A $100 WalMart gift card, left me pondering what exactly I wanted to buy.  I have everything I wanted (at the time).  I decided to get a new portable device, either the PSP or the DS.  I eventually decided on the DS, something I had glanced over in the past.  For portable gaming, and more importantly, Sonic Rush, it was tempting, but it wasn’t enough.  A closer look revealed that its built in features, could easily be turned into a mini-computer with the right hardware and software added.  Homebrewn software is for another article, in this one I’ll be covering the different types of hardware, what they require, and which ones I think are the best.

CycloDS and TopToyDS
They’re third party, generic, slapped together, shady, and very dodgy.  Stay far, far, very far away.

SuperCard
One of the popular alternatives on the market.  It is a low quality product, I’m listing it here for reference.

Slot-1 - You’ll get one card, no manual, no card reader, no MicroSD card.  The card itself uses a drycell battery for gamesaves.  I’m not sure on specifics, but it is used to hold active saves until they can be written to the MicroSD card.  Support for games is excellent.  Homebrew is above average, with some areas that fall into trouble.

Slot-2 - The slot-2 version is more updated and boasts better compatibility than the slot-1 version.  Games have good compatibility, but both DS and GBA games suffer slowdown at points.  While it does have a slot for MicroSD, there is no word if it is actually included or not.  No included passcard devices.  Very dodgy, to say the least.

R4 - Revolution for DS
This card is one of the first Slot-1 Devices, requiring no cartridge to be inserted into the GBA slot to boot.  DS games will run on this, but homebrewn applications are dodgy at best.  This is pretty barebones.  There is a feature from within the card’s menu to boot anything inserted into the GBA slot.  The actual card has a popout feature for the storage medium, MicroSD cards.  The MicroSD card can be inserted into an included USB adapter for simple drag and drop in Windows - it will function just like another drive.  Most of the MicroSD cards included will be around 1 GB.  Average price will run about $40, find it on sale and it’ll run around $20.

G6
The G6 is an updated version of the R4, and the predecessor to the M3.  This doesn’t stop the company from selling it alongside the M3.  The G6 has less compatibility than the M3, the product itself is dodgy, and the community is shady.  Also, unlike both versions of the M3, the G6 uses either fixed memory or does not offer support for MicroSDHD.  I would steer clear of it and go straight for the M3.

G6 Real (Slot-1) - The G6 of choice.  Support for different style of MicroSD cards, MicroSDHD is not supported however.  The card is hooked into an included card reader, that in turn hooks directly into a USB port for file transfer.  The G6 has some awkward compatibility issues with homebrew, otherwise gaming works fine.  No word if it is included with an optional GBA device or not.  Many people report they go for the R4 over the G6.  Finding information on the G6 Real for the Internet is very hard, I assume because it is being phased out.  Not much info on price, but it appears to run around $50.

G6 Perfect Lite (Slot-2) - There is only one flavor for capacity, 512MB.  Files are transfered by hooking in a strange shaped USB device between the cart and the computer.  This has no expansion types for more memory.  What you see is what you get.  One thing unique about the GBA cart is it has very high transfer speeds.  You would only want this version if you have low space requirements, or you wanted to not ever remove anything from the GBA slot again, while still popping in and out DS games on the fly.  However, to use this, you will need a passme style card in the DS slot!  There isn’t much information on price, but it looks to run around $70.

M3
There are a few different styles in the M3 line, available in both Slot-1 and for the GBA slot.

M3 Lite Pro - GBA game support is stripped, DS still works, homebrew works, and the card is a very tight fit.  There are a few varieties of this breed of card.  Three versions with exclusive (supports one only) support for CF, SD and MicroSD cards.  CF and SD card versions, do not sit flush with the casing (yuck).  It will need to be removed when in transit or storage.  Some versions include a USB adapter for the MicroSD card, and an optional slot-1 passcard for booting from the GBA slot in later DS firmware versions.  Prices vary depending on what is included, stock models range about $40, up to $100 for the full shebang.

M3 Perfect Lite - Same as the M3 Pro Lite, only with GBA game support.  Price varies from $50 to $100.  I recommend avoiding this one.

