Hacking Foolproof Adapter / Flashcart for Retail Saves

[Rygdea]

Thanks for your help in advance.

After scouring through the vast reaches of the internet (and specifically these forums, its stickies and tendrils), I have yet to come up with a conclusive solution that best applies to my specific desire, which is: to have a single device that backs up my DS and 3DS saves, and is capable of putting them back onto a save slot.

I also feel it is necessary to say I am not interested in hacking, playing roms, or tinkering with my system/games in any other way at this time. I like my physical copies of my games, and I'm merely looking to back up my save states onto my computer's harddrive, external harddrive or cloud service, of coarse with the ability to retrieve it and put it back onto the game card whenever I choose.

Now, after reading many adapter / flashcart reviews, I'm not convinced one product / method works best. Adapters seem to be the quickest, most straightforward way of getting saves onto computers via USB, while the flashcarts/cards seem to be more reliable. The less steps and the more user friendly a process is a plus, but I can't compromise my save states or games in general. So, I'm asking which specific product and method is simplest to transfer saves that doesn't result in corrupt save files / games?

To be even more precise, I'm wanting backups of my Kingdom Hearts games, 358/2 Days, Re:coded, and Dream Drop Distance. I can't have a product incompatible with these titles. Researching, I found specific mention of certain Pokémon games not working with multiple users hardware or software, so I don't want that to happen to me. Ideally, I want this product compatible with all my games, but I'm not so much a completionist with other titles.

I appreciate your guidance~

8D *collapse*

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

http://gbatemp.net/threads/name-that-accessory.352883/

pick one.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

No accessory so far can restore 3DS saves perfectly. I think it can restore them onto the same 3DS but that's it.
DS saves are pretty flexible though.

​

 

[Rygdea]

http://gbatemp.net/threads/name-that-accessory.352883/

pick one.

I did read that thread before I posted, though the only option that seemed feasible was the NDS Adapter Plus, since you said you had actually restored your game. Now, had you deleted your EO4 save after transferring it to the computer? Did you then restore it by moving the file back onto the game card via the USB adapter?

No accessory so far can restore 3DS saves perfectly. I think it can restore them onto the same 3DS but that's it.
DS saves are pretty flexible though.

​

So the 3DS saves would only be moved to my Memory Stick? I'm not sure how I would get my Dream Drop Distance save, or any other 3DS / DS save for that matter, from my memory stick back on their respective physical cards.

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

1. dump a save somewhere into the game, call it save01.
2. play some more and save.
3. dump a save, call it save02.
4. Restore save01, checked to see if it goes bad or not. Came out OK.
 
Repeat several times.

This is what I basically did 4 times with EO4.

If I used those saves now, they would still work.


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The only game this currently doesn't work for is Animal Crossing. The saves it makes are tagged, reverting to a previous save will flagged by the game as corrupt even if it is not and cause a erasure of the save data.

Do be aware that I didn't bother to try and decrypt to view the contents of the saves for EO4, because the encryption is not a basic XOR like older games.

 

[evandixon]

Just to clarify, you need a DS lite or original DS. If you don't have a slot 2 device (3in1 or flashcart) but have a slot 1 flashcart, you also need unsecured or WEP WiFi. If you don't have either, I recommend the NDS Backup Adapter Plus. Driver installation is a bit inconvinient, but it's the most reliable method I have. The SMS4 is also a good option since it also backs up ROMs, but it's not as user friendly.

(Edit). Oh, yeah. 3DS reliability. Some games receive updates or DLC. Any additional save information needed is stored on the SD. If you don't transfer that, depending on the game there's a chance something might go wrong.