Earlier today we reported on the latest 3DS system update to version 9.5.0-22, another that falls into the 'stability' category. We often have a little joke about these updates and allude to the fact they're likely tackling hacks and exploits, but on this occasion we thought we'd actually delve off into the world of ROM hacks and figure out what, if anything, the update was doing to halt illegal mods.
To be clear and upfront we won't be linking to the forums and sites that we've visited, as per our policy on this topic. With that clear, we've seen - with some help from readers to get us started - that this update has made a change to the "ARM9 binary", adding a new layer of encryption. This update doesn't, as far as we can see, have any impact on the browser-based exploit used for loading Pokémon and also loading Game Boy Color ROMS on the system.
So what does it do? It appears to be taking on the Gateway flashcard. This is a product we covered some time ago and allows users, through a fairly complex process, to load 3DS game ROMS onto a Micro SD card and run them through the flashcard. It's not the only product out there doing this, but looking through forum threads it's evident that owners of these devices are having to consistently avoid system updates and wait for the flashcard companies to release their own counter-measure updates.
On this occasion, it seems that the new 3DS software version has shut down the ability for Gateway owners to run multiple ROMS from the same SD card; that's inconvenient, naturally, and those users are having to avoid the eShop or firmware update triggers in order to keep using their ROMS without being restricted to one file per Micro SD card.
We've looked into this to gain an appreciation of the dance that consistently takes place between Nintendo and those producing flashcards and other exploits. Updates are dodged - in some cases removing online functionality for those players - and attempts are then made to get around the new firmware. It helps to explain why a number of these 'stability' updates are so small and arrive relatively frequently.
We've written this article as a point of interest and discussion is welcome; please observe the updated Community Rules when doing so, nevertheless.
Comments 57
Etika is gonna be mad xD
Little late...they've already updated Gateway to work on 9.5 it looks like lol. Theres also another card that was unaffected at all by the firmware update.
Ayup, Gateway already released a fix for the 9.5 update.
Okay so here's the funny thing about Gateway cards, they run something called an "emuNAND".
What this does is you actually run a mock firmware off the SD card, leaving the 3DS system firmware untouched.
All that happened was that a certain tweak in 3ds firmware 9.5 caused a bug in Gateway's emuNAND.
Gateway released a fix and now that bug is gone, they can continue to use 9.5 on their emuNAND without issue.
Taking on piracy will always be a good thing.
People who pirate games really don't understand how the system works. Nintendo needs the money you spend on games so they can make more games. If you pirate them for free, Nintendo gets nothing out of it, and that means a smaller budget for future titles.
Is that really what they want?
Nintendo's endless game of whack-a-mole with this matter is a waste of their resources. The company's exasperatingly desperate attempts to prevent privacy at all costs are what made, in part, the Nintendo 64 a distant second in the 5th console generation (expensive, low-capacity carts vs. cheap, high-capacity CDs); and certainly the primary reason for the GameCube's poor lifetime sales (low-capacity mini-discs, no DVD playback).
Nintendo needs to learn to accept losses due to piracy as part of the cost of doing business. People who pirate games are rarely, if ever, going to pay money for those games, given the opportunity; if for some reason there was a game they couldn't pirate, they would most likely not play it and move on to something else.
(To be clear, I am 100 percent against piracy and view it as theft, much the same as stealing printed game discs or carts from a retail store.)
@TheHumbleFellow
On the contrary, people who pirate may understand the inner-workings of the system pretty well.
Unless of course you mean the system of economics, by which profits earned from sold software allow them to continue producing their software, I think they understand that too, it's more likely they don't care, or do care but lack the money to support them financially whilst also supporting their livelihood.
"To be clear and upfront we won't be linking to the forums and sites that we've visited, as per our policy on this topic."
If anyone is interested in viewing the "forums and sites" that contain information on the Gateway, check out this article written by Thomas here, where he openly names and links to the forum in question.
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/11/3ds_homebrew_exploit_set_to_be_launched_on_22nd_november
So the region free work around is still in tact, yes?
While I think it's fine that they want to resist piracy, but it's important to realize that most of the time, people buy things if they can afford it because they prefer owning (even if it's just digital) they're games. Most pirates either don't care that much or simply can't afford the games. There's also things like region free, modding, etc..
Honestly I don't think it's worth the time and resources NIntendo spends to combat piracy, especially considering they have one of the most devoted fanbases around.
Are there even 3DS game roms? I thought they had trouble getting those (or getting those to work).
