On My Nintendo DS: Super Airwolf for the Sega Genesis

Did you know that there's a replica of the helicopter from AIRWOLF on sale at eBay? Anyways, there was also an Airwolf game released on the Sega Genesis. Interestingly, it was released as Crossfire in the United States, while elsewhere it was known as Super Airwolf.

Also interesting was the gameplay. At first I thought the game was a straight-forward shmup ala 1942, where you shoot down planes, tanks and enemy emplacements with your souped-up helicopter. The subsequent land-based commando mission took me by surprise. It was a break from the norm but at the same time, devilishly hard to play.

I took a video of that sequence:



So what are the differences between Crossfire and Super Airwolf? Both are similar gameplay wise but try to spot the differences between the games with the videos I've taken below:





This write-up wouldn't have been possible without jEnesisDS, a Sega Genesis emulator for the Nintendo DS, and the R4DS, a flashcart used to run homebrew applications on the Nintendo DS.

How To Use the Paddle Controller with Mario Kart DS?

For more homebrew guides for your Nintendo DS, head over to the brand new www.nineoverten.com.

This article could have been titled "How to Add Cheat Codes to Your R4DS?" as what am I about to describe to you is essentially that, but hey, I figured the title is eye-catching, so do bear with it :).


Produced by Taito to go along with its release of Arkanoid DS, the Paddle Controller does seem a little limited in application. However, did you know that you can actually play Mario Kart DS using the same Paddle Controller?

It does require some "cheating" on your part since the Paddle Controller is not officially supported by the game, having been released some two years before this odd-looking controller hit the market. Support for the Paddle Controller can be implemented by means of Action Replay or any flashcart with a built-in cheat function.

Since I don't have an Action Replay, here's a guide on how to add Paddle Controller support for your Mario Kart DS on the R4DS.

There are some prerequisites. You'll need a couple of things:

• The cheat string (available at http://yasu.rank.nu/yasu/count.cgi?n=paddle&l=http://home.usay.jp/pc/etc/nds/paddle.xml)
• R4 Cheat Code Editor (available at http://yasu.rank.nu/yasu/count.cgi?n=r4cce&l=http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA013928/bin/r4cce08.zip)

Once you have downloaded the R4 Cheat Code Editor, remember to uncompress it to somewhere easily accessible. You'll be using the Cheat Code Editor for most part of the guide.

1. Start the Cheat Editor by clicking on the r4cce.exe file.
   
   
   
2. Once in, select File -> Open
   
   
3. Look for the CHEAT.DAT file located in the _system_ folder of your R4DS MicroSD card, and click on the Open button
   
   
   
4. This will cause all the Cheat Codes stored in the CHEAT.DAT file to be listed out, by game, on the left pane. Look for Mario Kart DS.
   
   
   
5. Click on the Add Code button in order to enter one of the two cheat strings to enable Paddle Controller support for Mario Kart DS.
   Enter the following information (obtained from prerequisite 1.) in the corresponding text boxes:
   
   
   • Code Title: Virtual D-Pad Patch
   • Comment: Press SELECT+START to patch
   • Code List: 94000130 FFF30000 023FE074 012FFF11 E0000000 00000030 E92D003F E3A04301 E2844E13 E3A01402 E3A02402 E4920004 E1500004 05021004 E3520623 1AFFFFFA E8BD003F E12FFF1E 023FE074 E3520003 D2000000 00000000
   
   
   
6. Click on the Add Code button again to enter the second cheat string. Enter the following information (obtained from prerequisite 1.) into the corresponding text boxes:
   
   
   • Code Title: Paddle Controller Handler
   • Comment: by Yasu software (usay.jp)
     
   • Code List: A4000136 00000000 023FE074 012FFF11 E0000000 000000A0 E92D003F E3A04301 E2844C02 E1D400B4 E3800023 E1C400B4 E3A0140A E5D13000 E5D10001 E1833400 E1A03A03 E1A03A43 E59F5060 E3550A0F 01A05003 E2444C01 E1D413B0 E2010030 E3500030 11A05003 E58F5040 E0433005 E59F203C E3730008 B0822003 E3530008 C0822003 E3720C01 B3C11020 B3A02000 E3520C01 C3C11010 C3A02000 E58F2010 E3A04402 E1C410B0 E8BD003F E12FFF1E 0000F000 00000000 023FE074 E3520003 D2000000 00000000
   
   
   
7. Once this is done, it's time to save the changes that you have done to the CHEAT.DAT file. Click on File->Save to do so.
   
