I just spent and possibly wasted $3 and 1 or 2 hours trying to figure out how to use Anki on a Nintendo DS. I realize the DS+Anki thing is pretty outdated but I thought it was worth a shot at trying to make it work.

First I opened up the v1.2.9 Anki program and downloaded the Nintendo DS Anki plugin (v1.1) from there. I clicked the "NDSync" button but it didn't work (same error message as http://forum.koohii.com/showthread.php?tid=7377).

Then I spent 2 Euro to buy the "latest" (last updated April 2011) Anki DS client (http://www.lakedaemon.org/Paypal.php) that supposedly supports v1.2.7+ of Anki. I replaced the older Python scripts with the one from the .zip archive that I bought. Under v1.2.8 of Anki, the same error message still appeared.

Then I went through the trouble of locating a v1.2.7 of Anki, but still the same error message.

Then I downloaded the previous stable version of Anki (v1.0.1). The NDSync button now works (sort of). The resultant x.srs file (to be copied onto the Nintendo DS's memory card) looked pretty small but I copied it anyway.

To top it off, the Anki for DS program that I bought seemed pretty clunky and it seems to require an Internet connection to show the definition on the top screen. But I only used it for a minute or two because I was a little bit pissed off at this point, so maybe it's better than my first impressions.

Can anyone help me? I just want to use Anki on the Nintendo DS and only on the DS without requiring an Internet connection to do anything.

I don't want to use my phone because phones these days are battery-hungry (even if you don't use them) and because Nintendo DS consoles are the perfect (or should be the perfect) thing to use Anki on and because they are not battery-hungry (even if you do use them).

I'm at my wit's end here.

If nothing works then I'm going to get my tiny 2 Euro returned, just on principle.

Sell your NDS and get an iPod Touch.

If all else fails, have you tried just using the internet browser to review through Ankiweb? Never had a DS so I don't know how well the browser works though.

There might be threads on it here instead though.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/ankisrs

From the website I downloaded from, a little footnote that I didn't notice before says that .anki files are compatible with it and not just the .srs file (that are generated from the buggy "NDSync" button from the main Anki program).

So for anyone frustrated with the NDSync button, don't bother with it in the first place. Just export the flash cards to a .anki file then transfer it to the DS.

chamcham Wrote:Sell your NDS and get an iPod Touch.

Unfortunately that's a bad deal because iPod Touches cannot play Nintendo DS games (or do anything else worth paying for which my current phone can't already do).

TwoMoreCharacters Wrote:If all else fails, have you tried just using the internet browser to review through Ankiweb? Never had a DS so I don't know how well the browser works though.

I'm sure that's possible but I'm still not entirely sold on the "Do everything online and save everything online" concept of today mainly because if something (like me) goes offline, then I can't do anything and everything stalls.

TwoMoreCharacters Wrote:There might be threads on it here instead though.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/ankisrs

You'd expect Anki to have some good troubleshooting help considering they endorse the Nintendo DS functionality (even noting its outdatedness) on its main page but I've already spent a bit of time on there (including the help forums) and any DS-related threads are from 2010 and before.

qwertyytrewq Wrote:You'd expect Anki to have some good troubleshooting help considering they endorse the Nintendo DS functionality (even noting its outdatedness) on its main page but I've already spent a bit of time on there (including the help forums) and any DS-related threads are from 2010 and before.

Tbh, I don't think many people use the DS functionality anymore, with both the Android and i-thing apps. Damien is also ridiculously busy right now upgrading Anki (and has been for months), so there is that. Since I don't think Damien did the code for the DS, it's hard to comment about functionality/support since he didn't design it.

I think with so few people using the DS functionality it's not really worth Damien's time to set up the type of troubleshooting help that the i-apps and the desktop client has. Especially since he didn't write [the program] and therefore is not in charge of it - that puts the responsibility on those who wrote it.

I really think you're trying to turn the DS into something that it's not.
It's had a sh*tty browser since the beginning and it's never been improved.
The DS is simply not meant for browsing or web apps.

"... it seems to require an Internet connection to show the definition on the top screen. ..."

The whole point of the syncing feature is to use an wifi/internet connection to, well, sync.
Seriously, what else did you expect, syncing through ley lines or something?

"... You'd expect Anki to have some good troubleshooting help considering they endorse the Nintendo DS functionality ..."

They don't "endorse" anything, they just note those other implementations exist.
They are all independent projects.
The plugins for the desktop version are all independent projects too.


You seem to be complaining that IT DOES WORK but not in the perfect pretty way you dreamed about in your imagination.

DS homebrews are slow, no workaround for that.
Nintendo is hostile to those kind of things, it hampers them as much as it can.

If I spent $3 on something knowing full well that it was unlikely to work, I would blame myself, not the people who sold it to me. I hope you're not thinking of filing a transaction dispute on Paypal. Don't be that guy.

yeah, the program is buggy as hell... and barely work for anything except the most basic of flashcards.

