Looking for a new media card for your Nintendo DS? You might want to check out the new XP Card, billed as the card with the "highest performance-cost ratio" among all the cards for the DS. This little device has the same size as an original DS cart and it operates without the need for any extra storage device, like a Micro SD card for instance.

Here's a list of the XP Card's product features:

• 1:1 original card size.
• No FlashMe, No PassMe, No conversion anymore.
• Lowest Cost of Owning. Built-in NAND Flash up to 8Gbits. No extra storage device required.
• 100% Clean Rom Support. 100% game compatibility.
• Hardware virtual saving supported. Backup and exchange saves with other players easily.
• Micro firmware design, skin which is fully upgradeable.
• Low power consuming and long sustaining time.

The XP Card also has built-in Moonshell. It also works as a USB disk in any PC, so all you need to do to copy files from your PC is to drag and drop them from your PC to the XP Card. Interested? Click on the "via" link below for more info. If any of you guys have had the chance to try out this card, don't hesitate to let us know your opinions by leaving a comment below.

The R4 team has informed me that a new update is available for their new R4 DS flashcart, one of which all current owners/will-be owners should update to the second they have access to their R4. The R4 DS is a revolutionary slot-1 flashcart that comes at a very affordable price (45$) with expandable memory, making it one of the best flashcarts out on the market. this update adds DIY skin support (custom skins) just like the majority of other flashcarts, really making your DS your personal gaming device!

The R4 offers clean, drag n' drop functionality for homebrew, music, videos - all of which can be controlled with the touch screen, making this a true DS flashcart. For those wondering if it requires flashme already pre-installed, the answer is no. Like more recent DS Flashcarts, this comes with built-in no-pass functionality, eliminating such need for Flashme.  I will be reviewing this product early next week as I have received it yesterday (huge thanks and gratitude to the R4 team). To install this, just copy the shell folder and two files to the root of your memory stick. This new update to the R4 DS adds the following -

• Supports DIY skin
• SHELL, MOONSHL,_SYSTEM_ directory and _DS_MSHL.NDS are invisible in "display game only" mode
• Supports 4-scale-lightness adjustment (DSLite only)

Download: [R4 Core Update v1.05 - English]
Purchase: [List of official retailers]
Visit: [Offical Website]

A new product has been emerging out this month as a viable competitor to the M3, Supercard and DS-X flashcart teams. M3 has their new slot-1 device entitled the "M3 DS Simply", Supercard following suit with their Supercard DS and the DS-X team with their highly popular DS-Xtreme. All of these seem to be great flashcart solutions from very respected teams, so how will the R4 fair against them? That's the ultimate question, something of which we can only decide once a review is out. The R4DS will use MicroSD memory cards as the memory medium and will be competitively priced at 45.99$ (USD) with the following features -

• Original DS cart sized device;
• Drag‘N drop files NO software required;
• Play in SLOT-1 without Passcard or Flashme;
• Supports TF(MicroSD) capacity upto 4GB(32Gbit);
• Supports DS sleep mode;
• Supports FAT16/32 File System;
• Supports Screen touch sensitive;
• Compatible clean Rom, homebrew & moonshell; - Compatible all version of DS;
• Intuitively upgradeable custom operating system.

Buy: [R4 DS Slot-1 Solution (MicroSD) for Nintendo DS (Lite)]
Buy: [R4DS w/ 1GB MicroSD Slot-1 Combo by R4 for Nintendo DS (Lite)]
Buy: [R4DS w/ 2GB MicroSD Slot-1 Combo by R4 for Nintendo DS (Lite)]

Lick has released his DS homebrew app called LoveLite 1.3 beta. The app lets you change your brightness setting on DS lites by running a file instead of using the firmware.

The changelog for LoveLite v1.3 beta includes the following new features:

• All Supercard devices will now return to the sc menu. (SCLite users, please give feedback)
• GBAMP (with chishm's hack) will now return to _BOOT_MP.NDS.
• M3 devices will now return to the m3 menu. (M3CF and M3SD tested. If it doesn't work, try holding L.)
• EZ IV devices will return to the ez menu. (Note: it takes a few seconds before LoveLite is initialized.)
• EZ-Flash III and EZ-Flash II has potentially working code (not tested)The firmware is now tested before it writes the brightness
• Fixed graphics glitches
• The buttons now react faster with no input-delays
• Fixed the iQue offsets
  

Before you install LoveLite v1.3 beta PLEASE READ the following IMPORTANT NOTES from the developer:

• iQue users: Please make sure you have a -Flashed iQue- before trying this software. No tests have been done on iQue devices, because I don't have one. It should work as expected, but until people have tested it, I can't claim anything.
• This software bricked a few iQues (hopefully, they were flashed) but the code is fixed. As you can read in the changes, the potentially dangerous code now includes checking of the firmware before writing to it. 
• The release is tested on western ds'es, but make sure your firmware is flashed if you're the first person to test LoveLite on your type of hardware. (FlashMe users are 100% safe!)

Now that you know what you're getting into you can download the software here:

Download: [LoveLite v1.3 beta]

There's been a lot of news about the DS Xtreme, but it's picked up this week. We learned about it a while back and found out that it supports homebrew (there was even a video of it running DSOrganize). Then there was news of production going full throttle. Now, what has been described as the most anticipated DS flashcart has gone further along in its development.

