Hacking a Nintendo 2DS/3DS

Why?

First and foremost, just because it can be done, and it's fun to tinker with hardware and software. In this case you can take what is a high quality handheld from Nintendo, and expand it's capabilities to play all of those retro games from the past, right in the palm of your hand. The quality of an OEM handheld is almost always better than a Chinese one, but those are getting much better nowadays.

Which 2DS/3DS to choose?

Nintendo released the 2DS/3DS over a 10 year period from 2011 to 2020, so there a lot of models to choose from. Selecting the right one will make sure you get the most for your money. You need to be picky because the only option to buy one today is the second hand market. The prices can be down right stupid, especially on auction sites.

Below lists the main models produced. Avoid anything not in the "New" model series (i.e the top three), as Nintendo upgraded the hardware including the CPU for the "New" series. These models are much better all round, but especially for emulation. In the "New" series the XL (LL in Japan) model is the best to get, as you get more screen real estate.

  • Nintendo 3DS - avoid!
  • Nintendo 3DS XL/LL - avoid!
  • Nintendo 2DS - avoid!
  • New Nintendo 3DS - maybe
  • New Nintendo 3DS XL/LL - buy!
  • New Nintendo 2DS XL/LL - buy, buy, buy!

Details on the differences can be found here: What Are The Different Nintendo 2DS/3DS Models?

Hacking

Hacking a 2DS/3DS thankfully is quite easy, due to the large community support, and the fact that Nintendo has moved on to the Switch series, so no longer provides updates. Below is a list of guides, videos, and how to videos you can use to get the most out of your 2DS/3DS.

I hacked a New Nintendo 3DS XL when I wrote this post, and I followed the "3DS Hacks Guide". This is the definitive guide to use.

I'm not going to go though all of the steps in the guides above but just highlight points where I spent more time, or it wasn't 100% clear for me. Please just follow the 3DS Hacks Guide, it's awesome!

RTFM

Getting started

Don't forget to check if the device is hacked already. You bought it second hand, so someone might have done it already. You can check it by shutting down the device and then holding the "Select" button when you power it on again. If you see the regular 3DS menu it's not hacked. If you come to a configuration menu it's hacked.

SD Card set up

If you plan to have a lot of content on your SD card you will need a new one. I used a Sandisk 64GB SDXC card. You will need to format it to FAT32. On Windows I recommend GUI Format, but it does have a quirk, see below.

GUI Format quirk

Sometimes you'll get an error that says "failed to open device". Don't panic if you do, Windows Explorer is just being a pain. Follow these steps to get around it:

  • Make sure guiformat is running
  • Open "Task Manager" by pressing Ctrl-Shift-Esc
  • Right click on "Windows Explorer" under "Apps" and select "End Task" (Your taskbar will disappear, that's normal)
  • Now press "Format" in guiformat to format the SD card
  • You should now have a FAT32 formatted SD Card
  • To get Windows Explorer running again, from "Task Manager" select the menu item File->Run new Task
  • Enter "explorer" in the dialog show and press "OK"
  • You should now have Windows Explorer back up and running

Getting Pokémon Picross

This wasn't as smooth as shown in the guides.

Pokémon Picross requires registration with a Nintendo Network ID. Just follow the prompts and set that up. Be sure to use a separate account from your main account, if you have one, as you cannot share Nintendo Network ID's across devices, and you're hacking this device remember 😉

Everything else

At this point I followed everything in the 3DS guide and successfully made it to the end. Don't forget to back up all the files recommended in case something goes wrong in the future.

I'm hacked, now what?

Once your device is hacked it will now support the installation of "cia" files. These are backups 3DS games repackaged so they can be installed directly onto the SD card. A great way to stop carrying around all of your 3DS carts.

You can install cia files by first loading them into the "cias" directory on your SD card, and then using FBI (which was installed during the hacking process) to install them. FBI also has the option to scan QR codes online, and install software directly.

The Universal Updater is an app that was installed during the hacking process. It allows you to easily browse homebrew software. Homebrew contains lots of fun software from original titles to emulators, you can install and play with.

RetroArch is another great app to start with.

"RetroArch is a frontend for emulators, game engines and media players. It enables you to run classic games on a wide range of computers and consoles through its slick graphical interface. Settings are also unified so configuration is done once and for all."

It can be installed through the Universal Updater.

I personally always install the Atari800, C64, and mGBA emulators first. You'll have to make backups of your original games to play them of course.

You can install the Atari800 and mGBA emulator from the Universal Updater, and you can find the link to the C64 emulator below. Install it via FBI with the QR code.

Otherwise, explore the community and enjoy!

Transferring data to a 2DS/3DS

Fastest and easiest is to shutdown the device, pull out the SD card and stick it into a computer. This is great on the 2DS where the SD card is easily accessible, but on the 3DS it's behind a cover with screws 😞

On a 3DS if you don't want to take the screws out you'll need to run a FTP server, then connect to it from your PC and transfer that way. FTPD is the recommended server, which you can install via the Universal Updater.

Switching regions

Lastly if you have purchased your 2DS/3DS in a different region than your own you may want to switch it to your local region. This is one way to get a 2DS/3DS at a slightly cheaper price or find a special edition. I myself have an Animal Crossing New 2DS XL I got through an auction proxy service in Japan called Sendico. They allow you to buy direct from Japan!

It is possible to switch regions once hacked, but don't expect Nintendo will like it much. Again follow the "3DS Hacks Guide" on how to do this: 3DS Hacks Guide - Region Changing

Conclusion

If you made it this far, I hope you enjoy your expanded 2DS/3DS gaming experience!

If you get stuck remember...

RTFM!