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DS Misc > NDS Lite Devkit

#90680 - kusma - Sat Jul 01, 2006 5:58 pm

I'm sorry if this is a dupe of previous questions, but I have searched and read a bit, and I want to know if I've understood this correctly.

I have lost my GBA + flash-cart (yeah I know, I'm clumsy), and I figured it was time to buy a DS Lite instead of a new GBA. My biggest concern is developing GBA stuff (and therefore I want "maximum" GBA compatibility), but I also want to experiment some with the stylus and wifi.

So here's what I've understood. Please correct anything wrong here :)

1: To run in GBA mode, a plain flash-cart is the "best" option since SD/CF solutions requires an application to run in multiboot-mode.

2: To run in DS-mode with interaction to a PC, a SD or CF solution might be preferable since there exists FAT-solutions, featuring a full file system that can be read directly later on on a PC.

3: The difference between SD and CF solutions are slim and next to none. I assume I would choose the one my laptop has native support for.

4: On a DS Lite, FlashMe is the neatest solution for running native (non-GBA) applications as it does not add any hardware to your DS Lite. I wouldn't want my DS Lite to become bigger or heavier.

I would like to add that running original games are a secondary priority. I never played much games, but of course... I wouldn't want to install something that prevented commercial games from working. I am not interested in anything that aids piracy though.

Another note is that money is "no object", I have a good paying job and this is not something that would rumble my economy anyway. I can pay up for something good, as long as it's actually good ;)

Some advice would be greatly appreciated.

#90681 - tepples - Sat Jul 01, 2006 6:48 pm

kusma wrote:
1: To run in GBA mode, a plain flash-cart is the "best" option since SD/CF solutions requires an application to run in multiboot-mode.

SuperCard and M3 have 32 MB of RAM to store the running GBA ROM. But one Canadian site (see Retailer Feedback) is selling EFA-Linker 256, a 32 megabyte "plain flash-cart", real cheap.

Quote:
2: To run in DS-mode with interaction to a PC, a SD or CF solution might be preferable since there exists FAT-solutions, featuring a full file system that can be read directly later on on a PC.

This file system works in GBA mode too.

Quote:
3: The difference between SD and CF solutions are slim and next to none.

For GBA homebrew designed to run from ROM and not save to the card, this is true. But any homebrew that needs to write to the card will currently work better on CF than on SD.

Quote:
I assume I would choose the one my laptop has native support for.

Your laptop has "native" support for USB. Everything else is an adapter.

Quote:
4: On a DS Lite, FlashMe is the neatest solution for running native (non-GBA) applications as it does not add any hardware to your DS Lite. I wouldn't want my DS Lite to become bigger or heavier.

Yes, it will become bigger and heavier. GBA Game Paks and GBA sized flash cards stick out from the Lite. Right now, the only card that doesn't stick out from the Lite is the EZ-Flash IV Lite, which is only for DS Lite.

Quote:
I wouldn't want to install something that prevented commercial games from working.

FlashMe does not affect GBA Game Paks, nor does it affect any known DS Game Cards.
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.

#90691 - kusma - Sat Jul 01, 2006 8:29 pm

Thanks a lot for quick and clear answers! I do still have some questions, though.

Quote:
SuperCard and M3 have 32 MB of RAM to store the running GBA ROM. But one Canadian site (see Retailer Feedback) is selling EFA-Linker 256, a 32 megabyte "plain flash-cart", real cheap.

Ah yes, i already ordered one. But okay, this makes SC and M3 seem more attractive than i thought.

Quote:

This file system works in GBA mode too.

Aha. Does writing still work in gba-mode, and if so: do i need a specific cart for that?

Quote:

For GBA homebrew designed to run from ROM and not save to the card, this is true. But any homebrew that needs to write to the card will currently work better on CF than on SD.

Oh, okay. Do you know if this is a software-issue or not?

Quote:

Your laptop has "native" support for USB. Everything else is an adapter.

Yes, but as I said; I'm clumsy. An adapter is easier to forget than a laptop ;)

Quote:

Yes, it will become bigger and heavier. GBA Game Paks and GBA sized flash cards stick out from the Lite. Right now, the only card that doesn't stick out from the Lite is the EZ-Flash IV Lite, which is only for DS Lite.

How are the SC and M3s with in this area? Do they stick out from the console?

Quote:

FlashMe does not affect GBA Game Paks, nor does it affect any known DS Game Cards.

Okay, thanks. I guess in case some future roms break with it, I could always take a backup of the original firmware.

#90693 - brennan - Sat Jul 01, 2006 8:40 pm

SuperCard mini-SD doesn't stick out of the fat DS at all. SD version, slightly. CF version: Oh god yes.

M3 doesn't stick out all that bad from the fat DS, I've never seen one in a DS lite.
_________________
Hardware: GBAMP v2, Datel MML, NDS phat (Flashme v7)

#90696 - tepples - Sat Jul 01, 2006 9:08 pm

kusma wrote:
Quote:
This file system works in GBA mode too.

Aha. Does writing still work in gba-mode, and if so: do i need a specific cart for that?

Writing to all CF cards works in GBA mode. This is how PocketNES for GBAMP saves the NES SRAM to CF.

Quote:
Quote:
For GBA homebrew designed to run from ROM and not save to the card, this is true. But any homebrew that needs to write to the card will currently work better on CF than on SD.

Oh, okay. Do you know if this is a software-issue or not?

This is a library issue, as the SD sector write code in Chishm's FAT driver isn't stable yet.

Quote:
Quote:
Your laptop has "native" support for USB. Everything else is an adapter.

Yes, but as I said; I'm clumsy. An adapter is easier to forget than a laptop ;)

So is the SuperCard or M3.
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.