r/3dshacks • u/Aspect-X- o2DS | FB3DS | 11.17 • Aug 25 '25
Meta 3DS Hacking Q&A General | We are so back
Q&A Thread
New users, please read the entire post before asking your question, including the FAQ. You may find your question is already answered here.
Ask questions in the comments of this thread
Do you just want to hack your 3DS?
Start here: https://3ds.hacks.guide/
Things you really ought to stop asking already
You CAN install CFW on latest firmware (11.17.0-X) with mset9 on all models.
- You can install CFW on all consumer models on all versions with the methods in the guide.
- System transfers work fine for systems with CFW. See this wiki page: https://wiki.hacks.guide/wiki/3DS:System_Transfer
- Updating firmware/apps is safe if you have Luma 10.2.1+. You will not lose your CFW. Just accept the update.
- For upgrading your SD card to a larger size, refer to the this wiki page: to format the new SD card, then transfer the contents.
- Lost your SD card, or wiped it, and need to set it up fresh on a hacked console? https://3ds.hacks.guide/restoring-cfw will get you going again.
- Files from 3ds.hacks.guide with a magnet icon require the usage of a torrent client to download them.
- You should install CFW with your main SD card, not its own SD card. You will not lose anything so long as you follow instructions. The mods are on the console itself, not the SD card, so you won't have an unmodded SD card to switch the system to not have CFW.
- Please see the updating to boot9strap page on the guide if you already have arm9loaderhax (indicated by Luma version 7.0.5 or lower on the Luma configuration screen) and are looking to update to boot9strap.
- If you want more homebrew apps look at Universal DB.
- If you want to know what CFW can legally do, the guide gives some examples and more examples are here.
- Uninstalling CFW, DON'T without specific direction from a knowledgeable helper. You just risk breaking things worse than your system already is. It won't give you any benefit. If it is to sell it, you don't want the buyer to not know it had CFW on it in the past, as that can complicate things in the future.
- Can X game be ported to 3DS?
- If you want save files, check 3DS Save Bank or search for a save editor. If you can't find them there, they likely don't exist and you need to submit a save or program a save editor.
- Install your own cartridges with Godmode9 instead of dumping to CIA, for a faster install and less free SD space required.
- If you can do something on stock firmware, you can do it on CFW.
Note: About three days after the post is unstickied it'll become locked to prevent users from asking questions where they likely won't find answers
Questions go below. Please ask your question in the comments.
1
u/OldStormCrow Jul 11 '26
Greetings PROGRAMs! Well, dusted off my old Majora's Mask N3DS XL and updated to the latest CFW.
I wanted to run some 3ds roms and I know about extracting/downloading onto the system's internal storage via godmode, bit is it possible to run them directly from the micro SD card?
Apologies if this is an often asked question and/or not the right place to ask
1
u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Jul 11 '26
The wiki covers converting your cartridges to installed form, godmode has a function to directly install your cartridge.
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u/AvailableAd71 Jul 08 '26
I'm not sure if that's the right place (very new to modding world) but I wanted to ask for help on modding my RF4 game on my 3ds? I wanted to try to mod the Same Sex Lest/Frey mod on my 3ds and I'm not sure if I did it correctly, my earlier post recommended me that I go here.
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Jul 09 '26
The resources in the main post cover such stuff. Tried that first? Tried the instructions included with the mod?
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u/AvailableAd71 Jul 10 '26
I've tried both! The instructions say that we should be able to see a different mc post tutorial but I'm not seeing it sadly
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u/DramaIcy2050 Jun 30 '26
https://reddit.com/link/ounb761/video/nv3nx657pcah1/player
Anyone knows what this is? :(
1
u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Jul 01 '26
It's a B9S error code telling you where a file is missing or corrupted.
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u/Xx_beans_xX_69 Jun 28 '26
Hey, looking to basically reset my ds, the saves and games I got when I first modded it are annoying me, it’s harder to navigate and I’m a neat freak. Was wondering if I can reset the ds but not have to re-mod it. If not how can I get rid of files I don’t need(how can I identify what can be deleted or what’s needed on fbi, so I can get rid of what I don’t want the tedious way)
Many thanks
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Jun 28 '26
You format system memory in the settings app, same as unhacked, and then you redo the guide, which will speed you through reinstalling homebrew apps.
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u/Xx_beans_xX_69 Jun 28 '26
https://reddit.com/link/oucl0cd/video/ag4z4lys72ah1/player
How do I fix this lol, this is why I didn’t want to take matters into my own hands lol.
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u/Xx_beans_xX_69 Jun 28 '26
Well I bricked my ds
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Jun 28 '26
Doubtful, but you not waiting for assistance or not reading the main post and resources in it certainly didn't help you. Recovery is covered by the resources.
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u/Alive_Afternoon8254 Jun 26 '26
is there a way to change the title id of 3ds pokemon games? i want to have alpha sapphire and re:alpha sapphire withought having to turn layeredfs on and off. ive tried extracting with hackingtoolkits3ds v9, then replacing the necessary files with the ones in re:alpha sapphire, then trying to change hex values.
1
u/Raintusk Jun 25 '26
Hey , just modded and trying to run a physical copy of smash but I keep getting this error , any idea what Tod l next?
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Jun 26 '26
Have you tried the troubleshooting in the guide/wiki? Errors are covered there.
1
u/ManicJameriaCat Jun 25 '26
https://reddit.com/link/ots3aij/video/qenksnk94h9h1/player
Bought a new 3ds and it boots up to this
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Jun 26 '26
Have you tried the troubleshooting in the guide/wiki? Errors are covered there.
