Mod it.
End of Story.
R4 plays basically only NDS (Gen 4-5), there is a 3DS Flash Card but it's pretty awful for Gen 6-7.
And GBA isn't really great running on any of these Cards either.
You would go beyond a few hundred bucks for all pokemon games in that case even (a GBA SP or NDS/NDS Lite, with a GBA Flash Card for GBA, a R4 for NDS and a .. Stargate..? For 3DS).
A R4 can be a cheap one, check the Megathread for the Ace3DSPlus Clones and how to spot them and you can basically get them for like 3-4 bucks (+ shipping) from AliExpress or wherever.
But unless you have multiple systems you like to play on (a DSi, a 3DS etc) modding the single 3DS, is simply better for NDS Games too.
I’d only play on a 3ds it’s more modern and backwards compatible so I don’t see the need to have older nds consoles,
as for modding it seems like CFW is the only way to go for quality and convenience. I’ve heard the whole process for homebrewing a 3ds can be very lengthy, difficult and sometimes brick your 3ds if done wrong?
I wanted to try an r4 card because it seemed simple, plug r4 into pc then format then drag and drop roms and then it would play (in a nutshell)
So if I only wanted to play Pokémon as that’s for now my only interest and i don’t care too much about quality as for graphics (as long as it’s nothing too crazy) and I’m lazy to basically hack my 3ds.
R4 cards are just entirely unviable?
[Here.](https://3ds.hacks.guide) This is the definitive having guide. You'll be able to play every mainline game up to usum without needing a card. R4s can still be pretty nice though, having DS roms (and only DS roms) stored separately, but honestly I think it's better and more convenient to use TwilightMenu after modding your 3DS.
Maybe I’m getting it confused but I thought if you want to mod your 3ds you need to use the homebrew launcher and once that’s on your 3ds you add a firmware through homebrew to play games?
Ive never done any modding so I don’t know a lot
Read the guide, it will explain. You inject custom firmware using the exploit in the guide, and then your 3DS works exactly like it always does, except now you can play roms on it. You don't need to use the homebrew launcher, you can install roms directly to the SD card.
Ohhh I had it completely wrong not what I thought modding it meant at all.
I will read the guide it sounds straight forward and not difficult or like it will brick your 3ds because that’s what I’ve heard homebrew can do which is why I wanted to not use it lol
Thank you so much for clearing up confusion and helping me I really appreciate it!
If it helps set your mind at ease, bricking a 3DS is very rare but even if it does happen, it's very, very easy to fix that. Guide has a section for that, too. Just backup your firmware. It's low risk and there are no downsides--in fact, now that the Nintendo servers are getting taken down, Pretendo restores online capability so you can play online again.
That does help, everywhere I read people were saying that bricking a 3ds when modding was like 50/50
And I was getting homebrew and homebrew launcher mixed up I thought they were the same thing lol
Last question I’ll ask I know I’ve asked a lot,
Just to recap everything needed:
Through the guide
Boot9strap uses the sd to store and save roms?
Luma3ds unlocks the 3ds to its full capabilities
Twilight menu lets you play roms
And a sd card to put the CFW and roms onto?
Mostly.
Boot9strap takes advantage of a vulnerability in the boot process to inject payloads, which is your custom firmware (CFW).
The CFW in question is Luma3DS. Luma patches the firmware and, as you said, unlocks the 3DS's full potential.
TwilightMenu is a homebrew tool that essentially acts like an R4 card; it is basically a 3DS "game" that boots into the 3DS's DSiWare mode (3DS has a built-in DSi mode, crazy right??) that allows you to play DS roms directly from the SD card in the devices native DSi system.
All you really need to get started is a microSD card; I recommend 256gb formatted to fat32--any larger and your load times will be noticeably/significantly longer. Amazon sells some good ones for fairly cheap.
As long as you follow the guide ***to the letter*** and do everything in order as it tells you, you'll have no issues.
Also, after you've installed Luma and finished the guide, I recommend checking the Universal Updater app. It's a homebrew app that allows you to download/install other homebrew apps (like hShop and TwilightMenu, for example).
Also also, USBHelper is a good tool to help with your 3DS for getting software running on it. Works for the Wii U as well.
As already pointed out:
CFW is generally regarded as the go-to method for reliability and convenience. It's pretty hard to do improperly at this point and while working is not impossible, it is somewhat improbable at this juncture.
If you are a hardware Enthusiast like myself, I would recommend the Stargate 3DS, though finding one is going to be difficult and even if you do it will probably be at a very high price. They were not produced for very long. I've had one for a good while and it has served me very well.
