Bootloader, SystemFiles, Firmware... all mean the same thing for the m3 dsreal. Really they mean different things if you look them up but on here they are sometimes interchanged one with another. There are 3 main types of bootloaders/systemfiles/firmwares. The official M3 DS Real firmware, M3 Sakura (official in jp but hacked to work here), and itouch firmware hacked to work on it. The forth version is a combination version where you hold down x, y, or nothing when booting up and by which button you held brings up a different firmware. M3 DS Real official has Real Time Save in it latest version. go to m3adapter.com and look for download links. I like sakura the best because of the touch interface is the best! Personally I don't like the Itouch firmware but it is still available for you try for yourself. Once downloaded they need to be unzipped or decompressed most of the time. use winrar or windows or osx, they can all decompress zip files. for rar files use winrar windows or stuffit osx then simply copy file onto microsd card. the folder copied should be the system folder (if multifirmware ones follow there own instructions. in fact don't bother with those till you can make sure your card works with the official firmware, may save you time) next make a NDS folder on the sd micro card and copy games into that folder. (for homebrew follow homebrews instructions) in explorer if you clicked on you micro card you should have System (folder) NDS (folder) on the right One should not be in the other. they are both at the root of the microsd card or at the top. This info should all be in this forum already so I'm not sure why I'm repeating it. It shouldn't be too hard. XP, Vista, OSX, should all work, for getting the microsd card to work in PC/Mac you need a SD micro card reader, mine came with the m3 ds real so if you have that just stick the card in it on one end and the ohterside into a usb port.
thank you soo much you have been great, my friend wud like to know which is better M3 simply or M3 real?
M3 Real The M3 Simply was an R4 clone, there have been no software updates for this card for the last 6 months and it is one to avoid
Does anyone else experience slowness in creating save files when using a microSDHC card as compared to a microSD (1gb)? I noticed this when I was setting up my new Kingston 4gb microSDHC card. I created the save files on the same games using the same SYSTEM folder (System V4.2a X) and both formatted as FAT32. Any ideas? I would think the SDHC would be faster. I also have a M3 DS Simply which i find easier to use (faster menu, soft reset on all games), any idea if the menu speed will improve for the M3 DS real? Forgot to add - i purchased both m3's from realhotstuff.
The M3 firmware is very slow, try using the hacked english version of Sakura or wait for a week or too till the new English loader comes available. Sakura is amazing (gbatemp - look in the M3 forum cant fail to see it - pinned)
Is there a limit to the amount of letters in the game's filename? Also, do the games have to .nds, or can I leave them as zipped files? Thanks for any info.
I would certainly expect their to be a character limit, although I haven't come across a game with such a long name that it causes a problem, but their could be one. Also, as far as I know you need to unzip them into their .nds format.
Ok, thanks. My M3 is in the mail and I'm trying to get my roms in some sort of order before it gets here so I can start playing immediately. ^.^
No real limit on the file name size, although you cannot see all of it if it is too long. No more than 128 roms in a folder The roms in the M3 software show in the order you put them on the card, so put them on in alphabetical order, it just makes it easier. Yes you can change it by pressing a button but it all takes time.
M3 Sakura is a good Boot loader which always lists your games in Alphabetical order. ( I also prefere the entire loader over the standerd one). You may also be interested in the ROM Trimmer found on that page which wil trim the sizes of some of your roms to save abit of space.
If your looking for a rom trimmer then look for DStokyotrim, this trimmer looks for wifi games and leaves them alone as trimming these can inhibit the function
Hello guys im looking to buy a m3 real card for my NDS. i read in the forum about possible fakes. where is a good site or sites i can be a genuine one ?? trying to get this rolling before xmas. thanks for any help you guys can give!!!!
For sites in the uk. The first one i bought was a fake from click-shop and even though they knew it was a fake only offered me 10% off sent it back for a full refund which i am still waiting for so avoid. Bought an original from mobymemory and they have been brill.
Try the previous page or two for some recommendations of where to buy non-fakes. I've had good luck with dealwoot.com, all good, no shipping fees, and fast too. I have no affiliation, yada, yada... Good luck, Dave
hello , i found this site and wonderd if its a good deal: http://www.thedsdeals.com/M3_DS_Real_p/iai164.htm&Click=2?gclid=CJzVlsDS05cCFQMCagod6yVMCg i found this site and they offer a pack all for 29.99. i think its a good deal at 10 dollars off. i already havea 2gb micro sd card i can format and use. question-- how many games can you put on a 2gb micro sd card ? might i need a bigger card ? 2- was that site any good i want to avoid A fake and still get a decent deal at around 29.99.
Well delextreme sell their rumble pack for 28.95 with free delivery so the price is about right, but I have nevr bought from them so I cannot say about fakes, just make sure you try the unit straight away, if the box says anything other than www.m3adapter.com then its a fake, most are R4 or DSTT with an M3 sticker on, worth about $10. On a 2GB card you will get about 20 or so games if they are all small files up to 40 if they ar all big about 8
hello, thank you for the response kittymat.. where did you buy yours from so i can get a real one i think if i pay more from where you got yours i can atleast no its not a fake and be satisfied and not go throught the headaches .
Depends where you are. I use www.dealextreme.com - free delivery but can take 2-3 weeks realhotstuff.com - US but fast delivery. The most important thing is when it arrives download the firmware from http://www.linfoxdomain.com/nintendo/ds/ if the packing on the cart says anything other than www.m3adapter.com its a fake and return it
I'm having an issue with my M3 Ds and the GBA advanced expansion pack. I've had the whole package (M3, GBA Exp and Rumble pack) for almost a year now and it has been working fine (with the exclusion from the dying spring loader of the M3 itself - I remove the Sd card with tweasers ); today I went to play GBA games on it and found that during short periods of time it would save, but after an hour or so the save file would be gone. All my previous games (GBA games only) seem to have lost there save files as well! Is there any previous known issue as of such and is there a way of fixing it?
Never had a problem with this so I'm not quite sure. As per some troubleshooting guidelines... Here are some things to try and report back with. 1st What game/games for GBA not working is it a specific game or all of them. (if it is only one game maybe it's a bad dump or something) 2nd What version of the m3 software are you using. When My friend first got one of these he was complaining about gba saves but then he updated or something and I havn't heard him complain since. Try latest m3 or sakura. 3rd do hardware testing if possible (this isn't always possible without $$$). Try a friends ds and see if it does the same thing in his ds, try a different gba expansion pack, try a different microsd, try a different m3 card. (I try to not have to test hardware because I don't have $$$ to waste). If anyone else has other ideas feel free to speak up.