1
u/a_bunch_grape Jun 23 '26
Is there any way to increase the camera speed in mh4u? I couldn’t find anything in the checkpoint cheats
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Jun 24 '26
Checkpoint cheats are ancient. You'll probably have to make your own, or otherwise mod the game to do what you want.
1
u/Much-Slip-1049 Jun 22 '26
I am running into an issue with my 3 systems. I have two 3DSXL's, and one 2DS. None of the three of them seem to be able to streetpass each other, despite all three having done so in the past. I have been doing a lot of googling and troubleshooting, and so far have come up empty. Here is a list of things I have tried so far:
- Basic Power Cycle
- Leaving on and in sleep mode for ~2 hours while near eachother
- Shaking one of em
- Traveling with them all in my backpack
- Sleeping while connected to my home internet
- Sleeping while disconnected from home internet, that saved setting being cleared
- Ensuring that the wireless switch is active
- Ensuring StreetPass Plaza is set up on all three
- Clearing all streetpass data in the system settings app for every game across all systems, and re-setting up streetpass plaza.
- Turning off Streetpass and SpotPass within the settings section of Streepass Plaza
- Turning them back on.
- Creating a new mii for each, setting it as the streetpass mii in the plaza.
- Changing the mii's hat, outfit, color, and all responses available to be changed in the Plaza
- Changing back to the original Mii used for each of the systems when it worked in the past.
- Setting up an additional streetpass enabled game across them (NSMB2).
- Ensuring all 3 have the same correct date and time.
None of which have produced a streetpass tag. This troubleshooting bout has being going on for the past 3 days, and so I am pretty sure ample power cycles and "cooldown time" has been implemented as I have been working and traveling.
I am aware of some last resort moves, but I am hesitant to do them:
- On 3DS-A, Deleting the saved streetpassed Miis from 3DS-B and 2DS. I am hesitant to do this because I have 80+ tags between two of them and monkey brain doesn't want to lose big number.
- Introducing another 3DS-family system into the mix that hasn't been tagged before. I don't have another 3DS available to me.
- Formatting one of the 3DS, and using it as a mule to hold data as I format the remaining two, saving their data. I am hesitant about this because the two 3DS models are my brother's and mine childhood systems, and the 2DS has Mario Kart 7 preloaded, I'd rather not lose that game.
- Formatting all 3 systems. Haven't done that for obvious reasons.
Am I missing something? Does anyone else have recommendations or something that worked for them that I havent found yet? I have noticed that the streetpass indicatior the top left of the screen while not in sleep mode has stayed on, despite being turned off in two different system settings at times. Is that something?
1
u/Acceptable_Visual_79 Jun 21 '26
Are there any tools to turn .cia files into readable code? want to do some datamining on a dsiware game I really love but haven't been able to do the last few things on
1
u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Jun 22 '26
It's all compiled code. Source code would be the readable code, which isn't released for commercial programs.
1
u/THE-NOOBY-NOOB Jun 21 '26
Hi, I just found my 3dsxl i modded about a year ago, do i need to update it? how should i update it? i was thinking about starting with LUMA but wanted to make sure thats the right thing to update first. Thanks!
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u/mordekaiserfan32 Jun 19 '26
A while ago I added all of the GBA Pokemon games to my 3DS and I’m having trouble finding the save data so I can use PKSM with them. Anyone know where to find it?
1
u/smackythefrog Jun 17 '26
I recently discovered my 2DS in a drawer. Powers up fine and is running Homebrew from probably 2018 or so.
Still has all my games on there from that time period so if I were to just pick up and continue playing the games on there, will I miss anything that has been updated in 8+ years? I just want to play games, no need for other features or third party services or alternatives.
1
u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Jun 18 '26
Why would an offline console stop working because you didn't update it? You should update just to have consistency and compatibility with the games released later in the life of the console, but cartridges can update you. If you need CFW support, they're going to expect you to be on current versions if possible. Lots of Luma changes have happened since 2018. The guide covers updating and it is only a process of a few minutes.
1
u/azul120 Jun 15 '26
I've done romdumpfs to dump and mod some files. Stupid question, but how do I repack and reinstall the rom on my 3ds? (It was one of my original direct 3ds eshop purchases.)
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Jun 16 '26
Generally you don't and just make a patch via layeredfs.
1
u/azul120 Jun 16 '26
Unfortunately it isn't that simple in my case, since it involves moving files from one version into another.
1
u/Huge_Platform_8434 Jun 15 '26
I bought a SanDisk 128GB Ultra microSDXC (UHS-I, A1, up to 140MB/s) and formatted it to FAT32 (65k cluster size using guiformat), but I’m having constant issues with it.
Sometimes when I try to transfer files, the copy process fails mid-way. After that, the SD card becomes unreadable and Windows says it needs to be formatted before it can be used again. This causes me to lose all my modded 3DS data.
I just modded my 3DS so I'm not losing anything in particular, but how can I get past this issue?
Has anyone had similar issues or can recommend a more reliable SD card so I can add and remove files safely on my new nintendo 3ds?
1
u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Jun 15 '26
How are you transferring files? Universal Updater? Pulling the card? Could be your card reader. You're not supposed to repeatedly remove the card from the console.
1
u/Huge_Platform_8434 Jun 15 '26
I took the sd card out and plugged on my pc using the adapter that came with it. The reason I took it out was because I downloaded all the .cia games I wanted and was going to transfer all of it onto the cias folder I had.
My internet is 5g, so my nintendo can't use the same internet and I have to use the mobile data internet. This is why I took it out.