   
   

Now, replace the MicroSD card back into the R4DS flashcart. Before starting the Mario Kart DS ROM on the R4DS, be sure to enable the cheat codes by visiting the Cheat Menu via highlighting the ROM and pressing Y.

Once the game isstarted, press the Start and Select buttons simultaneously. After that, pressing left or right on the direction pad will calibrate the Paddle Controller's centre point to its present position.

Use the Paddle Controller to move left or right (but not up and down) when it comes to menu options and during the race. Be warned though that the Paddle Controller can be quite sensitive, which would lead to some over-steering action :).

The Paddle Controller for the Nintendo DS is available at Play-Asia with the price tag of USD 19.90. Lets just hope that other developers would take advantage of this new controller in order to justify the price tag.

N5DS Flashcart for Nintendo DS, Con Job or the Real Deal?

For the latest homebrew articles for the Nintendo DS, head over to the brand new www.nineoverten.com.


I remember reading somewhere about a forummer asking for comparisons between the newer N5DS flashcart with the older R4DS flashcart for the Nintendo DS. Curious, I decided to look up for info regarding the N5DS, and I was pretty surprised with my findings.


First of all, have a look at the cache version of the original English N5DS website (here). Look familiar? That's because it's a rip of the English R4DS site. Even the underlying META tags for the R4DS site can be found in the N5DS's HTML code, see below (click to enlarge):


The current site doesn't really state whether the cart supports SDHC (what the hell does "N5 all Hold out SD-HC, 4G & 32 G SD" mean?), but most people have pass it off as a cheaply made R4DS clone (here and here).

Unlike the R4DS however, buying the N5DS comes with a very big caveat, it has a reputation for blowing up the Nintendo DS fuse (here)!

You know what? Forget about the N5DS if you are looking for something to run homebrew, music and video files on the DS. It's simply not worth it.

Fan Mail - How to be a Pirate on the Nintendo DS

For the latest homebrew articles for the Nintendo DS, head over to the brand new www.nineoverten.com.

I occasionally get fan-mail, mostly on Nintendo DS flashcarts such as the R4DS and what can these devices do. However, I seldom get a laundry list of questions, but since I did get an e-mail with one (list) yesterday, I thought it would be nice to share to my readers, so here goes:

Hi there- I've been surfing the web, hoping to find a straightforward answer to my questions, but with no luck. Maybe you could help me. I'm still unclear which card will work best for me and my Nintendo DS Lite. Maybe you can help me out. Here is what I want to do, in order of importance, and hopefully with as few extra gadgets as possible:

1. Not Break my Nintendo DS Lite
2. Play GBA Roms- specifically the upcoming fan translation of "Mother 3"
3. Edit my Retail cart Save Game- specifically, Pokèmon Diamond
3b. If I can't edit my save, can I at least use cheat codes?
4. Play SNES Roms
5. Play MP3s, and maybe some video
I hope you can help me figure this outt.

Here are my answers:

1. With flashcarts, you need not reach for a screwdriver or a sledgehammer as a matter a fact.
2. You'll need something like an EZ-Flash V, which I don't have. Read the review, here.
   
3. Cheat? Yup. But editing saves? I don't know.
4. Yup, just run SNemulDS, a homebrew SNES emulator
5. Yup, just run Moonshell.

