subject: Storage For Your Favorite Nintendo [print this page] In the world of gaming consoles, Nintendo is one the marquee names. Over the years the Japan based company has become one of the worlds biggest game console manufacturers. Its first console came out in the year 1977. Originally the consoles were not portable, earning the name home consoles. But thanks to the changing times, game consoles had to become portable. Both home and portable consoles are manufactured today. One great example of a portable gaming device is the Nintendo DS, launched in 2004.
The design and structure of the Nintendo DS is radically different than regular consoles. This is done in order to make it light and thus portable. The DS has no in built storage device. To save any content on the gadget, you will have to use external storage devices. The storage devices for the Nintendo DS are popularly known as flashcarts or flashcards. There are specific slots in the DS for inserting such cards.
There are different kinds of storage cards; each has different features and compatibility. The DS has different models and each model uses a certain type of storage device. The R4 card is the most popular storage device for the Nintendo DS. This card is used by Nintendo DS users all over the world. There are different R4 cards for different Nintendo DS models. The Nintendo Ds has the original DS model, the DS Lite model, the DSi model, the DSi XL model and the latest Nintendo 3DS.
The first R4 DS cards are used with the original Nintendo DS and DS Lite models only. They will not work on other models. The R4i card is compatible with Dsi and DSi XL console. The R4 3DS card works as the storage device for the very latest model of the Nintendo DS- the 3DS. This card can work with all other models, it is better not to try.
With so many variations of the R4 card available, you need to make thoughtful decision about which one to buy. All cards look almost the same but their working ability varies. The most important thing to remember while buying a R4 card is that it needs a suitable micro SD memory card with it to work properly. In the memory card, the operational files are stored and from there they function. No version of the R4 card will work without a memory card. If the storage capacity of memory card is high, you can store any time without deleting previously stored data. A normal user can do just fine with a 2GB memory card. However the devoted users will be much better off with a 4GB or 8GB micro SD card.
You can also buy a preconfigured R4 card that has the updated software preloaded on the memory card. For that you will have to buy a R4 card and a memory card together. Without the memory card the software cannot be inserted. If you buy a R4 card without a memory card, then you will have to download the software yourself.