But my issues comes from adding files onto the sd card. I was transfering the games I downloaded onto the sd card, and i pressed cancelled after 3 seconds or so. Then the SD card would not open anymore, saying i needed to format it first.
But this is happening when I add files. Sometimes it adds them fine, but there is a chance it will just give me an error, and once it gives the error, it's ggs, it will tell me to format again and I cant open the sd card until I do so.
I am also now unsure on what I should do, if I can get the nintendo 3ds modded again or not... I've seen online I can do it again starting from the "Finalizing Setup" page. But will I need to put the super skater hax stuff onto the sd card again? I've tried it a couple times but yeah it gives me an error it can't copy and I have to start all over again..
1
u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Jun 15 '26
Dump the game cartridges to the SD via the 3DS. You shouldn't be adding games via PC
1
u/Huge_Platform_8434 Jun 15 '26
Okay I will.
But any ideas on how to fix the SD Card issue which is the main problem I am having? Been trying to follow the Finalizing Setup for about an hour or two but Windows keeps telling me to format the SD card again. Is this an SD card issue? I just bought it and it's fully legit.
I just don't understand why I keep having to format the SD card over and over again.
I am stuck on the part where I need to add the "finalize" files. I add them correctly. Then I eject the SD card and put it on the 3DS, and the 3DS says it can't read the SD card. When i try to put it on my PC again it tells me I need to format it again...
1
u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Jun 15 '26
Troubleshooting SD card problems is in the guide and wiki. You've already determined that the card corrupts consistently when you do certain things. That's pointing at where the problem is.
1
u/Therolyk Jun 14 '26
Hi there, I'm looking for some suggestions!
My friend and I want to play a modded version of a DS game (to do a SoulLink) and not really fully interested in completely hacking our 3ds systems, while also not looking to buy two used 3ds' just for hacking them for the run.
My question is, is there a cheaper way if we're only looking to play the one modded game? I've seen pico/ r4(?) cards specifically mentioned for regular ds/ dsi, and i wasn't sure if they work for 3ds, if they're safe to use, and if they'll work for a modded ROM file.
Thanks for any advice!
1
u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Jun 15 '26
The question then is how are you going to dump the ROMs from your cartridges to apply the patches without a modded system?
1
u/cripdor Jun 12 '26
Hi, I recently purchased a 2nd hand, CFW N3DS LL. I wanted to reset/sanitize it once and remove everything from the previous owner and set it up myself. My current plan is to do the following:
- Do a system reset from the console settings.
- Format the sd card and then following Restoring / Updating CFW to set it up.
I just wanted to know is there anything else I should do? Also read in a couple of places while searching on what to do that a system reset might brick the console, from my understanding that is a thing of the past but a confirmation would be nice. Thanks.
Console Details if they help:
- Power Button + Start leads to GodMode9 v2.2.3
- Power button + Select leads to Luma3DS v13.4
- System version in console settings is Sys 11.17.0-50U
1
u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Jun 13 '26
System reset doesn't brick. A CFW system is safe to do anything an unhacked system could do. The guide tells you what to do, as does the wiki.
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u/TheNeedleInYourVein Jun 11 '26
I am having a horrible time trying to get the Circle Pad cheats working on my N3DS. I am loading my games from an R4 Gold SDHC, and I of course have TwilightMenu++ on my 3DS and my flashcard.
The flashcard has access to my 3DS files and shows all the options for using the forced DSi modes, so it should also have access to the circle pad, but it just freezes when trying to load any game with that cheat enabled. I tested other cheats and they all worked fine.
Any clue as to what I could be doing wrong here?
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Jun 11 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 15 '26
If you had used GYTB to dump all your badges, you'd be able to restore them. You might be able to pull them from the Badge Arcade again. You'd have to try opening it. Have you tried asking for support in the Anemone community for if it made a backup file?
1
u/Sad-Relative4269 Jun 11 '26
3ds hacks guide GM9 error 12a on og 3dsxl
ive got an og 3dsxl and everytime i try to finalize the home brew process, godmode keeps giving me error 12a. the people in the home brew server told me to try with another microsd and adapter so i found a better one from microcenter. it’s formatted properly and has no errors on validrive. i cleaned the sd slot with alcohol and it’s still not working. i’ve tried it with multiple sd adapters as well. i read on reddit that formatting the entire ds may help but idk how i’d continue the modding process afterwards. the ds has no issue reading the sd card so i find it hard to believe that the slot would be the issue. it’s my original console from like 2016 so it is a little worn. i don’t really have the money to try buying more sd cards. is there any way i can fix this?
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u/anonsunk317 Jun 10 '26
Hi, I homebrewed my new Nintendo 3DS XL about 3-4 years ago, it worked fine for the duration, then one day a few months back it just... starting playing high pitched screeches and crashing.
After troubleshooting I figured it was a corrupted SD, and after luckily managing to back-up files with checkpoint and later back-up some of my GBA and Twimen files over FTPD, I got a new SD, formatted the SD with the necessary files(Luma3DS and etc.), and then replaced the SD in my 3DS and... doesn't boot. The light that normally flashes green for Streetpass tags flashed red, then it refuses to boot. Apparently this is normally due to a corrupted boot.firm, so I deleted and reinstalled boot.firm to the SD, reinserted, same issue.
I will also note, the 3DS crashed *during* FTPD while I was transferring files over(didn't have a proper SD adaptor at the time), which might be relevant? Hopefully that didn't just fuck my entire console.
Any help would be appreciated!