Shouldn't be accepting money really.....

but as it was only 3 bucks I didn't make a big fuss about it >_>


your best hope is to get an alcheapo android phone for like 60 bucks even if the battery life isn't too flash.

qwertyytrewq Wrote:I don't want to use my phone because phones these days are battery-hungry (even if you don't use them) and because Nintendo DS consoles are the perfect (or should be the perfect) thing to use Anki on and because they are not battery-hungry (even if you do use them).

Hence why I got something like this:
http://www.amazon.co.jp/SANYO-eneloop-US...183&sr=8-8

And bought high capacity batteries for it (http://www.amazon.co.jp/SANYO-%E5%85%85%...13&sr=8-29)

Two of these can practically charge my phone by 40-50%.

I doubt you're going to be using Anki for 10 hours a day.
Really 20 to 60 mins a day max is all you need.

So I don't think the NDS battery life will even matter.
Lots of people on this forum get by with just a phone for Anki.

For more battery life, just bring a usb charger (or a car charge adapter).

nohika Wrote:I think with so few people using the DS functionality it's not really worth Damien's time to set up the type of troubleshooting help that the i-apps and the desktop client has.

Well, that's a shame.

visualsense Wrote:"... it seems to require an Internet connection to show the definition on the top screen. ..." The whole point of the syncing feature is to use an wifi/internet connection to, well, sync. Seriously, what else did you expect, syncing through ley lines or something?

Actually, it turns out it was because of a bug in the program. Usually when browsing a deck, the definition is on the top screen and the Kanji is on the bottom. But if you do something else before that like attempting to sync, and when the connection details appear on the top of the screen, the top screen seems to stay "fixed" and remains unchanging.

visualsense Wrote:"... You'd expect Anki to have some good troubleshooting help considering they endorse the Nintendo DS functionality ..."
They don't "endorse" anything, they just note those other implementations exist.
They are all independent projects.
The plugins for the desktop version are all independent projects too.

Whatever the case may be, it would be a good idea to remove mentions of Nintendo DS from Anki's front page if it's not going to work properly or at all.

visualsense Wrote:DS homebrews are slow, no workaround for that.

Yeah, it does seem to be slow. The program has a small test deck consisting of about 20 cards and the responses are fast. But when I load the 6th Edition Heisig deck with 2200 cards, the response is slower (takes 5 seconds to change cards).

JimmySeal Wrote:If I spent $3 on something knowing full well that it was unlikely to work, I would blame myself, not the people who sold it to me.

Actually, it did work, though not completely satisfactorily. Even if it didn't work, I don't see why I should blame myself when the program's website says that it is compatible with at least the v1.2.7 version of Anki (which is only 1 version behind the current v1.2.8) and when the Anki website itself says that the Nintendo DS is a valid platform to use Anki on.

JimmySeal Wrote:I hope you're not thinking of filing a transaction dispute on Paypal. Don't be that guy.

Even if the program didn't work, I wasn't planning the chargeback route.

midonnay Wrote:yeah, the program is buggy as hell... and barely work for anything except the most basic of flashcards. Shouldn't be accepting money really..... but as it was only 3 bucks I didn't make a big fuss about it >_>

Wish I knew that beforehand. I spent a decent amount of time on Google and I all got were positive (albeit old) messages praising this program on various random forums and on Anki's official message board. So I thought, even if the last update was in early 2011, it should still be worth a buy.

But yeah, it's worth trying for free but not worth any money. Anyway, I'm going to try and request a refund. I wonder if the program maker's email is still active?

If nothing else, at least this thread can serve to enlighten potential future users of Anki on the Nintendo DS that that is an invalid procedure and that alternatives should be considered (Anki on Phones, Anki on Tablets, etc). If I wasn't me, I would've appreciated this thread.

qwertyytrewq Wrote:Actually, it did work, though not completely satisfactorily. Even if it didn't work, I don't see why I should blame myself when the program's website says that it is compatible with at least the v1.2.7 version of Anki (which is only 1 version behind the current v1.2.8) and when the Anki website itself says that the Nintendo DS is a valid platform to use Anki on.

Since it's not Damien's program, it's really not his job to police it.troubleshoot it/etc. It was coded by a third-party. It's one of many different options, which may or may not work to a person's satisfaction.

nohika Wrote:

qwertyytrewq Wrote:Actually, it did work, though not completely satisfactorily. Even if it didn't work, I don't see why I should blame myself when the program's website says that it is compatible with at least the v1.2.7 version of Anki (which is only 1 version behind the current v1.2.8) and when the Anki website itself says that the Nintendo DS is a valid platform to use Anki on.

Since it's not Damien's program, it's really not his job to police it.troubleshoot it/etc. It was coded by a third-party. It's one of many different options, which may or may not work to a person's satisfaction.

What you say is indeed true but that still doesn't mean I'm to blame for not assuming that the NDS program doesn't work, which was JimmySeal's assertion (I'm to blame), the person I was replying to.

The premise of his assertion of course is the assumption that the program didn't work, when in fact, it did work. So the blame-game is just a red herring at this point.

So you bought a $3 homebrew product, to be used in conjunction with a dubious and buggy platform (R4, whatever) that runs on top of a system that was never intended for this type of software, and you're unhappy that it doesn't work great.

And somehow Damien's got some share of the blame in this because he hasn't tightly policed other people's independant software projects for compliance.