To sum it up, I think you are better off getting the EZ-Flash V. For the last 2 items, check out my whole bunch of R4DS guides on my blog, over here. Nine Over Ten 9/10 shall not be responsible for loss of data or reduced user experiece that might stem from playing pirated games on the Nintendo DS. Support original games.

Space Invaders R4DS Theme

For more homebrew guides for the Nintendo DS, head over to the brand new www.nineoverten.com.

I had a bit of time to kill last night, so I ended up making a theme for the R4DS. And guess what is the theme of that theme (pun intended or not, it's irrelevant :P)? It's Space Invaders!

It's a little rough around the edges, since I'm a little lazy at editing the theme.ini. So this is how my first masterpiece actually looks like:


I would probably come up with a set of 12, featuring retro games. But in the mean time, here's the theme, available at YouSendIt.com.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Thank You Problem Fixed!

For the latest R4DS articles for the Nintendo DS, head over to the brand new www.nineoverten.com.

Okie dokie. Looks like some people are listening to the cries of despair of folks who are trying to run Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles on their Nintendo DS/R4DS combination. The new R4 v.1.17 kernel fixes among other things, the "Thank You for Playing" screen appearing when playing FFCC.

Looks like the problem has been resolved, all equilibrium restored to the universe, so please continue being cheap because you don't want to dish out money for a 128MB game.

Those looking to try out Powerplay Tennis on the older firmware might find themselves disappointed but don't fret since the latest firmware fixes the problem as well.

I bet you can't wait anymore so here's the download link for the new v.1.17 kernel for the R4DS, or visit the R4DS kernel page for more details. Now be grateful, thankful even, and no nasty comments. Go play your game.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles On Your R4? Read this first.

For the latest R4DS articles for the Nintendo DS, head over to the brand new www.nineoverten.com.

Name a game from a really popular video game franchise that behaves like a piece of shareware on the Nintendo DS. Stumped? The answer would be a pirated copy of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles.


Stumped even more? Now, if you are an owner of a R4DS, M3, TTDS, or whatever Slot-1 flashcart with a fancy acronym for a name, you would probably be in for a surprise should you play the ROM (a.k.a pirated) version of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles.

According to a commentor on this particular GoNintendo post, the guys at Square Enix probably built in some form of copy protection into the game which checks the game's file size from time to time. Since Slot-1 flashcarts require ROMs to be DLDI-patched, the patching process actually alters the ROM's file size.


In the case of Crystal Chronicles, the copy protection will trigger a "Thank you for playing!!" page after 10 minutes of play with the pirated ROM on a Slot-1 flashcart. Smart readers would probably realize that this doesn't affect Slot-2 users at all.

Now, pirates being pirates, they are actually a really persistant bunch. Apparently there's now a solution to the problem. The guys at FR actually highlighted a tool (which I think patches the game) and a little bit of Googling wouldn't hurt your chances of finding that site.

Anyways, my advice would be to get the original game. Saves you a whole lot of trouble, and it's guaranteed to work, unlike the pirated one. The original Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles is available at Play-Asia for USD 44.90. Click here for further details.

When You Are Looking For The R4DS Website....

For the latest R4DS articles for the Nintendo DS, head over to the brand new www.nineoverten.com.

I just noticed a silly quirk on the R4DS website. If you were to type R4DS into your Google search box (example), the top 2 results returned would be http://www.r4ds.com/r4ds.htm and http://www.r4ds.com/index-en.htm.

The former is actually a not updated English version of the site, whereas the latter is the one that you should be looking for when it comes to updates.

New R4DS Firmware v1.15 Out Now

For the latest R4DS articles for the Nintendo DS, head over to the brand new www.nineoverten.com.

The R4DS guys just released a new firmware several days ago, making the latest version number as v1.15. There's nothing much to shout about, except that it fixes the problem relating to Luxor: Pharaoh's Challenge. Not a problem to me, because I always buy original (check out my collection here).

I was expecting SDHC support but looks like R4DS users will have to wait. Click here to download the latest R4DS firmware.

New R4DS Kernel and Size Woes

For brand new The ROM Report articles, head over to www.nineoverten.com.