I'm really fed up with game pirates and flashcards. Why can't you just leave us gamers alone, stop costing Nintendo money and therefore hampering game Development....
Riiiight you dont talk about piracy on Nlife. But you do.
@MasterBlaster
@vonseux
That link is CLEARLY intended for homebrew channel.
Homebrew = not illegal.
The non_pirates pay the price, incoming stability updates!
This news makes no sense whatsoever, Gateway didn't work on 9.3 and 9.4 either, and updates for GW were always to support higher EmuNAND version.
So does the gbc web inject rom work, i wasnt still sure
@TheHumbleFellow: I totally agree. I'm glad Nintendo releases "stability" updates regularly. Protects the honest, and punishes the guilty. Keep up the good work Nintendo!
Nintendo should brick all the 3DS's that use these piracy cards. It's THEFT. While Nintendo slowly bleeds to death people are actually sucking the life out of them faster by not paying for their games. Everyone loses. Don't give me "the people who pirate have no money" speech b/c if that were true they wouldn't be buying a 3DS, an $80 flash card, and a computer to use the card. People think they are some giant company like Sony or Apple but it's not true, they only have around 5000 employees, who all have families to feed. Support Nintendo and don't steal their software.
I'm tired of all these pirates. Brick their consoles nintendo! !
If you want to stop people pirating, provide a better service.
Nintendo do not provide a better service than Gateway, people pirate. Simple.
People who say that these pirates should be stopped by bricking consoles -> 1) That would be illegal, and 2) it would not do a thing. The software is tested before release.
@daggdroppen why are you tired of pirates? Do they play load music at night?
Piracy is on the 3ds, get over it. Follow in the footsteps of GOG.
However, there is one sure way to stop piracy -> http://youtu.be/ALZZx1xmAzg
I own a DSTwo. But I hardly touch it. I actually buy a lot of my games now thanks to one thing. Have awesome sales! I won't pay $50-60 for a game. But when you have a sale and sell it for $5-20. I am more inclined to spend my money on a game. I own 364 legit Steam Games. Have spent $1000 on Wii U Digital Games. Plus all the money I have spent on digital versions of PSP/Vita & 3DS Games.
I appreciate that they keep on top of this stuff with the 3DS and Wii U. Even if it is a never-ending battle.
@yodamerlin Your logic is flawed. If you want people to stop stealing your bread, make better read? Theft is theft and there is no excuse.
Although piracy is upon the 3ds, but it's not as rampant as the ds days. Furthermore this piracy is extremely difficult and time consuming to get it work. The inconveniences is just not worth it.
When I want to play a game, I just want to start the machine and play it with the full experience. Not to worry about firmware update and whether the game will work or not. I already have a lot of things to worry about in life.
The music industry has suffered the brunt of piracy, much, much harder than gaming (Music has been estimated at a 100:3 piracy-buyer ratio). In the face of this, most musicians have declared that they prefer people listening to their music than being limited by shoddy record labels. Yeah there are jackarses like Eminem but who cares? Those who are actively against it are on the losing side of an endless battle, meanwhile those who don't care tend to be happy with concert ticket revenue.
I'm not saying Nintendo should embrace piracy necessarily, but I think they should learn to live with it because it's not gonna stop. Look at Valve for example, they're a platform on the most pirated system there is, and they're happy.
@amstans and ostensibly many other people - The argument that piracy isn't the same as theft is one I agree with but that's honestly subjective enough that I'm not gonna advocate it. What I will say is that it would be illegal for Nintendo to brick every Gateway user. If it was solely piracy oriented that might be something else (I have no idea) but the 0.1 percent that use it for backup installation to system and homebrew only means that Nintendo can't touch it.
The Sky3DS on the other hand has nothing but piracy unless you want the stupidest backup system possible, still not blocked.
I don't like piracy, but there are a couple of things that Nintendo could do to make it less tempting - remove region locking and release things worldwide. I used ninjhax (not piracy, but hacking) with the required game to install a gold pants mii on an old console in order to get the "ten special mii" accomplishment on my other consoles because Nintendo simply does not release enough special miis in the EU, about a quarter of the number in the US and gaps of 18 months between releases. I'd like to play the Animal Crossing photo app, but the EU doesn't even have Photos with Mario yet, so not hopeful about a release here. Still no Scribblenauts Unmasked. Sorely tempted to get a card to play, but will not. Can understand those who do though for such reasons. Consider myself law-abiding, but can still feel the temptation.
