Hacking Gateway 3ds Vs. Sky3ds+

[Hyoretsu]

I'm going to downgrade my 3ds all the way to 2.1.0 so I can install a9lh. No, I don't want to install cia on it. Which is better? (I would also like the functionality to display a rom I selected on gateway in the home menu, like Sky3ds+ does, cuz I'm also going to buy Pokébank) I also have a game to get the private header off. Just another question: is it possible to extract the system's private header, the one used in the cias? Just to mention that I already have a DS Flashcard.

 

[Arck]

Gateway is better than the Sky3ds+

Use the Gateway arm9loaderhax.bin

 

[Hayleia]

If you don't have any of them yet, you probably don't need any of them.
If you really want one of them for some reason, get the Gateway. It allows patched roms, a menu to select the rom (then yeah, it displays it on the home menu as if you had the cartridge), gives cheats, etc. While the Sky3DS would only give you access to .3ds files.
The Sky3DS is only for those who can't downgrade for some reason.

 

[Hyoretsu]

Do Gateway also plays online with private headers?

 

[Arck]

Do Gateway also plays online with private headers?

Yes of course

 

[Redferne]

There is actually no choice here. If you can use a Gateway you can downgrade so you don't need a Gateway.
If you can't downgrade you can't use a Gateway so the SKY3DS+ is all you can use.

 

[Quantumcat]

There's no reason to get any of them. If you can downgrade, you can install games. All that Gateway adds is more complexity to the set up (additional steps need to be done after finishing Plailect's guide), and the ability to use good cheats (not so good cheats can still be done with NTR, no need for Gateway just for cheats). If good cheats are worth $80 to you, then that's fine. But don't be under the illusion that Gateway lets you do anything extra above CFW besides that.

If you do go with Gateway, make sure to stay away from their TimeMachine method, which is dangerous and brick-prone (not to mention the hack you get afterward sucks, and doesn't give you any of the benefits of a9lh)

 

[Temarile]

May I ask why you want to install a9lh on it but no cia installs?

 

[Osmosis]

I have Gateway and Sky3DS (old blue button) and I've A9LHed my O3DSXL.

I say Go ahead and get Gateway. Hayleia said, only reason to own Sky3DS is if you can't downgrade FW (if you're above 10.7).

With A9LH you can still use GW Red Cart (.3DS/.3DZ) and the Blue Cart (.NDS=DS/.GBA? I think?).

This requires that you boot into GW mode during startup to get Red Cart to work.

So why would you do this? Even with a 128GB mSD, I've easily filled it with .CIA. But there's still plenty of junk games that you can then slap on to your GWRedCart. Although this means you might want to trim the .3DS files and you'll have to match Chip ID to Private Headers. Although, you could always just turn off WiFi when using Red Cart.

GW Blue Cart basically is a clone R4i which you can get to work on Luma3DS without having to boot into GW Mode. Same goes for DSTwo/+.

Sky3DS/+ I would only recommend if you intend on sharing multiplayer games with friends/family and don't want to worry about firmware. Otherwise, no need for Sky3DS. However, I find the Sky3DS as a useful tool to FW hack with in case you need to load up ZeldaOOT or NinjaHax. Still, not that necessary.

If you really want to stretch your 3DS, get a Gateway 3DS and A9LH.

If you intend on sharing across multiple devices, -MAYBE- a Sky3DS+. That's $80+ so...


Recommended: Save your money and just A9LH. Spend your money on a 128GB SD/mSD. Fill it. Enjoy. (hint: if you decide to go on a 128GB, please use a 32GB for setting up A9LH. Once done, make a copy of the 32GB then copy it over to the 128GB and it'll work fine. Just make sure to FAT32 the 128GB)

Another suggestion is to not waste $80 on a Sky3DS+ and instead go for an EliteN2 and now you have all the Amiibo. Just my two cents...

 

[Ketchup901]

Why the fuck would you buy anything, just install CIA's and you don't have to buy anything.

I'm not going to stop you, but you're the dumbass here and it's your loss only.

 

[Osmosis]

Why the fuck would you buy anything, just install CIA's and you don't have to buy anything.

I'm not going to stop you, but you're the dumbass here and it's your loss only.

Welcome to GBATemp.net... I really miss Spidey.

 

[nero99]

Why exactly are you not getting cia files? one of the main purposes of cfw is to not have to use .3ds with headers, but use .cia because you don't have to patch the roms.

 

[Osmosis]

If 2+2=4 how many toasters does it take for little Timmy to give a flying frig?

None, because you keep posting.


Look, everyone is going to point Original Poster to A9LH. Hands down.

But if you want "all the games", it's not possible even with a 128GB. Hence the Gateway Red Cart.

Remember, there's .CIA's, which include games, eShop, and updates. By the time you squeeze that on your SD with A9LH you've easily eaten half your SD. Then you need room for dumping saves, dumping/backing up NAND, savedata, etc.

So, another way of freeing up space on system SD is to not install any VC unless you must (like Pokemon Red/Blue/Green/Yellow) because you can run them from another flashcart and probably get a better/more original rom from it. And try avoid installing crap ware.

So yeah, free is great. But then it comes down to how much $$$ you have to waste and how much you want to get out of your 3DS.

Everything else is semantics. And boy, do people on this forum love semantics...

 

[Hyoretsu]

Just a curiosity: For NDS, which is better R4i Gold PRO 2016 (r4i-sdhc.com) or gateway's blue card?

