Best cards for DS and 3DS?

[Rich666]

I am a total and utter novice to doing stuff like this with the DS and 3DS, I'm looking to play games off the memory card/stick in any case.
I want to play it like I do with the PSP (which I am much more familiar with), games that were originally made for the system/s plus any compatible retro games from whichever system like Atari, Genesis, Gameboy etc. like the ones that work on the PSP.

What is the best card to get for both and what do I need etc. to get it working? I read that I need a micro SD card (like the ones that go in the adapter inside a PSP?) and some kind of adapter for the DS and 3DS of course. I ideally want one for each of my consoles DS and 3DS respectively if possible so what is the best one to get for both?

Also what is the file structure like when putting stuff on the card? As I say I am only really familiar with what folders go where on the PSP so is it anything like that or more complicated?

Thanks all

[Zorlon]

Wait for the SuperCard DSTWO + to get released

Otherwise it's the SuperCard DSTWO for DS native & GBA, SNES and other emulated systems but that has stopped production to make way for the + version and the Gateway card just for 3DS games

All kits use micro SD's currently

DS kits from day one have all custom file structures but easy enough to follow, but slightly different per kit, every card/kit has what is called a kernal that is placed on the root of the SD card, it's a bit like CFW I guess but a bit more as it is the software that runs the cart and gives it the gui you see on screen, hence why each kit is slightly different

Games must be extracted same as PSP but in nds format normally stored in a roms folder some kits let you customize that storage location though or just let you browse the entire micro SD

P.S. the SuperCard DSTWO + is due out by the end of the month but there is no official notice yet so only time will tell, but it is true that the production of the original DSTWO kit has halted and is no longer made, that is still sad news as it is the best DS software flash kit for the DSi/3DS

Some of the reasons why the Supercard DSTWO out does it's competition is full compat without patches or issues that other cards lack, other things are the extra ram it has on-board enabling GBA and SNES custom built emulators to run utilizing the extra ram, though there are are other GBA and SNES emulators out there but they do not use the extra ram made available by this kit, but for me the emulation is not a good enough reason to get the kit but the DS compat without the need for extra patching is

Cheaper cards for DS are not that bad though they can play most software fine and AP patch any that don't

All DS kits have issues with the few games that use extra hardware though because some of the DS software also used slot 2 carts/packs e.g. Rumble,Guitar keys,Light reaction & other little gadgets that the 3DS and DSi do not support

[Rich666]

So the same card (the one coming out) will work for both DS and 3DS? If so then that's pretty handy if it's basically the same kind of setup. How much do these things go for/how much would you expect it to cost once it IS available?

I'll probably need help setting it all up anyway, most of the video guides and stuff are years old by now sadly.

[Zorlon]

No idea yet no price details have been released yet

From the sounds of it yes it supports both DS and 3DS from one card

Step 1 Download the OS from www.supercard.sc.
Step 2 Unzip and copy the system folder _dstwo to the root of microSD.
Step 3 Copy the game files to the microSD, insert the microSD into DSTWO.

sounds kinda easy to me, what about you

a video of something so simple is not really needed

[Rich666]

I guess I just assumed it was complicated But I also assume the retro games need their own folders and stuff, so I'll have to work that out later when I have the actual card and stuff (just because I learn better by seeing stuff).

So is there some site that is selling it that can be trusted not to sell crappy knockoffs? That way I assume it will also give a release date, or at least say 'FOR SALE' when it is actually available.

[Zorlon]

Emulation is a bit more complicated yes, but not that bad

best bet at the moment would be to look at the officially listed dealer sites at http://eng.supercard.sc/

you can if you wanted look at the setup there for the DSTWO and how it functions though it may be a bit different for the DSTWO+ kit.

at the moment they do not list the DSTWO+ anyway, just a few Q posts in there forum

there are no knockoffs yet though anyway

a couple of stores have the card listed already but as out of stock so yes will have a buy option when it is released, but none have dates yet, just this month listed.