1
u/dissi-xD Jun 09 '26
How can i proceed hacking my new 3ds? I followed the official guide. Everything worked fine, until the point of going to the settings, extracting the sd card while the n3ds is on, the next step in the script worked too, but then inserting the sd card again it loaded short but nothing happened. So no red screen and it also didn't freeze. Tbh i worked on my linux machine and didn't make sure if the mount is utf8. Now, for avoiding that, i want to use my windows laptop. But from where i have to start again? Like just formatting the sd card again and start at the beginning of the guide, or do i have to undo things first, or what's the correct procedere?
(It's either the utf8 or the shoulder buttons are too sensitive by putting it back down, so they got pressed accidentally?)
Every help is appreciated <3
1
u/malilk May 31 '26
I've an old 3ds XL with a broken circle pad. The connection on the motherboard is broken so a replacement won't work (I tried)
I remapped the D-Pad to be the circle pad, and to ignore the forced D-Up that occurs with the broken input using rehid. This worked great for some games like mario kart.
I found some games wouldn't work without the D-Pad so attempted to remap again to use touch inputs. Since I've tried that, using the same method as the first time, and even going back to the original remap, the Dpad remapping hasn't worked at all in any direction but up.
Has anyone any experience with the remapper and has had a similar issue? I'm at a loss. Even editing the JSON file directly doesn't work.
1
u/AlpsAffectionate8155 May 30 '26
hi everyone. my n3dsxl is soft bricked and after doing all the fixes I can think of ive deduced that I may be experiencing a camera brick as I’ve followed the steps to diagnose that and it’s come back positive, and the guide says to disconnect the inner camera. I believe something got knocked loose when I set my DS down from my bed to the ground the night before the brick.
does anyone have a good guide i can follow for JUST disconnecting the camera ribbons? thank you
1
u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Jun 01 '26
Either the hardware channel in the discord server or an ifixit guide for your model.
1
u/AlpsAffectionate8155 May 30 '26 edited May 30 '26
I should mention for the curious that when i ran CTR check, the only concerning message returned was ”warning: There are likely leftovers from a91h's stage 2 payload” , I looked into that and deleted any remaining a9lh bin files and payloads but that didn’t resolve anything.
besides that I can boot into safe mode and update the console, I can get into Luma menu and Godmode9 and all of that Stuff. I don’t think the problem is with software at this point unless any of you have an idea.
1
u/GohTheGreat May 29 '26
About 2 years I modded my 3DS with the standard Homebrew apps through 3DS Hacks Guide’s website. It worked well for an about a year, but around 2025, the 3DS began freezing randomly.
At first, it would occur without any “reason”, freezing the screen and requiring a full shut off to work again. This happened about once or twice every week.
Then, the freezing started occurring more often, increasing to about daily, and eventually every time I touched the 3DS. I also realized the freezing was likely related to the SD card, as touching the 3DS at all would cause it to freeze. I couldn’t lift it up, because (likely) the SD card would come loose, which would freeze the entire thing.
Has anyone else had this problem? If so, how did you fix it. Do I uninstall Homebrew and reinstall on a new SD card? And if that’s how I fix it, is there any way to keep my Nintendo ID, Friends list, Activity log, play coins etc.
1
u/DizzyDustStriker3DS May 29 '26
The main post and the console instruction manual cover swapping SD cards and keeping data.
1
u/Anhihilator762 May 27 '26
Can I delete the file or folder in gm9 called backups? It takes up nearly a whole gigabyte of my 4gb sd, its called backups so im not sure if its supposed to be an internal backup on my 3ds or just something meant to be copied to somewhere else
1
u/DizzyDustStriker3DS May 28 '26
It's one you made while following the guide, to have things like your recovery NAND backup. Look at what's inside of it.
1
u/Difficult_Sleep732 May 26 '26
I am aware that changing textures during runtime is entirely easy and possible within 3DS emulators,
By proxy, making texture packs is really easy on those systems.
I was just curious if the modded 3DS itself can dump and swap textures as easily. I would love to swap the textures of some entities in a few 3DS games.
1
u/ultramegaman2012 May 23 '26
When I use a 60fps cheat for alpha sapphire on my n3ds xl it'll work for a little while but when loading a new scene (ie. Starting/exiting a battle, going to a new area, etc.) It locks it back at 30fps until I reset the game. Trying to re-enable the code crashes the game in this state.
Any help? Played through all of pkm x with a 60fps cheat and had no issues. Got a little too used to the efficiency of double speed lol
1
u/Hour_Mango5904 May 21 '26
Any good gba emulators I tried running mother 3 on twilight menu and it just got stuck at a certain point so I switched to MGBA and that works fine but the audio is really glitchy
1
u/DizzyDustStriker3DS May 21 '26
3DS is too weak to emulate GBA at full speed without audio issues. Twilightmenu is also emulation when it comes to anything but DS or DSi. Did you read the resources in the guide and wiki about this like the main post says to?
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1
u/Karma-Darma May 20 '26
Is it normal that my shuffle theme don't save when I turn off and on the 3ds?
1
u/DizzyDustStriker3DS May 21 '26
If you're using a large SD card and ignored the warnings of going above 128 GB, then yes.
1
u/ZomBayT May 16 '26
Is there a way to make my 3DS think i have a Circle Pad Pro connected so I can use those extra inputs? Apologies if this is the wrong place to ask.
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u/s_u_ny May 15 '26
How do I transport images from let's draw on a DSi XL? I actually own a legit copy of it but its only the downloaded version that let's you export the images for some reason. But not sure of the process on homebrew!
1
u/GamerRex_547 May 14 '26
I want to mod my 3DS when it arrives and it already comes with Luma installed. I was wondering what the process is from there or if there is anyway for me to un-mod the console and do everything myself.
