Review cover Sky3DS+ (Hardware)
Official GBAtemp Review

Product Information:

Review Approach:

I've tested the previous two Sky3DS flashcarts and was quite impressed by their ease of use and reliability. As such, I was very excited when the developers reached out to me and offered a review sample of their latest product, the Sky3DS+. I couldn't wait to write this piece for all of our users to enjoy!
Most flashcarts and backup solutions we deal with everyday are based on some form of software exploit or system vulnerability. Unfortunately, over the years companies grew wiser of this and gradually bolstered their security measures, making it harder to develop such devices with each passing generation. This lead to the emergence of a new kind of backup loading devices - drive emulators. Why look for holes in the hardware or software if you can pretend that the device is genuine? Sky3DS is a line of flashcarts which follows this philosophy to the t, using cartridge emulation rather than software exploits like their competition. The Sky3DS+ is the latest addition to this line of hardware.

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GBATemp review of the...

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Sky3DS+
Developed by: Sky3DS Team
Available at: List of Official Resellers
Review by Foxi4 – Completed 11/12/2015

Introduction


Team Sky3DS' video demonstration of the new product

There are many ways of running backups of your favourite games on your N3DS/3DS - some users choose to invest in the famous Gateway 3DS flashcart, others run full-blown custom firmwares. Unfortunately, both of these methods require the system to run an exploitable (9.2.X-X or lower) version of firmware, and finding a system like that can be quite a chore, not to mention a substantial expense. Not only that, in order to stay on said exploitable firmware users have to jump through hoops - avoiding constant update nags is just one of the many problems one has to deal with. Running EmuNAND (emulated NAND) is a good solution here, but Nintendo diligently fights against this practice with each new firmware update, forcing developers to come up with work-arounds for their pesky patches. Want to play an exciting, brand-new title or access the eShop? Well, you can't, because Nintendo's just rolled out a new update, and it's not working on EmuNAND yet. But it will. Soon. Annoying. As far as custom firmware is concerned, at present it's neither very robust nor fully compatible with all backups - huge strides were made since the very first CFW graced our Nintendo handhelds, but it's just "not quite there" yet, no matter how you look at it. All in all, in a lot of cases running backups can be more trouble than it's worth, especially for users who aren't well-versed in the subject... now, if only there was a Plug & Play method that was built for one thing and one thing only - running ROMs...

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Front and back of the packaging

Enter Team Sky3DS and their unorthodox flashcarts which, instead of relying on exploits like the Gateway 3DS or CFW, closely emulate an original Nintendo N3DS/3DS cartridge. Firmware-independent, simple to use, fully compatible - it was a dream-come-true for many users. Sure, the cartridges weren't perfect (the Red Button had a 10 games limit until a workaround was devised, allowing for 31 games at a time. The Blue Button had a 31 games at a time limit until the SD structure was divided into sections, allowing for storing 95 games at a time), but they both had an incredible advantage - they were completely firmware-independent, which meant that they could run on latest firmware available, no fuss. Unfortunately, Nintendo found a way to prevent their latest games from running on the Sky3DS via an AP patch to their latest games... what to do, what to do... Fear not! Team Sky3DS has a new product for you guys, a brand-new Sky3DS revision! A flashcart to end all flashcarts, the Sky3DS+!

A Quick Look

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Close-up of the new cartridge, showing the Micro USB port on the side and the Forwards/Backwards buttons

Even on first glance this new revision of the Sky3DS flashcart is different to its predecessors. There are four major changes to the design. The first improves comfort of use. Previous revisions had a single game-changing button, making game-browsing a rather lengthy process if you had a large amount of games on your SD card. This button was replaced with a pair of Forwards/Backwards buttons, allowing you to switch games in both directions. This change, alongside a more optimized firmware which decreased game-switching time (to approx. 3 seconds, as tested on a Class 8 SD card), allows users to find the games they are looking for much faster than previously.

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Front and back of the new PCB, courtesy of Team Sky3DS

The second change is the inclusion of a Micro USB connector on the side of the unit. This allows the flashcart to work as a portable SD card reader - all you have to do to transfer or modify your SD's contents is connect the cart to your PC via the Micro USB cable provided with the unit. This connector was added specifically to allow users to easily update the on-board firmware, which in turn would allow for circumvention of any future AP checks Nintendo might implement. Keep in mind that the transfer rate of the connector is rather slow - during testing it peaked at 355kb/s - it was not designed to transfer large files such as ROMs, so using an external SD card reader is recommended for anything other than quick settings modifications or firmware installation.

The third change involves the filesystem used. The previous Sky3DS flashcarts used RAW data, requiring the user to use their DiskWriter utility and templates to write games onto their SD cards. The Sky3DS+ no longer requires the use of DiskWriter, as the filesystem was switched to standard FAT32. This means that in most cases all you'll have to do to put your ROMs onto the SD card is just drag & drop - it doesn't get any simpler than that. Remember all the game limits imposed by the Sky3DS Red and Blue? Gone without a trace - pack that SD to the brim because Sky3DS+ can handle it. The few games that have filesizes larger than 4GB (maximum filesize supported by FAT32) can be very easily trimmed, so it's not a huge obstacle to overcome.

The fourth change is possibly the most ground-breaking - the Sky3DS+ now uses a rewritable firmware chip. This means that in the event of Nintendo introducing any more Anti-Piracy measures in their games, Team Sky3DS will be able to roll out an update circumventing them. Sweet! So far, so good!

Usage

As expected, using the Sky3DS+ is incredibly simple and comes down to dragging and dropping whatever you need onto your SD card. Before we start playing around with ROMs though, we'll make sure that our cartridge is properly set up, starting with preparing the SD for optimal operation. To do so, we'll be using the popular SD Formatter 4.0 which can be downloaded by following the link in the Useful Downloads section.

Begin by putting your SD card into an SD card reader. If you're in a pinch, you can use the Micro USB connector on the cartridge itself and the supplied Micro USB cable, however due to low transfer rates doing so is not recommended. Once your SD is detected, start SD Formatter 4.0, click on Options, set Format Type to Full (OverWrite), enable Format Size Adjustment, apply the new settings and click Format. This will Zero-Fill the entirety of the SD card and adjust its declared size to the actual space available, doing so will ensure that the card will operate at peak efficiency. I don't think I need to remind anyone that formatting the card will erase all data stored on it, so if there's anything on the SD card, back it up.

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Formatting SD cards with SD Formatter tends to give better results than using the standard Windows utility

SD Formatter tends to give faster and better results than the standard formatting tool built into Windows, and it comes recommended by the SD Association, so I prefer to use it over anything else. If for whatever reason SD Formatter doesn't work well for you, using any other formatting tool that will allow you to format your SD to FAT32 is also acceptable.

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Putting the "firmware.bin" file onto the SD card and re-connecting the kit to the Micro USB
cable to provide power is all that's required for the Sky3DS+ to update its firmware

Once the SD card is correctly formatted, we can proceed to update the Sky3DS+ firmware to the latest revision. The first batch of Sky3DS+ carts rolled out to the market will be flashed with Firmware V4 - right now, the latest version is V10, so we might as well update it before we start using the flashcart. Slide your freshly-formatted SD card into your Sky3DS+ and connect it to your PC with the provided Micro USB cable. At this point, Windows should install a new driver - Wario Mass Storage (Ha! Pun intended?). Once the driver is installed, you're ready to update your firmware. To do so, place the "firmware.bin" file from Sky3DS' website onto the root of your FAT32-formatted SD card. Once the file is in the root directory of your SD card, disconnect and re-connect it to your PC's USB slot to supply it with power.

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By default the Sky3DS+ LED has three colours - Red, indicating EEPROM use, Green, indicating IC activity and White, indicating SD access

The Sky3DS+ LED should start flashing red - this means that the EEPROM is currently being written into. Do not disconnect the cartridge while this LED is lit - it may cause damage to your cartridge. Once the light is off, the firmware update is complete - you can now remove the "firmware.bin" file and put the latest "gamelist.bin" file available on Team Sky's website onto the root of the SD card. The "gamelist.bin" file is the equivalent of old Sky3DS' templates, it contains all the information necessary to boot your backups. Once this file is copied over, basic setup is complete - you can now fill your Sky3DS+ up with ROMs and enjoy them to your heart's content!

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With the setup complete, it's try to play some games! SNAAAAAKE!

When properly set up, the root of your SD card should look like the one in the screenshot above.

Advanced Setup: A Quick Look at the Settings and Config Files

Upon the first boot, the Sky3DS+ will create a "settings.txt" file with its default settings. This file can be edited at will in order to squeeze more out of your flashcart. In this section, we'll take a closer look at all the advanced features this flashcart has to offer.

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This is how the default "settings.txt" file looks like

At present, the "settings.txt" file is composed of 6 lines:

  • FIRMWARE_VERSION=X - this line informs the user which version of "firmware.bin" is currently flashed to the flashcart's chip
  • CREATE_PER_GAME_SETTINGS=X - this line is used to create game-specific config files, set this option to 0 for default settings and 1 for custom config files. Config files supersede "gamelist.bin" and allow users to input their own Private ID's which are necessary for safe Online play. Config files will be covered in detal in the next section.
  • HIGH_SPEED_ENABLED=X - this line is most likely used to toggle the transfer rate.
  • ACTIVITY_LED_COLOR=RGB - this line is set to select the colour of the activity LED. This allows you to personalize your cartridge's notifications to your liking or disable them altogether. The syntax here is simple - XXYYZZ, XX for Red, YY for Green and ZZ for Blue, 00 for Disabled, FF for Enabled. You can mix and match colours, too! For instance, FF00FF will make the LED shine Pink, FFFFFF will make it shine White or FFFF00 will make it shine Orange.
  • EEPROM_LED_COLOR=RGB - see above, but for EEPROM R/W.
  • SD_LED_COLOR=RGB - see above, but for SD access.

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Once the cartridge is set to create individual config files, the root of your SD card should look like this.

Once the CREATE_PER_GAME_SETTINGS option is Enabled (1), the Sky3DS+ will start creating "GameName.cfg" files for each individual game, allowing you to modify its settings.

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This is how a sample config file looks like.

At present, the config files are composed as follows:

  • CART_ID - this value represents the cartridge ID of the ROM.
  • ENC_TYPE - this value represents the encryption type used for the binary.
  • ENC_SEED - this value represents the previously "Unknown ID" which turns out to be the encryption seed used. The config file gives a hint as to how users should go about obtaining this value, should they wish to boot software not available in the latest "gamelist.bin".
  • FLASH_ID - this value represents the Flash ID of the ROM.
  • GAMESAVE_KEY - this value represents the cartridge-specific unique key used for save file encryption and online play. If a save file for the game is already present, this value is overridden by the Sky3DS+.

Useful Downloads

While using the Sky3DS+ is pretty self-explanatory, Power Users who wish to squeeze the most out of their cartridge by trimming ROMs, using Private ID's or running Out-of-Region ROMs will have to download additional software. Here's a list of things you might want to consider downloading:

  • 3DS ROM Tool - This PC utility will allow you to Trim your .3ds files, allowing you to squeeze more games onto your SD cards as well as play games which surpass the 4GB filesize limit of the FAT32 system. It's a command line tool, so if you're more of a GUI person, check out the link below instead.
  • 3DSExplorer - This PC utility is a robust 3DS ROM explorer, it will allow you to read lots of relevant ROM data as well as Trim and Untrim your ROMs.
  • NINJHAX 2.5 - This 3DS utility by @smealum is your gateway to the wonderful world of 3DS homebrew, Region-Free gaming, performance modifications and more! This Beta build is compatible with the latest (10.3.0-X) firmware, too!
  • SD Formatter 4.0 - This PC utility is the ultimate SD cleaner. For best possible performance, stick your SD cart into your reader and give this bad boy a spin - you won't regret it!

Compatibility Table

By default, the Sky3DS+ only boots ROMs from the native region of the 3DS system in use, much like the previous two Sky3DS cartridges. This is due to the fact that the flashcart operates as a cartridge emulator and has no means of circumventing the region lock. Fortunately, the Sky3DS+ is compatible with NINJHAX and other similar homebrew solutions, allowing users to boot Out-of-Region ROMs with relative ease. Below you will find a list of games tested during the writing of this review. Games were tested on an Old 3DS running 10.3.0-28E firmware and NINJHAX 2.5.

In-Region ROMs Tested:

  • Devil Survivor: Overclocked (EUR) - PASS
  • Cubic Ninja (EUR) - PASS
  • Luigi's Mansion 2 (EUR) - PASS
  • Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer (EUR) - PASS
  • Animal Crossing: New Leaf (EUR) - PASS
  • Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (EUR) - PASS
  • Dead or Alive: Dimensions (EUR) - PASS
  • Castlevania: Mirror of Fate (EUR) - PASS
  • The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (EUR) - PASS
  • Tales of the Abyss (EUR) - PASS
  • Resident Evil: Mercenaries 3D (EUR) - PASS,
  • Pokemon Art Academy (EUR) - PASS
  • Paper Mario: Sticker Star (EUR) - PASS
  • Mario Party: Island Tour (EUR) - PASS
  • Mario Kart 7 (EUR) - PASS
  • Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns (EUR) - PASS
  • Fire Emblem: Awakening (EUR) - PASS
  • Super Mario Land 3D (EUR) - PASS
  • Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros. (EUR) - PASS
  • Naruto: Powerful Shippuden (EUR) - PASS
  • Rhythm Thief: The Emperor's Treasure (EUR) - PASS
  • Super Pokemon Rumble (EUR) - PASS
  • Resident Evil: Revelations (EUR) - PASS
  • Bravely Default (EUR) - PASS
  • Monster Hunter 4 (EUR) - PASS
  • Pokemon Omega Ruby (EUR) - PASS
  • Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward - PASS
  • Scribblenauts Unlimited (EUR) - PASS
  • Metal Gear Solid 3D - Snake Eater (EUR) - PASS

Out-of-Region ROMs can only be played on the Sky3DS+ via NINJHAX and its built-in Region-Free Launcher, RegionTHREE/FOUR and other compatible Regionlock-disabling solutions. Bear in mind that the Launcher is not 100% compatible, so some Out-of-Region games may fail to boot, freeze or hang on Error/Warning screens.

