- Introduction -
The AceKard 2 is probably one of the most popular flash carts on the market.
Some people even claim that it has become the new R4 in terms of popularity.
It is marketed as a cheap and reliable flash cart, and since its release, it
has provided just that. Although it is clearly superior in terms of speed,
ease of use and compatibility, the AceKard 2 had issues with the casing and
physical design.
Both the AceKard 2 and the AceKard 2i have similar boxes too.
The AceKard 2i is pretty much the same cart in terms of software, but it
has changed physically and of course, it works in the new Nintendo DSi. It
took some huge strides to improve itself, and at a few dollars more than the
original, it might be worth getting even if you don’t have a DSi.
Not sure if this should be a purchase for only DSi owners. It's worth
getting for a DS Lite too.
The AceKard 2 (and the AceKard 2i) has gotten praise from most of their
users. Its success can be seen by the out of stock signs everywhere, but much
of it is not attributed to the official team, but by the makers of the
unofficial firmware
AKAIO (AceKard All-in-One). Thanks to Normmatt and Smiths (and of course
the other people named in the credits), the AceKard 2 and AceKard 2i are the
most frequently updated carts out. In this review, I will be using their
firmware, not the official one, and I suggest to anyone else reading to do the
same.
- Design -
The AceKard 2i comes in the same box as the AceKard 2 except with a sticker on
the front that says “DSi Compatible”. It is a cheap cardboard box that is
really simplistic looking, and it did the job of keeping the cart safe. In it
is another cardboard box that has a few notches cut and is bent inwards to
hold the AceKard 2i. The packaging is cheap, really cheap, but then again the
AceKard 2i is one of the cheapest flash carts available for the DSi.
DSi compatible sticker looks out of place in the packaging don't you
think?
My review sample didn’t come with a MicroSD reader, which is a bit
disappointing. I’m not quite sure if they ship with readers, but I know that
the old AceKard 2 shipped with and without readers depending on how much you
paid.
The new AceKard 2i really impressed me. I remember there were several
revisions to the original AceKard 2 because of complaints, defects, etc. But
they never really hit it dead on. Even the latest version seems to be flimsy
at best. The AceKard 2i is different. They finally made the swap. The
improvements to the physical cartridge that is the AceKard 2i is just
light-years ahead of the AceKard 2.
The AceKard 2i may look similar in a picture, but you can tell that it is
much better just by holding it.
It isn’t held together by the clips I hate anymore, instead it is glued
shut. This is an improvement because clips tend to break off and leave the
cart even weaker. I would have preferred a screw, but glue is just fine. The
cart also doesn’t have any chips sticking out. I know that it is also true
for the newest batches of AceKard 2. The problem with a protruding chip is
that it tends to scrape against the side of the slot 1, and sometimes the
sticker wears out or the cart gets damaged. Lastly the spring-loaded MicroSD
slot seems to have tightened up a little, returning back to how it felt on the
original AceKard 2 that I tested. It is nice to see these problems addressed
and rectified.
No more clips probably means that there will be a lot less people
complaining about the cart dying in a few months.
The problems that still remain with the AceKard 2i are only the exposed
contacts and the sticker. The exposed contacts are a problem because the
“teeth” are meant to separate each of the connectors. Jiggling the cart
inside the slot could restart the DS or mess up the game. It isn’t a problem
since the AceKard 2i fits nicely, but I’ve always questioned the need to
remove them. It seems to be the trend now for flash carts; to remove the
teeth, one that doesn’t have much of an effect. The sticker is also one of
those issues that aren’t really a problem, but more of an annoyance. They are
still using these super thin silver stickers. There are just so many problems
with it. Let me begin by saying they scratch easily, in fact, they came
looking scratched and used because they rubbed against the cardboard. They
attract finger prints and dirt. They look used and beat up after a very short
time. The sticker is also thin, so it rips and tears easily. If the AceKard
2i had a chip sticking out (the very first few batches did), then I’d imagine
the sticker would be seriously damaged because of the slot 1. It isn’t a
problem in the sense that it would ever impair usage, in fact I could tear off
the whole sticker and it wouldn’t do anything, but it is just a little
annoying to see the cart look so old and abused.
No teeth and crappy stickers are the only complaints, that's not bad at
all.
- Software –
Let’s begin by explaining the AceKard 2i system. For simplicity’s sake, there
are 2 major “parts”. The first would be the menu, everything from the
downloaded; akmenu4.nds and the contents of the _ak2 or _aio folder excluding
one folder inside of that constitutes as the menu. These would be the skins,
the buttons, the plugins, the features, etc. The other “part” would be the
loader. The loader is responsible for rom compatibility. It is a common
mistake to update the menu and not the loader since they are split apart.
Since the loader is probably the thing you are looking to update, make sure
you remember. They go into the loader folder of the _ak2 or _aio folder
(depending if you are using the official or unofficial firmware).
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Reade the complete review