You know what, I've got alot of ROMs. Not Nintendo DS ROMs, but ROMs for NES, SNES, MAME, Gameboy Color, Sega Genesis, Atari 2600, and even Sega Master System games. Otherwise, how would I be able to write 5 installments of "The ROM Report"?

Anyways, despite the relatively small size of individual ROM, having a tonne of them is making space a valueable commodity in my R4's MicroSD card. Anyone willing to sponsor a new MicroSD card?

Speaking of the R4DS, a new kernel has been released for this particular Slot-1 solution. It has nothing much to offer, except for a fix for Worms Open Warfare 2. Click here to download.

A Guide to Playing NES Games on the Nintendo DS with nesDS and R4DS.

For more homebrew guides for the Nintendo DS, head over to the brand new www.nineoverten.com.

As promised earlier, this is the guide on how to run NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) games on the Nintendo DS using the R4DS.

1. First up, you'll need to download a piece of Nintendo DS homebrew-ed software known as the nesDS. The download page is rather sparse, but just click and download the file over at this website. It should be a single file called nesDS.
   
2. Copy over nesDS over to the root directory of your MicroSD card.
   
   
   
3. Once this is done, create a folder called NES in the root directory of MicroSD card, to store all your NES roms inside. This step is not necessary but it's good for proper file housekeeping.
   
   
   
4. Put in some NES roms into the NES folder.
5. Fire up the Nintendo DS with your R4DS and MicroSD card inserted.
6. Run the nesDS file and it should be able to list down all your NES games. Simply select one and enjoy!

This should work with other Slot-1 solutions as well.

Please note that following paragraphs discuss SNES and NES ROMS and in no way implies that Nine Over Ten supports nor encourages the use of ROMs/ISOs/pirated versions of commercial games on other platforms such as Nintendo DS and PC games.

On the case of the legality of SNES and NES ROMs, I've come across several sites whereby they have taken down download links for ROMs of ESA protected games. What's ESA? Well it stands for Entertainment Software Association and from what I can see, they have the jurisdiction to ask sites to cease and desist any piracy activity involving ESA protected intellectual property.

So, where does this leave all the other ROMs? We are talking about ancient games which most people can't and won't play because the NES and the SNES are almost certainly extinct and playing these games has moved on to the realm of the old-school/retro enthusiast. Do we classify them as abandonware, or have the publishers left them to public domain?

This is a grey area that needs to be addressed, but in the mean time, don't let it stop you from enjoying these old classics but If they are ESA protected, leave them be. It's pretty hard to find those titles anyways.

Or as an alternative, get a Nintendo Wii. I hear some of these games are on the Virtual Console. Imagine playing Super Mario Bros. on a 40-inch LCD TV. It's mind-boggling.

How to run SNES games on the Nintendo DS with R4DS?

For more homebrew guides for the Nintendo DS, head over to the brand new www.nineoverten.com.

Short of GBA games, a Nintendo DS and R4DS combination can be used to run (on emulation) games from a myriad of other platforms such as the NES and the SNES.

Here's a guide on how to run SNES games on the Nintendo DS with an R4DS:

1. First, you'll need a SNES emulator that can run on the R4. I would recommend SNEmulDS, by archeide. You can grab the zip file at his website located here.
   
   
   
2. Unzip the file to a convenient location in your Desktop. The file contents should look something like the screenshot below.
   
   
   
3. Copy the two files: SNEmulDS.nds and snemul.cfg to the root directory of your MicroSD card.
   
   
   
4. Once this is done, create a folder called SNES in the root directory of your MicroSD card. This is the location where you store all your SNES roms.
   
   
   
5. Place some roms inside the SNES folder.
   
   
   
6. Start the Nintendo DS, with the R4 and MicroSD card inserted and run the SNEmulDS.nds file. From here onwards it's just selecting the SNES ROM that you wish to run.
   