Out-of-Region Games Tested:

  • Project X Zone 2: Brave New World (JAP) - PASS
  • Mario & Luigi RPG - Paper Mario MIX (JAP) - FAIL (Hangs on an Error screen after creating/loading a save file, possible NINJHAX Region-Free Loader issue)
  • Monster Hunter X (JAP) - PASS
  • Shin Megami Tensei IV (USA) - PASS
  • Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon (USA) - PASS
  • Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX (USA) - PASS
  • The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes (USA) - PASS

Conclusions

Leonardo Da Vinci once said that "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication", and there's a lot of truth to that statement. It's hard not to like the Sky3DS+ - it does everything it was designed to do and it does so great. It's a massive improvement over the previous Sky3DS designs and, honestly, considering the fact that it's firmware-independent, it's just about the perfect flashcart for users who are not interested in overly complicated setups and want a flashcart that "just works". Its only drawbacks are the slow transfer rate of the micro USB connector, which isn't a big deal considering the fact that it wasn't designed for high speed in the first place, and the lack of native Homebrew support or Region-Free launching which, as seen above, can be easily mitigated with NINJHAX. If you were ever interested in getting a Sky3DS cartridge, this is the time to get one - it doesn't get much better than this.

Verdict

What We Liked ...
  • Good build quality - an improvement over the previous revisions
  • Ease of use, the cartridge is almost entirely operated by drag & drop. The use of the FAT32 file system instead of DiskWriter's RAW SD structure allows for file management on just about any device that accepts SD cards
  • Replacing the single button with a Forwards/Backwards button pair greatly improved navigation of the ROMs on the SD card
  • The optimized firmware greatly reduced the time it takes to switch games
  • The Micro USB port allows for quickly modifying the SD contents without carrying any extra hardware other than a USB cable
  • The generated game-specific Config files make using Private headers substantially easier than on the previous revisions which required modifying or generating private templates
  • Updatable firmware makes this project much more future-proof than its predecessors
  • The cartridge is fully compatible with NINJHAX 2.5, allowing for the use of Homebrew and booting Out-of-Region ROMs
What We Didn't Like ...
  • The micro USB port's transfer rate is currently highly restrictive, peaking at 355kbps, making it unsuitable for large file transfers
  • The firmware can be temperamental and picky when it comes to SD cards - always format the SD with SD Formatter before using it in the flashcart to ensure optimal operation
  • The 4GB filesize limitation forces you to trim large roms - implementing exFAT would've solved that issue
  • Due to the nature of how this flashcart operates, it doesn't support Homebrew or Region-Free launching natively
9
out of 10

Overall

The Sky3DS+ is the perfect flashcart for the "lazy gamer". It's no-nonsense plug & play at its finest - you throw ROMs at it and it just works. The prototype I was handed was admittedly not fully polished, but with each subsequent firmware update I could see that it performs better and better. Now that it's close to release, I'm sure I can recommend this product - it's just like the previous Sky3DS carts, except better, in just about every way. Here's for hoping that Team Sky3DS continues to update it regularly, I'm excited to think what the next firmware update will bring.
Great review foxi!! Gave a deeper look on this newest edition. Will defiantly be following this review steps when I receive mine! :grog:
 
Since where rom trimming is a con? Saving a lot of space be deleting garbage data is just common sense.
 
@Reploid Trimming in itself is not a con, but the filesize limitation is. Should a developer ever release a game that's 4GB or over with little/no garbage to trim, you won't be able to put that file onto your SD card - a theoretical scenario, but not an impossible one. Implementing exFAT would go a long way in preventing that from happening.

@piratesephiroth Follow the link to see the list of official retailers and compare some in your area. Expect to pay around $80, prices vary.
 
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It was a blast, guys - my pleasure. Feel free to post questions or testing requests, I'll be addressing them starting tomorrow. If anything's unclear, post comments and I'll do my best to clarify!
 
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@takuyayagami, @XswordcraftX CIA's won't work for obvious reasons - the Sky3DS+ is a cartridge emulator and as such it only accepts .3ds image files. As for being Mac-friendly, it doesn't require you to run any software on the PC side of things, everything can be done with a standard SD reader, so I'd wager "yes". Even firmware updates seem to be handled by the cart itself, it merely uses the USB cable as a power source.
 
Flawless review man, I'm definitely buying this card as soon as a trustworthy italian reseller (or a close european) pops out! Also, thanks for the tutorial, really appreciated :D
 
Nice job on the review!

since this is the 3d card from this team. I own the 2nd (blue button) and are expecting this to arrive soon. Would the save files from the blue button version work on this new version? If so how to transfer?
 
Thanks for the review! The blue Sky3ds was a great cart. This is another must get!
One thing i'm curious though. How do you even know which firmware version is currently installed on the new sky3ds?
 
How about patched .3ds files? Is the new Sky3DS+ able to run them, if they are not a 1:1 rip from the cartridge? I'm asking with something like the English patched version of Monster Hunter X in my mind.
 
Where did you get the firmware v10? It's not on the website yet... Is it? The game list.bin is not there either.
Great review!
 
UPDATE: I've updated the LED section of the review as I got them to work on the latest firmware (V10). Chances are that my previous attempts were plagued by the pesky "user error" or I just didn't notice the change due to poor lighting. Anywho, what's important is that we have DANCING LEDs ALL DAY LONG! Woo-hoo! :hrth:
 
If they ever managed to find a way to make this region free I would buy it in a heartbeat. It really is a shame they can't pull that off.
 
@vayanui8 The answer you're looking for is NINJHAX. It's super-simple to run Out-of-Region games now, even if the flashcart doesn't support it and even on latest firmware. If you throw HANS into the mix, you can actually run mods, too. ;)
 
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Wow, I had assumed that ninjax needed an older firmware like gateway. I'll definitely have to look into this
 
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@vayanui8 Nope, just good 'ol Cubic Ninja, either a cartridge or a ROM will do. There was a short period of hiatus between NINJHAX/NINJHAX 2.0/NiNJHAX 2.5, but the latest one works fine on 10.3.X-X.
 
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And now we wait and see if Nintendo tries to block the new card. I hope not, but I will stick with my blue Sky3DS for the tim being.

Great review by the way.
 
So in order to use Private Headers for online play, all I need to do is paste my Private Header into the .cfg file of each game of mine? And this will work with .3ds and .3dz games since the .cfg file will overwrite the gamelist.bin file of each .3ds and .3dz ROM? Thanks!
 
Wow, this is like the perfect cart. :blink: I wonder if this means we are reaching the equivalent of the R4 era of the DS scene. Frankly this just seems so much easier than custom firmwares. Any word on the price? Great review btw.
 
@sharp2G .3dz is a made-up format, the correct extension is .3ds. The difference is that in .3dz, the header infos are injected (normally the area is blank). Anywho, yes, all you need to do is adjust config files with your infos - it's super-easy.
Would it be beneficial for me to rename the .3dz extension back to .3ds and then adjust the .cfg files for each game?
 
@sharp2G I would personally only run ROMs as .3ds, that way you can adjust configs at your leisure rather than fiddle around with patching or hex editing each time you want to change something. .3dz is a Gateway invention, let's leave it with Gateway carts. I haven't even tested .3dz files, nor did I see the need to - they may or may not be compatible, but I don't see why they wouldn't seeing that it's the same container, just with infos injected.
 
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@sharp2G I would personally only run ROMs as .3ds, that way you can adjust configs at your leisure rather than fiddle around with patching or hex editing each time you want to change something. .3dz is a Gateway invention, let's leave it with Gateway carts. I haven't even tested .3dz files, nor did I see the need to - they may or may not be compatible, but I don't see why they wouldn't seeing that it's the same container, just with infos injected.
Is converting back from .3dz -> .3ds as simple as renaming the file extension?
 
Here's a grip of 101 questions:

What is the likeliness of being banned from online play for using a private header?
What about ROMs that say they are pre-patched for online use?
If and when you do get banned, is it a full console ban or a flash cart ban?
What's the best way to create your own private header, and do the methods vary between Windows and OSX?
Is there a tutorial for this HANS thing I'm hearing about anywhere?
 
@m_babble The likelyhood of getting banned with a private header is next to zero. Unless Nintendo implements a new check into their online system, they have no idea whether you're using a legitimate cart or not - all they do is check your ID against a blacklist. Pre-patched games are a no-no - they use public ID's that are likely blacklisted or have the potential to log the same ID twice if someone else is using the same ROM, which equals an automatic suspension. The bans start with a 2-week warning on first offense, later offenses are more severe, likely permanent console bans. Changing ID's is trivial - it can be done in any text editor, as seen in the description above. HANS is a game enhancer packaged with NINJHAX 2.5, it's really self-explanatory, but there's probably guides on how to use it - use our search bar. ;)
@sharp2G Yes, you just change extensions. It's literally the same file format, just with injected headers - changing the extension to .3ds will suffice. If you want a clean ROM you can go through the trouble of unpatching it or hex editing the infos out of the ROM manually, but I don't think that's necessary.
 
Here's a grip of 101 questions:

What is the likeliness of being banned from online play for using a private header?
What about ROMs that say they are pre-patched for online use?
If and when you do get banned, is it a full console ban or a flash cart ban?
What's the best way to create your own private header, and do the methods vary between Windows and OSX?
Is there a tutorial for this HANS thing I'm hearing about anywhere?
If you're using a private header, you have less than a 1% chance of being banned. Unless you bought the header from someone, the. They can keep selling it over and over saying its private. There are many ways to get the header. I personally like the powersaves method. Or just dump a retail game save file, open it in a hex editor and look for 00 00 88, after that line is your header.
 
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Or i can paste it directly in gamelist.bin ? The save of the game is corrupt if i change the ID ? Thanks for the ansewers :) (My english is bad, sorry :c)
 
@RayD97 Yes and no, see answer below.
@ArkBlue GAMESAVE_KEY is where you should put your unique identifier. The ID is used for Online identification and save encryption, so you need to modify the pre-existing save accordingly or start a new save. The save file always takes precedence over the config and gamelist, so it has to have the correct ID you want. "gamelist.bin" is an encoded binary, opening it shows garbled mess, you won't be able to easily modify it, stick to config files. My guess is that Team Sky3DS wants to protect the ID's they use - Nintendo could easily blacklist the ones in Templates since they were saved in plaintext, blacklisting these will be much harder.
 
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@Foxi4 ok, thank you :)
So, if i change the id, the save have the old id ?
And the unique id contains how much of letters/numbers ? (My english is very bad :c)
 
@ArkBlue The Unique ID is 16 bits in length (32 characters in a text file). Here's how it works:

New ROM copied to cart -> Upon insertion into the system the cart creates a config from copied gamelist.bin -> If game is booted, .sav file is created for that ID

If there is a pre-existing save, its ID is used instead, it takes priority. Create a save after you've injected the header. The best way to be sure is to delete the save (if it's present) after modifying the config, that way the latest ID will be pulled from the config to make a new save.
 
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@Foxi4 If I understand well, simply scroll through the games for the config file?

And on the sky3ds website, i can't download the gamelist.bin and firmware.bin , you have a link for download this ?
 
@ArkBlue You can use both, but pay attention to the installation procedure and make sure you have the correct payloads for ironhax. There's nothing holding you back from using Cubic Ninja on the Sky3DS (the exploit is installed into the save file) and ironhax on the 3DS' SD card - you can use both at your convenience, although I don't know why you would - ironhax is more handy since it's always on the system and it won't use valuable space on the Sky's SD.
 
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The region free games have a config and a save file too ?
And it's possible to make updates for the region free games ?
I'm sorry for all of this questions :c
 
@ArkBlue You won't be able to natively download any Out-of-Region DLC or updates as far as I know - you're connecting to a different server. HANS might be handy here in some capacity (HANS allows you to launch apps, including the eShop, with forced Region settings, so theoretically it could allow you to connect to eShops from different regions) but I haven't tested it. As for configs and save files, anything on the Sky's SD will create them, regardless of how you boot the game - it's how the flashcart works. It emulates the cartridge, it's not concerned with what happens on the 3DS side of things.
 
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@zoogie I actually meant to put it on the compatibility list, but I couldn't find the ROM of the cartridge-based game and the .CIA one won't work for obvious reasons. Once I get my hands on it, I'll put it on the list, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.
 
So can someone walk me through how I would achieve the following:

Currently owning a blue button, I would want to transfer my NA AC:NL rom AND save data AND private header to the sky3ds+ with everything intact (save and private header)
How would I do this?
 
@chaoticlogic Just dump your save file in DiskWriter and copy it to the new SD - it already has your Unique_ID. The rest of the header is in the config file, so copy-paste it. Unless the Blue Button does something odd to the save files, it should be compatible. Just to be sure though, I'll test how migration works tomorrow.
 
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That cons list is nothing major, thankfully... and nobody in their right mind will transfer roms via the cart's usb.
 
@Foxi4 When you say copy it to the new SD, do you mean copy paste the .sav directly to the SD card, or copy paste the header to the config file?? I'm sure a guide will be made on how to do this.
Also, what about Triforce Heroes for example, would I have to start the game and save just to get a config file to modify the header?
 
@Jayro That's why the score is 9/10 - this revision fixed almost all of the problems I had with the previous ones. Now, if it had native homebrew support and a menu instead of switches, it'd be almost a perfect 10, but I understand that's not feasible due to how the cartridge works, so I didn't list those cons.
 
@chaoticlogic Copying the save and adjusting the config with your infos should suffice, but I'll be testing that tomorrow to make sure. The cart creates configs for games as you switch to them for the first time, but you can hand-write a config yourself beforehand if you wish - all configs have the same structure and are tied to ROMs by having the same filename, like GAME.3ds + GAME.sav + GAME.cfg, as shown in the screenshot above.
 
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So when you save a rom and plug in your sd card, is the .sav for that rom automatically updated? Also, when is this actually going to release?
 
I'll probably pick one up, but I just want to make sure I understand how transferring old saves and headers is. Also, no one really knows when it's releasing, do they?
 
Thanks for the review.

Hm...I'm wondering, is there anyway to know how to get the ENC_SEED manually from offset 0x1010 (as in the decryption key and stuff) of the rom?
 
@StarCrys To be honest, I suspected it to be that for a long time now (I dabbled in this during SAK development) and contacted some coders in the past about it, but as someone who doesn't own a 9.2 or lower 3DS I couldn't exactly play around with the keys myself. It only made sense in the context and the length was the same. Team Sky3DS basically confirmed my suspicions. I have a fair theoretical idea how to get it, it would require an exploitable 3DS with kernel access, but it's not something I'm working on - I'm sure the team will eventually share their method of decrypting the key since they're touting user-made configs as a feature. Either way, it's enough of a hint for community members to start figuring things out if they really want to.
 
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How about save transfer from older cart, like blue button one? This linker is cool, but I need to transfer some of my games like pokemon with its progress.
 
@Foxi4 first, thanks for your answer. Unfortunately Monster Hunter doesn't seem to be compatible with HANS. The available English patched version is only offered as a complete .3ds or .cia file. Damn it, I just want to use the English patch without buying another 3DS System with older firmware. Seems like the new Sky3DS+ is not the right thing for me then.
 
