DS Cards

We get e-mails often asking about what the differences between the Nintendo DS and DSi cards are, as well as what people mean by "fake" cards and "bricking" Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi consoles with R4i cards or similar. Most to all of these stories are not correct and we're here to try and teach people about how these cards work and what wonderful things you can do with Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi cards, including converting your Nintendo DS/DSi console into an MP3 player! NDS-Gear aims to answer all your questions about R4i, iEDGE, M3i, and R4 SDHC cards among the others we sell. Hopefully your Nintendo DS or DSi card experience is a great one, and we can help with your R4i / DS card problems if any happen to arise with your R4i / M3i / Acekard / EZFlash / DSTT / iEDGE / R4 SDHC card.

Discussed below are some Nintendo DS and DSi cards, both past and present.

R4 DS Cards

One of the 'original' first generation adapters on the market. Although the R4v2 is the granddaddy of all DS cards, it still has the quickest bootup time of any DS or DSi card in history due to its simpler and more efficiently written software. The R4v2 DS card is also very cheap and reliable. However, the R4v2 can only take 2GB Micro SD cards or below due to hardware limitations. In many ways, the R4v2 is the 'true' original cartridge for the DS / DS Lite. The R4v2 cannot be used with the Nintendo DSi / Nintendo DSi XL / Nintendo DSi LL console.

Recommendation: The R4v2 is perfect for customers who are looking for a very cheap, reliable, high performance Nintendo DS / DS Lite card and only needs limited amount of memory for games/applications/music/video. Basically, if you just need 2GB of memory or less, get an R4v2. However, as the R4 v2 card is no longer in production, you may get some newer application / game incompatibility. NDS-Gear no longer sells the R4 v2 card for the Nintendo DS / DS Lite because of this.

R4 SDHC Card

The R4 SDHC is a modified version of the original R4 v2 DS card. All its functions are very similar to the R4 v2 except for one crucial difference: It is able to accept Micro-SDHC format memory cards and can take up to 32GB of memory. Although slightly slower than the R4 v2, the bootup time for the R4 SDHC DS card is still acceptable for a DS card.

Recommendation: The R4 SDHC is perfect for customers who are looking for an averagely priced Nintendo DS / DS Lite card that has good overall performance, reliability and memory capacity. The R4 SDHC basically works like an R4 v2 that can take a higher memory capacity (up to 32GB instead of just 2GB).

EDGE DS Card

The EDGE DS card / DS adapter is in a similar position to the R4 v2. Although released at a later date, they perform much the same function as the R4 v2 but was always designed with strength in mind - the cards are extremely robust, and even though failure rates on the R4v2 are amazingly small, the EDGE DS cards are extremely sturdy and unbelievably reliable (The most reliable card ever made for the Nintendo DS / DS Lite). Although it costs more, the quality and support that comes with EDGE DS cards are the main reason they're desired by many of our customers - and they also accept Micro-SDHC cards which make it the most reliable upgrade from the R4 v2 for a Nintendo DS or DS Lite.

Sadly, the EDGE DS card stopped production in October 2009 and NDS-Gear no longer stock them. However, the new iEDGE DS card came out in Januar 2010 and looks set to take over where the EDGE DS left off - as the most reliable Nintendo DS card in existence! The iEDGE is also compatible with the Nintendo DSi, Nintendo DSi XL, and Nintendo DSi LL consoles!

Recommendation: The EDGE is perfect for customers who are looking for a sexy, user-friendly, high performance Nintendo DS / DS Lite card that does not fail (at all). It is also able to take memory of up to 32GB which is perfect for customers who want to download the entire world onto a DS card. Sadly, NDS-Gear no longer sells the EDGE DS card as it discontinued production in October 2009, but it is now replaced with the iEDGE DS card for the Nintendo DS / DSi / DSi XL / DSi LL.

