Hardware n3ds XL / LL mainboard swap?

alice_latte

New Member
OP
Newbie
Joined
Dec 27, 2018
Messages
2
Trophies
0
Age
25
XP
60
Country
United States
hello.

in some hypothetical circumstance where i'm getting a new 3ds XL to replace my old beat up one, i'm wondering something... if i were to buy a n3ds LL, and swap the mainboard from my us XL, would it be smooth sailing as far as my nintendo account/etc are concerned? i'm running cfw and it's a bit of a pain to hack another 3ds, not to mention i'd figure system transfer is a nightmare, and i like the "pearl white" housing color only offered in the jp reigon.

basically, i'm wondering if the main region locking is limited to only the mainboard, or if it's a different cartridge reader as well or something? and would my current mainboard recognize it was paired with different hardware and not work? sorry, i don't really know how to research it myself.
 
Joined
Jan 1, 2018
Messages
7,292
Trophies
2
XP
5,949
Country
United States
You can swap motherboards between systems of the same 3DS/2DS model. There are no regional hardware incompatibilities to watch out for, except for the AC wall charger due to differing country wall sockets and voltage standards. You do understand disassembling a perfectly working JPN n3DSLL to change out the motherboard carries the risk you can end up with two nonworking 3DS?

While technically possible, it is impractical to System Transfer between two systems from different regions. Old 3DS series can have the 3DS firmware region changed with CTRTransfer and use Nintendo eShop from other regions after a Format System Memory(?), but New 3DS series are permanently locked in to only their native/original eShop.

If your current USA n3DSXL has custom firmware and is still functional, you may want backup your games, DLCs and updates into *.cia with GodMode9 and the game saves + exdata with Checkpoint or JKSM in case your repairs aren't successful. This way, you don't lose any important data.
 
  • Like
Reactions: alice_latte

alice_latte

New Member
OP
Newbie
Joined
Dec 27, 2018
Messages
2
Trophies
0
Age
25
XP
60
Country
United States
yeah, i understand that i could end up bricking both. i like to think that i'm experienced enough to not do that though. i guess there's only one way to find out...

thanks for the response, appreciate it
 

Site & Scene News

Popular threads in this forum

General chit-chat
Help Users
  • SylverReZ @ SylverReZ:
    I was from the get-go when I joined lol.
    +1
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    @SylverReZ, what's the gecko?
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    Nvm you corrected it
  • SylverReZ @ SylverReZ:
    Means from the beginning, so what I said here, was that I was into retro stuff from the beginning when and before I joined.
  • SylverReZ @ SylverReZ:
    For some reason, it's sometimes spelt incorrectly.
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    @SylverReZ, so you like retro stuff since you were a kid
    +1
  • SylverReZ @ SylverReZ:
    @Xdqwerty, Yes, ever since I was born. Into computers and game consoles.
  • SylverReZ @ SylverReZ:
    I had a PS1, PS2, Wii, and many more that takes longer to list without scowering through my stuff, just to name a few.
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    @SylverReZ, i recall using the internet since i was about 4 yrs old (mainly just to watch YouTube and play browser games)
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    And yea I had a PS2 and a 3ds too but you know what happenned to them
  • SylverReZ @ SylverReZ:
    @Xdqwerty, What happened?
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    @SylverReZ, both broke, and my PS2 was sent to be repaired but we never got it back
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    I though you already knew about my 3ds tho
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    Btw @SylverReZ do you remember this video?
  • SylverReZ @ SylverReZ:
    I'm off to bed, have a good night.
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    @SylverReZ, sleep well
    +1
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    Yawn
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    wut
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    what's that
  • PandaPandel @ PandaPandel:
    panda spotting in chat
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    I'm getting sleepy even though it's fairly early
  • pball79 @ pball79:
    Hey guys, where's the post that has all the wii u themes?
    pball79 @ pball79: Hey guys, where's the post that has all the wii u themes?