Hacking How does .cia installation of games work?

[LucaSmash]

I have seen that you can install .cia files of full games into the 3DS with the dev menu I believe, but how does it work? Does the game stay there and since I have 4 3DS systems would I be able to install a game on all 4 and have them play together? Or do I have something completely wrong? Thanks

 

[ScarletCrystals]

I have seen that you can install .cia files of full games into the 3DS with the dev menu I believe, but how does it work? Does the game stay there and since I have 4 3DS systems would I be able to install a game on all 4 and have them play together? Or do I have something completely wrong? Thanks

It installs to the system directly just like how eshop downloads would work.
So yes, you could install it to all 4 of your systems.
However, that's IF all 4 of your systems are all on firmware 4.1-4.5 and you own a gateway or MT card (CFW will work without Gateway/MT, but the games you can install are severely limited)

 

[LucaSmash]

It installs to the system directly just like how eshop downloads would work.
So yes, you could install it to all 4 of your systems.
However, that's IF all 4 of your systems are all on firmware 4.1-4.5 and you own a gateway or MT card (CFW will work without Gateway/MT, but the games you can install are severely limited)

It installs to the system directly just like how eshop downloads would work.
So yes, you could install it to all 4 of your systems.
However, that's IF all 4 of your systems are all on firmware 4.1-4.5 and you own a gateway or MT card (CFW will work without Gateway/MT, but the games you can install are severely limited)

What about when it supports 9.0-9.2???

 

[Abcdfv]

Watch the gateway video for all the 9.x update features

 

[ScarletCrystals]

Nobody can really say how the new exploit will change things since we have no idea how it works.
Maybe we can install cia directly to sysnand or maybe not.
Maybe we can access devmenu and installed cia without gateway red card (not bloody likely though, since that'd make the red card obsolete) or maybe not.

 

[Cyan]

The cia is installed on the NAND and it has to stay on the SD card all the time?
Or is the cia only the installer, and the game is extracted elsewhere on SD card and cia file is unneeded after that and can be deleted to restore some free space?

I suppose it doesn't install fully on NAND, there weren't enough space to hold multiple eshop games, but I wonder what is the cia purpose after install is done.



If all the cia need to stay on the SD card, what's different than using the .3ds/3dz format instead as it can store as much games? (if you have a gateway of course, not speaking about cFW)
only having a nice icon on your menu? I always think front end is not the place where players should spend their time, players should play games more than admiring their front ends.
And I guess games bigger than 4GB can't be converted to cia.

The only real use I see for cia format is for homebrew. It allows better services support, like sound and home menu/sleep mode access.

 

[Deleted member 333767]

In all honesty, I beleive this .CIA business is a gimmick. With all the work required to convert your roms into .CIA format (unless you use that one website that prepackages roms in CIA) and then take your SD card out, put it in your PC, place the CIA on the SD, take it out, put back into your 3DS, navigate an application made for devs eyes only and then actually install it (or you could use a buggy ftp server which would take like 4 hours to transfer to your SD) AND one wrong selection in the 3DS setting menu will wipe all your .CIA installs and you will have to start from scratch again....

Seriously it is just easier to press select and play........ Does anyone agree? Or am i just being a buzzkill???

 

[GilgameshArcher]

In all honesty, I beleive this .CIA business is a gimmick. With all the work required to convert your roms into .CIA format (unless you use that one website that prepackages roms in CIA) and then take your SD card out, put it in your PC, place the CIA on the SD, take it out, put back into your 3DS, navigate an application made for devs eyes only and then actually install it (or you could use a buggy ftp server which would take like 4 hours to transfer to your SD) AND one wrong selection in the 3DS setting menu will wipe all your .CIA installs and you will have to start from scratch again....

Seriously it is just easier to press select and play........ Does anyone agree? Or am i just being a buzzkill???

IS gimmick now a days???? hahahahahah

 

[Deleted User]

IS gimmick now a days???? hahahahahah

[[golf clap]] Nice bump!

 

[Halvorsen]

Oh my gosh, I love this thread.

 

[GilgameshArcher]

Sorry about the Monster Reborn, but I feel myself compelled to bring this up againe since today the majority wants to run games as CIA in their SD without the need of a BrickWay or a skyprice overpriced flashcart.

 

[yusuo]

Sorry about the Monster Reborn, but I feel myself compelled to bring this up againe since today the majority wants to run games as CIA in their SD without the need of a BrickWay or a skyprice overpriced flashcart.

Dude, this thread is nearly 2 years old, way to go on the necrobump

 

[Deleted member 333767]

IS gimmick now a days???? hahahahahah

My post was from nearly two years ago when flash cards were a thing and CFW was really really difficult to set up and use........ Obviously this is not the case any more, because it's August of 2016, perhaps?

Sorry about the Monster Reborn, but I feel myself compelled to bring this up againe since today the majority wants to run games as CIA in their SD without the need of a BrickWay or a skyprice overpriced flashcart.

*Yawn* this topic has been beaten to death already, that post was from two years ago, it really does not need to be discussed any more. I am a user of both CFW and Gateway cart, and I was, and still am happy with my purchase, Gateways cheat engine is far superior to any other solution out there so far. Talk shit about Gateway all you want, it's not going to make the happy owners of them change their opinion about it