Pretty simple right? This technique should work on the M3 and CycloDS as well. Next up is a guide to running NES roms on the R4DS.

How to Play Videos and MP3s on the Nintendo DS: A Guide to MoonShell

For more homebrew guides for the Nintendo DS, head over to the brand new www.nineoverten.com.

MoonShell is a homebrew app used to play MP3 and video files on the Nintendo DS and is a much cheaper option compared to Nintendo's Play-Yan. But of course, you'll need a flash cart, and a handy guide like the one you are reading now. :)

Getting MoonShell to run on your Flash Cart (such as the M3 or the R4DS) is pretty easy. First, you'll need to download the latest version of Moonshell, which also comes with encoding tools for your video files (more on this later). The file can be found at http://mdxonline.dyndns.org/.

The Setup file will generate the Moonshell ROM file and its supporting subfolder and depending on where you instructed it to generate to, you might need to copy the ROM file and its supporting subfolder to your Flash Cart's memory card.

Part 1: Installing MoonShell

Here's a 5-step approach to using Moonshell's Setup screen.

1. First, select the Setup Target Drive. To keep things simple, select the C: Fixed-HDD option, like the one shown in the screenshot below.
   
   
   
2. Next, select the ROM image. This selection is based on the Flash Cart that you are using. Since I'm using an R4DS, I select the "R4TF R4(DS) - Revolution for DS".
   
   As for the rest of the options, just follow whatever I've selected here. Click on the Setup button to generate the ROM image and its accompanying support folder.
   
   
   
3. To copy over the ROM image and the support folder, head over to your C:\ drive (that was the destination drive I set earlier in Step 1). Copy the file and the folder (boxed in Red in the screenshot below) to your memory card.
   
   
   
4. Once you have copied over the file and folder to your Memory Card, it should look something like the following screenshot.
   
   
   
5. To take advantage of R4's main menu, which will load Moonshell by clicking on the middle icon, you'll need to rename the MoonShell_R4TF_M3Simply-R4DS(MicroSD Card).nds to _DS_MSHL.nds. Once this is done, you are all set to go.
   
   
   

Now, using MoonShell to play MP3s is pretty straightfoward. As you can see in some of the screen shots above, I've some MP3s in my flash cart (an R4DS). MoonShell will detect the files and then you can get it to play the files. There's really nothing to it.

In the case of video however, you'll need to convert the video first before you can view it using MoonShell on the Nintendo DS. As mentioned earlier, MoonShell comes with a set of tools used to convert your videos to better suite the limitations of the Nintendo DS.

Case in point, a Beast Wars episode (222 mb) was reduced to a 90+ mb package after using the conversion tool.

Part 2: Converting Video for use with MoonShell

1. The conversion tool is included with the MoonShell package that you've downloaded from http://mdxonline.dyndns.org/. Run the dpgenc.exe file.
   
   
   
2. Be sure to set the language option to English, otherwise you'll be stuck with rubbish fonts or Japanese.
   
   
   
3. From here onwards, it's all about the on-screen instructions. Pick a location where you want your converted video file to be stored at, and drag and drop a video file into the box to have the program convert it for you. Easy as pie.
   
   
   
4. Copy the converted video file into your Flash Cart's Memory Card. Do note that the converted video file has a .dpg file extension.
   

You can now play the video file in the same manner that you play MP3 files with MoonShell. But don't forget to first stick the Memory Card back into your flash cart after all that copying. Hehe.

For my other R4 related articles:

• R4DS - A Pictorial Guide
• R4DS Review
• Guide to Running Homebrew on R4DS

R4DS - A Pictorial Guide for n00bs

For more R4DS guides for the Nintendo DS, head over to the brand new www.nineoverten.com.

It has come to my attention that the R4DS isn’t exactly noob friendly when it comes to getting it up and running. I don’t have a problem with the manual in the website, but the following is a pictorial guide for anyone who is having trouble using it. Pictures are clickable to reveal larger versions.