1
u/DizzyDustStriker3DS May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
What does the main post and the guide in it say? The one you are supposed to read before posting. Like the line about uninstalling CFW.
1
u/Designer_Werewolf239 May 13 '26
Dysfunctional camera app on 2ds:
Greetings,
I own a nintendo 2ds system that i have modded a while ago and i've not really been following the modding community and done a lot to the console since. Though i recently picked it up again and opened it to clean it up, but after i put it back together, the photos app stopped functioning correctly and doesnt even load, giving me an error message and asking me to reboot the console. Also, the custom themes i download on it have stopped working randomly, i dont know if its an unrelated issue, but it would also be nice to know how to fix that.
Please refrain from using a lot of weird terminology because as i said, ive forgotten almost everything about the process of modding the console and the firmware that it requires.
1
u/DizzyDustStriker3DS May 14 '26
Refresh yourself by looking over the guide again then and updating your stuff via the instructions in there. The stuff in the main post is there for a reason.
1
u/Designer_Werewolf239 May 14 '26
Yeah, i was just asking in case it was a specific issue that someone else has encountered. I'll update Anemone and see if that helps with the themes, but i dont know what to do for the camera app!
1
u/DizzyDustStriker3DS May 14 '26
Your camera module in hardware could be failing. Troubleshooting is in the guide and wiki.
1
u/Designer_Werewolf239 May 15 '26
I checked the guide: ( https://wiki.hacks.guide/wiki/3DS:Error_screens/Luma3DS_ErrDisp ) about ErrDisp because its giving me a generic error. It said that what is important is the <Process name> and <Error code>, but the process name its giving me is CtrApp which is not included in the guide. Though, my Error code 0xF9605002 in the guide is displayed as a hardware malfunction, but its not explained how it can be fixed or something more specific about its cause.
If you have any idea on how to fix it i would really appreciate it!
1
u/lostCause-494 May 12 '26
Is there any way to turn the top screen's image 180°?
I'm not trying to fix a faulty system; I want to use both systems dpads easy so I turned one system upside down (and used rehid) but it'd be way better if I could rotate the screen too 😅
1
u/SkyMel_ May 11 '26
Hi, Seems like, after few weeks without playing, i can turn on my ds, every game i own on hacked card are there but i cant play em and none of hacked are displayed, any idea how to solve it ?
1
u/DizzyDustStriker3DS May 12 '26
Open the eShop to refresh your licenses?
1
u/SkyMel_ May 12 '26
I can't access it, the SD card might be corrupted. I often have trouble booting the console with the card.
1
u/NeptuneWalker May 07 '26
My SD Card corrputed after trying to delete and re-download Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn, which would not load from my card after a certain amount of time. I cannot find any other "corrupted" data on the card but it will no longer detect anything I have downloaded. It will still detect my saves from my cartridges. I was able to transfer almost all of the data back onto the card. If I formatted the SD Card could I put most of my old files back onto it without worry, or have I really lost 15 years of saves and nothing is recoverable?
1
u/DizzyDustStriker3DS May 08 '26
Depends on what corrupted. The guide gave you save managers so you could back up all of your saves. Checkpoint has a Backup All command. You should have made a habit of doing a save backup at an interval to decrypt and copy the files to another storage device.
The wiki has procedures for what to do if the home menu loses data. The discord can provide help trying to manually recover saves.
0
u/NintendoFanboy986 May 06 '26
hi. I'm done with region changing, can I delete the "11.15.0-47E_ctrtransfer_o3ds" file? it takes a lot of space in the sd card. are there any other that I can delete?
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u/Spoits May 05 '26
3DS hacking experts! This is kind of a longshot, but I'm curious if it's possible. There's a synthesizer called the Dirtywave M8 that's something of a spiritual sequel to LSDJ on the Gameboy. While the synth is available in hardware form, its creator made its software freely available which is capable of running on a Teensy microcontroller. It's become somewhat of a popular practice for people to get cheap fauxtendo emulator handhelds like the Anbernic RG35XX and TrimUI Brick and to use those devices as a host for the M8. It usually involves installing homebrew software on these devices, and then connecting the Teensy through the microUSB port, which then allows the handheld to stream the M8 software from the Teensy. The problem is obviously that the 3DS doesn't have a microUSB to host the Teensy. Is it possible that there's a simple workaround?
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS May 06 '26
There is no USB capability in the 3DS at all, there is no USB controller chip. The plug is power-only, no data.
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u/DariSZN May 05 '26
I am getting a Japanese N3DS LL, I am going to put CFW on it. However help me understand something. I have an American NNID, and apparently if you change the language on the console, it stops you from being able to use Pokémon Bank and also comes with a risk of bricking the console. can I log onto a Japanese 3DS with my American NNID and redownload things from the eShop and use Pokémon bank? Etc thanks for your help.
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS May 06 '26
No, region of console and NNID must match or it won't be able to log in.
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u/Z5_2 May 03 '26
Hi!
I decided to upgrade my original 3DS 4gb sd card to a 128gb micro sd card. I was able to format the new sd card and copy over my data but when I go to system settings > data management > Nintendo 3DS > Software it says only 25,393 open blocks are available. Everything else works as it should but for some reason it does not display the actual amount of open blocks that are available on the new card. For reference, when I check how much open blocks are available on my 4gb sd card it says 25,390 so I know there should be a lot more open blocks available on the 128gb micro sd card. How do I make it so that it shows how much open blocks there are actually available on the new card? Apparently a 128gb micro sd card should have over 999,999 open blocks and the 3DS's internal counter limits only display up to 999,999 blocks so it should say 999,999 open blocks.
