[DS] Universal DS Homebrew thread. Fucking cheapskates.

I've asked this question before, but it has been about a year and I'm wondering if there is anything out there that I am missing.

I would like something like the R4 that I can download and play DS games on, but also be able to handle NES/SNES/GB/GBC emulators and ROMS. Is there anything stable out there that will do this effectively? I know there is something like it already that really doesn't have a good reputation as far as emulating the older games. Anyone know a good amount about this?

There's nowhere I can't reach.

The DS can handle NES/GBC/GB pretty well. SNES and Genesis unfortunately are still lacking. It's not the cartridge that you should be worried about but the homebrew and the DS hardware capabilities to support the homebrew.

So just get a CycloDS or something comparable already and maybe in the far future there will be some homebrew that does SNES/Genesis emulation justice.


The one thing that I would like to research one of these days is what cards work with the DSi and if there is anything on the DSi that has been unlocked for homebrew and stuff. I'm not really interested in the DSi and of course with it having firmware that makes tinkering all the more difficult but I'm still curious.

How ya doing, buddy?

So far I've seen EZFlash, DSTT, and Acekard with new DSi-compatible models. Cyclo shouldn't be too far behind.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by AcerBandit

The DS can handle NES/GBC/GB pretty well. SNES and Genesis unfortunately are still lacking. It's not the cartridge that you should be worried about but the homebrew and the DS hardware capabilities to support the homebrew.

So just get a CycloDS or something comparable already and maybe in the far future there will be some homebrew that does SNES/Genesis emulation justice.


The one thing that I would like to research one of these days is what cards work with the DSi and if there is anything on the DSi that has been unlocked for homebrew and stuff. I'm not really interested in the DSi and of course with it having firmware that makes tinkering all the more difficult but I'm still curious.

You seem to be a fan of CycloDS, so I was hoping to ask you a few questions. I was reading up on their site, and it says under the CycloDS Evolution section "100% compatibility, supports clean ROM's - works on any OS". Are they talking about DS ROMS, or other ROMS, or both?

Do you recommend Evolution, MiniSD, or MicroSD for my purposes? (Playing DS ROMs, and some older systems ROMs is a plus)

Also, there were a bunch of sites listed on "WHERE 2 BUY", none of which I have used before. Recommendations there? Thanks for your time.

How ya doing, buddy?

For the Cyclo Evolution, you could basically just download the ROM and just drag it in to your micro SD. No need to flash em' or anything.

Cyclos only accept Micro SDs and emulation on it is a little iffy. I haven't really bothered with any of it.

I got mine off of Real Hot Stuff, where they're running a deal with the Cyclo and a 2 gig micro SD starting at $49.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

When I refer to the CycloDS I'm always talking about the Evolution. The other two are pretty asstastic. Evolution is pretty awesome though. The cards Dhsu mentioned should be great as well. And by roms they mean .nds roms which are Nintendo DS roms. There are homebrew .nds files that may be emulators though. I have one for GB/GBC roms that is pretty good. The NES emulator that I've tried works but requires more work than it should. I'd honestly just skip on pretty much all emulation besides GB/GBC but feel free to go test stuff yourself and come to your own conclusions.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by AcerBandit

I have one for GB/GBC roms that is pretty good.

Ooh, mind linking me to this, Acer? I'm feeling a nostalgia wave with Pokemon TCG.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Lameboy - PHWiki

You might have some very slight slowdown in some games but for the most part everything works well and is very playable.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Don't own any DS, but might soon. Anyway, do you think the new DSi will be able to play GBA games using this homebrew stuff or no? If not, then I would get the DS Lite for sure.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by BZ

Don't own any DS, but might soon. Anyway, do you think the new DSi will be able to play GBA games using this homebrew stuff or no? If not, then I would get the DS Lite for sure.

Doubt it, since not many DS Flashcarts play GBA games to begin with. Stick with the DS Lite.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Plus, although this knowledge may be dated, there were some issues getting DSi's to work with "stuff".

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by BZ

Don't own any DS, but might soon. Anyway, do you think the new DSi will be able to play GBA games using this homebrew stuff or no? If not, then I would get the DS Lite for sure.

There are only a few DSi-compatible flashcarts right now. If anything, I'd say wait until flashcarts are totally unnecessary - the thing has an SD slot; I'd wager an exploit will be found before very long.

To answer your question, no, I don't reckon it'll ever be able to play GBA games. The GBA slot isn't present on the new hardware, so it stands to reason that it's lacking the requisite software/firmware, too.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by KrelEN

There are only a few DSi-compatible flashcarts right now. If anything, I'd say wait until flashcarts are totally unnecessary - the thing has an SD slot; I'd wager an exploit will be found before very long.

To answer your question, no, I don't reckon it'll ever be able to play GBA games. The GBA slot isn't present on the new hardware, so it stands to reason that it's lacking the requisite software/firmware, too.

Isn't it possible to run a homebrew GBA emulator though? I'm probably missing something here, I'm pretty new to these applications.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Theoretically, yes. However, because the games would be running through an emulation layer and not natively on the hardware, it'd be about as fast as wading through molasses.

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by KrelEN

Theoretically, yes. However, because the games would be running through an emulation layer and not natively on the hardware, it'd be about as fast as wading through molasses.

