Hacking [PPOTW] Will you buy a Gateway 3DS flashcard?

[Thorhian]

My guess is that only the online ones, like Animal Crossing: New Leaf or Mario Kart 7 will have spotpass updates that block these flashcarts. Currently, the sole purpose of these spotpass updates is for bugs, and I remember one of them for MK7 being an update that removes an exploit in one of the races. Without updates like these, and much like system updates, all online functions are restricted, only available once you've updated. While I'm sure there can be patches, it's a real inconvenience to have to patch games like that. Perhaps the makers of Gateway and other potential cart makers can program it so no updates from the big N are made available. Of course, if you're planning on playing online, you probably shouldn't use a flashcart anyways.

But yeah, flashcarts flourish once the life of the console is almost over. I bet the Letterbomb exploit for Wii is easily patchable, but Nintendo didn't do anything about it. They've shut down WiiConnect24. They don't care if the Wii is hacked. When the 3DS is almost dead, they'll remove patches for that, too. That's why I'm not buying a flashcart until:

1. Backups are made easier to dump from the cart. It's easier for me to be able to do something like dump a disk from the Wii to a USB stick, and I'm sure there'll be a way to get the data from the cart to an SD card, which will make things a hell of a lot easier for me instead of carrying around all my cartridges. I don't want to have to download backups.
2. A softmod can be made from a flashcart's exploitations so I can just run backups modified from an image to a usable format to the SD card, and on the 3DS from there. No need for a flashcart by then, but hopefully they'll be less expensive by then.
3. Homebrew in general, such as emulators (that will hopefully let me run my GBA backups) or media players (namely video) are made available by flashcart, but if Gateway's cart is made available by an exploit, I'm sure the same thing can be done by emulating the encryption of the 3DS's software by making a piece of software for PC that allows for the entry of vital 3DS data, such as s/n or whatever it may use for the encryption to be used to use the image to recreate the software.
4. Such a process allows for the creation of a homebrew loader for 3DS. That would be so great...

I love how you assume that a soft mod would be made via a flashcart. It can be probably done without them, looking just at the guys at 3D Brew. We won't know for sure really until a few years go by, but I honestly want a scene similar to the Wii to snuff out flashcart businesses. For the DS, you needed them, since there wasnt any external media slots on it, but on the 3DS, along with some of its more sophisticated Firmware aspects, makes it a much better target for a all in one hacking package (including an SD card, excluding a flashcart), after you install (which just may be a game, like the current save exploit). Of course, there is just one problem... The 3DS is just extremely hard to hack in a substantial way in general, and honestly the fact that gateways team said they were currently stuck on 4.5 makes a bit suspicious on what exploit they are using (they said they were exploit based, didnt they?).

 

[WhiteMaze]

You're backpedaling. He/she specifically said they were gonna wait because the kit seems specifically geared toward piracy. If he was "hiding" behind the notion of only being interested in something like this for homebrew, why would we comment at all? He would buy the thing. His point is valid, end of story. I'm not defending his stance -- I'm not going to argue the merits of piracty or anti-piracy -- but don't misrepresent what the guy said or complain because he said it.

I think there has been a misunderstanding here.

My point is, how can he/she be surprised that the objective of cart is towards piracy? That is the only reason that is making Gateway so popular.

Homebrew? Well sure, that would be nice too. But I highly doubt ANY team is going to release a cart just for homebrew, because that doesn't sell very well.

So from what I understand, he/she is expecting a cart specifically for homebrew, or both.

And even if that is the case, I say what I said countless times before: Gateway is the first real breakthrough on the 3DS hacking scene. The fact that it plays anything is astounding, even more the fact that it plays 3DS roms.

In short, he/she can have his homebrew I assume, but all in due time.

 

[Duo8]

No one is expecting a card just for homebrew. They thought it could atleast support homebrew.
Oh well, no one knows how to make 3DS homebrew anyway.