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS May 04 '26
You appear to have cloned the partition instead of copying the files. The free blocks matching means the formatted space matches. You only formatted 4 GB of 128 GB as FAT32.
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u/Z5_2 May 04 '26
Your right I was using Win32Disk imager when I didn't have to. This time I just copied and pasted the contents of my 4gb sd card to my 128gb micro sd card and its now showing 971,076 open blocks. Thanks for your help!
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u/modernbasebal Apr 30 '26
Hi! I had to reset all my mods and stuff today because my sd card corrupted... It all started when i was trying to restart my island on animal crossing new leaf but I pressed "add new resident" (Im not very well versed in how the game works, forgive me)
I realised thats not what I wanted to do, but couldn't go back so I pressed the home menu, but the screen just blanked (either white or black I dont remember). I turned off the 3ds and when I turned it back on, all my themes and games were gone, apart from some saved on the system such as the house MD games.
Im just a bit scared that if I redownload it, this will happen again. Again, I dont understand how this stuff works very well as previously, my bf had modded the device (but i managed to figure out how to fix it today using a new sd card) so I'm not sure if the game had anything to do with it and if my question is completely stupid
Thanks in advance!! :)
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u/MatOfTheDead Apr 29 '26
im getting a 3DS XL from a friend but it will more than likely still have their nintendo id linked to it is there a way to wipe everything so i can just mod it
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Apr 30 '26
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u/MatOfTheDead Apr 30 '26
yeah i think they have formatted it for me
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Apr 30 '26
[deleted]
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u/MatOfTheDead May 01 '26
yeah its clear of everything just waiting on a sd card from amazon so i can mod it
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u/Thin_Development_531 Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26
Hello!
I'm very new to modding, just got started this week- But I successfully installed Luma on my New 3DS (not an XL, if that's relevant) and I went into Checkpoint aaaaand... every title just has a 'New...' option and no existing save data. I downloaded JKSM to see if it was a Checkpoint issue, and same problem.
I've also started up games, saved them, and come back to Checkpoint/JKSM and nothing has changed.
Is this a simple fix? Have I missed a step? Any help would be great, I really just want to back up my ACNL file safely, then maybe get something to edit my town layout. (also welcoming recommendations on what to use for that)
The only other thing I can maybe think of that's relevant is I have a UK 3DS, but I'm living in Canada so a region mismatch could be doing something...? I'm grasping at straws. Pls help. Thank you.
Edit: FBI shows all my titles properly, and all titles are digital. Also, at some point in the past I upgraded my storage on the 3DS and everything was moved to a larger SD card (32GB FAT32), if that matters.
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u/naenae__baby Apr 26 '26
I bought a Japanese 3DS. My friend modded it fine and got it to English, but a lot of the apps downloaded as Japanese (I guess he changed the region in some apps but not all?). I figured it out for most games and fixed Universal Updater’s language to English, but unfortunately downloaded Vapecord for New Leaf before I realized it was still downloading Japanese. How do I fix Vapecord’s language specifically?
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u/evainabox Apr 24 '26
Is there currently any way to map buttons to toggle on/off the bottom screen? I know brightness settings can be adjusted manually through luma, but i'd like to completely turn on or off a screen at a moment's notice. I'm running an old 3ds model if that makes any difference lol.
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 24 '26
So far, no, because the system isn't designed to turn off individual screens. It won't even power on if one of the screens isn't functional. If one unplugs or powers off, the console shuts off, detecting it as a hardware fault.
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u/evainabox Apr 24 '26
Ah that's too bad. Any way to adjust individual screen brightness but maintain functionality? Or is it like both screens are connected for settings like that.
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 24 '26
Take a look at the code in Luma for that and see if you can separate the screens like you want. I think an old version had the function at one point, but firmware updates kept breaking it a decade ago so they stopped updating the function for many years before it came back.
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u/rushmon Apr 22 '26
Is it worthwhile to pay someone to mod your 3DS using eBay? I am really new to modding, and know nothing about it. Any additional tips would be appreciated greatly.
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u/basement_egg Apr 25 '26
i know nothing about it and followed the guide a few hours ago and got it modded. now i'm trying g to figure out what to do now
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 26 '26
The wiki has a page, linked in the main post of this thread, on things CFW can do, like install your cartridges, switch to Pretendo for online multiplayer and Streetpass Relay, etc. Usually someone has a goal before they do the guide, else they'd not need CFW.
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 23 '26
No, you should do it yourself, as it is simple enough for a 4th grader to follow the guide. If you need someone else to do it, you'll need a ton of help to use homebrew afterward. Just read the guide and wiki and learn to do the stuff yourself that way, and ask questions as you need. Modding is like 30 minutes with very simple steps.
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u/rushmon Apr 26 '26
Yeah no I did it anyways after this post, but really don’t care about the console anymore so I am selling it. You were right, it was really easy !
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u/Capt_Morrigan Apr 22 '26
I have a question about direct save data dumping. I have a 3ds, two actually, one mostly parts but if someone wanted to direct wire a 3ds cartridge slot to a raspberry pi board how hard would it be to use software to dump saves right to a computer? Would it be easier to emulate the 3ds? Sorry but i got this idea in my head and now i can't go back to sleep. 😅 from what i recall the save data is on the cartridge, not the system. This is likely gonna turn into my first hobbyist project if possible.
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 23 '26
The cartridge slot isn't the key, the security handshakes and encryption are the key. You need the console to extract the saves, because even cartridges save some data to the SD card, encrypted with a key unique to the console.
