Hacking history 3DS

This page chronologically list the hacking progress of the Nintendo 3DS console.

This page is a draft version
Please help filling, updating and organizing the informations
Please, make one for The WiiU too!

It lists only public informations. If someone managed to achieve something but didn't tell it publicly, the release date listed here will be the public information and author, not the private unknown one. The purpose of this page is not to list all existing applications, homebrew, or releases but only list progress in hacking the console. Only first event will be mentioned in case of duplicate release, unless it has an interest for being listed.

Please add missing progress and releases to the list, and fix wrong chronology.

Presentation

The 3DS is Nintendo portable console released on the 8th generation video game consoles. Released in japan on February 26th 2011 and March 25-31 2011 in Europe/USA/Australia.

2011

February

• 2011-02-26: Nintendo - 3DS release in japan

March

• Community - Launch of 3dbrew.org website, along with wiiubrew.org and following the previews homebrew community driven wiki for the Wii and DSi.
• 2011-03-25: Nintendo - European release date
• 2011-03-27: Nintendo - USA release date
• 2011-03-31: Nintendo - Australia release date

December

• Tool - Release of multiple tools from different users to convert video to stereographic 3D video compatible with 3DS photo application thanks to Spinal Cord documentation and experimentation.

2012

Unclassed

• Tool - CiTRUS release.

Tool by Xcution to generate 3DS banners and icon resources.

• Tool - 3Dsavetool release by Crediar to extract/decrypt 3DS savegame data from game cartridges using the simple 1.0 XOR encryption method.

March

• Homebrew - Hello world!

First homebrew in cxi format, written by Xcution (CiTRUS author) and working on a development unit only. Application77.CXI and CTR-X-MCXI.cxi

2013

June

• Release of 3DS ROM tool by 3DSGuy to manipulate ROMs. (trim/untrim/check header information)

August

• Flashcart - Gateway 3DS flashcart release.

Works on 3DS from v4.1 to v4.5 only. Allows 3DS ROM launching only (no homebrew support). Has region and system version spoofing to play all released ROMs. Only one ROM per MicroSD card is possible.

October

• Nintendo - Release of the 2DS

November

• Flashcart - R4i Gold 3DS Deluxe flashcart release.

The R4i 3DS team released a clones of Gateway flashcart sold under different names for marketing purpose.

December

• Flashcart - Gateway 3DS update their flashcart's firmware to support NAND Emulation. R4i 3DS team updates their firmware to reflect the changes.

• Homebrew - Some users reverse engineered the Gateway 3DS payload to create their own NAND Emulation/redirection. Smealum and Yellows8 create their own, private, payload called RedNAND.

• Homebrew - Fierce_Waffle, Xerpi and Megazig reversed engineered the Gateway 3DS payload and created an open source version of the MSET exploit. ROP Payload. They released a RAM dump using their ROP payload.

• Flashcart - Gateway 3DS update their flashcart's firmware to include a bricking function if their payload is altered, which didn't took long to happen as R4i 3DS team released their new firmware based on that new payload. Unfortunately, the function is also triggered by legit Gateway 3DS users.

2014

January

• Flashcart - Brick wave due to Gateway brick function, never denying or confirming they were at fault.

Community on GBAtemp reversed engineered the payload to find the brick function and understand how it worked. Soon after that, a method was released to unbrick affected consoles by editing the eMMC lock command using raw SD card communication with RasPi.

• Flashcart - A new flashcart company, MT-Card, release their own flashcards with multi-ROM support.
• Tool - CWav extracting method from a RAM dump by Team Fail.

March

• Flashcart - Gateway 3DS now supports FAT32 and ExFAT with multi-ROMs.

May

• Flashcart - Gateway 3DS supports Online play.

August

• Homebrew - Release of Ninjhax and homebrew browser by Smealum using a spider (webkit browser) exploit. This allows ARM9 and ARM11 homebrew to be launched. CTRUlib devkitpro library is also relased.
• Community: Wikitemp 3DS homebrew and application list created.
• Tool - release of 3DS_CTR_Decryptor by team VOiD, later renamed to CTR_Multi_Decryptor. Used to decrypt and extract files from a ROM. works on 4.x consoles only.

October

• Nintendo - Release of New3DS console in Japan. (2014-10-11)

November

• tool - release of a tool for Windows to display ROM info directly from the file explorer [1]
• tool - System menu theme creator
• Homebrew - System menu theme installer/manager released.
• Nintendo - Release of New3DS console in Australia. (2014-11-21)

December

• Flashcart - Sky3DS release. This flashcart works with all 3DS system version, but does not patch signature, region, spoof, or allow homebrew. It's only a "Retail cartridge clone" which can play Retail games from the same user's console region.

2015

Unclassed

Nintendo - Release of +9.x. Contains new encryption key.

