I'm posting this to confirm and let others know that doing a system transfer from original non-Gateway 3DS to gateway 3DS, totally works! (For those who don't know already)
Whenever someone asked about it on other sites, users respond saying that they aren't sure and have never tried it. Only a very few users know that it works, and I wonder why there isn't an official tutorial or confirmation that this is possible. (If there is anything on this on an official Gateway guide, my apologies.)
With all this done, your Gateway 3DS and original non-Gateway 3DS will be fused together and become one, and your original 3DS will become a blank slate. Your old Gateway Data will be wiped out, so only the data from your original 3DS will exist on the Gateway 3DS.
You'll never have to keep switching between both 3DS to access your data.
After doing the system transfer, here are the results:
- Everything can only be seen and accessed from emunand (Eshop purchases, etc)
- You're free to download any previously purchased Eshop games (Or just transfer the Nintendo 3DS folder from the original 3DS SD card and everything will automatically be on the menu)
- Save files are still intact
- Friends list from original 3DS is imported
- Mii's are all here (Good for when Smash Bros comes out, which I plan to buy)
- Almost all virtual console games working (NES, GB, GBC, 3D Classics are working perfect)
- DSIWare and Ambassador GBA games not working, black screen (The ONLY issue here, everything else works flawless)
How To:
Drawbacks:
There are no drawbacks so far, no reason to regret ever doing this transfer. Besides the lack of working DSIWare and Ambassador GBA games. Also having to go to emunand (With the Gateway card inserted) to access your virtual console/other Eshop games.
The only thing I can think of, is Nintendo updating the firmware and we'll be locked out of eshop until Gateway releases a new update. There's nothing I really need from the eshop anyways, I have everything I need from there. Almost no reason to ever need to go to eshop. Unless a time comes when a famous indie game like Shovel Knight is released, we wouldn't be able to buy it for a while. So if Eshop is important to you, keep hold of your original 3DS.
Also not being able to access your eshop games from sysnand. You can't download them from eshop either, or else you'd update your sysnand. So it's entirely forced on emunand itself.
Just know that if emunand is deleted in any way, you can simply recreate it and you should still have all your games there. Since emunand is a copy of the sysnand, so don't worry about losing your system data if your SD card were to be lost. It's tied to the 3DS itself, emunand or not.
The inconvenience of always needing your Gateway card to boot into emunand to play your virtual console/other Eshop games, or to boot into Classic mode for retail cartridges can be another drawback if you plan on getting rid of your original 3DS. You'll really need to get used to booting into either mode. Others wouldn't be able to use your 3DS unless you taught them how to boot it up (No kids allowed)
My usual plan to get a Gateway 3DS, is to sell my original 3DS first. But luckily I was able to sell old N64 games instead. Now that I see that my original 3DS is useless, I'll end up selling it anyways. Considering that my Gateway 3DS is brand new from the box.
Whenever someone asked about it on other sites, users respond saying that they aren't sure and have never tried it. Only a very few users know that it works, and I wonder why there isn't an official tutorial or confirmation that this is possible. (If there is anything on this on an official Gateway guide, my apologies.)
With all this done, your Gateway 3DS and original non-Gateway 3DS will be fused together and become one, and your original 3DS will become a blank slate. Your old Gateway Data will be wiped out, so only the data from your original 3DS will exist on the Gateway 3DS.
You'll never have to keep switching between both 3DS to access your data.
After doing the system transfer, here are the results:
- Everything can only be seen and accessed from emunand (Eshop purchases, etc)
- You're free to download any previously purchased Eshop games (Or just transfer the Nintendo 3DS folder from the original 3DS SD card and everything will automatically be on the menu)
- Save files are still intact
- Friends list from original 3DS is imported
- Mii's are all here (Good for when Smash Bros comes out, which I plan to buy)
- Almost all virtual console games working (NES, GB, GBC, 3D Classics are working perfect)
- DSIWare and Ambassador GBA games not working, black screen (The ONLY issue here, everything else works flawless)
How To:
Caution: If you just got your Gateway and you're new to Gateway usage, I suggest learning a bit more about Gateway before attempting this.
This FAQ will help you understand more about Gateway!
You do NOT want to transfer the system data to the sysnand! This process only involves the emunand, so everything you do, it must be from the emunand. Read these instructions carefully and be sure that you've entered emunand before each step. There's absolutely nothing you need to do in sysnand, PERIOD. Besides going to settings to launch emunand.
As Gateway users, we should all know that we must enter emunand in order to do anything with the 3DS. You'll know when you've entered emunand, when you've went to settings and loaded "DS Profile".
Considering that you'd be on the latest 3DS firmware on emunand, you will see the miiverse icon on the top right. Something you can't possibly have on sysnand when on 4.5.
I looked over my guide and tried my best to make this noob friendly. It's hard to mess up on this, but there's a slim chance that you will if you're fairly new to Gateway.
DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!
v Click the spoiler below to proceed to the instructions
This FAQ will help you understand more about Gateway!
You do NOT want to transfer the system data to the sysnand! This process only involves the emunand, so everything you do, it must be from the emunand. Read these instructions carefully and be sure that you've entered emunand before each step. There's absolutely nothing you need to do in sysnand, PERIOD. Besides going to settings to launch emunand.
As Gateway users, we should all know that we must enter emunand in order to do anything with the 3DS. You'll know when you've entered emunand, when you've went to settings and loaded "DS Profile".
Considering that you'd be on the latest 3DS firmware on emunand, you will see the miiverse icon on the top right. Something you can't possibly have on sysnand when on 4.5.