@Foxi4 You says "The Unique ID is 16 bits in length (32 characters in a text file)" but how to transform the 16 bits to 32 characters in the text file?
 
This is one of the most detailed hardware reviews I've seen on any site. Not just a review but informational. Will probably forward this review next time I see people having questions about the cart.
 
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@ArkBlue Hexadecimal values are composed of two alphanumeric signs, you don't convert anything, just copy-paste. The Region-Free Launcher just patches the region when booting, HANS has additional options, but both will work.

@chaoticlogic It's already out, I believe it was released the day this review was published.

As for save migration from the old Sky, I was busy all day so I couldn't test it, but it's on my to-do list. Honestly though, making a correct config and copying the .sav should work fine.
 
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@Foxi4
There's an easier way to migrate saves:
1. Backup the savefile of each game from your blue button card using homebrew (svdt or save_manager)
2. Restore each savefile to each game on your sky3ds+ also using homebrew (svdt or save_manager)
 
@Foxi4 It's easier for me since I can do the whole thing on the 3DS itself (but if you manage to use the diskwriter backups with sky3ds+, then I have to agree).
 
I think this should be my last question.

When installing Ninjhax from Cubic Ninja on the Sky3DS+, would I run the risk of being banned seeing as WiFi is required for the installation?
Should I have a private header in place before attempting it or is it safe because it isn't reaching out to a Nintendo server?
 
Great review Foxi4 !
I'm wondering how you sort the games with sky+ ? or is it automatically sorted from A title to Z ?

Edit: Also wondering how game saving works, do you still need to change to the next game to ensure save data not lost?

Thanks :)
 
I think this should be my last question.

When installing Ninjhax from Cubic Ninja on the Sky3DS+, would I run the risk of being banned seeing as WiFi is required for the installation?
Should I have a private header in place before attempting it or is it safe because it isn't reaching out to a Nintendo server?

when you install ninjhax, it connects to smealum repo, i think its safe, i have installed it using sky bluebutton on several 3ds and so far it is safe.
 
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@weks The cart sorts titles automatically by date of putting it on the SD. As for power, connecting the cart to USB switches it to Mass Storage mode, so that probably won't work that easily. ;)
 
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Thanks so much for the comprehensive review. Very detailed in all the relevant things we need to know before deciding if it's the card for us. :)
@weks The cart sorts titles automatically by date of putting it on the SD. As for power, connecting the cart to USB switches it to Mass Storage mode, so that probably won't work that easily. ;)
Any way that you could test/let us know if Powersaves works with SKY3DS+?
 
N
You should update your Paper Mario "fail" it's failing due to requiring the correct region/language. Had to be patched on CIA or had to run NTR with JP plugin to get it to load correctly.
 
Thanks so much for the comprehensive review. Very detailed in all the relevant things we need to know before deciding if it's the card for us. :)
Any way that you could test/let us know if Powersaves works with SKY3DS+?
no there's a CW cheat that supposedly works with the sky3ds it's in their website
 
Why didn't you try any of the AP equipped roms like Fire Emblem IF or Rittai Picross 2?
Look at the video he posted from the SKY3DS website, near the top of the review. It shows Monster Hunter X working on the SKY3DS+, which is one of the new AP games, so we know it works with them.
 
@weks The cart sorts titles automatically by date of putting it on the SD. As for power, connecting the cart to USB switches it to Mass Storage mode, so that probably won't work that easily. ;)
But the intresting note here is you plugin a USB without data connectors and just power. It might just do it!
 
"finding a system like that can be quite a chore, not to mention a substantial expense"
All Old 3DS systems ship with 9.2 or lower and can be had for very little.

"Well, you can't, because Nintendo's just rolled out a new update, and it's not working on EmuNAND yet"
I'm using a build of rxTools from the beginning of November and it works fine with the latest FW. I was using a build from October but I only updated it for increased boot speed.
 
N
Yes it won't work with HANS, needs NTR or ROMFS patch :)

[Who wrote this and why can I edit it?]
 
@Neptune Well, HANS does give you options to set the correct region/language and more, so I don't see why it wouldn't. Either way, it failed to boot - it's an observation. Saying otherwise would be disingenuous, whatever the reasons may be. I can adjust the root cause of faliure though - what do you think would be appropriate, in one sentence?
 
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@ArkBlue If you have a Unique_ID, you already have a private header - just paste it into the config in the correct line. ;)

*sigh* Sorry to have to ask this. All this talk of easily inserting private headers... Someone did it for me a few months back. So I have one, but I don't know how to get it and how to transfer it "easily," as has been said. Anywhere I can find this info?

And I didn't see an answer to the "Are saves transferable?" question. Perhaps I missed it?

Oh, and you're awesome. Thanks so much for this!
 
Will .3dz files work?
You can just rename the .3dz extension to .3ds and it will work with the SKY3DS+. The only thing to keep in mind is that it won't read the header it had as .3dz and thus you won't be able to use previous saves from it either.
 
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You can just rename the .3dz extension to .3ds and it will work with the SKY3DS+. The only thing to keep in mind is that it won't read the header it had as .3dz and thus you won't be able to use previous saves from it either.

But that's just because it's being converted, right? .3ds can have transferred saves if they started that way?
 
You can just rename the .3dz extension to .3ds and it will work with the SKY3DS+. The only thing to keep in mind is that it won't read the header it had as .3dz and thus you won't be able to use previous saves from it either.
So you don't need any converting programs?
 
Thanks for this informative review.
My favorite new feature would probably be the led customization.
If you don't mind me asking; How are the colors of the led in your opinion? (It may sound silly; but I'm really curious about it.)
I think I might have to get one of these just for that if the colors look nice... =P
Thanks! ^_^
 
RayD97, you seem awfully helpful. I don't mean to be a pain, but my question seems to be the only one gone unnoticed. Not by you, just in general.

I'm sorry to have to ask this. All this talk of easily inserting private headers... Someone did it for me a few months back. So I have one, but I don't know how to get it and how to transfer it "easily," as has been said. Anywhere I can find this info? Do I continue to use No Ban, No Sky to insert the header?
 
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@hamstrman
I don't know how to get the new header to the new cart (the new config files I'll have to play around with) but here's a good way to find your private header.

Supposing that your friend injected the private header into ALL the roms on your template, this will work.

Open the template.txt you're using for DiskWriter.

Every rom's data should start with "SHA blah blah blah" then letters and numbers. Look at the following (the beginning of a rom's data):

** : CTR-P-BM5E

SHA1: 2C106FC6FA6C16E718E6B1AC907AFA52360D0695
00 00 00 00 C2 FE 00 90 C2 22 13 00 F8 2A 07 D5
43 54 52 49 4D 41 47 45 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
77 B5 28 0D D6 FE 6B 43 47 AC 1D 88 50 7C C8 36
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ??
FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF

Those 16 sets of ?? should be your private header. Obviously I didn't post mine :P
NOTE: Check a couple more of the entries in your template. If, at that same spot where my 16 sets of ??'s are, have the same values, it is definitely your header.
 
@hamstrman
I don't know how to get the new header to the new cart (the new config files I'll have to play around with) but here's a good way to find your private header.

Supposing that your friend injected the private header into ALL the roms on your template, this will work.

Open the template.txt you're using for DiskWriter.

Those 16 sets of ?? should be your private header. Obviously I didn't post mine :P
NOTE: Check a couple more of the entries in your template. If, at that same spot where my 16 sets of ??'s are, have the same values, it is definitely your header.

OHHHHHHHHHHHHH! :bow::toot:

Edit: And I put the header into the template using DiskWriter. What I had gotten from them though was a bin file called CTR... and it was automatic.
 
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@hamstrman No worries man.
With the SKY3DS+, you don't need to use No Ban, No Sky to insert your private header. Simply copy/paste it onto the GAMESAVE_KEY line in the .cfg file of the rom.
To do this, place the 3DS rom that you want to use onto the SD card and use the SKY3DS+ in your 3DS at least once to create the settings.txt on the SD card. Then go into the settings.txt to make sure the CREATE_PER_GAME_SETTINGS option is set to 1. Will look like this: CREATE_PER_GAME_SETTINGS=1
Then once you've done that, insert the SKY3DS+ into your system and power it on to create the [your_game_name].cfg
Then go to your computer, open the SD card, you should see the [your_game_name].cfg file.
Paste the private header you got from @chaoticlogic 's explanation at the GAMESAVE_KEY line.
You're done! Play the rom online to your heart's content!

Edit: I forgot to mention, if you can't play online even after you've inserted your private header, check if the game you got the header from originally was manufactured by the same company. In @chaoticlogic 's example, his header is coming from a C2 (Macronix) game card. It's explained here: https://gbatemp.net/threads/why-sky3ds-gets-002-0123-even-with-a-private-header.385672/
 
Any idea if Stella Glow works on this already? I'm mostly into tactical RPG's so if I'd buy this, it would be for Stella Glow (for now, obviously interested in other stuff, especially since everything comes 10000 years later for EU...)
 
Edit: I forgot to mention, if you can't play online even after you've inserted your private header, make sure the game you got the header from originally was manufactured by the same company. In @chaoticlogic 's example, his header is coming from a C2 (Macronix) game card. It's explained here: https://gbatemp.net/threads/why-sky3ds-gets-002-0123-even-with-a-private-header.385672/
This is not necessary - the Private ID and the CART/FLASH ID's are separate entities. I don't know who spread the rumour that you have to modify both but you don't. The CART and FLASH ID's reflect physical IC's on the circuit board (the ROM chip and the EEPROM chip, if present), they have nothing to do with the unique online/save file key.
 
Ya its not necessary, it definitely would work without it. But when I used my Mario kart header (c2) on triforce heros (c2) it worked, whereas my friend used his Mario 3d land (45 sandisk) on triforce heros and he got an error code. Could be a different problem I guess but we did the same thing. @Foxi4
It's just a possible last resort.
 
From what I've heard, no one has this card yet (other than samples given out for review purposes). Other people have posted that no reseller even has the carts in stock yet...
 
@RayD97 This happens very rarely with games that have the ROM and EEPROM on one piece of silicon/chips made by the same manufacturer stock. The fix is simple - adjust the manufacturer byte (position #1), there isn't a whole lot of options to choose from and most games come with a C2 (Macronix) chip anyways. Adjusting the other bytes (size and mystery) could have unexpected consequences in the future - games come on chips of a certain size and the ID's should reflect that. No Ban No Sky copies the ID's "blindly" without adjusting for such variables, that's why I programmed SAK not to do that. Nintendo knows what cartridges they manufacture - if they ever feel like checking why Mario Kart cartridges show up as "4GB" in size for no apparent reason when they know such carts never left their manufacturing lines, things might not be pretty for the users. The CART/FLASH ID's should be as inconspicuous as possible, preferably the same as they used to be.
 
This is not necessary - the Private ID and the CART/FLASH ID's are separate entities. I don't know who spread the rumour that you have to modify both but you don't. The CART and FLASH ID's reflect physical IC's on the circuit board (the ROM chip and the EEPROM chip, if present), they have nothing to do with the unique online/save file key.
So, why some people (including me) can't play online games just using private headers? I'm using a Pokemon Y private header that allows me play online Super Smash, Mario Kart and some other games, but I can't play online games like Bravely Default.
 
@royr719 Adjust the ID's accordingly, but use your head while at it instead of blindly copying settings without knowing what they do, what they mean and how they work.

Take Bravely Default as an example, since you can't get it to work - the standard Cart ID here is 0xC2F00290 - Macronix, 4GB, 02 (Mystery), CARD-1. Adjust this to the ID you have - the size of the chip shouldn't change (0xF0) for obvious reasons, neither should CARD type (0x90) unless you're switching to NAND saving for some reason, so your experimentation is limited to the Mystery Byte and the manufacturer - a highly limited amount of options here. You're literally just choosing the manufacturer (Macronix/SanDisk/Toshiba/OKI) and the Mystery Byte which is 0x0 or 0x02 99% of the time.

Grab SAK, check your options and make a new, convincing ID - it's not necessarily easy, but it works. Admittedly, it hasn't been updated for a while since I'm lazy, but it has the majority of possible options built-in, plus the option to use free-form for the missing values. Alternatively, look up the JEDEC standard, since those values are almost all standardized.
 
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@royr719 Adjust the ID's accordingly, but use your head while at it instead of blindly copying settings without knowing what they do, what they mean and how they work.

Take Bravely Default as an example, since you can't get it to work - the standart Cart ID here is 0xC2F00290 - Macronix, 4GB, 02 (Mystery), CARD-1. Adjust this to the ID you have - the size of the chip shouldn't change (0xF0) for obvious reasons, neither should CARD type (0x90) unless you're switching to NAND saving for some reason, so your experimentation is limited to the Mystery Byte and the manufacturer - a highly limited amount of options here. You're literally just choosing the manufacturer (Macronix/SanDisk/Toshiba/OKI) and the Mystery Byte which is 0x0 or 0x02 99% of the time.

Grab SAK, check your options and make a new, convincing ID - it's not necessarily easy, but it works. Admittedly, it hasn't been updated for a while since I'm lazy, but it has the majority of possible options built-in, plus the option to use free-form for the missing values. Alternatively, look up the JEDEC standard, since those values are almost all standardized.

Ok, since like I must do some little more investigation before I try this. Thank you foxi for your detailed response
 
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@royr719 You're welcome, we should all share tips and tricks on this since the ID's are not fully cracked - some things we understand, some are still clouded in mystery. I'm not saying that my method will work a 100% of time, but it's better to try all your options before having to invest in another cartridge you could dump.
 
Does the copy of Cubic Ninja used for the exploit have to be "original / genuine" or would a ROM do the same job just as well?
 
come on sky3ds you need to beat gateway. you need to get the DLC issue like gateway has so we can get it for free and also CIA files.
 
@Gokudera ElPsyCongroo Not natively, and it has little to do with the templates. Edited ROMs have broken signatures and won't be accepted by the 3DS - they won't pass through the chain of trust. You can run mods via HANS though - all you need is the Homebrew Channel.
 
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@Foxi4 Thanks for the review! I think I'm going to purchase this one instead of old sky3ds. Where can we order such? Trusted sites will help me alot. Thank you! :D:nds::nds:
 
What about transferring card2 saves from the sky3ds to sky3ds+?
I don't want to lose my Pokemon ORAS and Y saves.
 
What about transferring card2 saves from the sky3ds to sky3ds+?
I don't want to lose my Pokemon ORAS and Y saves.

Foxi4 addressed save files. Just search "save" in the future. He said dump your save files using DiskWriter and they should be compatible once added to the SKY3DS+ card.

Anyone correct me if I have that wrong.
 
Foxi4 addressed save files. Just search "save" in the future. He said dump your save files using DiskWriter and they should be compatible once added to the SKY3DS+ card.

