We have 3 R4s for 3 DSLs. Then we got a DSi and decided to buy a DSTTi for approx $40 CDN. Found out that the DSTTi also works on the DSL with 4 and 8GB microsd (probably 16 and 32GB, but can't afford it). On another forum, someone posted that there is a website in Hong Kong that sells DSTTi for $8 and shipping was only about $2, so we bought 2 of them. What is the difference between all flashcarts, they all do the same job, one is not prettier than the other. Is one faster than the other? I went for the DSTTi because of the price.
Quality really and ease of use. Now before a mod comes (since this has been discussed before amny many times..) cycloDS is best for general gameplay, acekard is second because of how easy it is to load firmware and play. Generally, if a new game comes out, you just get the latest firmware and you can run them, cards like the dstti may need the games patched which is annoying. CycloDS is not dsi compatibly though, so alot of people are going for the acekard...but some still think r4 and all the clones are still the best simply because it was legendary...apparently. No longer official updated, not as easy to use as other carts, and soooo many clones make it difficult to deal with.
Honestly, the only difference in my eyes is just price - unless the card is a terrible clone that is simply unusuable. The big names all do the same exact thing. @_@ Games don't remain unplayable on a card for any noticeable length of time, because the internet-at-large is quick to make games they want to play work. The only large difference is the menu screens (oooh - who gives a flying crap, you can change them all anyway), & the people that develop the firmware. dealextreme.com has all the flashcarts, & a sometimes decent selection of affordable SDHC cards with great customer service. Also, the reviews there back up what I said about price - the cheapest flashcart (DSTT) sells the most & has the most positive reviews. Don't bother getting an SDHC card larger than 8gb for a flashcart, as the DS doesn't handle large memory formats well, & will likely work veeery slowly.
Dealextreme does have a large selection, but it does not have all of them. It doesn't carry the CycloDS or the Edge.
We bought 3 R4 from this guy that we thought were genuine R4s. Paid $40 each and they all freeze at different games and then won't work anymore. Had to reformat, put back games, works for a while and then freezes again. Someone posted on another forum a picture of what the inside of a real R4 is supposed to look like. So hubby took apart one of our R4 and saw that we had a fake. Called the guy and said he sold us fake ones. So we exchanged our 3 fake ones and got 3 real ones, and the guy said he never wants to see us again, lol. So even though we got fake ones, we still paid the price of a real one. Oh yeah, we found him on craigslist.
Yes, people like to rip people off when it comes to modchips, piracy, etc. The original R4 was very popular, and for it's time very good. Then the clones and copies came out, lower quality, just using the name to trick people into thinking they were good. I always shop online. I'm in the US, so I use www.dealextreme.com and www.realhotstuff.com I never use ebay or craiglist. It's probably too late now, but you could have got the Acekard2i, which is only 13USD. Three of those would be less than one of your R4's you bought.