I only just recently got my Gateway. As i own three 3DS consoles, soon to be four with the Majora's Mask N3DS, I have that one to play all my legally purchased games, which there are many, and the older systems to play games from other regions (such as the Attack on Titan titles) through the flash card. Considering how much i have spent on Nintendo games this generation, getting to play other region games shouldn't be an issue.
I also use it for exploring the file systems and getting models for making pictures such as my profile pic, It was fun to make Brendan riding a Tyrantrum, weilding a Honedge.
@Sakura Thank you, I forgot to mention that bit. Nintendo is biting themselves in the gonads if they think that region locking is a smart idea. Releasing worldwide may not always be financially viable, but region locking on the other hand is the STUPIDEST thing they could possibly do, as people will always look for a way to get past that, which will inevitably lead to piracy. Plus there's no reason to do it, it's completely indefensible. Some people say "well then people will import to get games cheaper" but
A. How often are imported games actually cheaper? I'd argue rarely.
B. IF THAT'S THE CASE CHARGE LESS IMBECILES
FWIW they should also provide something to please the homebrew developers. I'm not gonna waste time explaining the PS3 and Sony's failure again but you look it up.
I'm just going to posit that not all emulation is an attempt to pirate a game.
Lots of older games have not been (and never will be) released on the eShop due to various reasons. The browser exploit gives some of the third party titles we'd never see again outside of a collector's horde a chance to resurface.
It's not that I, or other 'pirates' would rather get things for free. The problem is that a lot of the time we have no way of giving them money for these things. Outside of spending $300+ for an original copy, that is.
As for the region locking issues, I understand that it might bring up problems for ol' Ninty later on down the road, whether from ESRB ratings and the lack of, or some other thing I can't forsee. I, personally, believe it should be squished. Make region lock go away, but perhaps hide it behind the Parental Control options. That way we don't have young kids picking up a cutesy anime game at the flea market and going home to play Monster Monpiece while still allowing interested parties to grab the latest JRPG or whatever from overseas.
Just my two cents CDN for you.
As someone who owns a NDS flash cart and used to own a homebrew psp, it's not always about stealing and honestly I'm sick of people calling to brick our systems. Every game on my flash cart I own a physical copy of and delete when I sell the cart. Besides seeing how Nintendo of America won't put out Mother 3 and FE 6 you have to have a patch rom to play if you don't read japanese, which I have a cart somewhere in their.
http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww359/Arehexes/Magfest%202015/DSC_0462_zpsfc3c5021.jpg
Now that the 3DS has digital downloads I don't need a flash cart, I'm just sick of people thinking this stuff is automatically piracy. There are people who like witing programs on new and cool hardware.
@yodamerlin Hear, hear, would that Nintendo digital downloads were DRM-free...
@amstans
Its hard to brick a console that doesn't even connect to the net to update, and it's fully possible to unbrick the 3DS these days.
I fully support Nintendo and have never pirated, but most pirates never intended to buy the game in the first place and play it as an afterthought. Nintendo is shooting themselves in the foot with things like a region lock because it only encourage people who enjoy foreign games to take the cheap $80 dollar option to play import games (Rather than the the nearly $300+).
@Hy8ogen "Your logic is flawed. If you want people to stop stealing your bread, make better read? Theft is theft and there is no excuse."
That's not quite it. The point is that modders and hackers often provide an improved version of the base product that companies are selling, at no charge. It is the so-called "pirates" (modders and hackers, who are not actually pirates by default) who are baking the better "bread" (the form the games come to us), since they are oftentimes DRM-free and cleaned up or improved, contrary to company offerings.
If one were offered a gourmet meal for a price, or a gourmet meal in addition to that special dash of something which completes it, free of charge, which would most people take on any given day?
The best solution is for the one charging money to match or best the one offering a free meal that is no lesser than the one being charged for. How Nintendo ensures they stay economically afloat is not our responsibility, it is theirs. We are customers, not guardians.
@amstans "Nintendo should brick all the 3DS's that use these piracy cards."
That would entail enforcing Orwellian Police State tactics. I would rather private companies not get into the business of such politically charged actions.
"People think they are some giant company like Sony or Apple but it's not true, they only have around 5000 employees, who all have families to feed. Support Nintendo and don't steal their software."
It's Nintendo's responsibility to maintain their business and ensure their employees are treated well and well-paid, not ours. Don't get me wrong, I buy products in question whenever possible, but their corporate policy is lagging behind on the progress of digital rights. I, for one, am not going to wait for them.
@Wouwter They're out there, it's just that hardware additions or modification is currently needed to use them. The goal is usually to have software/firmware modification, so personal backups can be made in case discs/carts are lost or stolen, or if hardware/accounts are lost or hacked.