Anyone correct me if I have that wrong.
Thank you for assuming that i have not read all the comments yet. That is, in fact, not the case.
I asked this question because card2 save files are stored inside the ROM en not as a separate .sav file.

Correct me if i'm wrong.

So i don't know if the save is extracted out of the rom if you use the option in diskwriter. Also, how do i put the save file back into the rom if that has to be done?
 
Just ordered mine for $84.49, including shipping. $79.99 without. It's a preorder price, so it might go up once the actual stock is in... I know it's expensive, but if you're thinking about getting one, I'd order now.
 
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So it's officially been released?? Or you're saying when it comes out, you'll be getting it next day?
Well peach ds said they'll got some tomorrow (wednesday), modchip central on the 24th and digitopz already have them I think, so yeah.
But I'd like to know where @hksrb25s14 bought it though, because all I heard until now wasn't really concrete, so if someone receive his, could he, I don't know, post a small pic on the forum for example, would be cool.
 
they gave me the tracking number and I typed it in FedEx site and it says 12/23/15
so hopefully without the holiday delay.

I also did next day shipping.
 
they gave me the tracking number and I typed it in FedEx site and it says 12/23/15
so hopefully without the holiday delay.

I also did next day shipping.
Ah reassuring since I was afraid the websites who say they have it… just don't. I pre-ordered on digitopz, they said that they will ship out next day but didn't know if they really have it. Would be cool if someone who ordered there could tell me if he got already shipped or not.
 
Well peach ds said they'll got some tomorrow (wednesday), modchip central on the 24th and digitopz already have them I think, so yeah.
But I'd like to know where @hksrb25s14 bought it though, because all I heard until now wasn't really concrete, so if someone receive his, could he, I don't know, post a small pic on the forum for example, would be cool.

Yeah, well I ordered one from 3DSTown on the 2nd and it failed because, despite saying so, they didn't, in fact, accept Mastercard - which I got my dad's card because my primary card is AmEx. :O

THEN I ordered from Digitopz on the 6th - again, Mastercard - and the credit card company canceled my card because it showed up as an "in-store purchase in China." :ohnoes: We got a replacement card (with permission this time) and I reordered on the 8th. When you brought up they were in stock already I went to check. And my credit card failed and I received no notification! After many emails, it turns out THEY don't accept Mastercard, despite saying they do. They actually told me they removed all instances of the card from their site after I asked them to. :wtf:

I find out yesterday, so I go to iFlashDSi which says they accept EVERYTHING, including AmEx... except there's no field to choose credit card at all! It defaults to check/money order! :cry:

So finally I ran over to PeachDS since I heard it to be the most reputable and was able to use PayPal or anything my heart desired... I doubt I'll get it with the first batch even though I pre-ordered. They say they're getting a very small initial batch tomorrow. Insanity!! :wacko:
 
Ugh, yeah, it sucks... I completely don't know why it is such a struggle to use Mastercard internationally, you can throw a Visa absolutely anywhere - and maybe it's... worrying? Are we cursed, guys?
Yeah peachds said "a small batch", actually Modchip Central said more precisely that they will receive 90 pieces tomorrow and all their stock next week. I don't know, I don't hope it's the same for all resellers, maybe the ones in Asia will have more since they are bigger and have more clients - who often don't know where they buy...
Courage haha, if we don't have our cards this week, we will have it the next one! I guess ? :rofl: That lucky one @hksrb25s14 will even have it for Christmas! Good luck @hamstrman , wish you get your one this week, you could maybe, you don't know how many pieces they received.
And I wish I'LL get mine too haha! If someone ordered to digitopz let me know, at least I'll know if I'm kind of in a pickle right now. Ugh...


Edit: ah digitopz just replied, saying that there is "plenty of sky3ds+ orders and ghey need several days to ship all of them, they will do it in order". They don't seem to be out of pieces, who knows, maybe the number of units they indicates in their website is true after all, I thought it was a little exaggerated, not to say something else...
 
@Foxi4
Question:
For example you got the original cartbridge of Kirby. You want to play a dumped Pokemon game (Rom) online.

1.) Can you use the private header from Kirby to play Pokemon online without the risk of a ban?

2.) Can you use the private Header from Kirby for other dumped games (Roms) as well (simultaneously)?

3.) Does it matter if you already played online with Kirby and after that you use the private header for Pokemon? THX
 
The website I purchased from sold me Sky3DS+ for $93.00, but they unlisted it from available products on their site for a little while. What is that supposed to mean when they sold it to me as if it were available to ship? Is the manufacturer of Sky3DS+ just struggling to keep up with product demand, or did I just buy from one of many websites that don't have them in stock yet?
 
TE="quiteannoyed, rccomment: 3217, member: 377630"]It's all well and good that some people have already received their Sky3DS+ units, but I ordered mine from a website called thegamerdepot.com and they
DELETED MY PURCHASING ACCOUNT. There is no way for me to check the shipping status of Sky3DS+ or know IF WASTED $93.00. Is anyone sure that it is safe to purchase Sky3DS+ from certain websites on the list of "official" resellers, or are just about all of them untrustworthy? Will someone please have the decency to let me know that it is safe or unsafe to buy Sky3DS+?

Thanks for your time.
[/QUOTE]
Okay, we are definitely cursed.
No, the reseller list isn't completely safe, I heard they just have to pay to appear there, so you have to be careful and ask before. There is a whole bunch of reliable and known resellers.
Take the time to email them first, if they don't reply within 2 days, yeah, you're possibly dead, but if they reply listen to what they say and look at their English too : if it's too bad, they're not in the US, it isn't always a problem but it could be a hint. Ugh... Good luck dude.
 
TE="quiteannoyed, rccomment: 3217, member: 377630"]

Okay, we are definitely cursed.
No, the reseller list isn't completely safe, I heard they just have to pay to appear there, so you have to be careful and ask before. There is a whole bunch of reliable and known resellers.
Take the time to email them first, if they don't reply within 2 days, yeah, you're possibly dead, but if they reply listen to what they say and look at their English too : if it's too bad, they're not in the US, it isn't always a problem but it could be a hint. Ugh... Good luck dude.

Update: Thanks for your reply. There is actually not too much of a problem anymore because the password that was used to create my account with them had been changed unbeknownst to me, so I thought that they had deleted my account. However, I don't like the fact that their website does not specify when Sky3DS+ will be available except for saying that " The first shipment of sky3ds plus flashcart will arrive around the end of December. We will ship out all the orders as soon as we receive the sky3ds plus cards.". It also troubles me that the Sky3DS+ product page I purchased from was removed from their website for a short time, so who knows how long they will have me waiting when I figured that they had cards in stock...
 
Okay, we are definitely cursed.
No, the reseller list isn't completely safe, I heard they just have to pay to appear there, so you have to be careful and ask before. There is a whole bunch of reliable and known resellers.
Take the time to email them first, if they don't reply within 2 days, yeah, you're possibly dead, but if they reply listen to what they say and look at their English too : if it's too bad, they're not in the US, it isn't always a problem but it could be a hint. Ugh... Good luck dude.

Update: Thanks for your reply. There is actually not too much of a problem anymore because the password that was used to create my account with them had been changed unbeknownst to me, so I thought that they had deleted my account. However, I don't like the fact that their website does not specify when Sky3DS+ will be available except for saying that " The first shipment of sky3ds plus flashcart will arrive around the end of December. We will ship out all the orders as soon as we receive the sky3ds plus cards.". It also troubles me that the Sky3DS+ product page I purchased from was removed from their website for a short time, so who knows how long they will have me waiting when I figured that they had cards in stock...[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I don't like it much. If you can, try Modchip Central or Modchip Direct : it's the only reseller who gave the number of pieces he got and indicates specific dates. Peachds and Digitopz are also good, but Peachds doesn't have enough pieces and I pre-ordered at Digitopz and I'm currently waiting for the tracking number.
 
I was reading about Nintendo's anti piracy actions with game boy games during that time, "Some games, such as Game Boy games, also had other hardware such as memory bank controllers connected to the cartridge bus. The game would send data to this hardware by attempting to write it to specific areas of ROM; thus, if the ROM were writable, this process would corrupt data."

With the Sky3ds+ now having rewritable firmware and also the fact that microsd cards are rewritable in general, would it be possible for Nintendo to implement something like this?
 
I was reading about Nintendo's anti piracy actions with game boy games during that time, "Some games, such as Game Boy games, also had other hardware such as memory bank controllers connected to the cartridge bus. The game would send data to this hardware by attempting to write it to specific areas of ROM; thus, if the ROM were writable, this process would corrupt data."

With the Sky3ds+ now having rewritable firmware and also the fact that microsd cards are rewritable in general, would it be possible for Nintendo to implement something like this?
@Benja81 Memory banks were implemented in order to enhance the normal capabilities of the Game Boy, not as an AP measure. There's no reason for Nintendo to implement such a system on the 3DS, it'd be a waste of time and money.
 
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@Benja81 Memory banks were implemented in order to enhance the normal capabilities of the Game Boy, not as an AP measure. There's no reason for Nintendo to implement such a system on the 3DS, it'd be a waste of time and money.

So whoever wrote that part of the Wikipedia article I quoted was misinformed?
 
So whoever wrote that part of the Wikipedia article I quoted was misinformed?
I think the author miswrote the statement - MBC's greatly impeded piracy back in the day since carts could have one of many available memory layouts which meant a flashcart had to support many at the same time, but I do not think they were specifically implemented for that purpose. I quote: "As the gameboys 16 bit address bus offers only limited space for ROM and RAM addressing, many games are using Memory Bank Controllers (MBCs) to expand the available address space by bank switching. These MBC chips are located in the game cartridge (ie. not in the gameboy itself), several different MBC types are available" - they were implemented to go around hardware limitations, that's their primary purpose. Rewrittable Flash memory was so expensive that flashcarts were not a threat to Big N. Counterfeit cartridges were a far bigger issue, but these used standard ROM chips.

http://gbdev.gg8.se/wiki/articles/Memory_Bank_Controllers
 
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Anyone know anything about depot4u.com? It was on the official reseller list, but getting nervous after reading some of these comments. I ordered it last night. :S
 
I think the author miswrote the statement - MBC's greatly impeded piracy back in the day since carts could have one of many available memory layouts which meant a flashcart had to support many at the same time, but I do not think they were specifically implemented for that purpose. I quote: "As the gameboys 16 bit address bus offers only limited space for ROM and RAM addressing, many games are using Memory Bank Controllers (MBCs) to expand the available address space by bank switching. These MBC chips are located in the game cartridge (ie. not in the gameboy itself), several different MBC types are available" - they were implemented to go around hardware limitations, that's their primary purpose. Rewrittable Flash memory was so expensive that flashcarts were not a threat to Big N. Counterfeit cartridges were a far bigger issue, but these used standard ROM chips.

http://gbdev.gg8.se/wiki/articles/Memory_Bank_Controllers

Nice, very good info. Either way no matter what they do, I'm sure sky3ds will find away around it. Thanks for the replies!
 
Hi Foxi4, thanks for the detailed review and answers to fellow users' questions. I learnt a lot! I just got my Sky3ds+ today, it came updated with version 10 firmware. So far all games I tried on it ran well!

However, there is no CREATE_PER_GAME_SETTINGS option in the settings file. Is there any way for me to make the option appear so that I can play online with private headers?

Mine only shows this :-
FIRMWARE_VERSION=100
HIGH_SPEED_ENABLED=0
ACTIVITY_LED_COLOR=FFFF00
EEPROM_LED_COLOR=FF00FF
SD_LED_COLOR=00FFFF

By the way, Merry Christmas people!!
 
S
Alright I'm a little confused, did this effectvely allow the use of the new F.E. or will that remain to be seen with the Fates release?
 
I guess that the company I purchased from (which is supposed to be in the US) decided to cease business operations a week before Christmas, because I placed an order of Sky3DS+ on the 22nd and have yet to receive a tracking number. I've had a micro sd card prepared with the latest gamelist.bin file and quality roms for days. Nintendo will probably release a firmware update for the 3DS by the time Sky3DS+ is delivered to me...

Websites listed as resellers should have units in stock and ready to ship the day after an order is placed.
 
Hi Foxi4, thanks for the detailed review and answers to fellow users' questions. I learnt a lot! I just got my Sky3ds+ today, it came updated with version 10 firmware. So far all games I tried on it ran well!

However, there is no CREATE_PER_GAME_SETTINGS option in the settings file. Is there any way for me to make the option appear so that I can play online with private headers?

Mine only shows this :-
FIRMWARE_VERSION=100
HIGH_SPEED_ENABLED=0
ACTIVITY_LED_COLOR=FFFF00
EEPROM_LED_COLOR=FF00FF
SD_LED_COLOR=00FFFF

By the way, Merry Christmas people!!

Have you tried to add back the line "CREATE_PER_GAME_SETTINGS=1" into the settings file?
 
@Hashulk Start by updating the firmware, 100 seems to be an odd number.
It's updated however still gives value of 100 but I can edit it to 10 and save it the notepad file and the cart still works normally. I did try to add the CREATE_PER_GAME_SETTINGS=1 myself as the second line as suggested by @LurkerA and once i boot any game, plugged the Sky3ds back into the pc it shows that cfg of each games is already created. Now I can change the headers to my own! ^_^
 
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What is the purpose of using a private header for online play? Is that something we should do when using the sky3ds for online games?
 
Do you mean can you emulate them using SKY or that you'll have access to the eShop?

I wish we could emulate eShop games! But they still work the same way...

I mean are these Roms running on Sky Plus

Senran.Kagura.2.Deep.Crimson.EUR.eShop.3DS-CONTRAST
3D_Gunstar_Heroes_EUR_eShop_3DS-PUSSYCAT
Angry_Video_Game_Nerd_Adventures_USA_eShop_3DS-PUSSYCAT
 
I mean are these Roms running on Sky Plus

Senran.Kagura.2.Deep.Crimson.EUR.eShop.3DS-CONTRAST
3D_Gunstar_Heroes_EUR_eShop_3DS-PUSSYCAT
Angry_Video_Game_Nerd_Adventures_USA_eShop_3DS-PUSSYCAT

Ah, no. SKY continues to only play physical cartridges... I was hoping that with an upgradable, new and improved piece, that maybe they thought about the eShop, but perhaps that would be too costly.
 
So should I wait to place an order? I was looking a modchipsdirect but not sure if every reseller is backed up at this point.

Edit, modchipsdirect suspended new orders for a few days.
 
So should I wait to place an order? I was looking a modchipsdirect but not sure if every reseller is backed up at this point.

Edit, modchipsdirect suspended new orders for a few days.

