The Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi are currently the top selling portable game systems available and with good reason. Both systems come with an amazing amount of applications and not to mention a hefty catalog of games. There are also many fun extras available for these machines including one accessory every owner should have; a flash card.

A flash card is a storage device that you insert into your Nintendo DS or DSi. They operate with a MicroSD card. A flash card can transform your DS into a multimedia machine. Use it to watch movies or listen to music. But the biggest reason for the popularity of flash card devices is games. You can copy your game games and saves onto a flash card. With up to 32 GB of storage you can keep pretty much every single game you ever enjoyed on one card. R4 has been one of the leaders in this innovative technology.

The R4DS is a second generation flash card and one of the most popular storage devices ever sold. The price is modest, usually around the same price as a new game title. The R4DS works on any computer operating system. The learning curve to load up your flash card is easy. Simply remove the MicroSd card from your flash card and insert it into your computer. Drag and drop whatever games or applications you want onto the card and then plug it back into your flash card.

The R4i is one of the first flash cards available for use on the Nintendo DSi. It features the same user friendly environment as the R4DS with a few extra touches. For one thing it supports the DSi download play. Another great feature is the real time save option. Being able to save your game at any time is what portable gaming is all about. The other extras that made the R4DS a success are included too. Wireless play, rumble packs and the ever popular cheat code menu.

Nintendo is keeping the game world waiting with the imminent launch of its next generation console, the Nintendo DS3. With companies like R4 paying attention to gaming trends, it is guaranteed that the next generation flash cards will soon follow. Technically speaking, there already is one because developers use this technology to work on the software for the DS3. A commercial one will most likely be available as shortly after the first Nintendo DS3s are sold to the public.

For more information and places to buy R4 cards, head over to this useful R4 Guide.