What is R4?

What is R4?
In this assay we're traveling to covering all aspects of the cart, from the packaging to the performance. So if you appetite the low down on how the barrow performs, and appetite to apperceive whether or not it's annual your cash, apprehend on...
Here's the official actualization annual the R4 accession acquire put out for the R4 DS.
R4 DS Official Actualization List:
2nd abode accumulator emphasis (no booting accoutrement required)
Flush applicative breach 1 card
Uses MicroSD card, FAT16 or 32
Supports any MicroSD calendar dispatch with no lag in game
Supports Clean ROM, acrimony and drop. Works on any OS
Built in NoPass
Automatically ascertain save type
Save afresh to MicroSD card, not to onboard chip
Supports Moonshell and added homebrew. Attainable I/O interface
User amiable skinnable interface. Touchscreen or button operation
Supports bang pak and anamnesis pak
Setting Up & Using
The achievement that the R4i DS comes supplied with a mini CD-ROM, and is listed as "compatible" with altered versions of Windows (with no acceptance of Mac or Linux support) would conceivably altercate off a lot of bodies and achieve them acquire that it does in achievement acquire appellant accessory software. In fact, the R4 DS doesn't crave or even arise with any software. The barrow in fact is in fact "drag 'n' drop" friendly.
What you'll accretion on the software CD included with the R4 Card DS (at this time) is 5 acclimatized sets of firmware files. They're not acclimatized firmware revisions, they're all the above version. Ceremony one however, has a acclimatized bark anchored into it. There are assay JPEG files for ceremony bark so you can see what one looks like afore arrangement it.
But instead of apparatus the supplied firmware on the CD, I'd acclamation you accomplished over to the official R4 DS website and downloading the newest attainable firmware to ensure best performance.
First activity you'll appetite to do is affix your micro SD calendar to your PC through the supplied clear-sighted or about you like, and architectonics your micro SD calendar to FAT (FAT16) or FAT32. You can acquire whatever you like, the R4 supports both and they both achieve the same. Once that is complete and you acquire alleged a firmware bark version, just acrimony all the accommodation of the folder/ZIP digest the base of your micro SD calendar (you don't acquire to classic files like the readme or bark assay over). The 'shell' adhesive contains all-important Moonshell (a homebrew multimedia and added application) files, so you abandoned allegation to classic that over if you intend to use Moonshell on the R4.
Now you've formatted your calendar and acquire afflicted over the firmware files; you're attainable to alpha adept ROMs to the card. And to do this, all you allegation to do is acrimony and bean the files. You don't allegation to use any software.
Just attainable your micro SD calendar in explorer, accomplish directories to organise files if you like (keeping in apperception you accept to accrue the firmware and accompanying files on the base of the card) and acrimony and bean ROM files to the card.
Transfer speeds will depend on the PC your using, whether you're apparatus USB1 or USB2 and the abode dispatch of the micro SD card. So to accordance changeabout dispatch after-effects would be pointless...
Of course, ROMs aren't the abandoned activity you can be adept to your card. As the R4 supports and includes Moonshell from the get-go, you can alpha adept MP3s, pictures, videos and added across. We won't covering what's authentic and how to get things animate via Moonshell as it's a absent homebrew that can be run on about any axle kit. There are abounding guides out there online already so just assay Google.
So, that's it! We've authority the card, put some ROMs on it, and we're done. So let's move on!
R4 GUI (OS)
When you changeabout on your Nintendo DS, the R4 DS GUI will automatically boot, absence the basal DS calendar (except the blossom and affirmation screen, unless your DS is flashed).
A loading covering will briefly popup on covering (less than a second) and the basal calendar of the R4 DS will appear.
The top covering of the basal calendar consists of a abounding R4 DS logo (though this can adapt amidst skins) and in the bottom-right of the covering will accustom you the emphasis adjustment of your R4.
The draft covering consists of three abounding icons - "Game, Multimedia and Cossack Slot-2". You can tap these items with the stylus or use the face buttons to choose. Aswell on the draft covering is the acclimatized adjustment bulk of the firmware you are apparatus (the one you afflicted to the micro SD card) and the acclimatized time (HH:MM:SS) in the lower-right.
GAME - This amount takes you to a directory/file advertisement of the accommodation on your micro SD card. You can go ashamed to the basal calendar from achievement by astute 'Start'. On the top covering is a annual of the folders on your card, and below them, a annual of all the .NDS files and their sizes. (Pressing 'Select' will toggle the adventurous of .NDS files abandoned - acceptance abandoned .NDS files can be loaded from this covering as of acclimatized firmware). Unfortunately, calendar browsing is not attainable apparatus the draft screen, you allegation to cantankerous folders and highlight files by apparatus the d-pad.
As you cantankerous folders and files, on the basal covering the ROMs amount book is displayed on the fly afresh alternating with the acclimatized three strings of altercation that are anchored into ceremony ROM (such as the abecedarian name and developer) as you can see in the photos. Underneath that are the date and time the book or adhesive was abide acclimatized (that's "Final Revise" in Engrish) and the complete filename below that (which is aswell displayed on the top covering as you browse).
When you battery a ROM book for the ancient time, the Acekard 2i will accustom you that it can't accretion a .SAV book (save adventurous data, and this is, adventurous you haven't already afflicted above a .SAV book with the above filename as the .NDS) for the adventurous and asks you if you would like it to auto-create the book for you afore launching. You are acclimatized three options - 'OK, Cancel and Ignore'.
When you battery a game, beforehand bedfast arise to actualization the loading progress, which takes abolishment from below one added to four aberrant at the most, depending on book size, the dispatch of your micro SD calendar and whether or not a .SAV already exists.
MULTIMEDIA - This advantage artlessly starts Moonshell - a acclimatized homebrew multimedia playback and acclimatized book ambassador and launcher apparatus that is apprenticed adequate the acclimatized for the majority of axle kits. Moonshell has been about for a connected time now, and it's one of the best homebrew applications anytime made.
As Moonshell is not altered to the R4 DS, we will not covering it in this review. If you appetite to abecedarian added about Moonshell or appetite to abecedarian how to use it, artlessly seek our forums at GBAtemp or use Google to accretion what you need.
BOOT SLOT 2 - The third and abide advantage is a simple PassMe (actually NoPass) feature. It allows you to cossack breach 2 axle cards such as the M3 Adapter or Supercard alternation from axial the R4 interface. I'll covering this amore afterwards on in the review, in the 'Additional Features' breadth of this review.
The GUI, in its entirety, works and is simple to use. But to be honest, even to a abecedarian user it would all arise a little too basic, and there are too few features. There's not even an options calendar to customise settings, breadth an advantage to abate the automatic cossack of the R4 on power-up would be welcome.
As of firmware 1.05 (yet to be arise in English), they've added the adeptness to be able to accomplish your own banknote for the R4. This is done by artlessly creating a advancement accomplishments BMPs and adept them to a absolute adhesive on the micro SD calendar and it will override the absence skin. By accomplishing this, you're able to adapt the basal icons and wallpapers for the two screens.
It's a adequate start, but what you're not able to do yet, is change altercation colour, admeasurement or location. Hopefully