Hacking Diskwriter 2.0 released , break limit 31 games in one microsd card?

[xile6]

I'm not going to make a new thread just to ask this questions about sky3ds, but there are things that bothers me, and some related to this DW update:
1. Let's say I have like... a 16GB SD card, there is no way I would fit 30+ games on it. But what about saves? Can I keep the saves and delete the roms like on the DS era flashcards? Or, like, when I put a game to the "section 2" do the rom still have to be on the SD card or a record in the memory about it is enoughe and I can remove it and put them again whenewer I want and they'll work with no problems or save corruptions?
2. Does Sky3ds supports the Download Play? Like with Mario Kart 7?
3. Does local multiplayer and streetpass still work when "banned"? xD

saves are sort differently.
So you will have to backup the save files to pc. Delete the game.
Then when you want to play that again load the game and load the save to the sd card again.

And i havent tried the storage yet. But it should work simply by putting that game on hold.
I believe the saves are storage in one file. the only thing to do is

 

[shinyquagsire23]

I want to say you are trolling but I don't think you are >_>

I see you are in Vegas also <_<

Woo, Vegas people!

Kinda a cheap solution if you ask me, but I guess it's interesting that they had it and didn't release it before. I'm still curious if they actually have a way to update the firmware on that thing or if they'll eventually hit another wall and have to release another cart...

 

[Deleted-19228]

I've been on GBATemp for 12 years and I have literally never seen anyone else from Vegas on here >_>

 

[smasbros]

In fact, you need to convert your old saved data on microSD card(DW1.06)
if any to the new DW2.0 format by the pop up window "Save backup file".

 

[Osmosis]

1. Let's say I have like... a 16GB SD card, there is no way I would fit 30+ games on it. But what about saves? Can I keep the saves and delete the roms like on the DS era flashcards? Or, like, when I put a game to the "section 2" do the rom still have to be on the SD card or a record in the memory about it is enoughe and I can remove it and put them again whenewer I want and they'll work with no problems or save corruptions?

Wrong. You can easily fit lots of games on a 16GB mSD by using ROM-TOOL to trim your games. Yes, you need some free space for savedata to be written. I recommend leaving 1GB open, JIC.

You can use Diskwriter to backup the ROMs and BACKUP their SAVEDATA per ROM as well. Just make sure to cycle past the game you want to backup so it writes the savedata to the mSD. NAND (EEPROM-NO) games... well, they have sysNAND savedata as well. So you gotta be more careful with them and backing up and restoring.[/quote]

As for the Diskwriter update and how the reserve list works... no idea. Haven't tried it yet. I would assume that after the savedata has been written it goes back into the ROM and by putting it into reserve you are simply not using that ROM. So the savedata should be okay because it's part of the ROM. Then you can freely leave your game state alone while in reserve and backup if needed.

If you delete that ROM from the mSD you lose everything. Unless you backed it up. The end.

So, BACKUP, BACKUP, BACKUP. It never gets old....

2. Does Sky3ds supports the Download Play? Like with Mario Kart 7?

Download play works through your sysNAND so the Sky3DS doesn't use it. However, you CAN use over-network play without headers and not get banned. But... (keep reading)

3. Does local multiplayer and streetpass still work when "banned"? xD

Streetpass is fine. I recommend making a Homepass router. Over-Network play is fine. "Multiplayer" as in "OVER INTERNET" is not okay. You need private headers for this. To get them, you need an original game cart and a Powersaves Pro 3DS dongle.

When using Sky3DS:

Streepass = Ok
Over-Network = Ok
IR transfers = Ok
Download Play = Ok (doesn't require Sky3DS)

Over-Internet = NOT OK (unless you have private headers)

 

[Osmosis]

Kinda a cheap solution if you ask me, but I guess it's interesting that they had it and didn't release it before. I'm still curious if they actually have a way to update the firmware on that thing or if they'll eventually hit another wall and have to release another cart...

Sadly, it's been confirmed that there is no way to update the Sky3DS firmware. It's written into the chip. So the 31 game limit can't be broken. What's neat is that they are adding more tools and features to Diskwriter and essentially creating partition features for storage.

So...?

Well, maybe 64GB or 128GB mSDs will be used more often on Sky3DS for those who only want to store their Sky3DS collection on the cart and use their laptop or device to change the mSD.

You know what would be awesome? An Android Sky3DS App. Get a microUSB mSD adapter and then just switch games in reserve using my phone. Then I wouldn't have to carry a laptop and I could store everything on the Sky3DS and when needed, use my phone to switch the reserve list. That would be epic.

Heck, most phones even have mSD slots. Just pop it in, Open app, switch game, put it back into Sky3DS, new game list.

I smell a Sky3DS Android App in the future...