@PlywoodStick Define "digital rights", because right now there is no such thing
@amstans Quote:"if you steal from a store, is going to prison an "Orwellian Police tactic"? No, because it is protecting the hardworking people's livelihoods you are stealing from. pirating is no different and if means bricking your 3DS as punishment wouldn't that be better than actually having to answer to a judge for your criminal behavior? i wish they would prosecute all the thieving pirates but that would take up too much of their resources. easiest and cheapest fix would be to brick them all. they might even get people buying replacement units and game sales will go back up."
No, it's not the same thing. Being apprehended or subpoenaed for theft at a physical store, going through due process to convict one of the crime, then being charged accordingly, is different from what you describe.
You are describing an act that has no due process, simply meting out punishment without any accountability on any lawmaker's behalf. That goes beyond merely being the enforcers, prosecutors, and judges of the laws of the land. That is a carte blanche ceding of power to an authority which acts as it sees fit.
Justice is a subjective term. If one acquires too much power, it will be abused. That is how it has always been, and will continue to be. There need to be significant checks and balances in place to prevent actions such as those you describe.
If people use their 3DS in an unintended way, and brick it, thats not Nintendo's fault or problem. They don't have to brick it themselves, but I don't see what's wrong with them making it easy for you to brick it if you do something they don't want you doing. Then it's your own fault if it stops working. Nothing illegal about that. For a test, fill your car up with Pepsi, then call your cars manufacturer and try blaming them cause it won't run.
@TingLz I would tend to refer you to the Electronic Frontier Foundation for further information.
Digital Rights do exist- they just tend to be either tyrannically overthrown (i.e. The Great Firewall of China), haphazardly implemented (i.e. the Digital Millennium Copyright Act), based upon ancient laws (i.e. use of Title 2 of the Communications Act of 1934 is one of the only things standing in the way of cable companies to eliminating Net Neutrality), side stepped (American cable companies like Comcast throttle connection speeds, and even sometimes censor user data, without our consent), or added to a private company's legalities to make up for public law not existing (i.e. guarantee of DRM-free software from GoG.com, accountability is on GoG to make sure it is so- public law in America doesn't apply the first sale doctrine upon digital software)
One of the first steps towards eliminating rights is ensuring the public does not know they have any to begin with.
@NFERNO
That is not the same as a comapny rendering my product moot because they don't like my unoffical firmware; which is what people are crying for here. I have a router running tomato, unoffical firmware and it does more then the stock firmware. I had a psp running at full force when Sony would lock the speed, and the ability to screen cap before a system was in SOME games. My DS Lite I used to store games I would buy and send home in college because I didn't want someone stealing my more rare games after I was robbed once. There is calculators and cameras that run unoffical firmware with more features then the stock. Hell people like Cyanogenmod over stock Android because it does more and is still lean. Granted that is a different case conpletely cause Android is open source. I'm ok with a company selling a peoduxt how ever but once it's in my hands it's mine to screw with. But I do agree bricking it would be your fault if you screw up, which is already a understanding with people who do this normally.
@NFERNO Bricking the system if it detects certain software or firmware is not akin to the user trying to fuel a car with soda... If anything, it's more akin to someone covertly using long-distance alchemy to transmogrify the oil fuel you're putting into the car into soda as it's being poured in!
@PlywoodStick is that a hint at a FMA spin off in the future?
@Arehexes Well... maybe......
The ending of the first FMA anime certainly opened up some... interesting sequel or side story opportunities, I think.
Imagine, a plot of intrigue centering around the build up towards the second World War, resulting in it being fought with alchemy-enhanced machines, while the Elric Brothers try to intervene and stop the mastermind...
@PlywoodStick YES YES YES OH MAN YES. After how the first movie ended it was pretty much open to that except. What is the catalyst then, the movie implyed the Elrics (The whole family) was the catalyst to access the gate to pull off alchemy. Minus that 100% yes
Good god, wait for the next generation to come by if you simply must pirate. But don't steal money from them when this console is still in full-force production.
@PolarKoalaBear cough implying anyone who uses custom firmware/modded firmware pirates. Feels like gamefaqs during the psp days, when asking about a screenshot plug in was grounds of getting modded.
@Arehexes Talking about rubber baby buggy bumpers is grounds for being modded on GameFAQ's. They basically just mod whatever they want, for whatever reason.
@PlywoodStick Nice to see another homebrew enthusiast who understands why it's not the evil thing that everyone has made it out to be.