$79.99!? Dammit! Why is this "only US reseller" listed under Canada?? I went around chasing this cart seeing $87 as the lowest price and settled with PeachDS at $90 because it was the only order that would go through.

"please make sure your card is enabled for international transactions as our merchant account is not located in the US. "

But this is interesting... Well, looks like I made the right choice after all.
 
modchipsdirect is listed under United States.

0_o Huh. Well, uh, clearly that's what I meant. *cough*

Anyway, I guess I never made it to the bottom of the list because I got screwed too many times on the way down. This site would have gotten my card cancelled too. I just went straight to Peach.

Still jealous of the low price and shipping time. My "electronic data received" by the post office tracking number hasn't changed in 3 days.
 
I wasn't going to type what I've thought for the sake of being friendly in the spirit of Christmas, but I have changed my mind. A review of Sky3DS+ should not exist if it is not available to be delivered promptly after an order is made. What's more, I find it funny that you people are getting excited about a flashcard that isn't so feature rich/complete as the Acekard 2i. If cheats aren't enabled, it takes work to play online and not every 3DS game is supported, why should anyone be so excited? Is Sky3DS+ not an unfinished product according flash card quality standards of the past? It's no use explaining such things to the likes of teenagers mistakenly believing that they deserve to test this incomplete flashcard before me though. Not one person on this miserable website could beat me at Super Street Fighter IV, but I am doomed to waste my time reading about what some common person thinks of Sky3DS+. This thing better work as well as I expect it to, or I will return to complain.
 
I wasn't going to type what I've thought for the sake of being friendly in the spirit of Christmas, but I have changed my mind. A review of Sky3DS+ should not exist if it is not available to be delivered promptly after an order is made. What's more, I find it funny that you people are getting excited about a flashcard that isn't so feature rich/complete as the Acekard 2i. If cheats aren't enabled, it takes work to play online and not every 3DS game is supported, why should anyone be so excited? Is Sky3DS+ not an unfinished product according flash card quality standards of the past? It's no use explaining such things to the likes of teenagers mistakenly believing that they deserve to test this incomplete flashcard before me. Not one person on this miserable website could beat me at Super Street Fighter IV, but I am doomed to waste my time reading about what some common person thinks of Sky3DS+. This thing better work as well as I expect it to, or I will return to complain.

Hmm, "plug and play" ?
Hmm, "firmware 10.3" ?
Why do you even compare that flashcard to a ds flashcard ??? We know gateway offers more but not everyone is in 9.2. That said, I kinda agree with you about the delay, but you won't be able to find a flashcard that works that well on an up to date firmware.
 
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Hmm, "plug and play" ?
Hmm, "firmware 10.3" ?
Why do you even compare that flashcard to a ds flashcard ??? We know gateway offers more but not everyone is in 9.2. That said, I kinda agree with you about the delay, but you won't be able to find a flashcard that works that well on an up to date firmware.

I was comparing the seemingly impressive features of Sky3DS+ to those of the Acekard 2i when it was released for the Nintendo DS. When it comes to what each card can do for its console, the Acekard 2i is superior. Perhaps the creators of Sky3DS+ should have taken more time to develop it rather than selling prematurely what could be better. You're right to say that we should be grateful for anything at all to run on Nintendo's latest 3DS firmware, but it's not like you aren't hoping for something better in the future.
 
I was comparing the seemingly impressive features of Sky3DS+ to those of the Acekard 2i when it was released for the Nintendo DS. When it comes to what each card can do for its console, the Acekard 2i is superior. Perhaps the creators of Sky3DS+ should have taken more time to develop it rather than selling prematurely what could be better. You're right to say that we should be grateful for anything at all to run on Nintendo's latest 3DS firmware, but it's not like you aren't hoping for something better in the future.
Or you could buy the other 3DS flashcard that supports 10.3 and ...oh wait.
Foxi did a great review on this card, and it is a damn good card. He has also been very prompt to answer any questions we've had.
Complain to Sky if you are really that upset, not here on the forums.
 
I was comparing the seemingly impressive features of Sky3DS+ to those of the Acekard 2i when it was released for the Nintendo DS. When it comes to what each card can do for its console, the Acekard 2i is superior. Perhaps the creators of Sky3DS+ should have taken more time to develop it rather than selling prematurely what could be better. You're right to say that we should be grateful for anything at all to run on Nintendo's latest 3DS firmware, but it's not like you aren't hoping for something better in the future.

Wow... I mean, tacking this onto your previous posts, just wow... I have a friend like you. People don't want to engage him in conversation.

While I agree that the wait time is a bit overboard, the proposition that they should be "ready to ship a day after the order is placed," you must be joking. You must've heard of the concept of a pre-order before. Your upset over the delay allowing Nintendo to patch this bypass, given that the SKY3DS+ is firmware updatable... And, I agree with @Gokudera ElPsyCongroo about those of us who can't use Gateway, knowing that it's a much better product. God knows I know. It's most of what I read about here when I joined. I was fortunate enough to cover the cost of this new cart by selling my old one. I understand the upset of paying another $90 for little improvement, but it's quite obvious to see - and has been said many times over - that it pays for itself after 2-3 games, unless you don't believe that we should have to pay for games at all, but I'm not putting words in your mouth, just trying to understand.

And there shouldn't be a review until we have it? Reviewers receive products in advance all the time. Screeners of TV shows or movies, testers of video games and new hardware. Again, why is this a foreign concept? I'm quite appreciative of @Foxi4 giving us a sneak peek and the anticipation keeps me going. This also helped me understand what I will have to do when the cart gets here. You seem like a powder keg and I'm a total idiot for saying as much because it's just going to piss you off (or, more benignly, you won't care).

I'm not sure what you're referring to with respect to "cheats," but I'm not as well-versed as other members on this board. I'm far from a teenager and your complaints didn't have to be targeted at the people here. If you're annoyed at SKY, be annoyed at them. What did we do exactly? Enjoy the idea of something you're annoyed exists and didn't meet your needs even though you knew in advance what it did and didn't do? And what are you going on about no one being able to beat you at Street Fighter? Whuh?

The "official resellers" list is really shady and I, myself, went nuts trying to get one without, as I mentioned here, getting my credit card cancelled or it taking 2 weeks for them to realize they don't accept MasterCard and not informing me my order was cancelled. The release was poorly executed, but it exists and we'll have it soon. Not "SKY3DS email response" soon, actually soon. We all have our complaints, I'm sure. VERY sure. And I'm an angry, hateful human being, but even I recognize that something, albeit small, is being provided to us that would otherwise not be available. I'm sorry this all pisses you off so much.
 
Hi
There are a lot of comments and this might have been answered before.

From what I understand, the sky3ds+ only supports original 3ds games. Would it be possible to run modified roms by using something like ninjhax? Since you can play out of region with it.
 
@CXu Yes, but only via HANS - the cart itself does not boot modified or eShop ROMs, it's compatible with untampered cart images only, with the exception of trimming (since it's blank data anyways).​

As for the delays, you can predict many things like a Christmas rush at the postal services etc., but it's hard to protect oneself from a flood, and as far as I know, that's what happened in the Chinese industrial district. I'm confident that the carts will get to you guys eventually. Reviewers like myself get advance copies simply because the customer should be informed about the product prior to spending money on it, it only makes sense. Comparing the Sky to DS carts like the Acekard is a bit unfair since they work according to different principles - the Sky is a cartridge emulator that's not based on any particular exploit, so its software capabilities are limited. On the flip side, it's firmware-independent, which is a big deal. Each approach comes with different pros and cons - pick the product that suits your needs best - that's what reviews are for.
 
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Okay @Foxi4 I'm stuck. Received my Sky3ds+ today, installed cubic ninja and homebrew launcher but I can't play Super mystery dungeon at all, it doesn't show up in the region free launcher, what can I do ? I'll ask on the forum too.
 
well I just ordered mine from digitopz $121with a 32 gb card worth it but question @Foxi4 is there like a tutorial for installing HANS? Since I like playing undub games
 
@takuyayagami Just put the Cubic Ninja ROM on your cart and follow standard NINJHAX instructions - it will behave like the normal cart.

@Gokudera ElPsyCongroo When using RegionFree or HANS, switch to the Out-Of-Region game with the button, eject the Sky, re-insert it and it should be detected - works every time for me. :)
 
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@takuyayagami Just put the Cubic Ninja ROM on your cart and follow standard NINJHAX instructions - it will behave like the normal cart.

@Gokudera ElPsyCongroo When using RegionFree or HANS, switch to the Out-Of-Region game with the button, eject the Sky, re-insert it and it should be detected - works every time for me. :)
Thanks, and also does the language selection work with hans because it doesn't with me…

Edit : found, I'll rebuild the rom with the Fr file… but I wonder why it doesn't work with Hans…
 
@takuyayagami Just put the Cubic Ninja ROM on your cart and follow standard NINJHAX instructions - it will behave like the normal cart.

@Gokudera ElPsyCongroo When using RegionFree or HANS, switch to the Out-Of-Region game with the button, eject the Sky, re-insert it and it should be detected - works every time for me. :)
Thanks! I'm so giddy waiting for this flashcard last time I felt so giddy was getting the 15th anniversary digivices XD
 
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Okay @Foxi4 I'm stuck. Received my Sky3ds+ today, installed cubic ninja and homebrew launcher but I can't play Super mystery dungeon at all, it doesn't show up in the region free launcher, what can I do ? I'll ask on the forum too.

Sorry to break up the conversation, but where did you get yours from!? I'm excited for you, but jealous for me. I don't even see my tracking information from the 23rd changing at all!
 
I ordered on digitopz on the 12th and used express parcel haha ! It got shipped on the 24th and in fact they were very fast since it's an holiday until today, and the tracking information didn't change until then too. Wish you get it soon, maybe tomorrow since we're Monday now, good luck !
 
Language selection does work provided the files for the language are there. To use FR, look for Multi-5 ROMs. ;)
I don't know, using the multi5 rom doesn't work…
And when I edit the rom and use hans, it says "invalidated icache"…?

Edit : NO I'M JUST DUMB, IT WORKS NOW
 
just got my in today, was going to get it earlier but fedex was on holiday weekend and was in the same state like 30min away from me. had to wait for 3 days
 
Is the QQ3DS Pro the same as Sky3DS Plus? It has the same exact features, and is around the same price. The QQ3DS Pro package includes:
1 x QQ3DS PRO 3DS CARD
1 X QQ3DS PRO DS CARD
1 X 16GB MicroSDHC Memory card (Sandisk Ultra 16GB)
1 X USB 2.0 card reader
1 x USB upgrade cable

www.qq3ds.com
 
Is the QQ3DS Pro the same as Sky3DS Plus? It has the same exact features, and is around the same price. The QQ3DS Pro package includes:
1 x QQ3DS PRO 3DS CARD
1 X QQ3DS PRO DS CARD
1 X 16GB MicroSDHC Memory card (Sandisk Ultra 16GB)
1 X USB 2.0 card reader
1 x USB upgrade cable

www.qq3ds.com


"Clarify:Recently someone just bought our SKY3DS cards and rebranded them with other sticker and package(like
facksite.jpg
...It's not even a clone), we are cutting off those supply sources to avoid any confusion to our end users.
..."

Sky3DS had an above statement regarding to this matter on their official site before.
 
I just got mine yesterday and the settings.txt default I got was this.

FIRMWARE_VERSION=100
HIGH_SPEED_ENABLED=0
ACTIVITY_LED_COLOR=000000
EEPROM_LED_COLOR=FF0000
SD_LED_COLOR=0000FF

EDIT: You can add the option to create config per game. I don't know why it doesn't show in the config by default. Once added it will work.
 
I primarily use a C2 header. For my header would I still need to just change the manufacturer bit to C2 and then use my private header key?

(I also have an AE header... Just missing a 45 one tbh).
 
@Hashulk Start by updating the firmware, 100 seems to be an odd number.

It seems this 100 value is the norm. @Foxi4, why did you think this value was strange?

Also, I officially hate everyone who has received their piece. Don't worry, I'll stop hating you when I get mine. Was told it would be in stock on the 23rd. Then more that Friday. Then more this Monday... Now I'm told NEXT Monday possibly, maybe...
 
Hey guys! Checkin' back in today after receiving my SKY3DS+ cart yesterday (from PeachDS; ordered 12/11, released 12/24, got it 12/28)! It's working awesome so far, and well worth the investment Thanks Foxi4 for the review and getting us started off.

Also, I loaded a copy of Pokemon Y and put the cartridge into the Powersaves dongle/ran Powersaves, and to my surprise, found that the cartridge was read, a save could be backed up and written to the card, but not altered (with save edits) and written back on the card. I haven't tried for any other games nor with multiple games on the Sky3DS+.
 
:hateit: I ordered from Peach! GAHHHHH! :gun:
Just so you know. I got mine from PeachDS. So if you are still waiting be patient. They are probably not getting enough per wave in order to send out for all the pre-orders.

P.S. - The sky3ds website lists 100 as the current firmware version number.
 
I found the "100" firmware number odd since all the firmware I got to test followed a numbering scheme with natural progression - perhaps 100 was chosen as a stock value for commercially sold units and anything under that were release candidates. The more you know! Anywho, yes, adding the line is the correct fix, as you've all discovered. :)
 
For those of you that need to patch the header (don't have an appropriate key for the manufacturer bit) let the game generate its own config. It will also generate a save but we will delete this. Once that is done make sure you close the game before removing the cartridge from the 3ds.

Take the microSD and put it in the computer however you normally do (either via usb adapter or microsd -> sd shim) or plug in the cart to the computer via a microUSB cable.

Open the game in Gateway Rom Patcher and put in your private header id. Have it auto-guess the chip id and rom media type.

Now take the first 8 characters of the chip id that Gateway Rom Patcher gives and replace the CART_ID value with it.
After that you should be able to set the GAMESAVE_KEY with your private header key and be fine. Delete the dummy save file otherwise the changes we made in the config won't take effect,
 
@shinji257 Gateway ROM Patcher does not generate a correct Cart_ID, it only correctly detects cart size (from filesize) and CARD type (from the header), the manufacturer byte and the mystery byte are assumed (always C2, 00) and often incorrect. You're better off following Sky's suggestion as it comes directly from the dumped carts. Leave the Cart_ID alone and adjust the manufacturer byte when needed. Don't rely on this app's generated Cart_ID because it's not correct, the only correct data it offers is the Unique_ID/Online ID/Gamesave Key, however you choose to call it.
 
For those of you that need to patch the header (don't have an appropriate key for the manufacturer bit) let the game generate its own config. It will also generate a save but we will delete this. Once that is done make sure you close the game before removing the cartridge from the 3ds.

Take the microSD and put it in the computer however you normally do (either via usb adapter or microsd -> sd shim) or plug in the cart to the computer via a microUSB cable.

