Hacking [PSA]: 10.3 seems to be the most stable firmware for downgrading N3DS consoles

[guitarheroknight]

So Ive been reading up on all the downgrade news for the past couple of weeks or so and it seems that for New 3DS users 10.3 is pretty much flawless for downgrading and has a very low chance of softbricking.
I mean I know this is kind of a public knowledge but every day I see a couple of people saying they had a New 3DS on 9.8 or whatnot and they softbircked or semibricked their console which is a shame to say the least. Thats why I decided to open this thread and give you some instructions on what you should do before you downgrade your New 3DS.

Bellow is a general idea on how to update and downgrade your New 3DS console if youre bellow 10.3.
You are doing this at your own risk and I nor any community members are not responsible for a possible hard, soft or semi brick which may or may not occur during this process.
You will need Ninjhax or OOTHAX configured to work with 10.3 for this so if you dont own either of them your best bet is to wait for Gateway to release their downgrade solution which has proven to be pretty flawless in the past.​

• Format your console so that everything is at factory state. (I dont know if this is necessary but I would do it just in case if your console is used or whatnot do delete all the settings like a custom DNS)
• Install your prefered method of hax (I would suggest munuhax, but you also need a secondary permanent hax like Ninjhax when you update to 10.3)
• @julian20 sysupdater which can be found at page 91 or page 95 of the "Simple Guide to Downgrading your 3DS" thread.
• A 9.2 and 10.3 .cia update pack which can be found on a certain ISO site.
• Before instaling your 10.3 cia pack and with it updating to 10.3 be sure to check the md5 of the file youve downloaded just to make sure that the file is intact and install your 10.3 update. The update should go smoothly and you should be on 10.3
• Now at this point the best thing would be to format your console yet again just in case (im not sure if this would help but I would think it does.)
• So now that youre on 10.3 the only working entrypoint would be OOTHAX or Ninjhax so that can be a problem if you dont neither of them, but if you do just Install menuhax again, check the md5 of the 9.2 update you downloaded and press downgrade. The downgrade process should go smoothly and you should be on 9.2.

 

[AmandaRose]

We really didn't need another thread telling us that. We already have loads of threads on here with the same information

 

[guitarheroknight]

And yet again, every day you see someone downgrading from <10.3 with a New 3DS and ending up with a softbrick. You and I may know it but not everyone does, so a PSA would be the best choice to go about it. I didnt make this thread to repeat what others have said but rather to keep this info as public as possible so that any kind of brick on New 3DS consoles is brought down to a minimum.

 

[aos10]

I managed to downgrade from 9.8 to 9.2 using safe updater with small error.
Then used safe updater again to verify the downgrade and everything thing is OK.

 

[DjoeN]

...

You will need Ninjhax or OOTHAX for this so if you dont own either of them your best bet is to wait for Gateway to release their downgrade solution which has proven to be pretty flawless in the past.​

...

Or a Sky3DS(+) with Cubic Ninja or Zelda OoT written to SD, regardless what you use, it doesn't hurt to already have the correct payloads in the saves of the games before you upgrade to 10.3, but for OoT you need to write the save with the correct payload (10.3) already to the game, (while you still have Homebrewloader access) BEFORE you upgrade, cause if not, you are screwed NinjHax can always be done, just use the correct payload when scanning the QR-Code from the NinjHax v2.5 site

 

[Meteor7]

I know it's impossible to know for sure, but does anyone have any ideas as to when Gateway might release their downgrade method?

 

[Reonu]

I downgraded my gf's O3DSXL which was in 9.6 and had no issues at all. In fact the sysupdater program managed to boot up FIRST TRY which was completely amazing because it took around, literally, 50 tries to get it working on my N3DSXL which was on 10.3

My N3DS was downgraded via browserhax, my gf's 3DS was downgraded via OoT hack since I could use my N3DS to install it to the cart.