 

[WhiteMaze]

No one is expecting a card just for homebrew. They thought it could atleast support homebrew.
Oh well, no one knows how to make 3DS homebrew anyway.

That is what I find astounding and I simply don't understand.

At least?

I guess doing what no other cart has done before, is not good enough...

 

[Duo8]

That is what I find astounding and I simply don't understand.

At least?

I guess doing what no other cart has done before, is not good enough...

What I'm saying is that some people won't get it until it get more features. The card is a breakthrough, but it would be wise to wait.

 

[Chocolina]

I bought/pre-ordered one and then canceled it because of the recent update. I was furious that they bothered saying 6x was blocked weeks, but didn't make a peep about 5x being blocked until just-recently, 5x, an update thats been around since like Late MArch/Early April, Gateway being announed in June.

I'll buy a Gateway for real once they're proven to offer decent update service.

 

[FAST6191]

Oh well, no one knows how to make 3DS homebrew anyway.

The processor type is known (it is a well known/documented one no less) and the memory layout including VRAM is too http://www.3dbrew.org/wiki/Memory_layout
Together that allows for basic homebrew to happen, full SD/flash cart card access, 3d libraries, network libraries and such like will need to be made before many can do that sort of thing but the basics above allow for a few nice little demos.

Definately no, it's sole underlying purpose is for piracy, ESPECIALLY since there arent any easy to use and accessible tools to make your own backups.

Technically that is probably how it works. However functionally (especially if you do not use a distributed storage download type method) the "must be able to dump my own" seems like an arbitrary distinction.

 

[cefca]

i won't bother with it until our chinese friends duplicate it and sell it for a 3rd of the price. granted i don't even have a 3ds yet

 

[BORODA]

i won't bother with it until our chinese friends duplicate it and sell it for a 3rd of the price. granted i don't even have a 3ds yet

I'd recommend you not to wait with a 3ds purchase itself. There's a big chance that after gateway is released, nintendo will force the 6.x update to be preinstalled on new consoles making gateway unusable (gateway will not be updated to 5.x+, that's 99%). Currently pretty much every console is sold with 4.x series firmware.

 

[WhiteMaze]

What I'm saying is that some people won't get it until it get more features. The card is a breakthrough, but it would be wise to wait.

Ah. With that, I can agree.

I'd recommend you not to wait with a 3ds purchase itself. There's a big chance that after gateway is released, nintendo will force the 6.x update to be preinstalled on new consoles making gateway unusable (gateway will not be updated to 5.x+, that's 99%). Currently pretty much every console is sold with 4.x series firmware.

I would go one step further and say that if the Gateway team can update the card in order to function on newer firmwares, Nintendo will soon realize this. So instead of having just the firmware barrier, Nintendo will probably start manufacturing 3DS's with hardware improvements over security, wouldn't be surprised if it specifically blocked the Gateway card, permanently.

I still remember what happened, back in the day, when you tried to downgrade a PSP with the devil's motherboard, otherwise known as TA-081 motherboard. Yup. You ended up with a paperweight. A 200$ paperweight.

 

[reon]

No. While I'm glad someone finally managed to get this going, I'll be waiting for a cart with customization/personalization options. The first thing I did with my R4 was customize everything. Also, while I do want homebrew, it's not as honorable as most would think since I use it mostly to pirate even more lol (emulators, roms, music, movies, etc). Oh, and region free so my JAP 3DS roms will work too.

And I still have a massive library of DS games still waiting to be played. Curse you real life!

 

[Luhof]

Sorry if offtopic :

I don't remember, did people used to complain that much (as much as now with the Gateway) when we had to solder a chip in our Wiis, and that we actually needed to burn each iso on a DVD?
(and you couldn't just use the same DVD with multiple games, you couldn't even erase the game and copy another one)
Sure, we can't compare a handheld with a wii, but...

Being able to erase a game on a SD card and copying another one without losing our saves is already much more than I expected from Gateway.

