Hardware 64 GB Micro SD with N3DS

[gamecaptor]

I've read that the New Nintendo 3DS has a SD card size limit of 32 GB. I happen to have a 64 GB Micro SD around. Off hand, does anyone know if it will work, just give me 32 GB of it?

 

[DiscostewSM]

SD cards (micro or whatever) are formatted with extFAT, a Microsoft proprietary file system that can't be used on the 3DS systems. However, if it's anything like regular SD cards, you can format the card to use FAT32 instead, and it'll work with the full 64GB. You just won't get SDXC speeds out of it.

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

As long as your SDXC has a SDHC support you can format the thing FAT32. You don't want to use the N3DS format SD function, your limited to 32GB.

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http://filetrip.net/ps3-downloads/tools-utilities/download-gui-fat32format-1-0-f22906.html

http://filetrip.net/ps3-downloads/tools-utilities/download-fat32formatter-1-1-f32426.html

http://filetrip.net/ps3-downloads/tools-utilities/download-fat32format-1-05-f22905.html

These all can format upto 2TB. Why I put them in the ps3 download section, I don't remember.

 

[gamecaptor]

So if I'm understanding you correctly, format the 64 GB Micro SD on my PC with FAT32 first, then put it in the New 3DS (which I will pick up on Friday) and it should see the entire 64 GB?

I guess my question really boils down to not so much if the New 3DS will see the entire 64 GB (that would be great if it did) but rather if it will work at all, so I know if I need to go out and pick up a 32 GB MicroSD before Friday or not.

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

The windows format function is like the N3DS, and will limit you to 32GB. On Windows, anything higher than 32GB will auto-default to exFAT and will grey out FAT32 as an option.

Your N3DS will only see the correct settings if you formated the microSDXC correctly.

 

[cearp]

As long as your SDXC has a SDHC support you can format the thing FAT32.

some sdxc cards are not able to be formatted as fat32...?

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

It is like the transition from microSD to microSDHC, you had 4GB microSDs. We are in that transitional period where you got backward compatibility. In the future SDXC will drop the SDHC backwards support.

 

[cearp]

sure, but i thought it was just a storage medium, nothing at all to do with what filesystem is on it, surely i can put any filesystem that i want on any storage medium... yes?

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

The reader/writer also has to support the standard. A SD card reader from 2000 can't read a 4GB SDHC from today.

On the microSD/HC/XC there is a controller chip that tells how to act. For the microSD, this chip would be as small as pinhead or part of the memory module. That would be this thing, as an example:

When that controller drops support for the older standard, it is to save more space for NAND. You end up with a reader/writer that can no longer read a "new and improved" SD/HC/XC.

In terms of reader/writer, that would be your N/3DS, etc.

 

[cearp]

The reader/writer also has to support the standard. A SD card reader from 2000 can't read a 4GB SDHC from today.
On the microSD/HC/XC there is a controller chip that tells how to act. For the microSD, this chip would be as small as pinhead or part of the memory module. That would be this thing, as an example:
When that controller drops support for the older standard, it is to save more space for NAND. You end up with a reader/writer that can no longer read a "new and improved" SD/HC/XC.
In terms of reader/writer, that would be your N/3DS, etc.

sure, the reader has to support the storage medium, that makes sense.
i just meant, i'm pretty certain, (if you have a nice disk tool), you can put any filesystem on any storage medium

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

i just meant, i'm pretty certain, (if you have a nice disk tool), you can put any filesystem on any storage medium

yeah, that is true.

Once you got a microSDXC with no SDHC backward support, it will not matter if you can format that "new and improved" microSDXC with the FAT32, your N3DS will not be able to read and write to it as how I explained it previously.

 

[nl255]

yeah, that is true.

Once you got a microSDXC with no SDHC backward support, it will not matter if you can format that "new and improved" microSDXC with the FAT32, your N3DS will not be able to read and write to it as how I explained it previously.

There is no such thing. The two standards are electronically identical, only the filesystem (and possibly the access speed) has changed.

SD cards (micro or whatever) are formatted with extFAT, a Microsoft proprietary file system that can't be used on the 3DS systems. However, if it's anything like regular SD cards, you can format the card to use FAT32 instead, and it'll work with the full 64GB. You just won't get SDXC speeds out of it.

That is not necessairly true. Some devices have a firmware limit where they either won't see anything above 32GB or won't see the card at all if it is larger than 32GB.

sure, but i thought it was just a storage medium, nothing at all to do with what filesystem is on it, surely i can put any filesystem that i want on any storage medium... yes?

You can, but some devices are programmed not to recognize anything other than exFAT on sd cards larger than 32GB. Yes, that means on some phones if you want to use ext2/ext3/ext4 you must use a 32GB or smaller card.

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

There is no such thing. The two standards are electronically identical, only the filesystem (and possibly the access speed) has changed.

Do you even got a EZ-Flash IV with a 4GB miniSD?

What you call "electronically identical" is the bus mode controlled by chip in said image above, this is embedded on a microSD.

See the transfer modes here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_Digital#Transfer_modes
See also interface

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Depending on a manufacture of the SDXC, you might only find a SDXC that is locked in Four-bit SD bus mode or has a controller chip with Four-bit SD bus mode functions only, aka a UHS only chip. Why do you think alot of no-name branded flash memory cards suck, they tend to be missing things or do not follow specs.

 

[Maximilious]

There's a video review on youtube of someone in US with the MM N3DS. He put a 64GB card in it and verified it worked.

 

[gamecaptor]

Well this thread got way more geeky then I expected

Maximilious, thank you for that...I think...video is annoying but information is useful

 

[Maximilious]

Yeah he's pretty punctual, but I think I'd be the same if I got a MM a week earlier than it was released to the rest of the US