Just wondering if anyone knows, will I have to buy a new R4 when I get the DSi? Like the R4i or something, or will my old R4 work fine? After the $170 ($200 CDN) I was hoping to not have to drop another 50 bucks.
New flashcart almost certainly, if you were making flashcarts and had the opportunity of forcing people to upgrade, bearing in mind that S/ware updates = free (no revenue) and new cart = revenue, what would you do.
I've heard rumors that the CycloDS is going to get DSi support via software update, but I dont know if this is true. And I wouldnt expect an R4i at all. You're going to have to get a different brand most likely.
I hope there's a new R4. To be honest I don't know anything about any other cards, but I can't imagine any are better than the R4. I know people have been saying their R4 stops working for no reason, or it's impossible to find the firmware but I've never had a problem, a simple google search found the firmware, and I've never had to patch a game. How is the CycloDS? There seem to be a lot of people who use it. Does it play every game? Will I have to patch every game before I play it?
There already exist: R4i DSTTi AceKard2i I emailed NDS-Gear (they don't have cards for sale on-site yet) who said that they won't be selling them until the DSi is released in the UK but they actually already have them! Might be worth popping an email if you've got your hands on a Japanese DSi ahead of schedule.
Replying to an old post, but apparently very popular among our users. Unfortunately the replies above were correct -- my R4 simply refuses to work with DSi, so if you plan to upgrade your DS or DS Lite to DSi, you need to also cough up for new R4i (or other DSi -compatible modchip). Damn.
You have to be careful if you're planning on going with an R4i though. As you've probably seen all over this forum, the R4 isn't very well liked anymore. Since the original R4 team no longer exists there are many fakes out there (some would argue that they're all fake and would be right to a certain degree) but just very recently the very well known M3 team has decided to support the R4i. http://www.ds-scene.net/?s=viewtopic&nid=7928 There are pros and cons for many of the new flash carts, just avoid ordering anything from Asia if you can, and your chances of not getting a useless piece of plastic will go way up.
Thanks for the warning. Luckily the handful of suppliers here in Finland are quite trustworthy (and Finnish consumer protection legislation is insanely tight , so I'm quite certain that if I don't pinch a penny and avoid ordering from Far East and rely on our local retailers instead, I get a proper DSi -capable modchip. Is there currently any "gold standard" for "it just works" type of DSi-compatible modchip like R4 and M3 used to be for DS two-three years ago when I got mine?
It's tough to say. I got burned by an Asian R4i, but then I bought an Acekard 2i only to find out it's almost impossible to get NES/Genesis roms working on it. There does seem to be a way, but it's not working for me yet. If roms aren't really an issue then I'd say the Acekard is probably a safe bet, and pretty affordable. You're right though, if you buy something from within Finland you should be fine. It's really just the Asian retailers you need to worry about because there doesn't seem to be any regulation on electronic exports from these countries, and you'll most likely end up with a fake, useless piece of crap.