 

[guitarheroknight]

Or a Sky3DS(+) with Cubic Ninja or Zelda OoT written to SD, regardless what you use, it doesn't hurt to already have the correct payloads in the saves of the games before you upgrade to 10.3, but for OoT you need to write the save with the correct payload (10.3) already to the game, (while you still have Homebrewloader access) BEFORE you upgrade, cause if not, you are screwed NinjHax can always be done, just use the correct payload when scanning the QR-Code from the NinjHax v2.5 site

This, you would need to write the save with the correct payload to OOT before updating to 10.3. But a Sky3DS works just as fine

 

[Bros.Life]

Are you saying browserhax is not working in 10.3 anymore? I've used it in my N3DS and in my friend's O3DS when we were in 10.3

 

[guitarheroknight]

Are you saying browserhax is not working in 10.3 anymore? I've used it in my N3DS and in my friend's O3DS when we were in 10.3

Yup, sadly browserhax is patched on 10.3 so the only entrypoint is Ninjhax or Oothax.

 

[Intronaut]

Yup, sadly browserhax is patched on 10.3 so the only entrypoint is Ninjhax or Oothax.

On o3ds. On n3ds still works

 

[Urbanshadow]

Yup, sadly browserhax is patched on 10.3 so the only entrypoint is Ninjhax or Oothax.

You can actually just update menuhax payload if you skipped the format system after the upgrade to 10.3 or the theme ext-data is resetted after the upgrade?

The way you are putting this is something along the way of "If you dont own cubic ninja/oot don't even try to downgrade n3ds".

 

[guitarheroknight]

On o3ds. On n3ds still works

Didnt know that, are you sure?

You can actually just update menuhax payload if you skipped the format system after the upgrade to 10.3 or the theme ext-data is resetted after the upgrade?

The way you are putting this is something along the way of "If you dont own cubic ninja/oot don't even try to downgrade n3ds".

Well I actually didnt know that you can do that Im not sure though.

 

[hobbledehoy899]

I know it's impossible to know for sure, but does anyone have any ideas as to when Gateway might release their downgrade method?

Soon, just around the corner.

 

[Urbanshadow]

Didnt know that, are you sure?
Well I actually didnt know that you can do that

Well, afaik theme ext-data stays after an upgrade. I don't know if 10.3 upgrade resets theme ext-data on purpose but if don't, I don't know what stops me to update the payload to the 10.3 one and boot menuhax right away (not even need to walk near the browser at all!)

 

[guitarheroknight]

Well, afaik theme ext-data stays after an upgrade. I don't know if 10.3 upgrade resets theme ext-data on purpose but if don't, I don't know what stops me to update the payload to the 10.3 one and boot menuhax right away (not even need to walk near the browser at all!)

Hmmm, as it seems browserhax is only patched on O3DS. It works with All <=10.5.0-30(aka <=X.X.X-30). Not sure though if your system version needs to end with -30 or not.

 

[Bros.Life]

Yup, sadly browserhax is patched on 10.3 so the only entrypoint is Ninjhax or Oothax.

How can it be patched if was working in 10.3? I mean, have they patched with a browser update? Because I don't understand how they can patch browserhax unless with a new system update.

 

[guitarheroknight]

How can it be patched if was working in 10.3? I mean, have they patched with a browser update? Because I don't understand how they can patch browserhax unless with a new system update.

With the browser nag. You cant enter the browser if youre not on the latest firmware.

 

[TayTayTheKiller]

I managed to downgrade from 9.8 to 9.2 using safe updater with small error.
Then used safe updater again to verify the downgrade and everything thing is OK.

Yeah if you went from 9.8>10.3<9.2 you wouldn't of hand any error

I done 3 so far
going from..
9.6 to 9.2 = soft brick
9.6 to 10.3 back down to 9.2 = no issues
10.1 to 10.3 back down to 9.2 no issues

Browserhax is poss on 9.9 up on new 3ds it's just really hard to trigger it before the nag comes up it took me a good 30+ try's to do it from 10.1.

 

[aos10]

Yeah if you went from 9.8>10.3<9.2 you wouldn't of hand any error

I done 3 so far
going from..
9.6 to 9.2 = soft brick
9.6 to 10.3 back down to 9.2 = no issues
10.1 to 10.3 back down to 9.2 no issues

for me it was like this:

9.8 to 9.2 = success with issue.
then
9.2 to 9.2 = no issues.

i think there was some failed installation in the downgrade process.