How to Download Games for R4

The R4 DS, or R4 for short, is a media cartridge for Nintendo DS that allows users to download and play home-brew, or amateur-developed, games and apps for Nintendo DS. Using a MicroSD card, the R4 cartridge allows users access to many free pieces of software developed by the independent gaming community. The makers of R4 pride themselves on the cartridge's ease of use, so downloading new games for the device is simple.

Things You'll Need

• R4 DS cartridge with MicroSD reader
• MicroSD card for R4 DS

Instructions

1. Download games from the sites in Resources. Save them to your desktop, then double-click to unzip.

2. Connect your R4's MicroSD card to the USB port of your computer using the device's MicroSD adapter. Navigate to the root directory of the card, which will be called "No Name" or "R4."

3. Copy your downloaded and unzipped games to the root directory of your MicroSD card, then eject and remove the reader.

4. Remove the MicroSD card from its reader and insert the card into the MicroSD slot of your R4 cartridge. Insert the cartridge into Slot 1 of your Nintendo DS and turn on the system.

5. Select "R4 DS" from the main menu to launch the cartridge. Launch your games from the R4 cartridge's main menu.

Tips & Warnings

• It is illegal to download or run commercially available Nintendo DS games on R4 DS. Only download games from home-brew or public-domain sites such as those found in Resources.

References

• "User Manual: R4 DS;" R4; Not Dated

Resources

• Nintendo DS Homebrew Hive: Homebrew Games
• Top 20 Nintendo DS Homebrew