Seriously, that's like buying a knockoff handbag in Chinatown and then demanding a refund because the stitching's all shoddy.

JimmySeal Wrote:So you bought a $3 homebrew product,

A $3 homebrew program that has positive reviews on the Internet including Anki's forums and is indirectly supported (the homebrew program is an upgrade of the plugin) as stated on Anki's website.

Also, what's wrong with $3 products? Plenty of cheap programs are perfectly functional.

Also, what's wrong with homebrew programs? Plenty of homebrew programs are perfectly functional.

JimmySeal Wrote:to be used in conjunction with a dubious and buggy platform (R4, whatever)

I have an AceCard2 which is probably the best and least buggy as far as homebrew goes.

JimmySeal Wrote:that runs on top of a system that was never intended for this type of software,

You might have a point here but I don't think that's an unrealistic expectation from homebrew DS or PSPs.

JimmySeal Wrote:and you're unhappy that it doesn't work great.

I'd be less unhappy if I didn't pay for it but the only way to find out whether the program was worth it was to pay for it. As said before, Internet feedback on the program was mainly from 2010 with no comments/feedback at all about the 2011 build.

So I'm basically doing a community/public service by sharing my opinion on it in this thread.

JimmySeal Wrote:And somehow Damien's got some share of the blame in this because he hasn't tightly policed other people's independant software projects for compliance.

I'm not necessarily blaming anyone for anything. You brought up the word "blame" in the first place.

I'm simply saying that on Anki's front page, the statement that the Nintendo DS as being a valid platform for Anki is a mostly false statement. Nothing more. It was these claims that encouraged me to go on a wild goose chase.

JimmySeal Wrote:Seriously, that's like buying a knockoff handbag in Chinatown and then demanding a refund because the stitching's all shoddy.

Analogy time eh?

Well, if I was to buy a knockoff handbag in Chinatown, I would actually get the opportunity to touch and examine the item before buying. As for the Nintendo DS Anki application, I would need to buy it first before I can examine and make a judgment on it.

Also, when I go to Chinatown to buy a knockoff handbag, common sense would tell me that I should not expect a 100% quality brand-name good at the price (cheap) I am paying. When it comes to material goods, you get what you pay for. This is not analogous with homebrew/free/cheap software. In the world of computer software, price is often not a good indicator of how good a program is. In fact, free (or cheap) software is often better than the more expensive ones. So when it comes to the Nintendo DS Anki app, I have no way of predicting how good or how bad it is. The only feedback I can find on the Internet are positive ones from Anki's forums.

I would also like to use this opportunity to use my own analogy.

Basically, on Anki's homepage, it says that the Nintendo DS is a valid platform to use Anki on (this statement is mostly false). On the Anki DS app's homepage, it says that it is compatible with the latest versions on Anki. On Anki's forums, other users of the App offer positive feedback on the App. These are the factors that lead me to rigorously try to find an Anki/DS solution, with slightly under-satisfactory results.

My analogy is that by blaming me for believing those claims leading to my wasted time and efforts, you might as well blame scantily-clad women when they get raped by men in a dark alley. It is not productive to blame the victim.

qwertyytrewq Wrote:So I'm basically doing a community/public service by sharing my opinion on it in this thread.

Are you doing everyone a public service by grossly overreacting too?

Quote:you might as well blame scantily-clad women when they get raped by men in a dark alley. It is not productive to blame the victim.

Yeah, if they went traipsing around in the ghetto like you did, then they would be partly responsible for not looking after their own safety. Buyers are responsible for making wise decisions. I'm not trying to discourage you from requesting a refund. Just don't be so ridiculous about it.

Caveat emptor.

Anyhow, I''m pretty sure if you contact the guy (if he still alive) he will return your money.
I mean, it's not really a scam, it is just a deprecated project.

You could also try to export a smaller number of facts from the full Heisig deck to a smaller deck, if you are just beginning. You don't actually NEED to have ALL of the still unseen facts in the deck, if you are still far away from actually reviewing them.
Then you can deal with the performance issue later, if necessary.

Also, please, stop saying it does not work or is not functional, after having said yourself that it does work, albeit w/ (mostly hardware) performance issues. That's quite different from criticizing the supposedly bad cost/benefit.

JimmySeal Wrote:Are you doing everyone a public service by grossly overreacting too?

That's up to readers to decide (whether my posts constitute "grossly overreacting"). Though it's also worth considering whether replies to my posts also contribute to the "gross overreaction" by adding fuel to the fire (assuming there is a fire).

I also note that at least one other person in this thread agrees to my opinions.

visualsense Wrote:Also, please, stop saying it does not work or is not functional, after having said yourself that it does work, albeit w/ (mostly hardware) performance issues. That's quite different from criticizing the supposedly bad cost/benefit.

Actually I was talking about different things.

On the Anki website, it says to download the Anki/DS program from Anki's plugin download window. That particular one is free and is heavily outdated to the point where it doesn't work. Which is true.

The one I paid for is the "updated" version of that program I believe, which does work. So I am not criticizing it in any way in regards to functionality or non-functionality.