-1 (All-in-one)
Also needed: MicroSD card
Price: $20
Find it: DealExtreme
The DSTT doesn't allow users to swap skins without removing and renaming files, and it has a slightly annoying menu (lacking alphabetical listing). It's been known to lag or freeze when loading a long list of files. But it works, runs homebrew, and is twenty dollars. Thirty with a bundled 2GB MicroSD card.
N5 Revolution
Slot-1 (All-in-one)
Also needed: MicroSD card
Price: $27
Find it: DealExtreme
It's an R4, but from an even more no-name company, and cheaper. Also, according to GBATemp, it has a nasty habit of killing people's MicroSD cards.
SuperCard DSONE
Slot-1 (All-in-one)
Also needed: MicroSD card
Price: $39
Find it: Leetmod
Be sure to get the "Version 3" or "SDHC" SuperCard DSONE, because it has been updated to support SDHC cards. The latest SuperCard has built-in emulators, but loads more slowly than other flash cards.
EZFlash V
Slot-1 (All-in-one)
Also needed: MicroSD card
Price: $28
Find it: DealExtreme
This is a popular card that, of course, interacts well with the EZFlash V 3-in-1 expansion card. It's also cheap and includes a stylus, a screen cleaner, and a keychain of some kind for some reason.
Jargon flying right over your head? Check out our homebrew glossary for more information!
Acekard 2
Slot-1 (All-in-one)
Also needed: MicroSD card
Price: $25
Find it: DealExtreme
The Acekard has excellent compatibility, and software in constant development by the group at the official message board. It doesn't have any of the fancy extra features of the Cyclo DS, but it has the feature of being quite cheap.
EdgeSlot-1 (All-in-one)
Also needed: MicroSD card
Price: $31
Find it: DealExtreme
The Edge card has a quick, easy-to-use menu interface, which can cycle instantly between three display modes. It also comes in a really cool triangular box. Not that that matters.
DS Top Toy
Slot-1 (All-in-one)
Also needed: MicroSD card
Price: $20
Find it: DealExtreme
The DSTT doesn't allow users to swap skins without removing and renaming files, and it has a slightly annoying menu (lacking alphabetical listing). It's been known to lag or freeze when loading a long list of files. But it works, runs homebrew, and is twenty dollars. Thirty with a bundled 2GB MicroSD card.
N5 RevolutionSlot-1 (All-in-one)
Also needed: MicroSD card
Price: $27
Find it: DealExtreme
It's an R4, but from an even more no-name company, and cheaper. Also, according to GBATemp, it has a nasty habit of killing people's MicroSD cards.
SuperCard DSONE
Slot-1 (All-in-one)
Also needed: MicroSD card
Price: $39
Find it: Leetmod
Be sure to get the "Version 3" or "SDHC" SuperCard DSONE, because it has been updated to support SDHC cards. The latest SuperCard has built-in emulators, but loads more slowly than other flash cards.
EZFlash VSlot-1 (All-in-one)
Also needed: MicroSD card
Price: $28
Find it: DealExtreme
This is a popular card that, of course, interacts well with the EZFlash V 3-in-1 expansion card. It's also cheap and includes a stylus, a screen cleaner, and a keychain of some kind for some reason.
Jargon flying right over your head? Check out our homebrew glossary for more information!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
RupeeClock @ May 20th 2008 11:52AM
This is a really good guide, but you should update the R4 a little bit.
Because it was so popular a year ago, a lot of FAKES are turning up on the internet. (The firmware updates are also quite slow as of these days.)
Eleniel @ May 20th 2008 12:17PM
Good point. The r4ds-forums.com forums have a list of trusted sites and pictures of real and fake R4s for people looking to buy one.
pas @ May 20th 2008 1:56PM
I wished you could have posted something about the gbamp too since anything started with it ;(.
Anyway, nice guide
Aparoid @ May 20th 2008 2:21PM
Pretty good guide. I own a CycloDS and can't say I'm ever turning back. You'll rarely ever see a thread on the support forums with 0 replies.
By the way, that keychain is actually the screen cleaner for the EZ Flash. xD
TurboFool @ May 20th 2008 3:06PM
I've got a DSTT that's been great so far. Only problem I had was one time I tried to access a particularly large program and received file errors. Popped the card in my computer and ran Defraggler and found that that particular file, and another one, was pretty fragmented. Defragged and the game ran flawlessly. So that's an important note that probably applies to all of these: defrag.
doug m @ May 20th 2008 5:49PM
awesome article, definitely made me want to go buy some kits and get into the homebrew scene. now how would someone go about programming for the DS? are there libraries / websites that provide any sample code or documentation?
jrh @ May 21st 2008 2:01PM
You can check out http://forum.gbadev.org/ They have a DS section that has a lot of good info for getting started.
GumbyX84 @ May 20th 2008 7:05PM
Talk about timing. :) I just ordered myself a CycloDS and EZFlash V 3-in-1 last night. I am writing a DS app for my senior project, hopefully a nice eBook Reader or day planner. Nice to know that the CycloDS has such good support. Worth the premium price if you ask me. From what I read, it has next to no problems with homebrew, which makes my life easier.
Heads up though: From what I have been reading, the EDGE is a rip off of the CycloDS. It seems to run the hacked, and less stable, CycloDS hardware and firmware. Not sure if its true, but thought I would give you guys a heads up about it.
Zark Flargg @ May 20th 2008 10:45PM
excellent guide.. i've been eyeballing the EDGE recently as an option to the R4.. it's true that the cool box has brought me back to its page more than once.. i think you guys sold me on the CycloDS
gordo @ May 21st 2008 8:37AM
Great guide, just what I was waiting for to join the homebrew scene.
Just ordered my R4 from game yeeeah!
Robert Barbieri @ May 21st 2008 7:28PM
To those reading this article just a tip/word for the wise:
STAY THE FSCK AWAY FROM DS-XTREME!
it maybe tempting as it has its own built in flash and USB port but I can tell you from personal experience what you pay for it not what you get.
Support is non existent and even mentioning 'commercial' and 'ROM' in the same thread on their forum is an instaban.
They just barely made a half-arsed attempt at the ARM7.BIN problem and you still have to manually DLDI patch things.
Like I said stay the heck from ds-xtreme.