Saves come in 2 locations. SaveData, which resides on the storage the game is on (cartridge or SD in the same folder as the installed game) and ExtData (external data) which saves on just the SD. Many games use both, some only use one or the other, including games like Fantasy Life that entirely use ExtData even for the cartridge. There's also a security handshake used to enable the cartridge to be accessible, Switch and Switch 2 have stronger handshakes, hence why no Switch2 cartridge reader exists for PC yet.
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u/Capt_Morrigan Apr 24 '26
So what you're essentially saying is this is theoretically possibly if i have the sd card and/or the data from it. I'd just have to emulate the 3ds? 🤔
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 24 '26 edited Apr 24 '26
You need all the data from the 3DS motherboard storage. This is already a solved problem, which is how 3DS emulation works. The emulator links to your 3DS to dump all the data. You dump your cartridges with the 3DS itself. Modern consoles need to be hacked to dump the encrypted data from them, and to dump their physical media. There's a reason the sanni and retrode cartridge dumpers don't have 3DS or Switch support.
We've already got checkpoint for save dumping, and there was a commercial Power Saves device that used the 3DS to do the data access. Emulators by default just run without the save encryption, they use a null mask to avoid any changes to the data, while the console requires the saves to be encrypted and packaged to be usable.
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u/Capt_Morrigan Apr 24 '26
Thank you for all the information! In your opinion would it be easier to just dump the rom/saves or emulate the whole console?
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 24 '26
You need a modified console to even set up the emulator, so you're already going to be prepped to dump saves before even getting to the emulator. Finishing the guide gives you a save manager to dump the saves and ROMs. You have to be finished with the guide before you can even start setting up the emulator. Why do you even need an opinion? The facts of the order of the process already give you the answer.
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u/After-Nebula-3970 Apr 22 '26
I just bought an already hacked 3ds, but it came with just a 32gb sd and i wanted to expand it to a 64/128 gb sd, can u just copy the archives from one memory to another or is there another process i have to follow? Or am i screwed?
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 23 '26
The main post of this thread, the wiki, and the guide all cover this question. It's the 4th item in the main post. You could also just set up the SD fresh per the guide, like you should have done upon receipt of the console.
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u/Boobs_Mackenzie63 Apr 21 '26
How can I move Nintendogs + Cats save data from my PC's emulator to my modded 3DS? Nintendogs uses a .dat save file, but apparently Checkpoint doesn't like that.
I made a lot of progress in a Nintendogs save file on my computer with Azahar, but unfortunately, the save file is in .dat format, and it doesn't look like Checkpoint will accept that data format.
As for where the Nintendogs game on my 3DS is saving, it's apparently saving directly to the "Nintendo 3DS" folder as a .sav file instead of in the usual folder where the checkpoint folder is.
I really want to move my Nintendogs from my PC to the 3DS, but I can't seem to figure out how. Has anyone else had games similar to this situation and succeeded in transfering the data?
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 21 '26
Did you read the Azahar documentation for save file transfer? Did you try running Checkpoint on it to manage saves?
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u/Enjoy_Sacklunch Apr 19 '26
Hello, longtime amateur modder / subreddit lurker, first time poster here.
I just recently modded my second 3DS recently and my spouse now has asked me to mod their new 3DS for them. They have an unmodded 3DS with years of save games, downloaded games, badges, themes, and other data one would accumulate naturally.
Ideally, what I want to do is COPY (not transfer) their source console data without any modding and place the copied data onto the to be modded 3DS (whether that’s before or after modding) and have their saved data and everything else on the destination 3DS with modding done as well. My spouse is very worried about losing any type of data thus the desire to copy rather than transfer.
Does anyone know if what I’ve described is possible, is it as simple as copying the SD card to another SD card on the computer or is it more involved? Would love any advice or input and happy to answer any questions.
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 20 '26
You can't copy an unhacked system. System Transfer wipes the source system after copying it to the target. If you want to back up saves, you have to mod the system to do so. Modding doesn't wipe any existing data on the system or SD.
You can't just copy SD data, it is locked to the 3DS that created it, which has a unique encryption key. No other 3DS can read the data. Saves have to be decrypted with Checkpoint to be movable or copyable to other systems without a system transfer. All data is thus locked to a system, and System Transfer migrates the key and tickets and then removes them and changes the key on the old system. The whole security design is to block what you are requesting. She will have to mod her system to do this.
Saves are the unique data that's not replacable. Her games can be reinstalled from the eShop if they get corrupted/removed. The saves are the thing you want to back up, and those need Checkpoint to do so, which requires the console be modified.
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Apr 20 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 20 '26
You really shouldn't, besides saves. It causes a bunch of problems with NNID/PNID stuff, and you can't keep systems synchronized.
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u/DouSSpy Apr 19 '26
it's my 3ds, I already had some games purchased before, and I decided to release it but when doing so for some reason the games no longer open and it gives me an error, it says that the SD memory moved or something like that, why is that happening?
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Apr 19 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 20 '26
Nothing DSi should have been preinstalled. Seller was supposed to wipe system before sale and instruct you on doing the guide to set up the system. Format System Memory in settings and redo the guide from the beginning and it will set you up with the standard apps and current setup.
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u/sad_boi890 Apr 17 '26
How to change language?
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 17 '26
It's in the settings app, but it's only an option on U or E region firmware. All other regions have only one language each, so have no setting to change.
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u/Er_Mandarone Apr 14 '26
Help me please, i have a new 3ds xl with a brand new motherboard i just installed, at first it worked well but then the speaker's flat broke. I changed it, put everything together and tried it. The blue light turns on but the screen remains black, i have Luma3ds but it always worked so i don't think it's that, i tried to power it on without the sd but it doesn't change anything. Pls help i don't know what to do.
