Hacking Private Header Ban?

[Ohana_Honokusu]

I asked the Sky3DS Team if I'm 100% safe from getting banned when playing online with a private header and they said (word for word) "Sorry, it's not 100% guarantee that." Am I really not safe Online with a Private Header?

 

[VinsCool]

You should be safe. But there are still risks. It's a Schrödinger's cat situation.

 

[Ohana_Honokusu]

You should be safe. But there are still risks. It's a Schrödinger's cat situation.

What are the risks?

 

[Adeka]

What are the risks?

Obviously getting banned is the only risk

 

[VinsCool]

What are the risks?

Well, technically a private header is unique. So you play online just like you do with a legit retail game.
I saw Private header bans, but maybe those were either wrongly made, or used by multiple games. So if you make sure that no other online game uses the same private header, you are safe.

 

[FAST6191]

You asked programmers/scientists/engineers for a 100% guarantee in a mass market hacking scenario for a device that has minimal update capability. Such people are rather wary of terms like 100% at the best of times and that is not the best of times.

Anyway if it bothers you in the slightest then do not do it. From what we have seen though then you really have to screw up to be banned, if you follow even basic safe practices (dump your own headers, do not share them with your mates, do not share them with Nintendo...) then it should be good.

 

[Seita]

No. If you have the game from which you extracted the private header, you 100% safe. But you should use a cart that only you used. If you bought game that was not used before, then you're fine. I always go online with my private header since July and never had any problem with it.

 

[Ohana_Honokusu]

Thanks to everyone who responded. When they told me it's not guaranteed, it intimidated me a bit, but I'll dump my header soon

 

[Zidapi]

I asked the Sky3DS Team if I'm 100% safe from getting banned when playing online with a private header and they said (word for word) "Sorry, it's not 100% guarantee that." Am I really not safe Online with a Private Header?

It depends on how private your private header is.

Did you obtain it from a cart you purchased yourself?

No? Then there's always the risk someone is using that header.

Yes? Nobody can say with absolute certainty that Nintendo can't detect that you're using a single header for multiple games, or that they won't be able to at some point in the future.

Therefore, nobody can guarantee 100% that you won't get banned.

It's also worth noting that people who have been banned were only banned for a short period of time. I'm not aware of anybody who has been permanently banned, and it would be foolish of Nintendo to do so.

 

[Seita]

Yes? Nobody can say with absolute certainty that Nintendo can't detect that you're using a single header for multiple games, or that they won't be able to at some point in the future.

That's a very far from possible thing. Because millions of people are using games and it would be pure chance to detect someone like that. I don't think Nintendo people have time for such extreme actions

 

[Quantumcat]

It's possible that Nintendo might develop a way to tell if, for instance, a game (ie its header) was being played online that has no online capabilities, or that a game was being played on a different game's servers. But that's a problem for the future, not for right now.

 

[Deleted-236924]

You're playing online using (most likely) pirated games and unauthorized devices. You have to accept the risks of consequences if it happens.
I'd wager that using private headers that come from the game you are actually playing would probably be the safest, but then why use the Sky when you have the real cartridges for playing online? unless you are on 9.2 and lower you can't even dump your own private headers from your games, so you'd risk getting banned from using the Sky when you could just use the retail cartridges and have peace of mind.

 

[toiel]

I think most bans are result of using modded rom versions, like Pokemon, where people can edit the saves and get things you shouldn't get in normal play...

 

[gallymimu]

I asked the Sky3DS Team if I'm 100% safe from getting banned when playing online with a private header and they said (word for word) "Sorry, it's not 100% guarantee that." Am I really not safe Online with a Private Header?

Keep in mind that the sky support people probably don't even know the right answer to this question. Not to mention (as previously stated) that no one can guarantee the risk level associated with 1). An illegal activity, and 2). something that outright violates Nintendo's intentions, Terms of Service, etc.

using hacks, ROMs etc. should be seen as a "for fun" activity with moderate to high risk of something going wrong. If you aren't just doing it for the heck of it, you should go legit and buy games and give Nintendo the money they deserve.

In THEORY, Nintendo might have record of every private header that has been manufactured and may actually know every 3ds that has used a mismatched header/game. Who really knows. Just because they haven't done anything to anyone yet doesn't mean it can't happen. Look at the ban hammers that have been dropped on people in the past.

Chances are though, that you are probably fine... until you are not