Introduction
"Why was my cart blocked?" "How do I unblock it?" "Firmware update?"
DS/DSi/3DS "hacking" F.A.Q.
Which Flash Cart Should I Get?
Now I was considering going through and making an updated version of all three of them, but there's really no reason to make 3 separate threads when it's only some of the information that needs to be updated. Thus I've decided that one large thread with updated information to follow up those three threads! I am not going to update any information that hasn't changed, there's no reason to try and rewrite something already written so elegantly.
Starting from the top and making my way down.
"Why was my cart blocked?" "How do I unblock it?" "Firmware update?"
All information is technically valid in this thread. All carts blocks by the 3DS OFW 7.0/7.1 and DSi OFW 1.4.5 that weren't able to update or didn't get a revised version to work past those updates will continue to be blocked. Nintendo however stopped updating the DSi after 1.4.5 and stopped updating the 3DS whitelist to block flashcarts after 7.0/7.1. This means any carts that got an update and or a revised version have continued to work onward into the present (as of writing this thread.) At the time of Rydian writing that thread it was still cat and mouse game between Nintendo and flashcart teams. Nintendo eventually did stop pushing out updates to block flashcarts and started focusing on 3DS feature updates such as themes and patching out vulnerabilities. Nintendo also pushed out one major update for the DSi that blocked several carts such as the Acekard 2i and stopped updating the DSi to focus on the 3DS.
I am going to quote from the DS/DSi/3DS "hacking" F.A.Q. thread here because this reply is relevant to those quotes.
These threads were also written in a pre-CFW era of the 3DS, which means that though the information is still valid, it's also no longer a real concern anymore. Both the DSi and 3DS have CFWs (Custom Firmwares) that lift TWL (DS Mode) whitelist blocks and allow carts with any header to run on the DSi/3DS. In addition to CFWs, there are now homebrew applications such as NTR Launcher that allows the user to launch flashcarts like the R4 and DSTT to work on the 3DS and DSi.
Basically now we have a permanent method to unblock flashcarts on both the DSi and 3DS that no longer require updates to be done the cart itself. We now can simply remove the blocks ourselves. There's also no longer any worry about Nintendo updating to block these carts and even if Nintendo did update, the CFWs can simply be updated around that update.
DS/DSi/3DS "hacking" F.A.Q.
- Q - Is the DS/DSi/3DS hackable?
A - Yes. The DS Phat, DS Lite, DSi(XL,) old3DS(XL,) new3DS(XL,) and 2DS(n2DSXL) can all be hacked.
- Q - How do you hack the DS/DSi/3DS?
A - There are several methods to hacking these systems. The DS(Phat) does require buying a flashcart in order to hack them. The DSi/3DS have several methods of being hacked and are listed in their respective guides.
DSi Guide
3DS Guide
- Q - Aren't there any soft mods to do this? You know, for free?
A - Yes there are actually several softmod exploits for the 3DS and DSi and several of them are free. For the 3DS, these exploits are OFW version dependent. Currently, as of writing this thread, the last free exploit was patched out with 11.4 and we are waiting for the exploits released by Smea during Defcon 2017 to be polished and ready for general use*. That being said, there are still several cheap methods that can be used to hack the 3DS and can not be patched by Nintendo's OFW updates. All methods are listed in the aforementioned guide posted above. The DSi has also been hacked and has a free method of hacking available and the guide posted gives step-by-step instructions to set up a CFW on the DSi.
Q - Can I run any DSiware games a flashcart?
A - There are still no flashcarts that can run DSiWare games, but CFWs on the DSi allows DSiWare to be run off the SD card and CFW on the 3DS allows the user to install DSiWare directly onto the homescreen and run them. As well DSiMenu++ allows the DSi to boot DSiWare as .nds files from the SD card.
I am keeping his information attached because those are viable methods of dumping your ROMs and saves. But I am going to expand onto this statements because there's now an easier method of dumping DS ROMs and of course there's now a method for dumping 3DS ROMs.
