Hacking Can you launch high FW carts on lower OFW?

[Bargy]

Hi all,

I have just got Labo variety cart, which needs 4.1, but I am on 2.3 and reluctant to update until Atmosphere is launched.

My question is what is the best way to launch higher firmware carts from lower firmware?

 

[Carlos_DobleC]

No

 

[Aldoria]

backup nand
update without burning fuse
enjoy

 

[Bargy]

Thanks, from what I have seen, it looks like a good option. I’ll give it a try. Has anyone tried this? Will updating FW without fuse burning allow you to downgrade later?

 

[shchmue]

Thanks, from what I have seen, it looks like a good option. I’ll give it a try. Has anyone tried this? Will updating FW without fuse burning allow you to downgrade later?

yes, you can downgrade regardless, but note you probably can't keep your Switch settings when you downgrade past that many versions, like it'll be a fresh initialized console

 

[Wolf2000]

backup nand
update without burning fuse
enjoy

Exactly want to do this, currently staying on 4.1.0 but have no clue how so save the NAND.
In addition to that I think there is no proofen way to update and owngrad with the "burn no fuses" method, right?

Maybe there will be a user friendly instruction in future... would be nice

 

[eskinner3742]

I have seen a few reports of users losing the ability to read game carts after going from a low FW to a higher FW. I think you have to be under 4.0.0 then go above 4.0.0 for this to happen, but be careful. Everything is still new territory.

 

[shchmue]

Exactly want to do this, currently staying on 4.1.0 but have no clue how so save the NAND.
In addition to that I think there is no proofen way to update and owngrad with the "burn no fuses" method, right?

Maybe there will be a user friendly instruction in future... would be nice

there are instructions, and there is a method https://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-...nofficially-without-burning-any-fuses.507461/
it's not the easiest thing in the world so if you do it make sure you read it and the thread a few times first. saving the NAND is done in hekate, description here https://gbatemp.net/threads/rcm-payload-hekate-ctcaer-mod.502604/

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

I have seen a few reports of users losing the ability to read game carts after going from a low FW to a higher FW. I think you have to be under 4.0.0 then go above 4.0.0 for this to happen, but be careful. Everything is still new territory.

ah yeah good point, if your stock version is below 4.0 and you upgrade to 4.0 or higher, it does an unavoidable cartridge reader update that doesn't work at all on < 4.0 firmware, so if you downgrade again you can't read cartridges

 

[Bargy]

Thanks for the detailed reply. I wonder if there could eventually be a cold boot Atmosphere solution for a switch that hasn’t burnt fuses above 3.0 even if it is on higher firmware with this method (ie downgrade later, lose cart reader temporarily and install Atmosphere for lower firmware).

Possibly a pipe dream?

 

[guily6669]

I think this feature is upcoming at a later time its in TX Faq that they will want to be able to launch games requiring FW xxx on a lower FW, but its not currently available on their latest current version 1.2 and there is no estimated time announced yet.

The only way is really the known method of updating without burning efuses on links posted above my post.

 

[BL4Z3D247]

No

This is incorrect.

See here:

backup nand
update without burning fuse
enjoy

 

[eskinner3742]

Thanks for the detailed reply. I wonder if there could eventually be a cold boot Atmosphere solution for a switch that hasn’t burnt fuses above 3.0 even if it is on higher firmware with this method (ie downgrade later, lose cart reader temporarily and install Atmosphere for lower firmware).

Possibly a pipe dream?

IIRC Atmosphere will have emuNAND support, so you could stay on official 3.0.0 and have an emuNAND running 5.1.0 (or whatever is latest) and still retain the cart function. But I'm just assuming.

 

[OblivionReign]

If

I have seen a few reports of users losing the ability to read game carts after going from a low FW to a higher FW. I think you have to be under 4.0.0 then go above 4.0.0 for this to happen, but be careful. Everything is still new territory.

You go from anything above 4.0.0 to under you lose the ability

 

[eskinner3742]

If

You go from anything above 4.0.0 to under you lose the ability

But if you have an emuNAND, the cart reader is only updated on that emulated NAND and should not effect the system's NAND since it would have never been updated.

 

[charlieb]

I have seen a few reports of users losing the ability to read game carts after going from a low FW to a higher FW. I think you have to be under 4.0.0 then go above 4.0.0 for this to happen, but be careful. Everything is still new territory.

1.0.0 up to 3.02 are OK, anything after that updated the game card reader and then if you downgrade you wont be able read carts in the old/low FW.

 

[shchmue]

from speculation in the firmware thread, emuNAND will still have the cart issue

 

[charlieb]

from speculation in the firmware thread, emuNAND will still have the cart issue

that's emunand ruined for all < 3.0.2 users then. let's hope you're wrong and it can be stripped.

 

[hippy dave]

But if you have an emuNAND, the cart reader is only updated on that emulated NAND and should not effect the system's NAND since it would have never been updated.

No, the actual cartridge reader module is updated, which is separate from the nand/emunand.

 

[shchmue]

that's emunand ruined for all < 3.0.2 users then. let's hope you're wrong and it can be stripped.

not really, you just keep the sysNAND to use the better entry point. you spend all your time gaming and such in emuNAND

 

[guily6669]

from speculation in the firmware thread, emuNAND will still have the cart issue

If it does, maybe SciresM could bypass it just like they bypassed the efuses...

Because it would be a big hassle if in the future a new better exploit would appear and if it relied on a game cartridge we would be screwed, other than this there isnt much of a drawback as anyway it gets to a point in time where games will require FW5 to run, then 6, then 7.... or whatever so we could only play old games anyway.