What I think is good about these cards is that I could purchase the physical copy of the game on sale or used, but still be able to have multiple games on my system with having to carry all the game cards around. My biggest frustration is that Nintendo rarely has sales on their Eshop titles but retailers are constantly discounting physical versions. For example Majora's Mask 3D is/was on sale at a few places (Newegg, Dell, etc) but I don't want the physical version because I like having the digital copy and never having to switch cards. But if I could buy the physical and still be able to swap games like this, I'd love it.
Sky3ds flashcard is working fine with all updates, it seems that Nintendo do not know how to block this "backup card"
Piracy kill one thing:
Players who use it. Got many games. So many that you have no time to really play and enjoy it. You have them so many that you play some this, some that. But no real fun for playing them.
Enjoy gog.com
Steam too but remeber one thing:
They gonna unplug them (Steam, GOG i.e.) someday so dont care about your achievements because you eventually gonna lose them and sooner you realise that your cry will be calmer.
I think the problem is Nintendo has not yet figured out why the system is cracked and just simply play some tricks trying to block the flashcard, which show that it's totally meaningless. The best chance for them is when new 3DS was release, at which time flashcard was already available and there was a chance to block it from hardware side. Unfortunately, either Nintendo did nothing or didn't fix the root cause, new 3DS failed to block flashcard. At that time, the game is over, any software update is meaningless if there's hardware defect.
@Morph Yes indeed! Just tested out my US Zero's Escape on my Jap 3ds with the 9.5 update. Still works fine
@cfgk24 quit complaining about it piracy will always be here for any game company
@mullen this goes double for sky3ds which has somehow found out how the game cards authentication checks work and it will continue to be unless more checks are put in plces
@mizidakychin I am a 12 year old - why don't you start writing your own games and have people steal them for free?
@TheHumbleFellow Firstly, I see where you're coming from and understand what you're trying to say -stealing is wrong (I personally believe this as well because its ignorant and offensive to deny it, lets be real here). The point and fact you are missing though is that internet piracy is not only a victim-less crime but also a GOOD THING and in some cases a needed thing for the developers and publishers of the information one is trying to download. And why is that? One reason (which does not apply to everyone and SHOULD NOT be used as a universal excuse) is because the world we live in is not as free as we would like to believe, and some people are restricted access to certain products because of their government. For example; a game soon to be released "Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number" is the sequel of a brilliant game that contains subtext about whether or not violent video games are a good thing. This game which looks to be not only fun as heck, but also a work of art, has been rejected from the ratings board in Australia. What that means effectively, is that it is banned from sale in Australia. One of the LEAD DEVELOPERS personally said that fans in Australia who want to experience the game should (and i quote) "Just pirate it." Reason two that piracy is needed is that without free access to the information (be it games, movies, music, even comic books), people are gambling when they choose to buy something, after all; what if a game on steam doesn't work on their computer? What if they don't like the new album by that new up-and-coming artist that refuses to stream their music on spotify? etc. Also, some people might miss out on a game, album, or movie that they would otherwise pay for. Speaking from not only my personal experiences but also many others'; people who pirate something are not only more likely to buy it later on despite their past ignorance to it, but also more likely to buy more products by the same people who created it. I'm ABSOLUTELY not saying that you shouldn't pay for anything, just trying to say that trying to end piracy would only save big corporations a few bucks and deny developers thousands. If you don't believe me because you think my opinion is useless, please do yourself a favor and research the topic further for yourself.
I'm not a pirate, but I learned from my experience with Spore. The Pirates had a fully functional product on day one, but I - who preordered months in advance - had to wait a few extra weeks for it to arrive and it was crippled by the DRM. Although I still buy games to support developers, I never use DRM copies of anything. Even when I back a game on kickstarter I just don't play it until there is a cracked version if it's released with DRM.
On consoles my main concern is the longevity of the product. Game discs become scratched over time, servers get shut down, but pirates usually have ways around these problems.
For this reason I prefer playing my games with backup loaders. Of course I always show that I own the game whenever I make a video about backup loaders. As an added bonus I can even back up my save files for the pokemon games - something that I never got to do with my old game boy that was stolen.
On obvious counter to this is the suggestion that I buy my games online, but that won't help me if it stolen because there are a limited number of transfers that I could possibly make nintendo. And also won't help me with save games. If someone stole my 3ds I can restore all the files without having to setup a new system and even the content I buy online comes back with it.
If I could play all my games on a single card and have the convenience of knowing that all my games are safe why would I bother doing anything else?
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