More images from the DS Xtreme (or DS-X) manufacturing team have been released. The first two (below, left and middle) show the panels. Each panel hold the innards of four flashcarts; these will be removed and put into their individual cases. The last image (below, right) is of their X-ray department doing quality control inspections.

One Single Device. No GBA Cart necessary. No PassME/FlashMe/WifiMe. No need for external memory. No additional hardware required. Some of us are still skeptical about it, but a few are already doing happy dances.

  

DS fanatics, good news! Production of the DS-Xtreme, the latest product from DS-X, is now in full swing. The team has posted some pictures of their new product in production on their website, and they have proudly announced that production is progressing very well.

The DS-Xtreme, an NDS flash cart that's just the same size as your regular NDS cartridge, features built-in PassMe/FlashMe/WiFiMe support. It's basically an all-in-one flashcart: no need for a GBA cart, no need for external memory, and no additional hardware required. Perfect for your homebrew needs! For a sneak peek at how the DS-Xtreme handles homebrew apps, check out this previous QJ article and watch the DS-Xtreme in action.

  

Flash Carts are devices primarily used for back-ups and homebrews. Only a few of these are currently available in the market, and most are GBA-based. Thanks to Ndspuffin, we now know the first generation of DS (slot-1)-based flash carts has already arrived.

Aptly called the DS-Link Card, this device is compatible with all original DS consoles, including the DS Lites. Using this should not be a problem as its size matches that of the original DS card. Several problems encountered with the DS were also addressed. The built-in cache system prevents games from lagging, and the 4M Flash Saving System makes sure saved files remain, well, saved.

Aside from the above mentioned, the DS-Link Card offers support for the following:

• TF (MicroSD) cards up to 2GB
• FlashMe v7.0
• GBA Slot Expansion Device (such as shock packages, cruise expansion cards, gyroscopes sensors)
• MoonShell (able to play MP3, Movies, Ebooks and others)

The DS-Link card can be purchased online at Pdapuffin for $59.00.

Dr. Neo from the NeoFlash Team, the brains behind MK4 devices such as MK4-Mini and MK4-Key, is giving us another addition in their line of amazing products. The first version of the MK-4 Mini Patcher was released yesterday on the team's official website. All you have to do is patch the ROM and then copy it to the GBA using Neo Power Kit. Unfortunately, this doesn't work with FlashMe.

Changelog:

• Support MK4-mini only.
• Support NEOFlash and XGFlash 2005 serial only.
• All save data will keep to MK4 inner EEPROM
• Not support all games in this beta version yet.

In the future, the team hopes to make it 100% game compatible. Help the team with their earnest endeavor by downloading the patcher and letting them know which games work and which ones don't. So far, games like Metroid Prime Hunters, Cars, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and New Super Mario Bros don't seem to work. And also, keep your heads up for a possible release of a new GST Patcher 4.0.

Download: [MK4 Mini Patcher v1.0]

The people behind the Nintendo DS app, FlashMe, has updated their creation to v7. If you aren't familiar with this one, it is an alternative firmware for your Nintendo DS and as of now, it is a hacked version of the original firmware.

You already knew all that by now. But this might be something new and interesting to you: This version of Flashme could also be used for the DS Lite. The tutorial below comes with a disclaimer! Lynx, the creator, said that "the use of PassMe/NoPass/FlashMe is at your own risk! This device does NOT allow you to run copyrighted applications. It is for homebrew development only! Natrium42, DarkFader, Lynx, Loopy, Costis and anyone else that helped make this available are not responsible for any damage it may cause to you, your Nintendo DS-Lite, or anything else it comes in contact with. What's this mean? If you fry your DS, NO ONE is going to buy you a new one. You have been warned. Again, use at your own risk!" Clear enough.

The first thing you do is download the installation file. Write it to your GBA Flash Cart or in Lynx's case, he wrote it to his GBA Movie Player. He also reminds you that, although you will be downloading FlashMe.nds, it does not require you to add a header. This .nds file will work just as it is on a GBA Flash Cart OR GBA MP, etc. The video of installing the FlashMe on the DS Lite is provided below, but if you want the step by step procedures you can go on to Lynx instructions here.

This new version of FlashMe is now compatible with Mario Kart DS. Incase you are unaware of what FlashMe is - it is an alternative firmware for your Nintendo DS. Currently it is a hacked version of original firmware
Version: NDS-FW-V5.

• The button combination A+B+X+Y, gamecode "PASS" or title "DSBooter" on the GBA cartridge automatically starts program from GBA cartridge (starting from offset 0xC0).
  Most applications (like FlashMe) that were packaged with a newer ndstool already have a built-in nds loader, removing the need to prepend an auxillary nds loader to make it compatible with the FlashMe/PassMe boot method.
• Fail-safe feature: The first part of firmware is write-protected with the SL1 contact. In case malware erases the rest, you can still reinstall FlashMe from GBA cartridge by holding START+SELECT+A+B keys.
• Backlight fades in at startup.
• Effectively removes the health screen, making it less annoying to boot.
• Remove RSA signature check for Wireless MultiBooting (WMB) homebrew NDS files.

You can get it in our NDS Download section.