Hacking Downgrading CFW 3DS Firmware

[ellectroide]

I just found out that the R4 flashcart can't play 3DS games, so I'd like to upgrade to the Gateway (yes, I'm aware they can be installed as .cia files, but I'd prefer not to).

According to the review here, and this thread here, this product is abandonware and only works with firmware versions up to 9.2.0, which I'm well past.

I can't find any (non-video) guide on how to downgrade my CFW 3DS's firmware version. The closest thing I found is this tutorial, which now directs me to the guide, where I couldn't find how to downgrade. Did I miss something, or do I need another tutorial?

 

[jeffyTheHomebrewer]

Apologies in advance, but I'm still a noob so I can't properly embed links.
I just found out that the R4 flashcart can't play 3DS games, so I'd like to upgrade to the Gateway (yes, I'm aware they can be installed as .cia files, but I'd prefer not to).
According to the review here wiki.gbatemp.net/wiki/Gateway_3DS , and this thread here gbatemp.net/threads/can-i-use-gateway-3ds-on-a-modded-up-to-date-3ds.625626 , this product is abandonware and only works with firmware versions up to 9.2.0, which I'm well past.
I can't find any (non-video) guide on how to downgrade my CFW 3DS's firmware version. The closest thing I found is this tutorial gbatemp.net/threads/simple-guide-to-downgrading-your-3ds.407888 , which now directs me to the guide on 3ds.hacks.guide , where I couldn't find how to downgrade. Did I miss something, or do I need another tutorial?

Dude. Just use modern CFW, get a good kinda big SD card, and install your games as CIAs. Downgrading is for the dangerously stupid, as it can fuck things up bad.

 

[SylverReZ]

Apologies in advance, but I'm still a noob so I can't properly embed links.
I just found out that the R4 flashcart can't play 3DS games, so I'd like to upgrade to the Gateway (yes, I'm aware they can be installed as .cia files, but I'd prefer not to).
According to the review here wiki.gbatemp.net/wiki/Gateway_3DS , and this thread here gbatemp.net/threads/can-i-use-gateway-3ds-on-a-modded-up-to-date-3ds.625626 , this product is abandonware and only works with firmware versions up to 9.2.0, which I'm well past.
I can't find any (non-video) guide on how to downgrade my CFW 3DS's firmware version. The closest thing I found is this tutorial gbatemp.net/threads/simple-guide-to-downgrading-your-3ds.407888 , which now directs me to the guide on 3ds.hacks.guide , where I couldn't find how to downgrade. Did I miss something, or do I need another tutorial?

Why do you want to downgrade your 3DS? This process is extremely dangerous, and if you're not careful you can brick your 3DS. Downgrading is not worth it IMHO. What's your purpose of downgrading? Using Gateway? Gateway is even far more dangerous, as the firmware not only contains brick code, but has very limited features to what CFW has. Just install Luma3DS, update to the latest System Menu and you'll be done with.

https://3ds.guide

 

[ellectroide]

Dude. Just use modern CFW, get a good kinda big SD card, and install your games as CIAs. Downgrading is for the dangerously stupid, as it can fuck things up bad.

Ah, alright. I didn't realize just how dangerous this stuff was. I think it's a bit awkward to have everything except the NDS games on the Home Menu. Thanks for letting me know!

 

[SylverReZ]

Ah, alright. I didn't realize just how dangerous this stuff was. Thanks for letting me know!

You're welcome. (from a 3DS expert who has modded their 3DS since 2016).

 

[zekro94]

Ah, alright. I didn't realize just how dangerous this stuff was. I think it's a bit awkward to have everything except the NDS games on the Home Menu. Thanks for letting me know!

You can have ds games on the home menu installed as if they are 3ds games, using a nds-forwarder https://wiki.ds-homebrew.com/ds-index/forwarders

 

[ellectroide]

You're welcome. (from a 3DS expert who has modded their 3DS since 2016).

I'm far from an expert, but I've been using the modded 3DS for a good few years now

So is there no flashcart that can run 3DS games well?

My goal here is to keep my 8- to 16-bit games injected on the 3DS's SD card, and the NDS/3DS games on a flashcart. But from looking around, if Gateway is no good, then it sounds like that just isn't feasible (at least safely).