Ah, I see I see. So someone would have to make a GBA emulator designed to run on the DS... which is unlikely I guess. Good thing I have a rockin' DS Lite!!

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Yeah, if you want to be doing homebrew or playing DS roms I'd really avoid the DSi right now. Plus the whole thing is pretty lame. It costs more and you lose features and have to jump through unnecessary hoops. Just get a DS lite.

And I wouldn't ever expect a GBA emulator on the DS (especially one that actually works well). I mean the DSi might supply a need for one but I really have my doubts. Don't go buying a DSi expecting one in the future.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

For those living in Japan, you will no longer be able to legally purchase the R4. There's not enough information to go by to see if it affects other similar carts or if R4 is just targeted for being the biggest/most popular brand, or if it affects sales in other regions. Still, there you have it, no more R4 for Japanese consumers.

Sources:
Nintendo: Japanese Court Blocks Sales Of The DS's R4 Cart
Tokyo District Court bans R4 flash carts for DS, news, DS news, PocketGamer.biz
bit-tech.net | Nintendo blocks sale of R4 carts in Japan

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Well don't they sell these under non-japanese websites correct?

Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by AcerBandit

I wish folks would read the last few pages of a topic they seem to be interested in. It might help them a bit what with the information they might contain. =/

That said the cyclo is the better of those choices. It'll even do GBC and Master System emulation. In order to play GBA games you will require a slot 2 device.

My recommendation to you is a Cyclo DS Evolution and an EZ 3 in 1 slot 2 card (ezflash V).

Here, I'll even give you my recommended place for buying these things:

Cyclo: CycloDS Evolution, CycloDS, Cyclo DS Evo

ezflash V (assuming you have a ds lite): EZ Flash Expansion 3 in 1


Further advice should you decide to purchase these: Don't use the piece of shit USB microSD transfer device that comes with the Cyclo. I've bought four Cyclos and that piece of crap USB device fucks up the microSD card just about every time. Use the USB transfer device that comes with your microSD card instead. I've had no problems with the 8 GB microHCSD cards they offer you with your purchase. It's worth it.

Ok If I go this option. One question I have is, how much space is the 2gb micro sd card? Probably already mentioned somewhere in this thread, but what is the average and/or maximum size of a DS game in MB? I am just wondering how many games a 2gb can hold.
And is this the crap USB device you mention on the bottom? http://gbatemp.net/reviews/cyclods/PICT3999.JPG

So you are saying I have to buy an additional memory card to get some other USB transfer device? I bought a flash memory card for my GPS before, and it didnt come with no transfer device (i just used the usb cable that came with the device). I am not following you exactly. sorry

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

DS roms usually range from 8mb - 128mb (usually RPGs). I think acer means that you should use the USB adapter that comes with the micro sd card rather than the one that comes with the Cyclo. Since in that picture it's only the cart & adapter, I'm guessing you need to buy a micro sd card separately. (I'm using M3 Real btw)

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

But it doesnt even say anything about the usb adapter with sd card here. CycloDS Evolution, CycloDS, Cyclo DS Evo

Does it come with the Kingston 2gb?

If not this one 4 gb will be fine right. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820134794

I was speaking idiomatically.

The adapter that came with my CycloDS has worked perfectly fine for me. I think the first generation of USB adapters they bundled with it had a pretty high defect rate, but I bought mine a bit later and it's been perfectly happy.

Also, typically microSD cards will come bundled with a card the size of a normal-SD card which the microSD chip can slide into, and thus have its info transferred back and forth to the PC like any normal SD card.

That 4GB card will work fine with any Cyclo, though it won't work with older devices which don't support SDHC.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Yeah, realhotstuff sells sdhc cards on their website. Those things come with a very good adapter if you're hesitant on using the one that comes with your cyclo. Honestly, just bite the bullet and get an 8 gb sdhc card. That way you'll have plenty of room for your games, homebrew, and even music if you so choose. I have 100 plus DS games, 40 plus GBA games, and plenty of homebrew with a decent amount of room to spare on my 8 gb microsdhc card. 2 gigs will get you like 20 to 40 games. That's reasonable enough for most folks but I like being able to have just about everything I'd want on my DS on one card without really worrying about space.

FELIPE NO

I bought the 4gb kingston. So that is 2+4 = 6. Should be more then enough space. I mean it doesn't seem hard to switch cards anyway.

Anyways I think I am going to go with the Crimson Red Dslite.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by AcerBandit

Yeah, realhotstuff sells sdhc cards on their website. Those things come with a very good adapter if you're hesitant on using the one that comes with your cyclo. Honestly, just bite the bullet and get an 8 gb sdhc card. That way you'll have plenty of room for your games, homebrew, and even music if you so choose. I have 100 plus DS games, 40 plus GBA games, and plenty of homebrew with a decent amount of room to spare on my 8 gb microsdhc card. 2 gigs will get you like 20 to 40 games. That's reasonable enough for most folks but I like being able to have just about everything I'd want on my DS on one card without really worrying about space.

What slot-2 solution are you using that you're storing GBA roms on the SD card, Acer?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I think he said the EZ Flash Expansion 3 in 1

How is the 3 in 1 ez expansion compatible with the Opera web browser by the way? Doesnt the browser have to go in this slot. Or is the web browser already part of the EZ flash expansion?

There's nowhere I can't reach.