Just some general requirements:

1. Make sure that the MicroSD card is connected to your PC/Laptop
2. This guideline utilises a blank SD card. So if you have one, format it. We are starting from scratch here.
3. Download the latest R4DS kernel from the R4DS website. Click here.

Part 1: Getting the R4DS up and running

1. First up, examine the contents of the R4DS kernel that you have just downloaded from the R4DS website. This is a compressed file so you might need software such as WinRAR or 7zip to open it.
   
   Uncompress it (I don’t think I need to write a guide about this, no?) to a folder on your desktop. Shown below is an example of the uncompressed contents:
   
   
   
2. Now, using your Windows Explorer, open the MicroSD card. It should be empty since you have just formatted it.
   
   
   
3. Now, copy over the _DS_MENU.DAT from the R4DS kernel folder shown in Step 1 to the MicroSD card. The result should look like this:
   
   
   
4. This is followed by copying the moonshl folder and _DS_MSHL.NDS (from the R4DS kernel folder in Step 1) to the MicroSD card. The result should look like this:
   
   
   
5. Now, the last step would be to copy the _system_ folder (from the R4DS kernel folder in Step 1) over to the MicroSD card. The final result should look like this:
   
   
   
6. Remove the MicroSD card from your PC/Laptop and place it inside your R4DS. Place the R4DS into your Nintendo DS Lite and switch the console on to see whether it works.
   

Part 2: Running ROMS

First, let’s get this out of the way. Both homebrew and pirated games for the Nintendo DS exist as ROMs. Running them requires the same method and there’s no distinction other than if you are running pirated games, you are basically stealing.

For the sake of this example, I’m using a ROM file for New Super Mario Bros. I have the game in its original cartridge, so I guess its ok. For those of you who don’t, find another ROM file to experiment it (some R4 users justify their use with the term "playing back-ups" when they are "backed-up" to a corner..so get an original game so you can play back-up with. lol)

Most of the time ROMs are available on the Internet as compressed files (.zip or .rar), you’ll need to uncompress them before you can use them. The following is an example on how a ROM file looks like.

How to identify a Nintendo DS ROM? Nintendo DS ROM files have the .NDS extension with them.

Copy this file over to your MicroSD card. The result should look like this:


Remove the MicroSD card from your PC/Laptop and insert it into your R4DS. Start the console, and under the Game category, select the ROM file and the game will start.

Alternatives to the R4DS

For the latest R4DS articles for the Nintendo DS, head over to the brand new www.nineoverten.com.

Look about the Internet and you would probably read reports/rumours that the R4DS is not readily available for sale. Now, the R4 has an unsavoury light in my books when it used to run pirated ROMs, but as a device that enables the use of homebrew on the DS, it's pretty top notch. And with the demise of the R4 forums, I probably need to go somewhere else for my homebrew fix.

All things considered, what are your alternatives for running homebrew on the DS? As far as Slot-1 solutions are concerned, there are plenty of choices.


First up you have the nearest cousin to the R4DS, the M3 DS Simply. According to one flashcart website, this is manufactured by the same factory as the R4DS and both are identical. However, do note that R4 firmware won't work on the M3 and vice versa.

Second would be the new kid on the block, the CycloDS Evolution Slot 1 Enhancer. A mouthful of a name with a feature set geared at pirated ROMs, it appears to be a good alternative to the R4 when it comes to homebrew. Amongst other things, it has support for SDHC (bigger storage space possible).

I remember reading in a forum that this particular Slot-1 solution doesn't boast a good built quality so caveat emptor.


Third up would be the G6 DS Real. This is probably for people who don't like using external media such as micro SD cards with their Slot-1 solutions. My R4 in particular is sometimes finicky and makes for an excellent SD card launcher. Talk about being as crazy as a spring. This on the other hand comes with 2 Gigabytes of internal flash memory, more than enough to store tonnes of homebrew and media files. Cool isn't it?