Both 3DS and DS ROMs can be dumped using GodMode9 on a hacked 3DS
- Launch GodMode9 by holding (Start) during boot
- Navigate to [C:] GAMECART
- Follow the steps applicable to your game cartridge:
- 3DS Game Cartridge: Press (A) on [TitleID].trim.3ds to select it, then select “NCSD image options…”, then select “Build CIA from file”
- NDS Game Cartridge: Press (A) on [TitleID].trim.nds to select it, then select “Copy to 0:/gm9/out”
- Your installable .cia or non-installable .nds formatted file will be outputted to the /gm9/out/ folder on your SD card
Expanding onto this, you can also use GM9 as means of dumping your carts directly .3DS ROMs. Follow all steps mentioned above, but instead use one of two options:
Decrypt file: This dumps a decrypted .3DS ROM that can be used with the emulator Citra
Encrypted file: This dumps an encrypted .3DS ROM that can be used flashcarts like the Stargate 3DS
Q - Will 3DS games run?
A - There have been several 3DS flashcarts made in recent years, but have been made obsolete due to lack of support from their teams and free CFWs that provide both the ability to play 3DS backups (in the form of installed .CIA games.) 3DS CFWs also open the system to deeper modifications that you won't find with flashcarts.
Q - Will DSi games run on a flashcart?
A - Depends on what one defines as a "DSi game." If you are referring to DSi-enhanced games, they can be run on DS flashcarts as they are just DS games with additional hardware support for the DSi. DSiMenu++ also now allows DS flashcarts to be run through TWL clock speeds on the DSi/3DS*. At the same time, there is currently no active DS flashcart that can use the DSi-Mode on the DSi/3DS. There was the CycloDS iEvolution that allowed some games to use DSi-Mode, but the CycloDS team abandoned the cart before it really got off the ground. So there's still no method of running DSi-enhanced features with a DS flashcart on either DSi nor the 3DS.
If you are referring to the DSi-Exclusive retail games, like System Flaw. There was only 4 of them and there's no flashcart nor homebrew that can play these games (please correct me if I am wrong)
Will DSi-enhanced things run slower in a DS (or DS-mode flash cart)?
A - DSi-enhanced games do no run slower on DS flashcarts. Additionally DS flashcarts can be run in TWL sleep via NTR Launcher/DSiMenu++
The information isn't completely outdated, which is why I am quoting it. There actually have been two GBA emulators made for DS flashcarts, GBARunner2 and gbaemu4ds. They exist, but they aren't very good compared to using a Supercard DSTwo, which has an on-board CPU and RAM allowing GBA emulation. That being said, the DSTWO is no longer in production and becoming an increasingly rare flashcart. There are alternatives to this now, with a 3DS CFW you can use GBA injection to run GBA games in AGB mode (basically the mode that boots the 3DS into GBA mode.) DSi can make use of GBARunner2, but it's still extremely limited.
Which Flash Cart Should I Get?
Community recommendations
R4i Gold Plus (r4ids.cn): The R4i Gold Plus is the official unofficial successor to the classic R4 and an "upgrade" from the R4i Gold. The R4i Gold Plus run Wood R4, which basically brings the vast majority of features from akAIO to the R4i Gold Plus (most, not all features.) Additionally, with these features, the R4i Gold Plus has RTS, something not found in akAIO. The major selling point for this cart is the on-board physical switch that allows the user to switch between NDS Mode and NTRBoot, allows the user to hack their 3DS with NTRBoot and switch back to NDS mode without the need for backing up/restoring the firmware. This is why this cart is heavily recommended over every other cart on the market. This card works with the latest OFW on the DSi/3DS. (Currently 3DS 11.8/DSi 1.4.5)
Acekard 2i: Although the team is long dead, the site is dead, and it requires a CFW to work on the latest OFW for DSi/3DS, but it's still one of the best carts out there if you are willing to put the work into getting it working again. Not only do you get the benefits of akAIO, you also get the benefits of having one of the most customizable carts out there. You can actually run homebrew like Moonshell and or MenuDO as your main launcher and use akAIO as your ROM loader. The cart is a tinker's best friend. This also coupled with the fact the cart can be flashed with NTRBoot and still be used as a functional cart with NTRBoot flashed onto it (it does require running the cart through an application like NTR Launcher.)