 

[Boy12]

I think i'm gonna wait until:
1. A exploit comes out.
2. When there's a better flashcard released.
I know, this the first flashcard made for 3DS, so don't go flaming on me, but for me it's not so usefull.
For example, your going on vacation, and you take your Gateway with you, you also need to carry all those Micro SD's, you can easily lose them.

 

[Tattorack]

Yes I will!
That is, after I buy a 3DS/3DS-XL.
And then I'll pray that it'll support more than just games in the near future...

 

[Danny600kill]

I won't be purchasing a gateway because for me personally it's not worth the price being that I never play my 3DS as it is.

I might end up getting a 3DS flashcart when they get cheaper and the library of games for the 3DS improves , but I'm still interested in seeing some reviews of these things as see whether they actually work as they say they do , and wether they get blocked by Nintendo in the next few weeks

 

[WhiteMaze]

Sorry if offtopic :

I don't remember, did people used to complain that much (as much as now with the Gateway) when we had to solder a chip in our Wiis, and that we actually needed to burn each iso on a DVD?
(and you couldn't just use the same DVD with multiple games, you couldn't even erase the game and copy another one)
Sure, we can't compare a handheld with a wii, but...

Being able to erase a game on a SD card and copying another one without losing our saves is already much more than I expected from Gateway.

Couldn't have put it better myself.

 

[skarthebloodchild]

No because there is still few info for me.
And also does not work on all firmwares.
New games comes out and then what?

 

[Parasite X]

My guess is that only the online ones, like Animal Crossing: New Leaf or Mario Kart 7 will have spotpass updates that block these flashcarts. Currently, the sole purpose of these spotpass updates is for bugs, and I remember one of them for MK7 being an update that removes an exploit in one of the races. Without updates like these, and much like system updates, all online functions are restricted, only available once you've updated. While I'm sure there can be patches, it's a real inconvenience to have to patch games like that. Perhaps the makers of Gateway and other potential cart makers can program it so no updates from the big N are made available. Of course, if you're planning on playing online, you probably shouldn't use a flashcart anyways.

But yeah, flashcarts flourish once the life of the console is almost over. I bet the Letterbomb exploit for Wii is easily patchable, but Nintendo didn't do anything about it. They've shut down WiiConnect24. They don't care if the Wii is hacked. When the 3DS is almost dead, they'll remove patches for that, too. That's why I'm not buying a flashcart until:

1. Backups are made easier to dump from the cart. It's easier for me to be able to do something like dump a disk from the Wii to a USB stick, and I'm sure there'll be a way to get the data from the cart to an SD card, which will make things a hell of a lot easier for me instead of carrying around all my cartridges. I don't want to have to download backups.
2. A softmod can be made from a flashcart's exploitations so I can just run backups modified from an image to a usable format to the SD card, and on the 3DS from there. No need for a flashcart by then, but hopefully they'll be less expensive by then.
3. Homebrew in general, such as emulators (that will hopefully let me run my GBA backups) or media players (namely video) are made available by flashcart, but if Gateway's cart is made available by an exploit, I'm sure the same thing can be done by emulating the encryption of the 3DS's software by making a piece of software for PC that allows for the entry of vital 3DS data, such as s/n or whatever it may use for the encryption to be used to use the image to recreate the software.
4. Such a process allows for the creation of a homebrew loader for 3DS. That would be so great...

I couldn't have said it better my friend

 

[Amber Lamps]

Wow more than 400 liars. Seriously though, if you are big into this hobby you're probably going to be getting a flash cart I put no but that could always change. I'm assuming there's no maybe in this vote because most people would probably vote there.

I'll wait and see if someone clones it. No rush..

 

[Parasite X]

I won't be purchasing a gateway because for me personally it's not worth the price being that I never play my 3DS as it is.

I might end up getting a 3DS flashcart when they get cheaper and the library of games for the 3DS improves , but I'm still interested in seeing some reviews of these things as see whether they actually work as they say they do , and wether they get blocked by Nintendo in the next few weeks

If you never play your 3DS then whats the point if your planing to sell it 'i'll buy it from you .