Getting Started with the R4DS:

What is the R4DS?

The R4DS or Revolution for Nintendo DS is a very well-known, highly used, and extremely popular storage device cart used to by-pass the firmware on your DS. This will allow you to put emulators, roms, media, etc. onto your DS in a fairly simple manner. Compared to older routines of by-passing the firmware, this is certainly one of the simplest methods out there and it comes very highly acclaimed and recommended by yours truly. Let us now look at where we can currently purchase one of these.

Where to Buy?

Google proves to be a powerful tool for finding such an answer in most cases with the exception of this scenario. It took me quite a while to find reliable sites that provide such a product, however with a bit of sleuthing I was able to obtain the following list of sites which will provide you with what you need:

• Real Hot Stuff (Highly Recommended, fast shipping and great customer service).
• Gameryeeeah
• Modchip Store

All of these sites provide relatively the same product and price, for around $30-$60. Let's now look at what this package comes with.

What you Get:

The package contains not only the physical R4DS cartridge, but some other goodies as well to help:

• 
• USB MicroSD card reader
• Cartridge Case
• Key Ring

Note: You need a MicroSD card that goes inside the R4DS. The sites usually provide the option to tag one on. If you already have one however, just make sure that it is 2Gig or less, and properly formatted before use.

I've just received the R4DS....Now what?
Go ahead and open the box you received to reveal the contents inside. You should see a USB stick which has a slot for the MicroSD card, gently insert the MicroSD card into the USB stick. Now, you are ready to load up whatever you have onto your MicroSD card. Insert the USB stick into your computer, a green light should begin to flash indicating that your device has been found.

Depending on your computer settings, it may immediately prompt you to open the device, if not go to My Computer->Removable Device. You should now see an empty folder, go ahead and download the most recent Kernel for your particular language here:

R4DS Software.

Once the download has completed drag and drop all of the contents into the empty folder. This is basically all of the components necessary for you to bypass the firmware and boot with the R4DS screen.

You may now take out the MicroSD card from the USB stick and insert it into the R4DS Cartridge (make sure to follow the small pictorial diagram on the cartridge as to now ruin your MicroSD card). From here, all you need to do once the MicroSD is securely inserted into your R4DS is to pop it into your slot 1 of your DS.

Go ahead and boot it up, intially you will see the regular boot up DS screen, which will be overriden with a new "Loading" screen and send you to the main R4DS menu. (If it intially does not boot to this menu, make sure that the MicroSD card is in the R4DS, you may want to reinsert it gently).

So there you go, you hopefully have successfully booted the R4DS onto your Nintendo DS and are ready to add whatever content you can onto it!