January

• Homebrew - Smealum released RegionThree. A ROP payload using a browser exploit to patch region restriction and allow playing out of region Retail Flashcarts. Works only on Original 3DS/3DSXL/2DS on System versions 4.0 to 9.5.0-22
• Flashcart - Gateway 3DS released a new flashcart firmware allowing Original 3DS consoles up to v9.2 to downgrade back to 4.x, and adds 3DS NAND dump restoration support.

February

• Homebrew - Release of Decrypt9, a port of 3DS CTR Decryptor by Archshift to create XOR files on a 9.x O3DS consoles.
• Nintendo - Nintendo starts banning flashcart users playing online. Detection method is based on "cartridge unique header" shared among users. Ban is temporary and automatically lift after 15 days.
• Nintendo - Release of New3DS console in europe and North America (2015-02-13).
• Tool - Release of tools to edit headers from ROMs and Sky3DS template.

May

• homebrew - anonymous pastie with addresses to patch signature check on O3DS and N3DS.

• Homebrew - New Custom Firmware (Pasta CFW) released using anonymous information. This Custom Firmware only patches signature check on RealNAND (no emuNAND support). As being the first open source CFW, more patches was added by the community (region free, etc.)

• Homebrew - Release of RegionFour by Smealum. Update of RegionThree, now allows region free for 3DS system version 9.2.0-xx to 9.7.0-xx and works on Original 3DS, 2DS and New3DS consoles.

June

• Homebrew - Release of AGB_FIRM patcher by Riku to patch a clean FIRM from nintendo server and install the result on the user's 3DS, allowing GBA virtual console and injected GBA Roms to be installed and launch in cia format.
• Homebrew - Release of rxTools with rxMode Signatures patched by AHP_person. Two versions are available, one with no DSiWare/NDS support, and one with those game type supported but Smash bros and Monster hunter 4 disabled.
• Homebrew - Release of CakesFW by mid-kid, a new CFW based on plugins system to easily add/enable/disable patches and features. Works on O3DS only at launches. included patches : boot EmuNAND, Boot emuNAND with reboot function patched (for MH4 and SSB), signature patches.
• Homebrew - rxTools 2.5 released, now with full open sources. A new feature is available to inject a pre-formated homebrew (FBI cia manager) into an existing app on the NAND or EmuNAND (Health&Safety Information app).

Unclassed

• 3DS decaping project
• 3DS Crown flashcart announced. one game launching demo'd. either a fake video (swapped hardware) or an abandoned project.
• CTR Tool by neimod
• 3DS emulators (Citra, 3DMoo, TronDS)
• 3DS to CIA converter. installable using leaked SDK tools DevMenu.
• Firmware 7.x release by nintendo - need a gateway update to play ROMs using 7.x key
• Govanify leak 7.x key
• BigBlueMenu release group releases a patched version of DevMenu to allow installation of cia on 7.x
• Govanify leaked and old version of RedNAND CFW stolen from Ernilos computer after infecting it with a virus. It Allows cia installation though network socket. The released CFW requires access to Govanify computer to install cia files. Could be used to sniff packets and steal user's private information. CFW works only with realNAND and emuNAND 4.x
• Release of Palantine CFW. It's the Govanify CFW patched with the "call home" function removed.
• Release of NTR CFW. Allows plugins support. (debugger, etc.)
• release of rxTools to extract files without XORing first. Can extract/inject/replace files directly to NAND/EmuNAND's Title database.
• RxTools can now boot existing emuNAND partition.
• Release of cia managers homebrew (BigRedMenu and FBI)
• First ROM translation patch (russian? Chinese?)
• First Undub
• NAND dump hard mod for O3DS, O3DSXL, N3DS.
• Homebrew: N3DS can now use MSET exploit by downgrading system setting app to the one used by O3DS 4.x.
• Flashcart: Gateway is now using that method (system setting app downgrade) to boot on N3DS.
• Homebrew: Release of DownloadMii for 3DS.
• Release of MakeROM and different tools by 3DSGUY
• Release of 3DS Explorer
• Release of (lot of homebrew, as long as it has hacking interest)
• First ROM decryption, File extraction and 3D model display (Smealum)
• Eshop version detection spoofer released
• Thanks to eshop spoofer, 3DS transfer utility works with outdated system version. identical major version (4.x 5.x 9.x etc.) required from source and target console.
• MultiEmuNAND manager, allows creation of multiple EmuNAND on the same SD card.
• Patch released to remove launch limit to eshop demos.
• FunkyCIA release to download and pack update files from NUSD to cia. Downloads all cia from v1.0 to requested version.
• 3DNUS release to download and pack individual NUSD files to cia files.
• sysUpdater (Profi200)
• Action replay cheat code patcher using Spider hax.
• Perfect brick tool CFW
• TRICK CFW (adds other CFW from this list)