(Sadly, I have an HTC One, so no mSD slot, but I could use a mUSB adapter... store it in my cart carrier if small enough and then just carry my 3DS and cart gem case and phone, wow. It would really lighten my load.)

BTW: I do homepass Vegas a lot. Lots of fun miis to connect to.

 

[dandymanz]

Wrong. You can easily fit lots of games on a 16GB mSD by using ROM-TOOL to trim your games. Yes, you need some free space for savedata to be written. I recommend leaving 1GB open, JIC.

Thank you for this tip! I never knew trimmed roms would work on Sky3ds. Always thought it had to be the full rom. More space for me to squeeze games onto my 32GB card now

Sadly, it's been confirmed that there is no way to update the Sky3DS firmware. It's written into the chip. So the 31 game limit can't be broken. What's neat is that they are adding more tools and features to Diskwriter and essentially creating partition features for storage.

I actually wouldn't mind paying for a new Sky3ds card if they added in higher compatibility rates for microsd cards, faster game switching time, increase in 31 game limit, maybe a "lock" switch to prevent accidentally switching games. Their team have been so actively updating their products that i feel more inclined to continue to support them.

 

[Osmosis]

Thank you for this tip! I never knew trimmed roms would work on Sky3ds. Always thought it had to be the full rom. More space for me to squeeze games onto my 32GB card now

YW. Oh, and the Sky Army Knife developer [user]Foxi4[/user] is planning on adding a tab to the tool for ROM trimming. Foxi is so awesome. Best tool for the Sky3DS. I'd DL it just to know it was on my HDD. I hope it will make trimming easier for users because ROM-TOOL is a bit tedious. It's a CMD line app. So search the forums, DL it, and read the tutorial.

Basically you're going to click STARTMENU>search RUN at bottom>RUN (no need for admin) then drag the ROM-TOOL into the RUN window and correct the line to:

C:\Users\USERNAME\Desktop\MASTERROMFOLDER\TRIMMEDROMFOLDER\rom_tool.exe -t yourrom.3ds

The folder locations vary depending on how you store your files, but you get the idea. Main part is the "-t" and the name of your .3ds ROM.

When you do this, first take note of the ROM size BEFORE you trim it. Trim it. Then take note of size after. Most of the time it will cut games in half. NAND games tend to stay the same size, but for games like Resident Evil, they go from 4GB to 2GB, and most 1GB ROMs drop down to like 500mb give or take. Pokemon tends to drop from 2GB to 1.75GB, so it really doesn't make much difference, but every bit of extra space counts.

I actually wouldn't mind paying for a new Sky3ds card if they added in higher compatibility rates for microsd cards, faster game switching time, increase in 31 game limit, maybe a "lock" switch to prevent accidentally switching games. Their team have been so actively updating their products that i feel more inclined to continue to support them.

Game limit of course. Hands down.

The problem with mSDs is UHS-1/3 compatibility. That's a hardware issue.

The lock idea would be neat. Only problem is that's another switch on the PCB and they already seem to be having issues with making it the way it is.

What would be really nice is if they could add a second chip that would allow a bit of firmware to load up a small intrusion so you could hold a combination of buttons to switch games back and forth. Then they could also update firmware for future use and skip the blue button method entirely. Problem is the 3DS would then be detecting the Sky3DS and not the game and Nintendo could block it very easily.

And how would you update it? Wouldn't be the first cart to have a teeny usb port... Or maybe a way to update by just putting the firmware on the sysNAND SD card and launch the updater form the the Sky3DS and point it to the SD.

I dunno... I'm sure they tried.

 

[dandymanz]

YW. Oh, and the Sky Army Knife developer [user]Foxi4[/user] is planning on adding a tab to the tool for ROM trimming. Foxi is so awesome. Best tool for the Sky3DS. I'd DL it just to know it was on my HDD. I hope it will make trimming easier for users because ROM-TOOL is a bit tedious. It's a CMD line app. So search the forums, DL it, and read the tutorial.

Basically you're going to click STARTMENU>search RUN at bottom>RUN (no need for admin) then drag the ROM-TOOL into the RUN window and correct the line to:

C:\Users\USERNAME\Desktop\MASTERROMFOLDER\TRIMMEDROMFOLDER\rom_tool.exe -t yourrom.3ds

The folder locations vary depending on how you store your files, but you get the idea. Main part is the "-t" and the name of your .3ds ROM.

When you do this, first take note of the ROM size BEFORE you trim it. Trim it. Then take note of size after. Most of the time it will cut games in half. NAND games tend to stay the same size, but for games like Resident Evil, they go from 4GB to 2GB, and most 1GB ROMs drop down to like 500mb give or take. Pokemon tends to drop from 2GB to 1.75GB, so it really doesn't make much difference, but every bit of extra space counts.



