I got a DS

I've heard lots of great stuff about the Acekard 2 (and I think my own card is a low-rent clone of it bearing the R4 name). The AKAIO interface is easy to use and has very high compatibility at this point. Since the card usually goes for only about $15ish most of the places I've seen it, it's hard to go wrong with it.

Then I'd suggest putting the savings to an EZFlash 3in1 cart for the GBA slot, but that's just gravy.

EDIT: Depending on your plans to get a 3DS you may find the AK 2i to be a better purchase as advised above, since the DSi antipiracy is apparently about the same as the 3DS. You can't run games in the DSi-enhanced mode, but you'll at least be able to still use the cart.

 

<!--quoteo(post=603001:date=Jul 6 2011, 03:32 PM:name=Guess Who)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Guess Who @ Jul 6 2011, 03:32 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=603001"></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Get an Acekard 2i and a class 6 microSD card. It's got the best support and compatibility of any card. You will be in DS <strike>piracy</strike> homebrew heaven.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Essentially, this. AK2i is a good card. Make sure you get a legit one and not a clone!

 

Though I personally have a really cheap card I picked up at wal-mart for 20 dollars (Datel games n' music), I've heard a lot of good things about the Supercard DStwo, which has a CPU built into it so it can run a built in GBA emulator without a slot-2 device, along with a built in SNES emulator which is supposedly better than any released SNES emulator homebrew.

I've seen it go for around $30-$40 online. Though I'm not the best person to explain these things, I generally go to <a href="http://gbatemp.net/f40-nds-flashcarts-and-accessories" target="_blank">the GBAtemp forums</a> for my flashcart info.

 

Acekard2 won't do you wrong, and they're typically really cheap (price, not build quality). DSTWO has always sounded pretty appealing to me but for the price I'd rather just grab a really cheap PSP-2000 or something off eBay (which is precisely what I did :P).

 

It really depends what you're looking for. The Acekard 2i is really good if you want inexpensive. It'll need the non-official AKAIO firmware to be any good, but in general it's great if you don't want to spend a whole lot. It runs the vast majority of commercial software and homebrew with no problems.

The Supercard DSTWO tends to be better at bypassing antipiracy on newly-dumped games with no extra effort, whereas other cards are more likely to need an update for this. Additionally, it's got a built-in processor which it can use for emulators and homebrew that simply isn't possible on a DS Lite alone. If you want to play Super Mario RPG on your DS, it's the only choice.

The CycloDS iEvolution is the only card on the market that can run in DSi mode. While this isn't useful to you at the moment given that you got a DS Lite, if you later get a DSi then you might want this, if only to run Sonic Classic Collection at full speed.

I know you said you want something that does not require a card reader, but I can assure you, you are wrong. None of the carts with direct USB for loading are kept up-to-date; they all have massive compatibility issues and small storage. It's well worth the extra money and effort to buy a better cart and a microSD card along with it.

 

<!--quoteo(post=603092:date=Jul 6 2011, 11:55 PM:name=Covarr)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Covarr @ Jul 6 2011, 11:55 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=603092"></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The Supercard DSTWO tends to be better at bypassing antipiracy on newly-dumped games with no extra effort, whereas other cards are more likely to need an update for this. Additionally, it's got a built-in processor which it can use for emulators and homebrew that simply isn't possible on a DS Lite alone. If you want to play Super Mario RPG on your DS, it's the only choice.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
This card kicks the shit our of everything on the market. It does cost more, but being able to run SNES and GBA ROMS at full speed is tremendous considering no other cartridges can do such a task so well. I have this card, and I loooooove it.

 

<!--quoteo(post=603136:date=Jul 6 2011, 11:28 PM:name=Guess Who)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Guess Who @ Jul 6 2011, 11:28 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=603136"></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=603129:date=Jul 7 2011, 01:08 AM:name=Maxd)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Maxd @ Jul 7 2011, 01:08 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=603129"></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=603092:date=Jul 6 2011, 11:55 PM:name=Covarr)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Covarr @ Jul 6 2011, 11:55 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=603092"></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The Supercard DSTWO tends to be better at bypassing antipiracy on newly-dumped games with no extra effort, whereas other cards are more likely to need an update for this. Additionally, it's got a built-in processor which it can use for emulators and homebrew that simply isn't possible on a DS Lite alone. If you want to play Super Mario RPG on your DS, it's the only choice.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
This card kicks the shit our of everything on the market. It does cost more, but being able to run SNES and GBA ROMS at full speed is tremendous considering no other cartridges can do such a task so well. I have this card, and I loooooove it.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Eh, from what I've read it was kind of a disappointment. Not much homebrew takes advantage of it, and AKAIO makes the much-cheaper Acekards pretty much just as compatible with new games.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
AKAIO does good, but sometimes you have to wait a day or two for it to be updated when some new antipiracy comes out. DSTWO usually doesn't even need an update, can fool more antipiracy right out of the box.

Of course, if you're aiming for a good price, the Acekard 2 (or 2i) is just about the best balance of price and compatibility there is. The only thing that can be found cheaper is R4 clones, which tend to be awful.

 

I suggest Acekard 2, I have it and it's a great flashcart. It's totally great to <strike>pirate stuff with</strike> back up my games and play homebrew. Works great with Pokemon BW too!

 

Why are we even bitching about the price of carts? The SuperCard DS Two has the most horsepower (hands down), plays more video formats than any other card, has a very active userbase, real software support from it's manufacturer, emulates the GBA and SNES near completely (no other card can), it isn't as buggy, can fast-load cheats, runs on the 3DS (but not 3DS ROMS yet), and never costs more than $50 in most shops. Couple that with shipping and a decent 8 GB memory card and you still don't even hit $80, which is the price of 2 or 3 DS games. And the AceKard 2(I) is only about $15-$20 in shops. Honestly, cost is not that big of an issue. $20 more for the SuperCard DS Two is totally worth it.

 

Honestly a better investment is a PSP, unless you're a hardcore Pokemon fan. I'd play PSP exclusively if DS didn't have Pokemon, the PSP is capable of more things and the homebrew on it is much better. It's also cheaper, no need for flashcarts and stuff, you can hack it yourself if you know what you're doing.

I'd say you're better off trading it in for a first generation PSP, unless you're going to play Pokemon.