M3DS Real - The successor to the M3DS Simply.  This, like the simply features MicroSD support.  New to this one is support for MicroSDHD cards, and better compatibility with current games.  GBA support is there, if an optional GBA expansion card is attached.  It is pretty much a direct clone of the Perfect Lite,  has a built in pass device, no need to boot from the GBA slot.  This has a few different versions, much like the Pro/Perfect, mostly different types of bundles.  Price is $20 - $50 depending on the bundle.

M3DS Simply - The predecessor to the M3DS Real.  This is an older version with compatibility flaws and lacks support for MicroSDHD cards.  Don’t get this version.  When in production it ran for about $40.

iTouch
A budget version of the M3DS Real.  How does it compare?  It’s a new product, rather dodgy and lacks information.  It is released alongside the M3, not to compete, but to be a budget alternative to compete with other similar cards.  As for the budget, most of it is cosmetic and cheaper materials.  The iTouch is less sturdier than it’s M3/G6 counterparts, it also lacks the guidance pins that most DS games have.  It can best be described when the M3 evolves into an R4.  All in wonder solution, tons of fluff to spice things up, and no expansions. Average price is $20-$40.

Same Cards?
The R4, G6, M3 and iTouch are all made by the same company.  Originally the R4, G6 (and M3?) versions came with a toggle switch that could be soldered to change versions.  Different labeling was slapped on, and they were shipped.  Later versions removed this.  The R4 was the original, it has been phased out and is ridiculously cheap.  The G6 is the predecessor, while the M3 is the sucessor.  From the looks of things, they were sold side by side at one time, but the G6 is slowly being phased out.  iTouch is the budget version of the M3DS Real.

MicroSD and MicroSDHD Storage Cards
The SuperCard and many of the lesser heard of generic GBA slot cards have fixed memory.  The slot-1 flash cards use MicroSD and MicroSDHD as their storage medium.  MicroSD is the standard, MicroSDHD is an addon for more storage capacity.  As a rule of thumb, MicroSD cards are more stable.  The thing to remember is MicroSD maxes at 2 GB, where as MicroSDHD’s standards max out will at 32GB (non-standard cards are much higher, but don’t trust them).  MicroSD and MicroSDHD cards come in a few speeds, 6x (.9MB/s), 32x (4.8 MB/s), 40x (6.0 MB/s), 66x (10.0 MB/s), 100x (15.0 MB/s), 133x (20.0 MB/s), 150x (22.5 MB/s) and 200x (30. MB/s).   A popular trend with MicroSDHD cards is to list their minimum write speeds.  Most of the time cards only report their write speeds!  The most important trait when in the DS will be the read speeds.  Do your homework!  The higher the card, the more expensive it will be.  If purchasing a card with more capacity than those included with the Nintendo DS adapters, always make sure to get an included USB adapter or SD adapter should you have a flash card reader.  Many Flash Card readers simply do not support the MicroSD.  Average cost for a 1-4GB model with adapters runs anywhere from $4-$20.  The cards with the best compatibility are SanDisk and Kingston.  While not necessary, Japanese versions of the cards have better compatibility than their US equivalents.

CF and SD Storage Cards
CF is not a very common storage medium.  I think it lost the competitiona gainst the SD.  SD is a bit more common and is what the MicroSD is based on.  I recommend against using either CF and SD model based DS cards and carts.

Final Verdict
If you want a slot-1, no frills version with strictly game support and dodgy homebrew support at a ridiculously low price, get the R4.  If you play mostly DS games, and want the optional all around package, go for the slot-2 G6.  If you want the all around package, you are looking for the M3DS Real.  If possible, find it in a bundle with the GBA expansion, USB adapter, and a 2GB MicroSD card.  If you want to set it and forget it, get the dodgy iTouch.   Average price across the board will be $50.  Storage is up to you, different bundles come with different sizes and the price will reflect this.  2GB should be plenty, with the option to upgrade to higher capacities later.

Hopefully this should help you turn your Nintendo DS into a portable mini-computer.

Yozuki out.