Open the game in Gateway Rom Patcher and put in your private header id. Have it auto-guess the chip id and rom media type.

Now take the first 8 characters of the chip id that Gateway Rom Patcher gives and replace the CART_ID value with it.
After that you should be able to set the GAMESAVE_KEY with your private header key and be fine. Delete the dummy save file otherwise the changes we made in the config won't take effect,
@shinji257 I don't know if your tip is detectable and bannable by Nintendo. But i tested it on Pokemon X with my private header obtained with Mario 3D Land(manufacturers were different) and IT WORKED LIKE A CHARM !
 
For those of you that need to patch the header (don't have an appropriate key for the manufacturer bit) let the game generate its own config. It will also generate a save but we will delete this. Once that is done make sure you close the game before removing the cartridge from the 3ds.

Take the microSD and put it in the computer however you normally do (either via usb adapter or microsd -> sd shim) or plug in the cart to the computer via a microUSB cable.

Open the game in Gateway Rom Patcher and put in your private header id. Have it auto-guess the chip id and rom media type.

Now take the first 8 characters of the chip id that Gateway Rom Patcher gives and replace the CART_ID value with it.
After that you should be able to set the GAMESAVE_KEY with your private header key and be fine. Delete the dummy save file otherwise the changes we made in the config won't take effect,

So is this necessary, advisable or optional? I'm not clear on that...
 
@takuyayagami "Online patched" games have public ID's which are risky or are CIA's which won't work on Sky. You don't have to send me any links, forbidden or otherwise, private ID's are the only way to be safe online on Sky3DS.

@hamstrman It's been described before and works the same on every flashcart, you just input the ID's using different methods depending on the cart, in this case you use config files. Fortunately only a handful of games actually have online features on the 3DS, so it's not a big issue.
 
Hi

I see they released the newer diskwriter. Anyone tried to migrate previous saves to the new save2? I converted all the game saves I have from save 1 to save 2 but I cannot test yet. Waiting for PeachDs to send me my sky3ds+. I don't have a blue cart anymore so I only loaded the microSD and then backed up everything back as save2, hope that works.
 
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Sd formatter 4 keeps formatting my card as exfat and there is no option to change it, am i doing something wrong?
 
Hi

I see they released the newer diskwriter. Anyone tried to migrate previous saves to the new save2? I converted all the game saves I have from save 1 to save 2 but I cannot test yet. Waiting for PeachDs to send me my sky3ds+. I don't have a blue cart anymore so I only loaded the microSD and then backed up everything back as save2, hope that works.

What are save1 and save2? Did I save my files incorrectly? I exported *.sav files for my games.

Also, HI @Michierusama! It's Russell from the Peach boards! :yay:
 
Anyone who had their sky3ds+ shipped from China to US, did you have to pay a customs fee upon delivery? If so how much?
 
What are save1 and save2? Did I save my files incorrectly? I exported *.sav files for my games.

Also, HI @Michierusama! It's Russell from the Peach boards! :yay:

Hi

I named it save1 just to differentiate it from the new save2 that we are able to backup from the rom using the new diskwriter. I noticed that the new saves2 are 1,088KB and the old ones are 1,025KB. I hope we can test them this month, happy new year! may the force be with us, with patience lol.
 

Why do you keep posting about this? It's fake. Or no, rather it's stolen and rebranded. Stolen in the sense of intellectual property.

It says "plays all 3DS and DS games" except included in the package is a "3DS card" and a "DS card" so it really doesn't play both... That was the only distinguishing characteristic of this thing and it's false. Oh and they format the card for FAT32.
 
Everyone knew that's bullshit, but qq still kept pretend to get the no-sticker cards from sky3DS factory for confusing the end users as they did before, too bad sky3DS cut their supply in Chinese market at the moment so that qq haven't even got one card yet so far, they might get some later or sooner with more higher price than other resellers, who know and who care... :rofl2:
 
Everyone knew that's bullshit, but qq still kept pretend to get the no-sticker cards from sky3DS factory for confusing the end users as they did before, too bad sky3DS cut their supply in Chinese market at the moment so that qq haven't even got one card yet so far, they might get some later or sooner with more higher price than other resellers, who know and who care... :rofl2:

REALLY!? I thought they got a bunch but later got cut off! That's fantastic! I feel bad for anyone who bought from them, though.
 
Okay can someone tell me what in the actual f*** is happening? I ordered my card from modchipcentral got a tracking number and the status hasnt changed at all. I emailed them and they tell me that the sky team was delayed in production. Now they've runned out stock and waiting for a batch from them. What sucks even more is that they arent willing to give you a full refund which is retarted. I dont even know what to do now.. stick it out and see if they get their new "batch" or try to chargeback the order. This sucks man.
 
Okay can someone tell me what in the actual f*** is happening? I ordered my card from modchipcentral got a tracking number and the status hasnt changed at all. I emailed them and they tell me that the sky team was delayed in production. Now they've runned out stock and waiting for a batch from them. What sucks even more is that they arent willing to give you a full refund which is retarted. I dont even know what to do now.. stick it out and see if they get their new "batch" or try to chargeback the order. This sucks man.

Well, we've discussed it above repeatedly...

But you basically laid out your situation yourself. Tracking number --> Pre-Shipment Status --> Delayed production...

PeachDS said they were getting them on the 23rd. They did. Ran out. Then they said they'd be able to fill the rest on the 28th. They did... Ran out. Now they tell me THIS Monday, the 4th. We'll see. All I know is they're reputable. I'm annoyed because I sold my blue-button a month ago.

The only thing that is total bull is that they won't give you a refund! Block the charge on your credit card if you have to. Claim fraud. If you really want it, it WILL happen. SKY just sucks.
 
@Foxi4 Eh... For the one I did just recently it only changed the Manufacturer bit anyways and I have not had any immediate issues. I'll make a note of it now. I think I do remember seeing that for the most part you only ever had to change that bit anyways.

@M.Lombre It hasn't personally caused issues for me but YMMV. As Foxi4 mentioned previous you can likely just change the first byte from whatever to match your key whether it be C2, 45, or AE depending.

@hamstrman You will at minimum need to change the private header to one you personally have so as to prevent duplicate headers on the network. Duplicate keys are almost guaranteed a ban and so even the so called "online patched" games are not safe as they use a public header that will eventually get flagged and killed.
 
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Well, we've discussed it above repeatedly...

But you basically laid out your situation yourself. Tracking number --> Pre-Shipment Status --> Delayed production...

PeachDS said they were getting them on the 23rd. They did. Ran out. Then they said they'd be able to fill the rest on the 28th. They did... Ran out. Now they tell me THIS Monday, the 4th. We'll see. All I know is they're reputable. I'm annoyed because I sold my blue-button a month ago.

The only thing that is total bull is that they won't give you a refund! Block the charge on your credit card if you have to. Claim fraud. If you really want it, it WILL happen. SKY just sucks.
I got an email from digitopz and the sky3ds team they were in holidays so they sent their second batch to sellers so they're going to ship either today or tomorrow
 
Ordered mine on the 23rd from depot4u and paid for 2-4 day shipping. Its currently tied up In Memphis (US customs) for the past couple days, hopefully coming any day now and no issues.
 
Ordered mine on the 23rd from depot4u and paid for 2-4 day shipping. Its currently tied up In Memphis (US customs) for the past couple days, hopefully coming any day now and no issues.
i wouldn't worry, mine also went through memphis.
 
How long was it there before you got a delivery date? Mine has been there since yesterday at 12:30pm and still says pending delivery date.
so mine got to memphis on friday at 2:33am and i got it at 1030am monday. just be patient and wait, its worth the fuss
 
love it, way faster than the previous version. i lucked out and sold my blue button sky3ds on eBay when this once was announced so i was not playing my ads for a while but it was worth the wait.

ME TOO! Covered the price of the new one entirely! I don't feel sorry at all that my market was oblivious to the new product.
 
I got mine today! I'm having an issue though :( The games show and can switch between them all using the buttons, but when I try to load any of them I get "The gamecard has been removed." I'm moving roms onto a different sd card now, maybe it doesn't like that card?

Edit: Was the SD card. I tried 2 different ones before having the 3rd one work perfectly :) FYI, the 2 that didn't work were Kingston 16gb class 4 and SanDisk 32gb class 2. The one that worked is Lexar 4gb class 4.

Edit 2: While copying more files to the Lexar 4gb, I popped in the 32gb card again and this time it worked. The 16gb card still does not work though. Not sure what changed, but I'm happy to have the bigger card working for the moment.
 
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Been waiting 2 weeks and it still says "Pre-shipment!" WTF Peach??

AND they shut down their forums because they know they would be blowing up with questions.
 
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I asked for a refund from peachDS and then I downgraded my 3DSXL :)

Did they tell you anything new?? Like February or something? :sad:

Update: Well, I just got a response from PeachDS. They claim "good news" that SKY finally released and shipped a new shipment to them. They'll physically have it Friday to ship. This is some BS, but there's no point in me canceling now.

I told them they should be offering free shipping. They ignored me.
 
Did they tell you anything new?? Like February or something? :sad:

Update: Well, I just got a response from PeachDS. They claim "good news" that SKY finally released and shipped a new shipment to them. They'll physically have it Friday to ship. This is some BS, but there's no point in me canceling now.

I told them they should be offering free shipping. They ignored me.
oh god I just imagined the professor saying that and good luck @hamstrman hope you get yours soon
 
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Did they tell you anything new?? Like February or something? :sad:

Update: Well, I just got a response from PeachDS. They claim "good news" that SKY finally released and shipped a new shipment to them. They'll physically have it Friday to ship. This is some BS, but there's no point in me canceling now.

I told them they should be offering free shipping. They ignored me.

They wanted me to wait until friday. Offered me 16GB microSD card and I heard from a pal that they offered a lower price. If you mention the word refund they will try to keep the business with you. I wanted my money because I need it now and I have rxtools almost ready!
 
They wanted me to wait until friday. Offered me 16GB microSD card and I heard from a pal that they offered a lower price. If you mention the word refund they will try to keep the business with you. I wanted my money because I need it now and I have rxtools almost ready!

OMG where's MY microSD!? Ugh I don't want to take a chance of losing it now. They might just say "okay."

Think if I email them about it, I'd get something?
 
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The woman ''Sophia Davis'' LOL told me that and to some others she offered cheaper price or more microSD cards. Right now I finished installing CFW with the help of @ComicSANS it was an excellent help. Nice newcomer. :D

Well I emailed them. We'll see if they reward my disgruntled response. I didn't name names.

And when you say CFW? What did you end up going with if not SKY? Can you do Gateway? Because I sure can't.
 
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i had to refund my sky3ds before it shipped cause downgrading from 10.3 is possible now and a cart would be useless.
 
i had to refund my sky3ds before it shipped cause downgrading from 10.3 is possible now and a cart would be useless.

Now I'm confused. This is a new development? You can downgrade your 3DS now?? So you can play eShop carts?? *headdesk* WHY AM I ALWAYS A WEEK BEHIND?

I just took the plunge and bought a few expensive eShop games because I accepted I'd never be able to emulate them.

Edit: And why would that make a cart useless?
 
Now I'm confused. This is a new development? You can downgrade your 3DS now?? So you can play eShop carts?? *headdesk* WHY AM I ALWAYS A WEEK BEHIND?

I just took the plunge and bought a few expensive eShop games because I accepted I'd never be able to emulate them.

Edit: And why would that make a cart useless?
ill pm you something
 
Now I'm confused. This is a new development? You can downgrade your 3DS now?? So you can play eShop carts?? *headdesk* WHY AM I ALWAYS A WEEK BEHIND?

I just took the plunge and bought a few expensive eShop games because I accepted I'd never be able to emulate them.

Edit: And why would that make a cart useless?

Yes you can downgrade and it would be like paying 90 bucks when you can get more options for free. eShop exclusives etc.
 
Yes you can downgrade and it would be like paying 90 bucks when you can get more options for free. eShop exclusives etc.

Crap, now that I threatened to cancel, one day before they get the orders in, now I actually SHOULD cancel... Right?

But wait, you'd still need to pay for a Gateway cart, right?
 
Yes, they are getting a lot of cancellations lately. So it's going to be another one for them and big savings for you. You could get a 64GB microSD with adapter and fill it with CIAS. Sounds like heaven lol.
 
Yes, they are getting a lot of cancellations lately. So it's going to be another one for them and big savings for you. You could get a 64GB microSD with adapter and fill it with CIAS. Sounds like heaven lol.

I have a 64 GB microSD with adapter already from the last SKY, which I sold. I'm still confused though. How much is Gateway because I don't have it.

Sorry, it's 3 AM here and I'm kind of freaking out.
 
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I have the sky3ds+ and its been working perfectly. I had the sky3ds blue button and played monster hunter 4 with it no problem but heres the thing im trying to use it with the new sky3ds+ but it doesnt fit on the sd since its larger than 4gb so i trimed it following the instructions from the official sky3ds people. And the game works and boots fine but when i try to start a new game it crashes and boots me back to the 3ds menu and tells me i need to reboot. Now ive tried deleting all the updates and save files and nothing. I need help since this is a new card.
 
I'm not sure about cheats. Maybe you can make a cheat folder for sky+ microsd card. It might work.
 
Unfortunately, I won't receive the flashcard soon so it's a theoretical scenario.
If any one can install gateway and try the cheats I will appreciate it.
 
I got my sky3ds plus today going to slap in a class 10 128gb sd card. I have already downgraded my new 3ds xl to 9.2 firmware and put emunand on it with rxtools.I have a 200gb card for the cia games so in total I have 328gb in my 3ds amazing.
 
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I wonder if they can update the sky 3DS to include a screen capture thing in it so you can play the games and record at the same time :O it already has a micro USB slot probably the problem is trying cram a capture card hardware in such a small thing XD
 
I got my sky3ds plus today going to slap in a class 10 128gb sd card. I have already downgraded my new 3ds xl to 9.2 firmware and put emunand on it with rxtools.I have a 200gb card for the cia games so in total I have 328gb in my 3ds amazing.
Make sure you dont play online with your Sky3DS.
 
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Hey guys. I am new to this flashcard stuff alltogether but I am planning to get a New 3DSL XL with one of these cards.
I really want to get the Sky3DS+ card but on the other hand I'd like to play DS games as well. As the QQ3DS Pro has a DS card and µSD card included it looks like the better deal for me.
But if it's just a Sky3DS+ card with a different sticker I'm not very convinced they will always deliver new firmware updates if needed.

my question is: could I just get the QQ3DS card and use the firmware for the SKY3DS+ cards? Since the hardware of these cards is the same it should work right?
 