I looked over my guide and tried my best to make this noob friendly. It's hard to mess up on this, but there's a slim chance that you will if you're fairly new to Gateway.
DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!
v Click the spoiler below to proceed to the instructions
1.) Update your original non-Gateway 3DS to the latest firmware, and also update your Gateway 3DS FROM emunand to the latest (ONLY IF you've read that Gateway supports the latest firmware. 8.1 Being the latest as of now, which Gateway supports.)
2.) Backup the "Nintendo 3DS" folder from your original non-Gateway 3DS to a computer (Just in case, not sure if it will format the SD card) Also backup the DCIM and Music folder.
3.) Now launch the system transfer on the original non-Gateway 3DS. On the Gateway 3DS, load up emunand and launch system transfer from there. Follow through with the instructions on-screen.
4.) When it asks to delete the data from the Gateway 3DS SD card, click no (You need emunand, as this transfer is going purely to the emunand.)
5.) Once the transfer process finishes, it will tell you that the system will be restarted. This is when you hit the wireless switch off before continuing.
6.) The system will restart and try to connect to the internet (You will be in settings automatically), just load up emunand like usual, by going to "Other settings", then "Profile", then "DS Profile".
7.) Once again, settings will automatically be loaded, this is when you should enable the wireless switch and let it connect to the internet (Considering that you're in emunand, you can check the firmware to be sure it says GWDS 8.1)
8.) After the process is done, I believe it will bring you back to sysnand. Just power off the 3DS and get ready to transfer the original "Nintendo 3DS" folder to the Gateway 3DS SD card.
9.) Turn on the Gateway 3DS and you will notice that sysnand has nothing new. Launch emunand and behold, all your original games and everything else is on the menu. You can now use your original 3DS data from emunand!
Optional) You'll want to backup your emunand, in case you lose your SD card, or it gets corrupted. If this were to happen, you'd have to install another 4.5 emunand on your SD card, and update to the newest firmware from emunand. What if the newest firmware isn't what Gateway currently supports, you'd be stuck without Gateway.
What you can do to backup your emunand, is to make an image backup of your SD card. This will convert the contents on your SD card into one file that you can backup and restore at a later point. You can use Win32DiskImager to create your backup. Thanks to Quicksilver88 for this useful tip!
2.) Backup the "Nintendo 3DS" folder from your original non-Gateway 3DS to a computer (Just in case, not sure if it will format the SD card) Also backup the DCIM and Music folder.
3.) Now launch the system transfer on the original non-Gateway 3DS. On the Gateway 3DS, load up emunand and launch system transfer from there. Follow through with the instructions on-screen.
4.) When it asks to delete the data from the Gateway 3DS SD card, click no (You need emunand, as this transfer is going purely to the emunand.)
5.) Once the transfer process finishes, it will tell you that the system will be restarted. This is when you hit the wireless switch off before continuing.
6.) The system will restart and try to connect to the internet (You will be in settings automatically), just load up emunand like usual, by going to "Other settings", then "Profile", then "DS Profile".
7.) Once again, settings will automatically be loaded, this is when you should enable the wireless switch and let it connect to the internet (Considering that you're in emunand, you can check the firmware to be sure it says GWDS 8.1)
8.) After the process is done, I believe it will bring you back to sysnand. Just power off the 3DS and get ready to transfer the original "Nintendo 3DS" folder to the Gateway 3DS SD card.
9.) Turn on the Gateway 3DS and you will notice that sysnand has nothing new. Launch emunand and behold, all your original games and everything else is on the menu. You can now use your original 3DS data from emunand!
Optional) You'll want to backup your emunand, in case you lose your SD card, or it gets corrupted. If this were to happen, you'd have to install another 4.5 emunand on your SD card, and update to the newest firmware from emunand. What if the newest firmware isn't what Gateway currently supports, you'd be stuck without Gateway.
What you can do to backup your emunand, is to make an image backup of your SD card. This will convert the contents on your SD card into one file that you can backup and restore at a later point. You can use Win32DiskImager to create your backup. Thanks to Quicksilver88 for this useful tip!
Drawbacks:
There are no drawbacks so far, no reason to regret ever doing this transfer. Besides the lack of working DSIWare and Ambassador GBA games. Also having to go to emunand (With the Gateway card inserted) to access your virtual console/other Eshop games.
The only thing I can think of, is Nintendo updating the firmware and we'll be locked out of eshop until Gateway releases a new update. There's nothing I really need from the eshop anyways, I have everything I need from there. Almost no reason to ever need to go to eshop. Unless a time comes when a famous indie game like Shovel Knight is released, we wouldn't be able to buy it for a while. So if Eshop is important to you, keep hold of your original 3DS.
Also not being able to access your eshop games from sysnand. You can't download them from eshop either, or else you'd update your sysnand. So it's entirely forced on emunand itself.
Just know that if emunand is deleted in any way, you can simply recreate it and you should still have all your games there. Since emunand is a copy of the sysnand, so don't worry about losing your system data if your SD card were to be lost. It's tied to the 3DS itself, emunand or not.
The inconvenience of always needing your Gateway card to boot into emunand to play your virtual console/other Eshop games, or to boot into Classic mode for retail cartridges can be another drawback if you plan on getting rid of your original 3DS. You'll really need to get used to booting into either mode. Others wouldn't be able to use your 3DS unless you taught them how to boot it up (No kids allowed)
My usual plan to get a Gateway 3DS, is to sell my original 3DS first. But luckily I was able to sell old N64 games instead. Now that I see that my original 3DS is useless, I'll end up selling it anyways. Considering that my Gateway 3DS is brand new from the box.