Game limit of course. Hands down.

The problem with mSDs is UHS-1/3 compatibility. That's a hardware issue.

The lock idea would be neat. Only problem is that's another switch on the PCB and they already seem to be having issues with making it the way it is.

What would be really nice is if they could add a second chip that would allow a bit of firmware to load up a small intrusion so you could hold a combination of buttons to switch games back and forth. Then they could also update firmware for future use and skip the blue button method entirely. Problem is the 3DS would then be detecting the Sky3DS and not the game and Nintendo could block it very easily.

And how would you update it? Wouldn't be the first cart to have a teeny usb port... Or maybe a way to update by just putting the firmware on the sysNAND SD card and launch the updater form the the Sky3DS and point it to the SD.

I dunno... I'm sure they tried.

Thanks for the tips. I've used NDSTokyoTrim and it seems to work well. I'm a lazy person so i try to avoid command lines as much as i can.

As for upgrading the Sky3DS, i think their current concept is just fine. As long as Nintendo is unable to block them, i don't mind using a button to toggle between games. I'm not sure if having a upgradable firmware is good because that might make them more easy to detect and block? I guess i'm one of those people who don't find forking out money again to buy an upgraded hardware from them.

Still, i've noticed that when you format a microsd card for use with Sky3ds, they create a mini partition at the start of the microsd with their setup program. It could be that update files could be placed there in the future for firmware upgrades if their card supports it.

 

[Multiboy2k]

I want to say you are trolling but I don't think you are >_>

I see you are in Vegas also <_<

Wassup Neptune! Yeah Vegas is in the house.
No. I wasnt trolling. I said that to purely mess with Guitarheroknight. He knows why lol.

 

[Osmosis]

Oh thank gawd. NDSTokyo trim... so DLing this. Tired of CMD lines. Thanks!

I don't think the chip is writable from mSD. But you never know...

I do mind. I dropped $80 and I thought it was "unlimited". Don't want to drop more, but meh... not complaining. It works. I'm happy.

 

[Osmosis]

From: https://gbatemp.net/threads/when-wi...-31-file-limit-fix.377653/page-2#post-5251674

The rom limit probably won't be removed without a new hardware revision or Sky3DS firmware update (if that is even possible). There are a couple of reasons.

Sky3DS uses the String "ROMS" inside the Sd-Card to identify if it is a Sky3DS Sd-Card, and not any random data. This string is located at byte 256 on the sdcard.
Between byte 0 and 256 there are sections of 2*4 bytes each that tell Sky3DS where a rom starts and how big it is.

This alone would give a theoretic maximum of 32 games, but there is more to it.

The first sector for rom data starts at 32MB, and the first MB of the sdcard is already used for section headers, the partition table and the small fat partition with "setup.zip" or whatever in it.
So there are only 31MB left between 1MB and 32MB for savegames, and each savegame is 1MB in size, so that means Sky3DS can only store 31 savegames on an sdcard,
so that is probably why it is limited to 31 games.

Card2 savegames are not stored in this area, but Sky3DS just ignores that slot for Card2 savegames, and it is a wasted MB, which doesn't really matter because our other maximum would be 32 anyway, and 1 more game... yea well, may as well use another Sd-Card.

If anyone is interested in more details, I have documented the layout here: https://github.com/lukas2511/sky3ds.py/wiki/Disk-Layout

And another...

More than 31 games are impossible from hardware site. Sky3DS isnt meant to be updated, it doesnt work like that.
The first ROM is always located after the 32nd MB (Address 0x2000000) of the MicroSD.
The first few bytes are sectorinformation for diskwriter and until 1MB (Address 0x100000) there is the FAT32-Partition with the Zip-file of diskwriter+template.txt
So there are 31MB left for savegames. Savegames are each 1MB in size. For card2 games that savegame space is still reserved even if its not used.
The addresses are forced in hardware. So you have to patch those addresses in the microcontroller of the sky3ds.

=>Not possible for >31 games per MicroSD
=>Sky3DS not upgradeble so there will never be a patch!

 

[dandymanz]

I do mind. I dropped $80 and I thought it was "unlimited". Don't want to drop more, but meh... not complaining. It works. I'm happy.

Well, if a new Sky3ds card does come out, i do believe you should still be able to sell off the current one for like $50 or $60? The blue button is way better than the red one so i believe there should still be people who wouldn't mind picking it up for cheap. So it would just be a top up if the new Sky gets released with upgraded hardware.

