Hacking Any good reason to keep XCI files around?

[huma_dawii]

They say that because it can run the SX OS. It's mostly marketing BS but they aren't lying.

Well,. that's false advertisement? I can sue them!

 

[midstor]

Well,. that's false advertisement? I can sue them!

Not in the U.S.A. so no you can't. If you do it won't turn out well just like tinfoil devs sueing tx won't work out well for tinfoil devs.

 

[Deleted member 129634]

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I'm not crazy.

iirc they advertise xci support as extracting them and running through layeredfs in their guides (yes I know this is not actual xci support but this is how they advertise said feature).

 

[aos10]

View attachment 141912

I'm not crazy.

xci games converted to nsp.

 

[sj33]

.xci dumps are still going to be valuable for archival purposes as actual cart dumps are valuable for long term archival. The likes of No Intro etc.

But at this point, there is no reason for the end user not to use .nsp instead. Having something installed and properly integrated rather than having to use an external loader is important, and they don't rely on specific custom firmwares.

 

[rrocha]

Let me go straight to the point:

XCI format:
- 1:1 copy of the cartridge
- doesn't need to be installed
- can be converted to NSP (reverse is still not 100% possible)
- less prone to ban (apparently, but never 100% sure as big N can change the game)
- should be compatible with external HDD support if/when gets packed into CFWs
- drag'n'drop solution (copy to SD, done)

disadvantages:
- requires SXOS license (for now)
- you always need to go to XCI loader screen first to mount the image, wait a second or two for the switch to detect the fake cart, then you can play your game
- you still need companion NSPs to get access to DLC and updates on majority of the cases (Sonic Mania Plus XCI already packs the DLCs and updates inside, but those cases are rare)


NSP format:
- smaller than XCI, sometimes by a lot (specially if your XCIs are not trimmed)
- direct access from the switch's home screen
- instant play every single time (after installed into the system)
- support across all CFWs up to v6.0.0
- some NSPs can be spoofed to be playable in lower HorizonOS versions

disadvantages:
- needs to be installed, which takes time (several minutes for bigger games).
- needs double the space on your sdcard/console before installing (unless you use Tinfoil's network install)
- if Tinfoil ever gets external HDD support, you'll always have to install it to your console/sdcard. you'd just eliminate the previous point.
- 100% detectable format by big N, so you're more likely to be banned somewhere in the future


I might be forgetting something but this is it in a nutshell. Now you take your pick! Check which format's advantages out-weight the disadvantages for your personal usage as some of these disadvantages can be meaningless to you.

 

[sj33]

- can be converted to NSP (reverse is still not possible)

I thought this too, but unless I'm missing something it does seem to now be possible.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/xci-builder-v0-6-5-2.516977/

 

[rrocha]

I thought this too, but unless I'm missing something it does seem to now be possible.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/xci-builder-v0-6-5-2.516977/

This tool is meant to clean the update partition from xci files and to reduce the padding used between partitions.

It can only do XCI->unpack->repack and not plain NSP -> XCI. Technically it can, but the since the NSP files' license/ticket is not valid, you have to first install the NSP via tinfoil (so it can generate the tickets) and only then you can use the said XCI. This means that NSP->XCI will never produce standalone XCI files (for now). Since XCI dumps already contain a validated content, rebuild process keeps those in.

Either way, edited that line. Together with our two posts, it should be a bit more clear to everyone.

 

[JRoad]

This tool is meant to clean the update partition from xci files and to reduce the padding used between partitions.

It can only do XCI->unpack->repack and not plain NSP -> XCI. Technically it can, but the since the NSP files' license/ticket is not valid, you have to first install the NSP via tinfoil (so it can generate the tickets) and only then you can use the said XCI. This means that NSP->XCI will never produce standalone XCI files (for now). Since XCI dumps already contain a validated content, rebuild process keeps those in.

Either way, edited that line. Together with our two posts, it should be a bit more clear to everyone.

Sorry I did realized it yesterday in the git. I did copy some parts from the readme of it's brother NX-Trimmer, that description was meant for the trimmer.

The builder does conversion but as of now you still need a small [lc].nsp to install the ticket in your system. It can reverse the xci->nsp conversion and n that case you can just throw the [lc].nsp if you want since SX OS can decrypt cartridge nca file on it's own.
Incorporating updates + dlc in the same xci it's possible but as of now there's an issue in hacbuild preventing this. But yeah you'll be able to do it if the issue gets fixed Sonic Mania does it (game+dlc+update) and the revision games do it too (game+update).
The xci format has some potential actually.

 

[Reploid]

So network install on tinfoil is a thing already? Kewl, can't wait for SX to steal it.

 

[steven89]

One big disadvantage and correct me if im wrong but firmware version check i believe are not possible to skip on .xci but are possible on .nsp to skip just saying if you on a lower firmware you with .xci your limited that kinda goes away with .nsp

 

[JRoad]

One big disadvantage and correct me if im wrong but firmware version check i believe are not possible to skip on .xci but are possible on .nsp to skip just saying if you on a lower firmware you with .xci your limited that kinda goes away with .nsp

Well it isn't exactly true as far as I now. The skip works in the nsp if the game it's generated in a lower SDK version which is the version the xci looks for. But if it's generated on a higher SDK version you can't skip it without rebuilding.
You can know versions by looking at the final number in the ticket/cert so if you have a "5" there it will be meant for 5.0-5.1 if tou have a for "4.0-4.1", etc...