DSpico: The last flashcart the Nintendo DS will ever need

The Nintendo DS has been regarded as the Goldilocks of Nintendo handhelds. Featuring backwards compatibility, a form factor that blended the best part of its predecessors with exciting new features, and, fortunately for modders, a device that was primed for homebrew. Unsurprisingly, the modding community continues to build for the DS platform with a new open-source Raspberry Pi-based flash cart that promises all the best DS gaming features, as well as capabilities extending far beyond the handheld's initial scope.

The DSpico flashcart is an open-source hardware solution that brings homebrew, emulation, and Pi-based features to modded and un-modded Nintendo DS, DSi, and 3DS alike. Built on the RP2040 microcontroller, the cart and firmware use a variety of software tricks to run a dedicated app launcher called Pico launcher. Carrying all the trappings of modern UIs, Pico Launcher offers near-instant access to users' homebrew apps and ROMs, with quick read and write speeds, all while using less battery than similar flashcarts thanks to its Pico Loader engine. Additionally, since the carts are built on the Pi platform, the team behind the project, LNH, plans to provide extended support for everything Pis are known for, including prototyping, extended sensor capabilities, and more. Curious modders can find more information on the DSpico project linked in the resources below.