 

[SylverReZ]

So is there no flashcart that can run 3DS games well?

Not necessarily. Flashcarts rely on older firmware. Last flashcard to be supported was the Sky3DS before it got blacklisted on the latest firmware. CFW does everything nowadays, so far barely any exploits are patched by ever system update (including ntrboot).

 

[Hayato213]

If you really want to use flashcart you can consider Stargate as it support up to firmware 11.16.0. Sky3ds was the next best option but it only support up to 11.0.0. But keep in mind that the community doesn't provide much support on these flashcarts.

 

[SylverReZ]

My goal here is to keep my 8- to 16-bit games injected on the 3DS's SD card, and the NDS/3DS games on a flashcart. But from looking around, if Gateway is no good, then it sounds like that just isn't feasible (at least safely).

Get TWiLight Menu++ for DS games, you can load all of the games you want onto an SD card and play them that way.

 

[Tri-Z]

Sky3ds can play 3ds games. When it first came out I had it. Ur better off just doing cfw on it though. Oops didn’t see user above posted while I was searching for link for sky3ds

https://www.sky3dsplus.net/

 

[ellectroide]

If you really want to use flashcart you can consider Stargate as it support up to firmware 11.16.0. Sky3ds was the next best option but it only support up to 11.0.0. But keep in mind that the community doesn't provide much support on these flashcarts.

Good Lird that's more expensive than I was expecting...but it looks like it'll do what I want! I'll have to think about it.

While I've got you here, I might as well ask: you got any good links to a setup guide for it? Does it have any time bombs or bricks I should worry about? I'm seeing conflicting info on that.

 

[Hayato213]

Good Lird that's more expensive than I was expecting...but it looks like it'll do what I want! I'll have to think about it.
While I've got you here, I might as well ask: you got any good links to a setup guide for it? Does it have any time bombs or bricks I should worry about? I'm seeing conflicting info on that.

That I don't know, I don't own a stargate or sky3ds.

 

[ellectroide]

Get TWiLight Menu++ for DS games, you can load all of the games you want onto an SD card and play them that way.

Oh, interesting. The reason I was adamant about keeping 3DS games on a flashcart is that I've been using the R4 for several years now, so I thought it'd be silly to have a flashcart for just NDS games.

But if everything can go on the SD card, and since fwict this software uses .sav files for NDS, then I think that's what I'll do. Thanks again!

 

[jeffyTheHomebrewer]

Ah, alright. I didn't realize just how dangerous this stuff was. I think it's a bit awkward to have everything except the NDS games on the Home Menu. Thanks for letting me know!

You can use TWiLightMenu++ as a launcher for DS roms on the SD card, it's almost like a second HOME Menu.

 

[series2]

Why do you want to downgrade your 3DS? This process is extremely dangerous, and if you're not careful you can brick your 3DS. Downgrading is not worth it IMHO. What's your purpose of downgrading?

To test if the Omega Ruby and Alpha sapphire failures are caused by firmware or not of course... jk, though I would like to do this if it wasn't so dangerous.

 

[DinohScene]

To test if the Omega Ruby and Alpha sapphire failures are caused by firmware or not of course... jk, though I would like to do this if it wasn't so dangerous.

I wouldn't start messing around if you do not have the means to recover from a brick.
This mean soldering wires to your 3ds and using a SD card reader to write back a backup NAND.

Downgrading is a dangerous practice that shouldn't be done unless one has a VERY specific reason to do so.
Any and all modern CFW + patchset/whatever the 3DS uses does everything an end user needs.

 

[Jayro]

And then there's me and my N3DS, which I haven't touched since the Switch came out and it's still on v11.7U firmware, the last one without the sneaky telemetry that v11.8U introduced.

 

[jeffyTheHomebrewer]

And then there's me and my N3DS, which I haven't touched since the Switch came out and it's still on v11.7U firmware, the last one without the sneaky telemetry that v11.8U introduced.

Wait, what? Telemetry?

 

[SylverReZ]

To test if the Omega Ruby and Alpha sapphire failures are caused by firmware or not of course... jk, though I would like to do this if it wasn't so dangerous.

Yeah, just like DinohScene said, messing around with your 3DS installing unknown crucial CIA files can brick your system.
CFW has everything you need to use on your 3DS, downgrading to install CFW is VERY old and outdated.