Nintendo Release New DSi 1.4.1 Update Blocking R4 DS Cards

Oct. 23, 2010 - PRLog -- In mid-September, Nintendo released an update for the Nintendo DSi and DSi XL consoles. This update is promted to initiate when the console was connected to the system update. Users are prompted to update the firmware and upon selecting Yes, the update changes the firmware on the DSi. Depending on the region, this firmware can be called 1.4.1U in America, 1.4.1E in Europe, and 1.4.2C in select regions of Asia. However, the content of this update is the same.

Nintendo claims that this update enhances many of the back-end features of the DSi console. Unfortunately, practical use has shown that this is not the case. It appears to be the case that the sole reason for releasing this update was to block flash cards such as R4 cards from working. Nintendo has an extremely large homebrew scene (home-made custom applications that can be played on DS and DSi consoles) largely thanks to the original R4 card, and because of the recent blocking of cards the homebrew community is finding it increasingly difficult to persevere.

Luckily, in October several manufacturers that produce R4 and similar cards released fixes to allow their adapters to work with the newest 1.4.1 firmware. These manufacturers include the Acekard 2i, the EZFlash Vi and the M3i Zero, all of which are based upon and are inspired by the R4 card. Cards in the near future that will likely release fixes include the R4i SDHC as well as the iEDGE card. However, buyers of the R4 card and equivalent products need to be wary of the location that they purchase their card from. Many fake and clone cards exist on the market and are likely not to work with the newest firmware, so it is essential that gamers and homebrew enthusiasts buy their R4 cards from a respectable retailer that only stocks genuine cards like http://www.nds-gear.com.

# # #

Homebrew users and gamers alike can purchase their R4 cards from NDS-Gear, who are America-based. R4 cards are individually tested before shipping and dispatch is guaranteed to be next working day, ensuring the quality of their cards. Their R4 customer service is second to none and online 24/7 via e-mail.