Gaming What if NFR carts were installed as .cia?

[NekoMichi]

Back when game stores still had the 3DS with demo games on display, the games would run off a special "Not For Resale" demo cart that Nintendo distributed to the stores. The carts were programmed so that when a 3DS boots up, it would automatically skip the Home Menu and run the demo, while disabling the Home Button in order to lock the console into demo mode only. This was designed to prevent customers from accessing the other system applications and potentially changing important system settings. The carts looked a bit like this:

Now the question is, if someone were to use something like Decrypt9 to extract the contents off one of these cartridges as a .cia file and then install it to a 3DS running a CFW, would that make the console permanently stuck in the demo mode every time it boots up? The store display units could be returned to normal mode simply by ejecting the cartridge but since a .cia is installed to the system's memory and is persistent on the Home Menu, that would not be possible.

Just a question out of pure curiosity.

 

[dudemo]

I think it's more likely that it would boot to the home menu and only enter demo mode if you opened that CIA. Once you did that I would think it would enter demo mode and be stuck there until you found a way to exit. (Holding power until it shuts off or failing that, removing the charger cable and letting the battery drain.)

 

[xtheman]

I'd love to see what happens. (Make sure you upload those dumps to certain sites if they work)

 

[dudemo]

I'd love to see what happens. (Make sure you upload those dumps to certain sites if they work)

Me too, actually. It'd be real cool if something came of them. Eve a secondary would be kickass. Demohax...

 

[Ryccardo]

For obvious reasons, autoboot only works on physical games (what if you installed two of them?)

And fyi, autoboot is one thing (requested in the software's icon but performed by NS or Home), ignoring the home button is another (done by the software): they're usually always paired because otherwise pressing home would just turn off the console

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since a .cia is installed to the system's memory and is persistent on the Home Menu

And well, common 3DS games install to SD, not internal memory!

 

[Apache Thunder]

As far as I'm aware autoboot titles only lock you out of home menu completely if they are on slot-1. IF installed as CIA, they operate as normal but you won't be able to home menu out of them. They won't mess up your home menu and prevent the console from booting normally though. They have to on a cart to prevent the system from getting to home menu on a cold boot.

 

[AecdArmy]

Would be awesome to try these out if they where on that *iso site*

 

[ihaveahax]

As far as I'm aware autoboot titles only lock you out of home menu completely if they are on slot-1. IF installed as CIA, they operate as normal but you won't be able to home menu out of them. They won't mess up your home menu and prevent the console from booting normally though. They have to on a cart to prevent the system from getting to home menu on a cold boot.

this is true because I tested it a few months ago. I converted a pilotwings resort demo to CIA and it didn't auto-boot without the card.

this is a flag in the smdh if anyone is wondering: https://3dbrew.org/wiki/SMDH#Flags

 

[OrGoN3]

Wouldn't they only lock you out on a demo unit?

 

[ihaveahax]

Wouldn't they only lock you out on a demo unit?

these carts can be played on retail units if you can get ahold of them.

 

[AecdArmy]

these carts can be played on retail units if you can get ahold of them.

Looks like there easy to get a hold of just had a look on ebay they are everywhere.

 

[OrGoN3]

these carts can be played on retail units if you can get ahold of them.

Right, but do they lock you out of the home menu on a non-demo unit?

 

[ihaveahax]

Right, but do they lock you out of the home menu on a non-demo unit?

yes, the game doesn't respond to home button presses. if you run it from home menu and close it though, it doesn't immediately shut off though.