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Hey guys. I am new to this flashcard stuff alltogether but I am planning to get a New 3DSL XL with one of these cards.
I really want to get the Sky3DS+ card but on the other hand I'd like to play DS games as well. As the QQ3DS Pro has a DS card and µSD card included it looks like the better deal for me.
But if it's just a Sky3DS+ card with a different sticker I'm not very convinced they will always deliver new firmware updates if needed.

my question is: could I just get the QQ3DS card and use the firmware for the SKY3DS+ cards? Since the hardware of these cards is the same it should work right?

You can get a sky3s+ and a nintendo DS card like r4ids.cn compatible with wood. Or the r4i dual core sold by peachDS for $10. You can order both for like $100. Don't use that clone, they said this about them,

''Clarification:Recently someone just bought our SKY3DS cards and rebranded them with other sticker and package(like
facksite.jpg
...It's not even a clone), we are cutting off those supply sources to avoid any confusion to our end users.''
 
Hello, I was wondering if there is DS flash cart that uses the same philosophy of sky3ds (cartridge emulation). If not, what is the best solution for DS games, I already have a sky3ds. I'm on the newest firmware and not especially keen on having to worry about not updating to use a flashcart, if its possible.
 
Hello, I was wondering if there is DS flash cart that uses the same philosophy of sky3ds (cartridge emulation). If not, what is the best solution for DS games, I already have a sky3ds. I'm on the newest firmware and not especially keen on having to worry about not updating to use a flashcart, if its possible.

r4i-rts1.jpg
 
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Hey guys. I am new to this flashcard stuff alltogether but I am planning to get a New 3DSL XL with one of these cards.
I really want to get the Sky3DS+ card but on the other hand I'd like to play DS games as well. As the QQ3DS Pro has a DS card and µSD card included it looks like the better deal for me.
But if it's just a Sky3DS+ card with a different sticker I'm not very convinced they will always deliver new firmware updates if needed.

my question is: could I just get the QQ3DS card and use the firmware for the SKY3DS+ cards? Since the hardware of these cards is the same it should work right?
Right.
 
Check this new update they will release soon!

  • Sky3DS+ great news! We will release the newest firmwareV110!
  • We will release the new firmware V110 for sky3DS+ later this week, which enable you to play any new coming game
    directly, no need the gamelist.bin file any more now! please add the line "CREATE_PER_GAME_SETTINGS=1" into your
    settings.txt file as soon as possible now, make sure all your games .CFG are built properly before this new firmware udpate.



  • Note: it won't be able to read a game's saved file if its .CFG file is not exist after this new firmware update applied.
 
Has anyone tried the sky3ds+ card on a N3DS?
It will work on all 3DS models, just like the older blue and red button Sky3DS did. It emulates the real cartridge so no software hacks are needed like the GateWay cards require (which has issues with the New 3DS).
 
Check this new update they will release soon!

  • Sky3DS+ great news! We will release the newest firmwareV110!
  • We will release the new firmware V110 for sky3DS+ later this week, which enable you to play any new coming game
    directly, no need the gamelist.bin file any more now! please add the line "CREATE_PER_GAME_SETTINGS=1" into your
    settings.txt file as soon as possible now, make sure all your games .CFG are built properly before this new firmware udpate.



  • Note: it won't be able to read a game's saved file if its .CFG file is not exist after this new firmware update applied.
well this kinda makes me happy after learning that all gamestops in Puerto Rico are closing down.
 
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Is anyone having trouble running Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones or Super Mario Bros. 2 on the new SKY3DS+? I can't seem to run these games.
 
Is there anybody having problems when passing save files extracted from the blue button card? I use "save2 backup", and I have tested with around 10 games, and in only 3 of them the save is fine (Donkey Kong Returns, Super Mario Land 3d and Super Mario Bros 2), and in the rest when I enter the game using the Sky3ds+ it says that the save is corrupt and the game erases it and creates a new empty one.
The fact that in 3 of them it is working seems that the procedure I use should be fine.
 
For private headers, do we need to patch the rom itself as well or only the cfg file? Also, how are the cfg files created and the setting file
 
No need for patching rom. Insert your sky to prepare your microsd and it will create a settings.txt and add the line "CREATE_PER_GAME_SETTINGS=1" into your settings.txt. Cycle your roms and it will create a CFG file and then you can edit your privateID into CFG file.
 
No need for patching rom. Insert your sky to prepare your microsd and it will create a settings.txt and add the line "CREATE_PER_GAME_SETTINGS=1" into your settings.txt. Cycle your roms and it will create a CFG file and then you can edit your privateID into CFG file.
What about transferring games and saves? Will their cfg file when created already have the private header? I know about backing up saves with backup save 2, but what about the cart I'd on the cfg file? So you need to still change the manufacturer I'd (c2) in my case to avoid the online error?
 
CartID and public HeaderID is there by default made from the gamelist.bin. But after the new firmware rolls out there won't be a need for gamelist.bin, so I'm not sure.
 
But say I want to transfer my transfer my animal crossing save to the new one, how would I do that while maintaining my private header?
 
Animal Crossing is a card2 game, it saves within the rom. You just have to edit the CFG file and add the HeaderID once you prepare your sky.
 
Okay, what transferring pokemon for example? Or smash?
Also, are game saves added / updated automatically when inserting the micro SD to the computer?
@qproject Thanks for answering everything!
 
Pokemon is also a card2 game. You will have to use sky's diskwriter V203b4 to convert your old sky saves to sky+
Once you cycle to the next game it will create the necessary files, so cycle all your games. Aslo you need to save ingame to create a .SAV file.
 
Pokemon is also a card2 game. You will have to use sky's diskwriter V203b4 to convert your old sky saves to sky+
Once you cycle to the next game it will create the necessary files, so cycle all your games. Aslo you need to save ingame to create a .SAV file.
hmmm is there a tutorial on how to make a private header I feel like I'll mess up the sky3ds+
 
Take a look at foxi4 screenshot from the review, he opened a CFG file and add descriptions too. Its all copy and paste with headerID.
 
Is there a way to backup/transfer save files from physical games and convert them into save files that can be used by game backups through the Sky3DS+?
 
How can one play online without getting the "online services are not available for this game card" message? What changes must be made to the roms or setup I am using in order to get online play working? Thanks for your time.
 
It's really a shame that I won't be able to play online with Sky3DS+. I was looking forward to transferring Pokémon from Omega Ruby to Alpha Sapphire via the Pokémon Bank or challenging someone to a round of Super Smash Bros...

Is it possible to play downloaded roms online without using private headers extracted from real 3DS cartridges? If games can't be played online, I guess that I've misunderstood the purpose of this flashcard. Sky3DS+ seems to be designed for people who are interested in backing up their own copies of 3DS games rather than downloading them.
 
@quiteannoyed You can play a rom online without a private header, but you run the risk of getting banned. Downloaded roms come with a public header. Nintendo can see the headers that are online, and if more than one person is using the same header at the same time, then they know it is a rom being played.
Once you have a private header, there are two things you need to make sure of to play online:
1. The first two digits of the CART_ID in the .cfg file for any game you play matches the two digit manufacturing code from the game you extracted your private header. By default, I believe Smash is AE, so if you extracted your private header from, let's say, Legend of Zelda (a C2 game), then you would need to replace the AE with C2 in your .cfg file. If it already says C2, then you're good, as most games are C2 anyway.

2. The private header in your .sav file and the private header in your .cfg file for the game MUST match. When you first load up a new rom, a .sav and a .cfg file will be made for that game on the sd card. If you are going to put a private header in the .cfg file, you need to do the same with the .sav file (download HxD to open save files and edit them) OR delete the .sav after adding the private header to the .cfg, and the next .sav file will pull the header from it into itself.

I know this probably sounds complicated, but you'll get used to it. Also, I'm not sure if you can use Poke Bank with Sky3DS or not, someone should know.
 
@quiteannoyed You can play a rom online without a private header, but you run the risk of getting banned. Downloaded roms come with a public header. Nintendo can see the headers that are online, and if more than one person is using the same header at the same time, then they know it is a rom being played.
Once you have a private header, there are two things you need to make sure of to play online:
1. The first two digits of the CART_ID in the .cfg file for any game you play matches the two digit manufacturing code from the game you extracted your private header. By default, I believe Smash is AE, so if you extracted your private header from, let's say, Legend of Zelda (a C2 game), then you would need to replace the AE with C2 in your .cfg file. If it already says C2, then you're good, as most games are C2 anyway.

2. The private header in your .sav file and the private header in your .cfg file for the game MUST match. When you first load up a new rom, a .sav and a .cfg file will be made for that game on the sd card. If you are going to put a private header in the .cfg file, you need to do the same with the .sav file (download HxD to open save files and edit them) OR delete the .sav after adding the private header to the .cfg, and the next .sav file will pull the header from it into itself.

I know this probably sounds complicated, but you'll get used to it. Also, I'm not sure if you can use Poke Bank with Sky3DS or not, someone should know.

Would a private header extracted from my copy of Pokémon Alpha Sapphire allow me to play online with Super smash Bros., Super Street Fighter IV and Pokémon Omega Ruby? I've read on various websites that a private header from one game might not allow all of your games to go online. Also, are roms downloaded from the internet disabled from going online permanently, or will they work as long as private headers are used and file extensions changed to .3dz? I am considering using the Powersaves 3DS tool in order to extract private headers, so I would appreciate more information.
 
Would a private header extracted from my copy of Pokémon Alpha Sapphire allow me to play online with Super smash Bros., Super Street Fighter IV and Pokémon Omega Ruby? I've read on various websites that a private header from one game might not allow all of your games to go online. Also, are roms downloaded from the internet disabled from going online permanently, or will they work as long as private headers are used and file extensions changed to .3dz? I am considering using the Powersaves 3DS tool in order to extract private headers, so I would appreciate more information.
Roms shouldn't be disabled from going online. They imitate a normal 3DS game cartridge when they are loaded.
If you are using Sky3DS, you don't need to change to .3dz just keep it as a .3ds file. Are you thinking about getting the blue button or the plus version? Each have different ways of getting roms to play and injecting private headers.
Any private header you extract should be able to work fine. However, the manufacturer id in the template (for the blue button) or the .cfg file (for the new version) must match the manufacturer id from the game you extracted the header from. Read number 1 from my previous post (that is in regards to the Sky3DS plus, not the blue button).
 
Roms shouldn't be disabled from going online. They imitate a normal 3DS game cartridge when they are loaded.
If you are using Sky3DS, you don't need to change to .3dz just keep it as a .3ds file. Are you thinking about getting the blue button or the plus version? Each have different ways of getting roms to play and injecting private headers.
Any private header you extract should be able to work fine. However, the manufacturer id in the template (for the blue button) or the .cfg file (for the new version) must match the manufacturer id from the game you extracted the header from. Read number 1 from my previous post (that is in regards to the Sky3DS plus, not the blue button).

Sky3DS+ is working well for me, but none of my games are able to go online at this point. I have just ordered a Datel Powersaves Pro and Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition in order try what you have explained. Hopefully, I will be able to extract a private header from either Street Fighter IV or my Pokémon Alpha Sapphire cartridge. Thanks for answering my question about downloaded roms being free to go online or not.
 
After playing some of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, Cave Story 3D, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Shin Megami Tensei IV, I'm qualified to type that most popular 3DS games aren't worth the money that people are expected to spend on them. Out of all the half-hearted remakes that Nintendo has released for the 3DS, isn't it a shame that a new Custom Robo title doesn't exist? As a player of the original Shin Megami Tensei for the Super Famicom, I dislike what has been done with Shin Megami Tensei IV. The storyline of the first SMT isn't so lighthearted/downright cheesy as SMT IV's is in that you experience a demon invasion from the perspective of real world individual. Playing as a "Samurai" and beginning the game with an annoying/stupid looking character like Issachar as your friend is a JOKE when compared with the unsettling introduction to the first SMT. Moving on from my complaints about SMT, it is regrettable that The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker has yet to be created for the 3DS when many players could do without Majora's Mask, Ocarina of Time or The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Better games would not deserve to be downloaded for free, so there's no reason to feel bad about using roms instead of wasting money when one has already spent $39.99 on a game that shouldn't have been more than $25.00. If the 3DS had rumble features, better audio, a C-Stick, improved web browsing and a Micro HDMI port, more expensive games could be sold for it...
 
After going to the trouble of buying a Powersaves 3DS tool and extracting a private header from my Pokémon Alpha Sapphire cartridge, neither Super Street Fighter IV or Pokémon Omega Ruby will go online. Even with my private header inserted after "GAMESAVE_KEY=" and the first two characters of "CART_ID=" are replaced by the first two characters of my private header in the .cfg files of my micro sd card, online mode still presents me with the same "Error Code: 002-0123 You cannot use online services with this Game Card." Would someone please be kind enough to let me know why my private header isn't working?
 
After going to the trouble of buying a Powersaves 3DS tool and extracting a private header from my Pokémon Alpha Sapphire cartridge, neither Super Street Fighter IV or Pokémon Omega Ruby will go online. Even with my private header inserted after "GAMESAVE_KEY=" and the first two characters of "CART_ID=" are replaced by the first two characters of my private header in the .cfg files of my micro sd card, online mode still presents me with the same "Error Code: 002-0123 You cannot use online services with this Game Card." Would someone please be kind enough to let me know why my private header isn't working?
It sounds like the roms you are using have online play disabled. Try downloading the game(s) you want to go online with from a different source.
 
"Due to the nature of how this flashcart operates, it doesn't support Homebrew or Region-Free launching natively"
How do you get homebrew on it?
 
no im talking about the sky3ds itself. like homebrew file .3ds files
.3ds game roms run directly from the sky3ds and its own sd card, you just put the rom files on the sd card and put the sd card into the sky3ds, it emulates an actual game card, no hack needed. So you don't need homebrew for sky3ds to work and visa versa, you don't need sky3ds or any flashcard to run homebrew, you can run it from any of the entrypoints (browserhax, ninjhax, etc). Check this page out, it explains exactly how to run homebrew on 3ds http://smealum.github.io/3ds/
 
I followed all the tutorials on extracting a private header and making note of the manufacturer's byte. It seem to have worked on several of my games now that I updated to 10.5, and I went online without a hitch. I did, however, have two questions:

1. If the file of a game that I'm using has online functionality, does the file need to have a .3dz extension in order to enable it to go online? I changed the extension of all my files that I was putting a private header on from .3ds to .3dz, but I didn't even know if I needed to do that in the first place.

2. Should I insert my private header in all of the .cfg files for my games, regardless if they have online functionality or not? Just to be safe in case there is a patch that "turns on" an online function. Is there any harm in doing so?
 
It sounds like the roms you are using have online play disabled. Try downloading the game(s) you want to go online with from a different source.