[Rich666]

Are there/will there be any firmware issues like with the PSP stuff?
I read about a way to check firmware on the DS (tried it and it worked) but from what I can tell the colour the screens show indicates I have version 5, despite the fact that I bought the DS years ago and have never updated it once.

[Zorlon]

It's only the newest 3DS that may have issues otherwise the 2DS, 3DSXL and 3DS are fine but there is a newer 3DS released after the 2DS was that I wouldn't know about

2DS 3DS & XL all use the same firmware

Do note it is best to make sure you do not update the firmware though as the kit may get blocked via a 3DS update that will effect all 3 systems

It should work with firmware 9.4.x

DS and DS-Lite did not have this issue it is only since the DSi was released that has firmware updates direct to the console so DSi DSi XL 3DS 3DSXL & 2DS plus whatever the new 3DS is called all have firmware updates that can potentially block flash kits so this has taken out alot of flash kits that used to work on both the DSi and the 3DS, including one of the favorite carts the Acekard2i

EDIT:- it states it works on all versions though not sure if the new model of 3DS is actually out yet

[MaslowK]

Are there/will there be any firmware issues like with the PSP stuff?
I read about a way to check firmware on the DS (tried it and it worked) but from what I can tell the colour the screens show indicates I have version 5, despite the fact that I bought the DS years ago and have never updated it once.

If whatever card you get is compatible with older DS's (the good ones all are), there's little chance their firmware will be updated since they're so old, so you should be good on that front. As Zorlon said they do still put out firmware updates for the 3DS though, which can block flashkits in the future. I would always recommend checking an external source before updating your firmware, to make sure it doesn't break compatibility. The best source I have found to check this can be found here; https://pongupdates.wordpress.com/fl...orking-on-3ds/.

You'll see that for the latest 3DS firmware, it tells you which cards have been blocked, as well as which ones are still working. It usually takes a few days after a new firmware is released for the page to be updated, but I haven't had any issues when following their advice.

[Rich666]

Thanks for that link by the way MaslowK
I was taking a look at the site that Zorlon linked too, there is no real information on the DSTWO+ (aside from the image that Zorlon also posted), even the people in the one forum topic over there seem to be in disagreement over what the new card will even be capable of so..... I'm kind of unsure right now, and think I will have to wait until other people buy it first. People who know what they are doing with it anyway, and see what it actually DOES do.

[Zorlon]

Most the posts in that thread had been before any information was given out so that is of no surprise all we can do though is wait and see when it is released so I am in the same boat floating along an unsure river.

[Rich666]

Ha good way of putting it It's kind of odd that they don't have a more solid release date though, I mean given that it's supposed to be some time this month and I wouldn't have thought they would be working on it up until the last moment before release, right?

[Zorlon]

Other kits have much the same thing like the Gateway 3DS that announced an update so newer Firmware users could use it but had held the update back, (this was publicly announced aswell), not sure if they have that up or not yet myself, not checked recently, that has been going on for a long time now, no it's not that unusual now :/

The info leaked or out there was only given to chosen online retailers, that are at the moment getting a bad time from copy protection groups so some have been taken down or have removed all mod chips and flash kits from there stores, one of the reasons details are limited, the other reason is to help prevent clones and fakes being produced before production is complete.

Some of the homebrew that is sold is like that (thinking of the Dreamcast games that have had recent years and others like Megadrive games and PSN/Xbbox Live games), that had a target dates but over shoot it, even fully retail games do that from time to time.

I really hope it is out at the end of the month but if you are not willing to wait then you could look into alt carts instead, but even the DS SuperCard DSTWO is no longer produced so you will find that hard to come by.

R4 kits are not all that bad you just need to be patching some games before they will work and emulation is slightly lower standard but only for GBA and SNES

There are a number of 3DS kits, though only play 3DS games, most of those are just clones of the Gateway 3DS kit though