I've been promising it for a while, so here it is. This brief article will introduce you to the wonderful world of flash carts, and by the end, you'll know exactly what you need to buy and how to use everything.

Although there are many different choices, I will post the one I recommend, the CycloDS Evolution. When I purchased this, I read many reviews, and I have yet to be disappointed. It has a smooth interface, the firmware is constantly updated (almost immediately if there's a game it can't handle) and easy to install, it has many bonus features, and comes almost complete with everything you need. Some people complain that the price is high, but honestly, you get what you pay for. It's easy to use, adding games to it is drag-and-drop, and you can even install MoonShell to have it play MP3s and videos. It has full save support and flawless link compatability.

The CycloDS runs games off of a MicroSD card. I currently have one 2GB and three 4GB ( they were $3 each on woot, so lucky grab for me), but you could easily get away with a 2GB, or even smaller. But with the constantly decreasing price of flash media nowadays, you might as well do yourself a favor and grab a big one. The CycloDS will recognize folder structure, so all I do is have a GBA and an NDS folder. For NDS ROMs, it will display the game name, the icon and the publisher. With GBA ROMs, it will display the game name and cart size.

The first step when your CycloDS arrives is to go to the official website and download the most recent version of the firmware. Using the included USB adapter, put the file onto your SD card, insert it into the CycloDS, put the CycloDS into your DS and start it up. It will do everything from there. Once that's finished, load your SD card up with ROMs for the games you want to play, put it back into the CycloDS and enjoy. It's really as easy as it sounds.