Last but not least in this feature is a Slot-1 solution from the very makers of Supercard themselves, the Supercard DS(One). This is probably one of the more common offerings at local game shops to "uninformed" buyers when it comes to "lowering the cost of ownership" for the Nintendo DS Lite since the R4DS is now hard to come by.

How to Cheat Using the R4DS - A Guide

For more R4DS guides for the Nintendo DS, head over to the brand new www.nineoverten.com.

The latest R4DS kernel (v 1.10) comes with a built-in ability that allow users to cheat at games! Some call it Action Replay, others call it the golden finger. But no matter, here's a guide on how to cheat on your Nintendo DS with an R4!

First, the cheat data is located inside the _system_ folder in a file called CHEAT.dat. It is not necessary to use this as it is not constantly updated with cheats for the latest games. So remove this file and replace it with the USRcheat file which can be found constantly updated in this forum thread: http://forums.r4ds.net/showthread.php?t=2522. The file name is called usrcheat.dat and you'll just need to place it inside the _system_ folder.

*Note: Since the R4DS.net forum has conked out, you might need to search for the urscheat.dat file using Google. One forum I found that hosts a rather recent version of urscheat.dat is http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/6/505999

Once this is done, boot up your R4DS and select a game, for example New Super Mario Bros. The bottom screen will show the game details along with a button to cheat. If you see two cheat buttons, follow my first step described earlier. Click on the cheat button and you'll see on the top screen, a whole list of cheats and at the bottom screen, a whole bunch of buttons.

In order for you to be able to select and enable the cheats, do make sure that the bottom screen looks like the following screen shot before choosing the cheats you want to use.
Once done selecting your cheats, click on the Save & exit button and start the game!

Here are some of my observations and warnings:

• I started of my research using Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. The cheats didn't work on the game, making me conclude that the cheat function was faulty on this game.
• Which led me to use a New Super Mario Bros ROM, and it works.
• The cheat UI sucks, the two check boxes must be checked, and the status shows as "Game DISABLE and "Cheat DISABLE". What gives, R4?
• Don't select too many cheats. I managed to corrupt a couple of save files doing so.
• Cheating apparently doesn't work on WiFi games (read it in the forum)

An Idiot's Guide To R4, or R4DS, or "I'm n00b, how j00 play ROM on NDS?"

For more R4DS guides for the Nintendo DS, head over to the brand new www.nineoverten.com.

Now, I'm pretty sure that everyone and their grandmother, or grandfather, or any distant relation would be sick and tired of people going about asking: "What is R4?", especially in a hush-hush environment such as the Lowyat.Net Forums.

Don't get me wrong, I like the hush-hush environment, it's kind of like the US Military's "policy" on gays: "Don't ask, don't tell". Simple. It's only when people don't get the idea and start talking... that's where all the problems start.

So taking the bull by the horns, here's a dumb ass' guide to the R4:

• It's a Slot-1 solution for playing NDS ROMs, NDS homebrew and media files on the Nintendo DS. Since it's a Slot-1 solution, you stick it into the slot where you usually put in a NDS cartridge.
• No, it does not run GBA ROMS, neither do other Slot-1 solutions
• It works in conjuction with a MicroSD card, which slots into the R4 cartridge. The R4 package should come with a MicroSD card reader, which connects to the USB port of your PC/Laptop. Using the reader, you can drag and drop files into the MicroSD card.
  
• Please note that the MicroSD card is sold separately (not included in the original R4 package), unless bundled by the R4DS seller.

Now, for pwetty pictures, just in case you don't understand what the heck I'm talking about:

Clockwise from top, the contents of a R4 package: lanyard, MicroSD Card Reader, the R4 cartridge and CD.

Note: Do not ask me for ROMs, or sites to download ROMs as you are asking a fella who bought a R4 for fun, and for no particular reason... well... it used to be for homebrew, but come to think of it, it's like a white elephant now. So.. don't... ask

This post was brought to you by copious amounts of wine. Red wine.

R4DS Review

For more R4DS guides for the Nintendo DS, head over to the brand new www.nineoverten.com.

