R4DS - Sounds like, but isn't, Star Wars

Inspired by James Kochalka's enthusiasm:

I googled it and lemme just say the R4DS is awesome.

Here's what it is: a little cartridge-sized doohickey that plugs into your Nintendo DS. Inside this doohickey is room for a tiny off-the-shelf miniSD memory card. The R4DS runs software from this memory card, like homebrew DS software, mp3s and movie files. It'll also run any and all DS software, so you can load it up with copies of all your games so you don't have to... uh, take all your cartridges with you when you're on a trip? I'm sure readers of this blog would only use such a device to play games they've purchased legitimately and not load up their R4DS with games they don't already own. Games like Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and Electroplankton.

I bought my R4DS from an outfit called Sky2K and they shipped swiftly (though appear to be out of stock at the moment). I paired it with a 2gig miniSD card I picked up for $30 bucks at Staples. And every (legally purchased) game I've tried on it has worked perfectly. There's word that games that use the DS internet connection can be flaky, though I haven't tried those yet.

As someone who's misplaced those tiny DS carts, it's refreshing to have every game in my collection in my DS (while the physical carts are packed away safely in a box). nds-roms.com has proved to be a reliable source of game ROMs (but be sure not to accidentally download a ROM you don't have the right to play).

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to tend my Electroplankton.