I feel like the R4/M3 comparison/purchase threads are rather common place, and I have read a number of them... but I don't seem to be satisfied with what I've read so far. A lot of the ones I've read have recommended the R4DS because it's similar & cheaper. However, that isn't the case anymore. The R4DS is now ~50 on most sites, while the R4 DS Real is ~43. The M3DSS is out of the picture for me because I can't find it in stock on any site that I remotely trust. From what I understand, the R4DS is practically the same as the M3DSS. I was originally going to go w/ the M3DSS, and now that I can't ever find them in stock, R4DS was going to be my alternative. However, the R4DS has gone up in price from ~42 US to ~50 US. That then brings the M4 DS Real into the picture (~44 with Rumble Pack). I do not need the GBA expansion. A large number of these threads (and google) recommend the R4DS. However, with the change in pricing, is the R4DS still preferred? I understand that the M4 DS Real allows support for microSD cards of > 2 gigs, while the R4DS does not. The R4DS also evidently has potential problems with no spring loading? So you can break it or something? I've been trying to find direct feature by feature comparisons of the two, but most sites/reviews/threads compare the R4DS w/ the M3DSS, instead of the Real. What should I be considering? Is the R4DS still recommended over the M3 DS Real when it cost $6 more?
The R4 and M3 Simply are practically identical...the creators share everything they find with each other. The M3 DS Real is the M3 teams latest card and is probably a lot better than the R4 because its basically an upgraded version so I would go for that one. btw if you were going to choose between simply and R4 get the R4 as its updates come earlier
Like Flying V said, I don't think the R4 would ever be compared and recommended to the M3 Real. They are really "different generation" cards. The R4 and the M3 Simply are the same. If you are starting new, you probably want to look at something like the Cyclo or one of the newer cards. I have an old spring loaded R4 and love it. But yes, they have gone up in price.
Yeah the CycloDS is a really good choice. I just got one and its really good, and considering the future updates and features they will implement, I would go for this one. Plus the same team made Cyclowiz which was a very good Wii chip so we know they have experience
Ohh, the difference in generation explains a lot about why I had trouble finding comparisons. The internet is just so flooded with R4DS vs M3DS Simply comparisons that I didn't consider that the M3DS Real was just a "newer generation" device. So, what I'm getting, is that I should be comparing the M3DS Real with something like CycloDS instead. I was about to then ask for recommendations between M3DS Real & CycloDS, but it seems (from a quick google search) that CycloDS wins hands down. Reading features lists never made much sense to me because both devices seems to support the same basic things: play games, listen to music, support homebrew, etc. The CycloDS costs $10-$15 more than the M3DS Real, but it appears that their support team is a lot more active and they have less compatibility issues. [edit] Actually, after getting past page1 of google's searches, there is still strong support for the M3DS Real. However, many of these topics are saying that the M3DS Real is a "CycloDS Clone." What does that mean to me? Does that mean in terms of features & such, the Real offers the same thing as the DS Clone? So, is the price difference of 10-15 bucks what I pay for better support from the CycloDS team?