DSTT Card

The DSTT is effectively a slightly less efficient but just as compatible version of the R4 v2 Nintendo DS card. You will notice slightly slower loading times with the DSTT, but compatibility is still good on the card and NDS-Gear are able to offer picture perfect support. The DSTT has a list-format user interface, making it ideal for playing homebrew applications/games only without multitasking. The DSTT is also able to take up to 32GB of memory.

Recommendation: The DSTT is perfect for customers who are looking for a cheap Nintendo DS / DS Lite card for playing homebrew applications and games. It is slightly more difficult to use the DSTT card for music and video purposes because of the list style menu.

EZFlash Vi Card

If you own a Nintendo DSi, Nintendo DSi XL or Nintendo DSi LL, the EZFlash Vi card is a potential great choice. There are several Nintendo DSi compatible cards out on the market, but one of the most reliable Nintendo DS and DSi cards to date is the EZFlash Vi which also has very few with new games. The software written for it is simply one of the best available at present - and the EZFlash Vi is backwards compatible with both the Nintendo DS Lite and the Nintendo DS! It will work, naturally, with the Nintendo DSi, Nintendo DSi XL and Nintendo DSi LL consoles.

Recommendation: The EZFlashVi is great for customers who have the new Nintendo DSi, Nintendo DSi XL or DSi LL console, or are looking to switch to a new Nintendo DSi console in the near future.

Acekard 2i Card

The Acekard 2i was the first ever Nintendo DSi / DSi XL / DSi LL compatible card to reach mass production, and has been a solid contender. The Acekard 2i is quite similar to the EZFlash Vi card, and the team behind the Acekard 2i have spent years working on previous Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS Lite generation DS cards. Despite initially having a few small issues with the Acekard 2i's Micro SDHC card slot, it is a solid all-rounder for a Nintendo DSi / DSi XL / DSi LL console and is also backwards compatible with Nintendo DS / Nintendo DS Lite consoles.

M3i Zero Card

The M3i Zero is the card from the famous M3 team that brought you the M3 DS Real and M3 DS Simply cards. The M3i Zero DS card is also compatible with the Nintendo DSi, Nintendo DSi XL and Nintendo DSi LL consoles. The M3i Zero comes with an innovative self-flashing system, which has never been seen before on a DS card or DSi card. A cable plugs directly into the M3i Zero to flash firmware should this be required in the future. Naturally, every M3i Zero bought from NDS-Gear is already pre-flashed, so you don't need to worry about a thing.

The M3i Zero also has a very solid set of software, having been jointly developed with the creators of the famous Moonshell! The M3i Zero's software (also known as Sakura) is incredibly versatile and was the first DS / DSi card to support smooth scrolling.

Recommendation: The M3i Zero is an incredibly solid card with a fantastic user interface and solid software support. It is highly recommend for any Nintendo DSi, DSi XL or DSi LL users.

iEDGE Card

The iEDGE card is the much anticipated replacement for the EDGE DS card which was retired in October 2009. The iEDGE card comes in the EDGE team's original triangular box which makes it ideal as a gift, but more importantly this card is technically indestructible! The iEDGE DS is a very solid card, as solid as the old EDGE DS was for the Nintendo DS and DS Lite. The iEDGE DS, of course, is also compatible with the Nintendo DSi, Nintendo DSi XL, and Nintendo DSi LL consoles.

Recommendation: The most solid DS card in existence, the EDGE DS, has spawned a new sibling - the iEDGE DS - which seems to be just as good as its predecessor! Without a doubt the most solid card we've ever sold, the iEDGE DS!

R4i Card

The R4i SDHC card was the first official Nintendo DSi compatible card released. There was a hiccup when the R4i SDHC was unable to pass the 1.4 firmware update, but shortly after a new R4i SDHC DS card was released to fix these problems. It is a great value Nintendo DS / DSi / DSi XL / DSi LL card that has very few to no compatibility issues.

Recommendation: The R4i card is recommended for first time DSi console users who are looking to find out what a DS or DSi card can do for them. The R4i is a great value card that is cheap but also has good compatibility. The R4i can accept up to 32GB of memory.

All the best,
The NDS-Gear Team