Used DS games

This week i'm going to buy some used DS games.

I need advice on what exactly i should look for visually on the cartridge itself to understand if a cartridge might be defective.

I also need a list of possible actions that can damage a DS cartridge, so i can learn about how to take care of them long term.

Why don't you just get a flashcart for DS?

Because as far as i'm concerned There's only 5 games max i want to play from the entire DS library, so getting them used doesn't really cost that much.
Additionally i'm going to play them on a N3DSXL.

I work at a classic game shop and we get DS games in very frequently. You may notice a bit of dirt or grime on the connectors but otherwise you'll likely find no broken ones. Ones that may not boot can be easily fixed with a small brush (like, tooth brush size and roughness) and a bit of alcohol, because it's difficult to clean the connectors with a q-tip or something.

So, unless it's obviously destroyed, you probably won't have a problem.

Using alcohol on the connectors seems like a horrid idea, additionally using something as tough as a tooth brush seems like it would be way too rough and fuck up the connectors themselves.

Rubbing alcohol is recommended because it doesn't leave a whole lot of shit stuck on the connectors like water will.

no, it works just fine. brasso too. I have cleaned thousands of games, NES and older (although NES is where the issues of dirty games becomes widespread) and have difficulty thinking of anything that didn't work better after being thoroughly cleaned with alcohol and occasionally brasso in some games.

Would actually cost you less in the long run to nab a $10-$20 flashcart, providing you've got your N3DS modded. There's an installable whitelist for flashcarts since DS flashcarts are blacklisted at a software level and not a hardware level for 3DS systems, and once you've got that you can play any flashcart no problem instead of having a grab-bag of flashcarts to pick from that'll work guaranteed, typically on the more expensive end of things like DSTWO.

Getting your 3DS modded is free and easy but there's a dedicated thread up for this if you're interested.

I use my R4i Gold on my N3DS no problem. Even before I modded it.

alcohol works because alcohol cleans, and it easily evaporates.

any warning signs when not to buy cartridge?

Like I say, it's a grab-bag of what'll work and what won't. I know there's a great many that don't work without dicking around with your 3DS, I think I remember CycloDS being one of them.

The DS has a lot more than five worthwhile games on it, you know.

Anyhow, I'd recommend bringing a DS or 3DS along and asking if you can test stuff before you buy it. Aside from that, you might double check that the pins look normal in the back. My copy of Pokemon Platinum has a black spot on one of the pins, and my DS Lite is rather finicky about picking up that that cartridge is in there (but once it does pick up on the game being in there, it doesn't have anymore issues unless it's ejected; only cart of mine I have that issue with).

Also, if you're trying to avoid bootleg carts, complete copies are generally a decent hint that a game's legit (faking the cart is one thing, but it would be a lot of extra effort for someone to fake the case, cover, and manual as well), but in a number of cases, those are going to be a fair bit more expensive compared to cart only, thanks to FUCKING GAMESTOP for trashing their cases and manuals for most DS games.

I will say that on the off chance Nostalgia is one of the games you're planning to look into (it's certainly cheap enough cart only), do yourself a favor and MAKE SURE it has an existing save file on The Adventurer's Epilogue. Some prints of that game have a game ruining glitch that prevents them from being beatable, and a save file on the post game is a decent indicator of it not being glitched in my experiences.

I have a difficult time saying much of anything. I've gotten games with rusted contacts working, games that clearly had cat piss on them (for anyone who's never been around cats, you can smell it.) and plenty worse. I think apart from the obvious, like connectors that had snapped off, there's little that will keep a cartridge game from working that you can easily see. Always try to haggle, if they look bad tell 'em you'd pay more but they have X Y Z problems, shake them and if you hear loose plastic shaking around you may even be able to convince the seller it may be broken and get some very expensive games for cheap.

just get an r4i gold and update it to the wood firmware or whatever the latest one is. It will work perfectly.


bringing along a 3ds/ds for testing is a great idea.

As i said i'm only interested in a bunch of DS games, and on 3DS i'm literally only interested in monster hunter and nothing more, so it's not that big of a deal.
The library i actually like is the GBA one and i already play all of it fully on my PSP, there's sorta no point for me to mod it.

Well i have those wet wipes that one uses to clean glasses, i already use them to clean the more sensitive hardware like the WiiU pad screen when alcohol is too strong of an agent, perhaps i could use those wrapping them at the end of a toothpick and using it (lightly, of course) to clean the connectors.

this may be good too. Alcohol works but just try not to get it on labels, and some plastic printed text or logos (like the front door flap for the NES - where it says Nintendo Entertainment System) rub off very easily. I really hate Nintendo stuff.

Nigga, is you dumb or sumtin?

I'm buying it exclusively for monster hunter, and then buying a small bunch of games on the side.
If you think that's strange, you don't know many monster hunter fans, it's routine for most of the fanbase at this point.

Why not just emulate it? The ds can even be emulated on smartphones at 60 fps

Check the serial number before buying. I bought a Chrono Trigger from eBay that was pirated and had the serial number of that one Princess Peach game.

I did emulate some of them over the years but i'd like to play em on proper hardware.
Again i'm not really looking to play the whole library as i have little to no interest about it, just specific games (that happen to have a lot of replay value).

That's good advice but initially i'll try to scout local shops before looking online.
If there's anything wrong with them i can take em back on the same day.