EDIT: I'm not getting cia files because I like for a card to be on the game card slot, also unaware of the block that newer versions had with my previous NDS card, Acekard, I updated my device, brick in the only game thing I had, hence leaving my device useless. Then I started buying original 3DS games, unaware of the flashcards. Then I realized that the money I used to buy the 6 3DS games is the exact same amount for me to buy Gateway, a 128GB microSD and Freakyforms Deluxe for the private header (I live in Brazil, so Gateway is $320, Freakyforms is $90 and the microSD is $104, pairing with every 3DS game here costing around $150), so it would save me a lot of money in the future buying a Flashcard, and it would cost "no money", because I'm going to sell my old 3DS games.

EDIT 2: I'm getting A9lh but no cias because I wanted to downgrade from 11.0.0-33 because it HAD no homebrew exploit, which proved to be quite useful, so my original plan was going to be just downgrade to 10.4 to use homebrew. But, as I didn't know how to do it, I searched on the Internet and came across Plailect's guide, seeing that a9lh was a "safer" version of homebrew, because it would leave you safe in a version that homebrew exploits existed while letting you update your 3DS.

So, I have nothing to lose buying a Gateway, because 3DS games are my only interest that I can get as of today. (I don't know if I wrote my idea right, cuz english not my main language, but all the things I'm interested besides 3DS games are expensive)

 

[Temarile]

Just a curiosity: For NDS, which is better R4i Gold PRO 2016 (r4i-sdhc.com) or gateway's blue card?

EDIT: I'm not getting cia files because I like for a card to be on the game card slot, also unaware of the block that newer versions had with my previous NDS card, Acekard, I updated my device, brick in the only game thing I had, hence leaving my device useless. Then I started buying original 3DS games, unaware of the flashcards. Then I realized that the money I used to buy the 6 3DS games is the exact same amount for me to buy Gateway, a 128GB microSD and Freakyforms Deluxe for the private header (I live in Brazil, so Gateway is $320, Freakyforms is $90 and the microSD is $104, pairing with every 3DS game here costing around $150), so it would save me a lot of money in the future buying a Flashcard, and it would cost "no money", because I'm going to sell my old 3DS games.

I'd like to point out that freakyforms is only used for freakyhax, you can use any game (even the 1$ games!) to get your private header from. Where are you from? Gateway for $320?! How much is your 3DS? I got my gateway for €30 secondhand..

I'd also like to point out that you will save even MORE money by not buying anything else (except maybe an sd card) and using cia files. Cia files are completely safe; you can update them using the Eshop (if they're the same region), you have your own private header per cia (so no PowerSaves needed for extracting or using decrypt9), they won't ever brick your or will ever ban you.

Listen, I want to help you but please keep in mind that all you want can be achieved for free.

 

[Hyoretsu]

I'd like to point out that freakyforms is only used for freakyhax, you can use any game (even the 1$ games!) to get your private header from. Where are you from? Gateway for $320?! How much is your 3DS? I got my gateway for €30 secondhand..

I'd also like to point out that you will save even MORE money by not buying anything else (except maybe an sd card) and using cia files. Cia files are completely safe; you can update them using the Eshop (if they're the same region), you have your own private header per cia (so no PowerSaves needed for extracting or using decrypt9), they won't ever brick your or will ever ban you.

Listen, I want to help you but please keep in mind that all you want can be achieved for free.

I used $=money (R$, in my case), cuz here in Brazil things are WAAAY more expensive than in US (something that there is $150, here is R$1,500), so Sky3ds+ - there, $80; here - R$320 (when the price is low, if not, it goes up to R$400). For homebrew I use browserhax with menu has and here in Brazil, the cheapest 3DS game you'll find will be used Mario Kart 7 games for R$60

 

[Clector]

If that is what you say you really want to buy a Flashcart you maybe then buy a Sky3DS/+ one since you can use it in another console without problem with or without CFW (the only exception are obviously AP games with the original models, and of course VC games and exclusive eShop that since you have Arm9LoderHax you can run from Sky3DS if you have a CFW with Signatures Patches but only with CFW no in consoles without CFW). Also note that Gateway only work in no modified console only till 9.2 Update so you see based in what you say.

 

[Hyoretsu]

My original plan was to buy a Sky3ds+ cuz of my version, but as I wanted homebrew so badly (this was before browser and menuhax were available for 11.0.0-33) and I didn't have any games for homebrew exploit, I wanted to downgrade my version to 10.4. But when I saw Plailect's guide and how hard it was to downgrade, I saw EmuNAND, which I could use the homebrew exploit from 10.4 and use 11.0. But then, I went further on the tutorial and saw a9lh, which I think is basically a better EmuNAND. I'm aware of all the firmware limitations of Sky3ds+ and Gateway, private header-related stuff, but I didn't know the exact features of the two, so I started this thread. If Sky3ds was better, I would follow my original plan of buying Sky3ds+ (At first I was going to buy it cuz of the Gateway 9.2.0 FW limitation and was going to stay on 11.0) while still downgrading and installing a9lh. But now, as you all pointed out, Gateway is better, so I'll buy Gateway instead of Sky3ds, while still downgrading.

 

[Clector]

If you have Arm9LoaderHax you will need to use their arm9loaderhax.bin and you need to use the Version 1 of Arm9LoaderHax, also you will use in conjuntion of other CFW since I heard that updating it will brick and uninstall Arm9LoaderHax so you will need to update from the other CFW instead.

 

[Temarile]

This comes from a girl who owns both Gateway (Red and Blue card) and Sky3ds (Blue button):

IMHO I'd go with Sky3ds+ then. Sky3ds works on all firmwares and without any patches. You can lend it without any problems. Gateway is more hassle on setting up, especially on arm9loaderhax. Sky3ds works as soon as you set up the SD card for it, where gateway needs an entire emunand/cfw set up / not the newest a9lh / no protection ect. You need private headers for both.

Are there no cheap ass 3rd party games where you live? Like cubic ninja used to be? Some fitness 3ds game or something? The ones you always find in bargain bins