I noticed that one of the more popular entries in my blog is the guide to running homebrew on the Nintendo DS with a R4 Revolution for DS (original article here). Lets face it, talk about flash carts like the R4DS will generate interest from people looking for ROMs and on the other hand, cause some people to act like presumptous righteous religious zealots asking "OMG! Why have you gone over to the dark side?"

Before kicking off with this review, I would like to take the opportunity to remind my readers that games reviewed on this site are original titles owned by me and I will not provide information regarding where to obtain ROMs (some prefer the politically correct term of backup games, but I say they are in denial) nor host them in this blog of mine. However, please feel free to peruse this review and my article regarding running homebrew games using an R4.


The R4 is basically a Slot-1 storage solution for homebrew programs on the Nintendo DS. The previous generation of Slot-2 solutions utilized the GBA slot of the DS but at the same time required a booting tool such as a Flash Me in the Slot-1 to function. On the other hand, the R4 is a complete solution out of the box and users can run homebrew programs stored inside the R4's MicroSD card without the need for additional hardware or flashing the DS.

The R4 package represents an interesting case study in value-adding for such a niche product. The package consists of R4 unit itself, lanyard, installation/manual CD, and a MicroSD card reader (MicroSD sold separately).



The overall build quality is good and the MicroSD slot in the R4 unit is spring loaded; inserting and ejecting a MicroSD card from the R4 unit is similar to inserting and ejecting a cartridge from the DS' Slot 1.

Some tips for the first time users of the R4 should the unit fail to boot on the DS:

• Read the Manual
• Make sure that you have loaded the necessary files from the supplied CD to the R4's MicroSD card, alternatively you can get these files from the R4DS website (google it)
• Check whether the connectors in the DS Slot-1 are dust free. Try blowing the empty Slot-1 before inserting the R4. Personally, I would give the R4 unit as good shake as well. Somehow this tip is starting to sound very wrong. :P
  
• Read the Manual! I can't emphasize more on this and unlike the excellent build quality of the package, the manual is somewhat sketchy but should be no problem with some trial and error.
  

So what can you do with your R4? Personally, I run homebrew games on it while my friend uses it as a test bed for Japanese DS titles (don't ask, and all I can say is that it is good that you can try out things before deciding whether to buy). Some of the homebrew games that I have are:

• DSDoom - This is a port of id Software's genre-defining game, Doom
• Tower Defence - This is a port of one of Warcraft 3's multiplayer mode, and superbly addictive.
• QuakeDS - I've not loaded this up as I'm still figuring out some stuff, but this should rock, come on....it's QUAKE

It's a paltry amount but try looking up for the list of homebrew games supported on the R4 and you will definately be a homebrew happy camper. Modojo recently did an article on popular homebrew games and you would do no wrong checking it out (here). Don't forget though that some games do need patching to run on an R4 and the patching guide can be found on this blog (here).(AY!)

Running Homebrew on a Nintendo DS and a R4

You just bought a R4 Revolution for the Nintendo DS and you look forward to running homebrew applications such as DSOrganize and homebrew games such as DSDoom and Tower Defense. However you find that you are unable to run the homebrew applications after copying them into the MicroSD card of the R4.

A common solution for this is to patch the particular application's .nds file (otherwise known as the ROM file) with a DLDI patch. Don't ask me what it does but I guess it fixes something to do with the file system.

Anyways, here are the steps to patching the file:

1. Download the DLDI patch for the R4 here
2. Download the DLDI patching software here
3. Assuming that you have the ROM file in hand, unzip the DLDI patching software to somewhere that is conveniently accessible from the Command prompt.
   
4. Place the DLDI patch and the ROM file in the same location as well.
   
5. Using the command prompt, head over to the folder containing the files mentioned above.
6. Key in the following at the command prompt: dlditool r4tf.dldi filename.nds, with filename being the name of the ROM file
7. Press the enter key to begin the patching process
8. Copy the ROM file over to the MicroSD card and you should be able to run the application/game.