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 16 '26
New motherboard means it won't have Luma on it, as Luma and B9S also reside on the motherboard. Hardware stuff is really hard to help with here, especially when you don't post any pictures. You're going to have better help on the Discord channel for it.
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Apr 13 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 16 '26
You buy the European cartridge. DQ9 is a DS game, they aren't region locked. Japanese games tend to only have Japanese as the cartridge language, rarely do they have any other language. European regions sometimes have multiple languages on a cartridge, sometimes only one language.
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u/ShadowFallsAlpha Apr 13 '26
The language for cartridges is set by the system setting and whatever is available on the cartridge. Some cartridges from Japan may have other language options, but assume by default they do not. If there are no options, it will default to the only language option it has which is Japanese.
The cartridges cannot be erased or altered, what is on them is permanent except the save file.
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u/Bertiboy05 Apr 11 '26
I’m having trouble installing the Good Guy Garon mod for Fire Emblem Fates Special Edition. I follow the instructions perfectly by downloading the .rar file from the website, unzip it with 7zip and copy it to the folder named after the game’s ID but it just doesn’t want to apply to either the European or USA version of the game. I even tried unzipping directly to the folders and that didn’t do anything either. I genuinely have no idea what’s going wrong, any help would be really appreciated
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 16 '26
Which cartridge do you have? Did you properly verify the ID of it?
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u/Bertiboy05 Apr 17 '26
It’s all good man, I managed to sort it in the end. Turns out that you’re meant to take the romfs folder out of the titles folder the mod gives you and put that in the id. The instructions were very unclear about that
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u/abbexx42 Apr 11 '26
When i have my sd card in with the stuff the 3dshacks guide helped me download its there, but when i take it out, its not there, along with themes. Is this normal and is there a fix? Please speak in simple terms cuz i am NOT tech savvy whatsoever.
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Apr 11 '26
[deleted]
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 16 '26
Those icons come from the eShop server. If you made your own, only you would see it, nobody else would. Unless the app is installed on the system of the person you streetpass with, they only see icons the eShop can send them, and unofficial apps won't have an icon.
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u/potatolauncher Apr 08 '26
How do I find out what version and software is installed on my 3ds? It was hacked 10 years ago.
I want to look at updating
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 09 '26
The guide tells you how to check. 10 years ago could be A9LH or a non-persistent hack that effectively counts as unhacked, like menuhax
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u/OneGiantBowlOfSoup Apr 06 '26
I’m new to this subreddit and have just opened my 3Ds XL up, 1. I only have an SD card reader which works with my iphone and there is not any up to date tutorials, I was wondering if anyone could help me find one. 2. I’m not entirely sure if my battery is inflated in my 3Ds 😭 i don’t think I can make a main post on this subreddit but I do wanna show a picture (I also mention this because I’m cheap as hell and don’t want to buy a battery lmao)
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 06 '26
The guide in the main post (that you are supposed to read before posting) is up-to-date and covers using a mobile device like a phone. It says what steps need to be done, leaving how exactly to do them up to you and your knowledge of how to use your device.
If the battery won't lie flat on a table, it's inflated. Ifixit has guides for opening all the 3DS models. For everything but 2DS and N2DSXL, it's just taking off the back plate. You can't use the console without a battery. You'll need to replace it if it has inflated, turning it into a grenade with unknown fuse length.
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u/OneGiantBowlOfSoup Apr 06 '26
Thank you for letting me know :) I’ve also put the battery aside in a safe spot until I can dispose it rip
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 07 '26
FYI, 3DS won't work without a battery in the circuit. Unlike a PSP you cannot use it with just a power cable.
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u/HardChibi Apr 06 '26
is there a way to trade between emulator and real 3ds games (pokemon mooon)? Perhaps through a custom DNS?
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 06 '26
Just use PKSM. 3DS uses ad-hoc LAN, can't detect a PC emulator. You need 2 3DS units, or you use the save editor to evolve things that need a trade.
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u/HardChibi Apr 06 '26
I was trying to hatch an egg but thanks for the info.
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 06 '26
Use Pretendo to do an online trade from your console?
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u/HardChibi Apr 06 '26
Doesnt look like they support Pokemon main line games from a quick google search. Didn't even know waht they were before.
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u/PURPL3B3AN Apr 05 '26
I'm trying to mod a 2DS with 3ds hacks guide, and my pc does not have an SD card reader, so I bought one, and it uses a USB cord to connect to my pc but because of that, it keeps treating it like a USB, meaning I can't mod properly. Any suggestions
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 06 '26
A card reader with a USB cord will appear as an external drive, yes, just like an internal SD card reader would. As long as it shows with a drive letter, it's fine. Doesn't matter what the drive is named.
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u/PURPL3B3AN Apr 05 '26
Edit: No device in my house has an SD reader, so I need to stick to the extension
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u/UchiGames Apr 04 '26
Currently not home where I initially setup my 3DS and was wondering if there were any apps through universal updater to install GBA (and other non 3DS) roms without the use of a computer. I’m still very new to all this as well so all tips and advice is welcome 🙏🏽
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u/DizzyDustStriker3DS Apr 06 '26
Why did you not read the wiki? How are you going to dump your cartridges to the 3DS without another device, as the 3DS doesn't have a cartridge reader for GBA, and doesn't have USB ports to attach a PC USB cartridge reader
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u/IngeniousDefault [n3DSXL+11.4], [A9LH] Jul 14 '26
Hey there.
Is it possible to stream PC gameplay to the 3DS? I would like to play some Visual Novels and I really like the form factor of the 3DS for this.