Supercard DSTWO: The DSTWO is one the most powerful carts out there due to it's on-board CPU and RAM, which allows for features like GBA/SNES emulation along side a wide range of other features. The DSTWO is still the only method of properly emulating the GBA (and decent emulation of SNES) on the DS/DSi without the need of additional hardware, which is still a major selling point for the cart. The Supercard Team had also released the source code for their emulators and SDK, which allowed the creation of community projects CATSFC and TempGBA. Additionally, the cart is also supported by DSiMenu++. The only real downfall to the DSTWO isn't currently supported by NTRBoot.
Budget carts
DSTT(i): The DSTT has always been a rather heavily recommended budget cart and that's mostly because it's cheap, but also because it's just as extremely customizable as the Ak2i. Much like the Ak2i, you do get the benefits of being able to replace your main kernel with a homebrew application instead and boot ROMs through Retro's YSMenu. It's not nearly as fine toned as the Ak2i, but it's still something for those who want a cheap cart to tinker with or just a cheap cart to play some games on. The DSTT can be compatible with NTRBoot, but it's very much dependent on the chipset. This cart requires CFW to work on 3DS/DSi.
R4 (original/1:1 copy): If you can still find one these and don't mind the non-SDHC requirement, you can get another extremely customizable cart with the benefits of Wood R4 as a ROM loader. The R4 was one of the first carts on the market and this allowed a massive community support for the cart and thus it amassed a large number of homebrews that can be used to replace the kernel with. The major issue with this cart is that it can be hard to find the 1:1 from time to time due to a large number of clones on the market. As mentioned already, it's also only limited to non-SDHC microSD cards and also requires CFW to work on 3DS/DSi. It's heavily recommended to go with the R4i Gold Plus instead, but if you can find one of these they are worth owning.
Budget clones
(Not recommended, but an option)
Ace3DS (Plus/X): The Ace3DS is an R4i Gold clone and does support a hacked version of Wood R4. It does have all of the same features, minus the RTS. Additionally the Ace3DS does have both a NTRBoot support as well as a model called "Ace3DS X," which has a little switch on the side to switch between NTRBoot and NDS mode.
R4isdhc GOLD Pro (URL: r4isdhc.com): Hear me out on this one because I technically have to recommend a budget cart and I have some good reasons to recommend this budget cart over other budget carts. I know the official kernel has a "timebomb" built into it, but that is easily bypassed by using Retro's ysmenu files. This basically makes talking about the official kernel's features redundant because it's not worth using it. The reason why I added this to the list is that you are basically paying the $10 for the same cart from the same team that is being marked up to about $14 to $16. Thus you are paying the least amount for the same cart as the R4i-SDHC/R4i-B9S with this cart. This cart can also be flashed to use NTRBoot, but has to be restored back to NDS Mode. This cart works with the latest OFW for the DSi/3DS (Currently 3DS 11.8/DSi 1.4.5)
R4-SDHC (URL: r4i-sdhc.com): Honestly this is just the cheapest of cheap, while still being functional thanks to Retro's files (official kernel has a timebomb.) This cart is compatible with NTRBoot, but you need a CFW for this cart to work on your DSi/3DS.
F.A.Q.
Because the other threads have great information on them, they just weren't up to date anymore. It also wasn't really worth rewriting everything when there were only a few parts that needed to be updated. This is the reason I sighted them and linked directly to them for context.
Why didn't you include this cart?
Chances are it's a cheap clone and I've already listed a cart that fills that spot. The R4i-SHDC for example has countless clones and they are all using the same hardware, there's no reason to list them when one can rule them all.
Last edited by The Catboy,
