The Acekard 2i is claimed to be the world's first fully-working DSi flash cartridge with cart mavens Acekard claiming the device supports all of the DSi's new features - including the ability to read and store data on MicroSD cards in the new slot.

This video shows what appears to be the menu system (curiously, the site says "The Acekard R.P.G. utilizes the idea of the iPhone which gives the customer a totally new control experience." which I think is just a fancy way of saying that the menu can use the touchscreen) with a quick segue into a probably not-that-legal version of Castlevania. Never mind, Nintendo. You had a good run at being piracy free for, what, two months?

Acekard2i For DSi Released! [Acekard - thanks to Wraggster for the tip]

I'm still playing with my review DS-X, trying out the home brew and attempting to get DS Doom working, which keels over every time I try to load it up despite the fact that everyone else on the DS-X forums has absolutely no issue with it. You'll have to wait a few days for a more comprehensive review. But I wanted to post up this movie of what the DS-X does when you play an MP3 on your DS Lite in the dark: makes you want to break out the leather pants, down some E and dump a tub full of glitter over your sweaty, naked torso. When our review finally comes around, the DS X-Treme is going to get as many stars as can fit in Eliza's lovely, limpid eyes. Which is a million. Florian Eckhardt

DS X-Treme [Official Site]

I perceived by his inability to pronounce the theta phoneme that he was, in fact, from Dublin 4. As I live in Dublin 6, this would usually be enough for me to frantically slam the door in his face and call the Gardai: Dublin 4iners are not welcome in the well-to-do area of Ranelagh. Still, I welcomed him, because tucked underneath his beefy forearm was a package containing my DS X-Treme review cart.

The DS X-Treme Cartridge is the current top-of-the-line in DS flash carts. Currently, DS Flash Carts are a convoluted affair, in which you link a regular GBA flash cart with a long ribbon to a DS cart called a PassMe device. Or so I understand: it sounded so inelegant and convoluted I never bothered to try.

But the DS X-Treme? Just an amazing little device.

I've spent a few hours fiddling with it. Expect a full review as soon as I put in some more time, but this is how easy it is: you plug the cart via USB cable into your computer. It is immediately
recognizable as a removable disk (like a keydrive) on both Windows and OS X. Transfer was lightning fast.

You then simply drag homebrew programs, mp3s or roms over to the cart, eject the cart and plug it into your DS. When you load up the cart, you can select from a list of programs or games, or play mp3s. The interface for mp3 playing is extremely slick, gathering information from tags, just like an iPod. Naturally, the playbacks a bit hampered by the tinny speakers on the DS Lite, but I'd imagine the fidelity's quite a bit better with some headphones.

So far, I have yet to find anything short of DS Doom that doesn't simply work. DS Doom? I suspect I'm doing something wrong, because other people report success.

Since this probably needs to be said, I am testing ROMs, since for me, that's the real use for one of these carts: keeping numerous games on a single cart, for convenience's sake. However, I am testing only games I own, and when the full review goes up, I'll even post pictures of me holding up the boxes to prove it. needless to say, ROMs seem to work fine, which I'm sure will be a big plus to the vast constabulary of pirates out there. There's plenty of space, though: I was able to put 15 games on the cart before it ran out of space.

Another neat little feature is that the cart actually features these adorably flashing disco lights, when you plug it into the computer, have your DS turned on or are playing music. You can even adjust the settings to change the color to anything you'd like. It's nice to see a company make a nod to Gay Gamer with some brightly flashing pink and purple lights.

So far, I am just hugely impressed. I've used GBA flash carts before and not a single one of them was this elegant or well thought out. Expect a longer review later in the week. For now, check out these early reviews:

Review at GBAtemp.net
First Grope: DS-Xtreme Nintendo DS Media Enhancer, over at Gizmodo

Unless the thing spontaneously explodes, I imagine I'll give this a very high review. If you're interested in preordering, you can go over to the official site and find a reseller near you. It's pricey... around $135... but, so far, it seems to be worth every penny. An extremely elegant solution. Florian Eckhardt

DS X-Treme [Official Site]

4 Color Rebellion has a huge round-up posted of all the crazy things you can do with your DS or DS Lite thanks to those intrepid homebrew hackers... programming ingenuity that will boggle the mind, hypnotize the senses and exercise the thumbs.

For example, did you know that there was an Internet radio player for the DS? Or your DS could become a full-fledged PDA? You can, of course, play LucasArts adventure games on your DS, but did you know you can program your own DS game in Basic?

There's an astonishing list of a few dozen games and apps, forming rather an excellent overview of the entire DS scene. Check it out, if you've got a flash cart handy. - Florian Eckhardt

State of the Homebrew [4CR]