Back to the topic of game limits. Diskwriter 2.0 has already implemented a very innovative way of storing more than 31 games on the microsd card. I can't imagine anyone crazy enough to cycle through 31 games so the ability to hide games when you don't need it and unhide again when you want to play with them is very neat. So even without any firmware updates, i like how they have been improving the cart with their diskwriter software.

 

[Osmosis]

Well, if a new Sky3ds card does come out, i do believe you should still be able to sell off the current one for like $50 or $60? The blue button is way better than the red one so i believe there should still be people who wouldn't mind picking it up for cheap. So it would just be a top up if the new Sky gets released with upgraded hardware.

Yeah, not happening. Would rather keep it and use it on another system, gift it, or turn it into a CN / ZOOT cart for Gateway or future needs.

Back to the topic of game limits. Diskwriter 2.0 has already implemented a very innovative way of storing more than 31 games on the microsd card. I can't imagine anyone crazy enough to cycle through 31 games so the ability to hide games when you don't need it and unhide again when you want to play with them is very neat. So even without any firmware updates, i like how they have been improving the cart with their diskwriter software.

<--- crazy enough, heck, I'd do it for kicks.

I cycle 31 games all the time. Really doesn't phase me. I'd do more with my remaining 8GB (on a 32GB mSD may I remind you). Just makes turning on/off ROMs without deleting/writing them easier. So now I can go add Pokemon Art Academy and reserve my unpatchable Pokemon ORAS ROMs without breaking savedata or updating past 9.5 pokeinjection until I get an N3DSXL+GW setup (foreseeable future). And still have plenty of room for savedata.

Man, what I could do with 64GB... think that's my next purchase. Just for kicks. Maybe I'll make a master LEGO 3DS collection.

I dunno, neat, but doesn't do much for me if I need a PC to turn on/off ROMs in reserve. Now Android app for Sky3DS... that would make this worthwhile. Only would need to carry 3DS+Sky3DS+Phone and I could switch on the go.

 

[serving]

i dont get what it means when it says Note:You need to convert your old saved data on microSD card(DW1.06)
if any to the new DW2.0 format by the pop up window "Save backup file".

does this mean i have to rewrite everything again and reformat in order to use dw 2.0 and the new feature?

 

[fishkid]

i dont get what it means when it says Note:You need to convert your old saved data on microSD card(DW1.06)
if any to the new DW2.0 format by the pop up window "Save backup file".

does this mean i have to rewrite everything again and reformat in order to use dw 2.0 and the new feature?

well i notice something...my MH4U save file backup from 1.06 and restore it in DW 2.0 without convert, restore was fine and work but when loaded the save inside the game my armor registered set was messup i don't know why mybe they trying something with this backup/restore save in new DW somewhat little diffrent than DW 1.06...

 

[d0k3]

I've been on GBATemp for 12 years and I have literally never seen anyone else from Vegas on here >_>

And I thought I'm the longest time active member here .

I have a Micro SD with 31 games on it, but I noticed scrolling through all these games takes ages and I don't even want to play all of them now... So, I wonder, using this new DiskWriter, can I just disable a few of my games and reactivate them later? On my existing SD card setup? What will happen with savegames of disabled games?

Alright, I tried it. Sent some of my games to the reserve, and it works as I intended. Lost some game progress in the process, but that's just my own stupidity.


About the process:
When you first load up DiskWriter 2.0, it recognizes that your MSD is the old format and offers to convert it. Don't do it if you intend to play shortly after, as the process can take multiple hours depending on how many games you have on your MSD. Also, don't be as stupid as me, switch to the next game (red/blue button) before you remove the MSD. Otherwise you'll lose your game progress.

After it finished, and you inserted the MSD back into your SKY3DS and that into your 3DS, there's the great "OMG, DISKWRITER BROKE MY SKY3DS!!!11111" moment. Expect various threads of that kind to pop up soon. What you need to do to 'fix' your SKY3DS is the following (keep the MSD in the SKY3DS and the 3DS powered on throughout):

1. Insert the SKY3DS and keep the button pressed during the process (yeah, that's uncomfortable, find your own technique)
2. Regularly insert the SKY3DS. It will spring back to life and the LED will blink. Still no game visible on the 3DS though.
3. Insert it a third time -> everything back to normal.

You will get a popup window with the above instruction in Engrish, too, after each game put into reserve.

BTW, pressing STRG you can even select multiple games at once and put them in / out of reserve.

 

[serving]

what about the saves when a putting a game into the reserve area and back inot main area will you still keep your save?

 

[dkabot]

what about the saves when a putting a game into the reserve area and back inot main area will you still keep your save?

You should, so long as you press the cart button to actually write your save to the card.

 

[illumina0]

After I got the prompt to backup and restore my SD card cause it was using an old format, I backed up the card. But after restoring, none of my games are loading.. Is this happening to anyone else?