Would you say that 3DS roms which aren't disabled from going online can be found easily? The games I am trying to go online with were downloaded from torrents on portal****.com. Is that website known for having offline only game backups?
 
Would you say that 3DS roms which aren't disabled from going online can be found easily? The games I am trying to go online with were downloaded from torrents on portal****.com. Is that website known for having offline only game backups?
I will PM you
 
Let me reiterate - using pre-patched "online-capable" ROM's will inevitably lead to a ban. Get *clean* ROM's only and use your own private header, that's the recommended way to play games online on the Sky3DS/Sky3DS+.
 
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Hi, excellent review. Thanks to you, i have bought this card. But some qustions/issues: when i received it came with the version 110. So, there are a lot of things that are not the same with this review:
1. Setting file doesn´t have the option to get the config file. So, i can´t use private headers because i don´t know how.
2. The gamebin file doesn´t come and their web pag says is not needed. What was that for?
3. I trimmed some over limit 4gb games (example Donkey Kong Country Returns and Castlevania Lord of Shadows) but when the game is displayed on the New 3ds, sends a message: Game card cannot be read. Notice that correct game icon is shown on the upper screen. I used super trim with the system that you gave us on th review (3dsexplorer). Did i do something wrong? Thanks for you help in advanced.
 
After going to the trouble of buying a Powersaves 3DS tool and extracting a private header from my Pokémon Alpha Sapphire cartridge, neither Super Street Fighter IV or Pokémon Omega Ruby will go online. Even with my private header inserted after "GAMESAVE_KEY=" and the first two characters of "CART_ID=" are replaced by the first two characters of my private header in the .cfg files of my micro sd card, online mode still presents me with the same "Error Code: 002-0123 You cannot use online services with this Game Card." Would someone please be kind enough to let me know why my private header isn't working?
Hi again. So, two things I will try to clear up.

1. The first two characters of your CART_ID are NOT the first two characters of your private header. They are the two character manufacturer code. Different games have different manufacturers. They are C2, AE, and 45. I am not sure which Pokemon Sapphire (where you extracted your private header). Try each one and see which works. Whichever works will be the one you will need to use for all your .cfg files. MOST games are C2, but Pokemon might not be. I extracted my header from Steel Diver, and it was C2.
2. If you plan to go online, you need to make sure that you can open your .sav file for the game with a hex editor. Use, HxD, it's the best. After you already have your rom and .cfg file with the header injected beside GAMESAVE_KEY (without spaces), you need to open your .sav with HxD. The first line will have characters already present. On the second line with the FF pairs, replace them with your private header. Just copy and paste it from your .cfg file. The reason for doing is that your .sav AND your .cfg must have your private header in it, not just one or the other...it confuses the SKY 3DS if not.

If after all this you can still not connect, I am not sure what to do :(. I wish you the best of luck!
 
A question for those that know more...I'm lookin' to buy one of these, but I only have experience with an R4 on DS. Nothing fancy, but I enjoy it.

My question: I'm only looking to back up my owned games, if I only play single player offline titles, do I have to worry about private headers (still dunno what those are, lol) or possibly being banned? Or, is that geared more towards if I play online multiplayer titles? I own Pokemon, FFEX, Mario Kart, Smash, etc., but plan to keep using those carts while I put the rest of my collection onto Sky3DS.

Thanks in advance!
 
You can play game off line without ban risk. This risk only appears with online games and if you are not using a private header. I'm still learning the private header thing though.
 
Help!!! I got sky3DS+ and most of my saves worked. But some of them didn't, including the one that I want most!!! (Tomodachi Life). It says: "Your save data is corrupted, and will now be deleted". The only option is "Ok". What can I do to make it work?
 
Hi, anyone? super trimmd games didn´t work on the sky3ds+. I need to reduce files as some of them are over 4GB. Help!
 
@Zetman I´m using that 3dsexplorer as well. But when i´m using supertrim option to reduce file size, game says on the 3ds "game cannot be read". Thanks for your help in advance.
 
I had to find the answer myself. Was easy, supertrimmd games by 3dsexplorer doesn´t work. Just use the normal option. Games should work.
 
Sky3DS+ firmware V112 [02/22/2016]

Change logs:
1.Tiny bugs fixed.
2.Added the "DEFAULT_GAMESAVE_KEY=" in settings.txt file, to set your own private header shared for all online games play.
 
It's confirmed! sky3DS/sky3DS+ can support the newest 3DS V10.6.0-31

Can it? I was told there was a "mandatory system update" and every time I said, sure, restart, it said "Game Card Can Not Be Read"... My SKY still works fine, but it won't update...

Edit: I took out the cart and then it worked!
 
I have copied about 44 roms inside sd card, i can't cycle among all of them, i can change among about only 36 roms!!!
Also there is no repeat function; so i can only move in one direction!!
Is that a restriction in the card, or i have a problem???
 
I have copied about 44 roms inside sd card, i can't cycle among all of them, i can change among about only 36 roms!!!
Also there is no repeat function; so i can only move in one direction!!
Is that a restriction in the card, or i have a problem???
your problem, maybe sd card issue
 
Just received mine (UK) to replace the blue button version, one question, can you change the order the games are displayed in the 3DS menu.
 
Just received mine (UK) to replace the blue button version, one question, can you change the order the games are displayed in the 3DS menu.

It's sorted alphabetically/numerically, so just rename the files in whichever order you want (1 - First Game, 2 - Second Game, etc.)
 
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can someone clarify? i see GAMESAVE_KEY=.., im i putting the private header after the .. or deleting and putting after the = ?
 
Sky3DS+ firmware V112 [02/22/2016]

Change logs:
1.Tiny bugs fixed.
2.Added the "DEFAULT_GAMESAVE_KEY=" in settings.txt file, to set your own private header shared for all online games play.
-----
if i understand this correctly we just put the private header after this now and not have to go into the.cfg file?
 
also you have to change the gamesave key in the cfg file to match the manifacturer id of each rom
 
Here is a wired thing happened; after purchasing the card, everything worked fine with my 32 gb sd card, then i decided to buy a larger 128 micro-sd card (kingstone brand). I copied all of my favorite roms (around 70 gb) to the new one. I divided the roms into different folders so that only 25 roms directly into the main drive that will be playable.
Here is the beginning of drama!! As soon i inserted the flashcard into console, i only show single rom with no capability of switching among games, i checked up the sd card into pc to be surprised that the sd card itself was completely locked, can't format it, you can delete all files then after re-plugging , the files come again like magic!!!!
I tried every possible utility to format the sd card, all in vain. I ended being rejecting it to warranty and i had a new working one. they said it could be sort of mal-manfacturing..
Once again i copied my roms into sd card, and guess what!!!! the same kinda shit happened again!!! the sd card was loced up again..
I guess that my sky3d+ flashcard ruined every 128 sd card, or i am the the most unlucky person who had 2 successive bad sd cards.
I tried all the things with my friend's kingstone 64 gb micro sd , and there is nothing wrong!
So guys is there an incompatibility between sky3ds+ and kingstone 128 gb micro sc !!!
 
if you haven't buy this card yet, i recommend you wait a bit, because this card is so unstable now. it is so picky on sd cards. in order to play all games you like, you have to have sd cards from the capacity of 4G to 32G. some games just doesn't run on the big capacity card at all. and it can't play some of the newest games either like DQJ3. if you are looking for a more stable card, i think Gateway would be a better option.
 
@mowangzz I don't see how that makes it unstable. I someone actually has that problem, then why don't they just buy 2 32gb cards?I don't see it being very practical anyway to have so many cards on the cart at once. Also, this card is supported on 10.7...
 
@chaoticlogic is not "if someone actually has that problem," alot of people are having that problem now. because some roms run fine on 4G card, but the same roms just don't work at all on 32G or 64G cards. and according to sky3ds team, currently the sky3ds+ card doesn't run any modified rom, it only run the original retail game card dump rom. does that mean the header of the rom can not be changed? if that's the case the new sky card is just a total waste of money.....
 
@chaoticlogic is not "if someone actually has that problem," alot of people are having that problem now. because some roms run fine on 4G card, but the same roms just don't work at all on 32G or 64G cards. and according to sky3ds team, currently the sky3ds+ card doesn't run any modified rom, it only run the original retail game card dump rom. does that mean the header of the rom can not be changed? if that's the case the new sky card is just a total waste of money.....
Basically it works like this. If you don't want to or don't know how to "hack" your 3DS or if you have a system version that will not work with a GW card, then get a Sky3DS as its the ONLY card that will work outside of those two scenarios and it works very well for that matter.
 
@chaoticlogic is not "if someone actually has that problem," alot of people are having that problem now. because some roms run fine on 4G card, but the same roms just don't work at all on 32G or 64G cards. and according to sky3ds team, currently the sky3ds+ card doesn't run any modified rom, it only run the original retail game card dump rom. does that mean the header of the rom can not be changed? if that's the case the new sky card is just a total waste of money.....

I'm using a 64GB sd card without any issues on the latest roms, so if it's not working for you, you're doing something wrong during the formating or loading the card with the wrong region files. And everyone already knows it can only play unmodified files; the device has never claimed otherwise.

You clearly don't know what you're talking about since you didn't even know that you can, in fact, use private headers with game backups.
 
Thanks so much for the comprehensive review. Very detailed in all the relevant things we need to know before deciding if it's the card for us. :)
Any way that you could test/let us know if Powersaves works with SKY3DS+?

IMO i doubt it will work. the previous sky3ds didnt work, many suspect because it is due to not enough voltage.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/powersaves-sky3ds.386137/#post-5437128

This new revision sky+ comes with usb port, maybe just maybe that usb port can be used to get the voltage needed to power sky so it can be read by powersave dongle
(just like ext.hdd with adaptors :D)

Just tried Sky3DS+ fw 112 with Powersaves and figured out that it works perfectly not just CARD2 but CARD1 games. tried to dump Sky3DS+ with GW Launcher and 100% identical with original dump. It picks header / chipid from settings.txt and apply to the dump :D
 
Hi, sorry if someone has already answered this. I looked up but didnt find something. Here is the thing, i started to play a game. This created a save file. Later, i updgraded to v112 and used the config and new features to insert my private header to all the games, in order to do this i had to delete all the previous save files (not big deal). But there´s one game they a dont want to delete the save file. Is there a way to insert my private header to the save file of this game? because i dont want to loose all my data. Hope i my inquiry it´s clear.
 
So bad it doesn't support Sky3DS (Blue button) saves (neither save1 or neither save2 works). Does anyone know a way to convert these to Sky3DS+ format? Weirdly only Etrian Odyssey game saves do work.
 
@CaptainHIT Are you copy-pasting your Gamesave Key over to the new config?

No, I just copy over the save file which is generated by Sky3DS DiskWriterV203b4.exe into the SD kart with the same name as the game.

For example:
Castlevania - Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate.3ds
Castlevania - Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate.sav

The save file is 1mb in size. Upon starting the games, they tell me they're formatting the save file because it's corrupted. Did only work well with Etrian Odyssey games...
 
No, I just copy over the save file which is generated by Sky3DS DiskWriterV203b4.exe into the SD kart with the same name as the game.

For example:
Castlevania - Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate.3ds
Castlevania - Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate.sav

The save file is 1mb in size. Upon starting the games, they tell me they're formatting the save file because it's corrupted. Did only work well with Etrian Odyssey games...
3DS save files are encrypted, hence just copying them over may result in the 3DS thinking that the .sav is corrupt. Technically when the key rubric isn't filled in, the cart should use the ID from the .sav, but I'm not sure how well the Plus detects it. In my spare time I'll look into this since I have all three models, in the meantime you can try copy-pasting the ID into the config. You can look it up using Sky Army Knife.
 
3DS save files are encrypted, hence just copying them over may result in the 3DS thinking that the .sav is corrupt. Technically when the key rubric isn't filled in, the cart should use the ID from the .sav, but I'm not sure how well the Plus detects it. In my spare time I'll look into this since I have all three models, in the meantime you can try copy-pasting the ID into the config. You can look it up using Sky Army Knife.

Thanks for help. I've copy-pasted the ID into the config but it didn't change anything. :(

28093923843_f62f799619_b.jpg
28425107210_91038b6dd6_b.jpg
 
Which part do I have to insert there? :blush:
Use the Infos Extractor to grab the Unique_ID of the cart. If you've changed your header, insert that ID instead. Make sure that the EEPROM_ID (defines save chip type) and CART_ID (defines ROM type) also match. Once ready, game-cycle the cart and start the game to apply the new settings, then delete the freshly created .sav and replace it with your dumped .sav. If that fails, something else is going on that I'll have to look into.

It's entirely possible that template.txt and gamelist.bin use different values for the same games for whatever reason, possibly due to sloppiness or anti-banning measures, which causes a mismatch between the current Plus settings and the settings with which your save was originally created. Transfer of saves is definitely possible - if it worked for one game, it should be possible with all of them.
 
Use the Infos Extractor to grab the Unique_ID of the cart. If you've changed your header, insert that ID instead. Make sure that the EEPROM_ID (defines save chip type) and CART_ID (defines ROM type) also match. Once ready, game-cycle the cart and start the game to apply the new settings, then delete the freshly created .sav and replace it with your dumped .sav. If that fails, something else is going on that I'll have to look into.

It's entirely possible that template.txt and gamelist.bin use different values for the same games for whatever reason, possibly due to sloppiness or anti-banning measures, which causes a mismatch between the current Plus settings and the settings with which your save was originally created. Transfer of saves is definitely possible - if it worked for one game, it should be possible with all of them.

Thank you so much for your efforts trying to help out. But I have to tell I couldn't make it. :(
I have no Header.bin, neither a *.3dz ROM file. Guess I have to skip this and wait for a save file converting tool...
Thanks again.
 
Thank you so much for your efforts trying to help out. But I have to tell I couldn't make it. :(
I have no Header.bin, neither a *.3dz ROM file. Guess I have to skip this and wait for a save file converting tool...
Thanks again.
In that case you're using standard values - use the look-up box, the instructions are in the Sky3DS thread. There is nothing to convert here, the saves are not generated by Sky, they're generated by the system.
 
Many Thanks for this review!! so good now bought one for my eldest who wants the New3DS from santa.... she already has a pink DSlite with Cyclops, so games are in my book just 'money for old rope'

paid about 74GB pound for the 'cheat card' LOL, & 7 for a Ultra Sandisk 32gb, so can try it out in 10+days time!

just noticed the link above to 'QQ3DS' but they want about £93 for there 'carbon copy'
 
It's safe to use only one private header for all games or you have to had one for each game in the firmware 140?
 
They updated to 140 because of some issue with online game and now look like you have to use one private header per game
 
Can you update with information about the v140?Also you have information about the maximum size that is suported?
 
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