• View
• Edit
• Discuss?
• History
• Print

DSFlashCardGuide

The stock Nintendo DS can play games, and, well... tell you the time. This guide will tell you how to expand your DS's features astronomically. Watch movies, play community made games, use your DS as a PDA, download and run DS game backups, listen to MP3's and MORE.

The DS is more than a games console. It is a small computer with a good graphics chip and two screens. It has a touch screen, allowing it to be used for all sorts of data input. All you need to tap into this computer is a DS Flash Card and some sort of compatible memory card to go with it.

1.  Get Started

Unfortunately, you have to buy some extra stuff to do all this on your DS. Luckily, it's not that expensive. Expect to spend a minimum of £20 ($30 USD) on a flash card and £10 ($15 USD) on a memory card.

1.1  What You Need

R4 and other Slot 1 devices

First, you need a flash card. These come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours. By far the most common flash card (with far more sold than any other) is the R4. This looks like a normal DS game, but has a MicroSD slot in the top. These can be found almost anywhere for prices upwards of £20. Some shops will offer bundles, selling you an R4 and a memory card. These are sometimes good value, but not always. Check the cost of the memory card bundled at independent stores first.

Other Slot 1 flash cards are available too. The M3 DS Simply is exactly the same as the R4. Get whatever one is cheaper at the time you buy it. The M3 DS Real is similar to the simply, but a newer model. It includes a Slot 2 adapter to allow you to play GBA games and run DS games requiring the memory expansion, such as the Opera browser.

Slot 2

The DS has two slots. Slot 1 is the DS cartridge slot. Slot 2 is the GBA cartridge slot. Flash cards are available for both. The first flash cards only fitted into the slot 2 slot, and used a device called a "PassMe" to run in NDS mode. Some of these are still available on the market, but only advisable if you have a specific reason to buy them. If you have a Game Boy Advance, then buying a slot-2 device is advisable, as Slot 1 devices will not work with it. It's worth noting that if you get a standard GBA sized card, it will stick out of the DS Lite considerably. If you get a DS Lite sized card, it will not fit in a normal GBA.

Cards to look at include the M3 (SD/MiniSD/Lite) or the Supercard. These tend to use SD, miniSD or microSD memory, depending on the size. The M3 lite normally comes in a DS Lite only shell, but can be bought with a GBA sized shell as well. It requires some work to switch between, however.

Slot 2 expansions (EG EZ Flash 3 in 1)

It is possible to buy slot 2 expansion cards for slot 1 devices. The M3 Real comes with one, but for flash cards without, the EZ Flash 3 in 1 is suitable. This combines the ability to play GBA games with a rumble feature and a memory expansion feature. These allow you to play homebrew and ROMs that require the DS memory expansion (eg the Opera browser).

Fixed memory (eg G6)

There are also some fixed memory flash cards. Original GBA cards where all fixed memory - they had built in flash memory rather than use memory cards. Modern fixed memory cards are easier to use than the old ones, and most feature as USB mass storage devices. Get one of these if you want a complete package that will definitely work. Some memory cards have had compatibility issues with some flash cards, but fixed memory will always work. Because they aren't expandable, GBATMW doesn't recommend these without a specific purpose. Examples include the G6 Real (slot 1) or the G6 Lite (Slot 2).

1.2  Where to get it

Please visit our up to date list on the forum for the best places to buy flash cards.

2.  Use it!

Every flash card menu is different. However, most will be able to run standalone Homebrew applications. The menu's for these applications tend to be standardised.

To be able to use this guide effectively, you need to know how to launch a homebrew application on your flash card. You must know if there is any special button combinations that need to be pushed, and you must know how to patch applications with the relevant dldi? driver. If you do not know how to do these, the relevant flash card page may be able to help you. Otherwise, google is your friend. I recommend reading any help documents that came with your card. If you still cannot get a certain function to work (and have searched with google and with the forum search), then you can ask in the board relevant to your flash card.

2.1  Playing Movies

Movies and other video can be played on the DS. There is various implementations of it, some involving proprietary compression methods and some simply using mpeg standards. The most popular, and so far best, DS video format is known as DPG (Ds mPeG). It uses the Mpeg1 standard. It is played using an application called Moonshell. Please check the moonshell page for links to download the latest version and a quick start guide.

2.2  Running Homebrew

There are various homebrew applications available for the DS. Notable ones are DSOrganize and Moonshell, however there are many, many applications available. Check DrunkenCoders.com for the latest homebrew news.

2.3  Running Game Backups (ROMs)

ROMs are files containing game information dumped from a cartridge. Almost all ROMs contain copyrighted material, and so distribution and downloading of them is illegal in most countries. Depending on the local laws in your country, it may be possible to legally make a backup (in the form of a ROM) of games you own. This guide assumes that any ROMs you are running were made legally. This guide does not link to any sources of ROMs.

Slot 2 devices need to alter the ROM file in order to run it. This is known as patching. All slot 2 flash cards will come with software (or you will be able to download the software) that enables you to patch ROMs in order to run them. However, without periodic updates newer games will often not run. Compatibility lists for most cards are maintained online. A good company will continue to update their game patching software even after the card is discontinued. Please see the relevant card page for links to the manufacturers website.

Most slot 1 devices don't require any patching of files. They allow you to simply drop the ROM file onto a memory card and run it. There are still compatibility issues (albeit fewer) and so periodically new firmware will be released to enable more games to run. See your card manufacturers website for the latest firmware.

3.  Other Information

4.  External Links

linFox Domain: Firmware and top homebrew for all FlashCard types!