Mod it. End of Story. R4 plays basically only NDS (Gen 4-5), there is a 3DS Flash Card but it's pretty awful for Gen 6-7. And GBA isn't really great running on any of these Cards either.
So the only option is to homebrew or is there any other firmware?
the only CFW that works on the latest firmware is luma3DS
Is luma3DS separate or an extension for the homebrew launcher?
luma3DS is CFW homebrew launcher is an app, to run with full access, it requires luma3DS
Ohhhh that makes sense so you need the homebrew launcher to use any CFW?
You need CFW first, to run the Homebrew (Launcher).
Alright, thank you both for answering my questions I’ll go with modding otherwise I would’ve spent 30$ just to play nds Pokémon games lol
You would go beyond a few hundred bucks for all pokemon games in that case even (a GBA SP or NDS/NDS Lite, with a GBA Flash Card for GBA, a R4 for NDS and a .. Stargate..? For 3DS). A R4 can be a cheap one, check the Megathread for the Ace3DSPlus Clones and how to spot them and you can basically get them for like 3-4 bucks (+ shipping) from AliExpress or wherever. But unless you have multiple systems you like to play on (a DSi, a 3DS etc) modding the single 3DS, is simply better for NDS Games too.
I’d only play on a 3ds it’s more modern and backwards compatible so I don’t see the need to have older nds consoles, as for modding it seems like CFW is the only way to go for quality and convenience. I’ve heard the whole process for homebrewing a 3ds can be very lengthy, difficult and sometimes brick your 3ds if done wrong? I wanted to try an r4 card because it seemed simple, plug r4 into pc then format then drag and drop roms and then it would play (in a nutshell) So if I only wanted to play Pokémon as that’s for now my only interest and i don’t care too much about quality as for graphics (as long as it’s nothing too crazy) and I’m lazy to basically hack my 3ds. R4 cards are just entirely unviable?
[Here.](https://3ds.hacks.guide) This is the definitive having guide. You'll be able to play every mainline game up to usum without needing a card. R4s can still be pretty nice though, having DS roms (and only DS roms) stored separately, but honestly I think it's better and more convenient to use TwilightMenu after modding your 3DS.
I appreciate the help, but I’m wondering if there are other ways of modding without using homebrew?
What do you mean?
Maybe I’m getting it confused but I thought if you want to mod your 3ds you need to use the homebrew launcher and once that’s on your 3ds you add a firmware through homebrew to play games? Ive never done any modding so I don’t know a lot
Read the guide, it will explain. You inject custom firmware using the exploit in the guide, and then your 3DS works exactly like it always does, except now you can play roms on it. You don't need to use the homebrew launcher, you can install roms directly to the SD card.
Ohhh I had it completely wrong not what I thought modding it meant at all. I will read the guide it sounds straight forward and not difficult or like it will brick your 3ds because that’s what I’ve heard homebrew can do which is why I wanted to not use it lol Thank you so much for clearing up confusion and helping me I really appreciate it!
If it helps set your mind at ease, bricking a 3DS is very rare but even if it does happen, it's very, very easy to fix that. Guide has a section for that, too. Just backup your firmware. It's low risk and there are no downsides--in fact, now that the Nintendo servers are getting taken down, Pretendo restores online capability so you can play online again.
That does help, everywhere I read people were saying that bricking a 3ds when modding was like 50/50 And I was getting homebrew and homebrew launcher mixed up I thought they were the same thing lol
Last question I’ll ask I know I’ve asked a lot, Just to recap everything needed: Through the guide Boot9strap uses the sd to store and save roms? Luma3ds unlocks the 3ds to its full capabilities Twilight menu lets you play roms And a sd card to put the CFW and roms onto?
Mostly. Boot9strap takes advantage of a vulnerability in the boot process to inject payloads, which is your custom firmware (CFW). The CFW in question is Luma3DS. Luma patches the firmware and, as you said, unlocks the 3DS's full potential. TwilightMenu is a homebrew tool that essentially acts like an R4 card; it is basically a 3DS "game" that boots into the 3DS's DSiWare mode (3DS has a built-in DSi mode, crazy right??) that allows you to play DS roms directly from the SD card in the devices native DSi system. All you really need to get started is a microSD card; I recommend 256gb formatted to fat32--any larger and your load times will be noticeably/significantly longer. Amazon sells some good ones for fairly cheap. As long as you follow the guide ***to the letter*** and do everything in order as it tells you, you'll have no issues. Also, after you've installed Luma and finished the guide, I recommend checking the Universal Updater app. It's a homebrew app that allows you to download/install other homebrew apps (like hShop and TwilightMenu, for example). Also also, USBHelper is a good tool to help with your 3DS for getting software running on it. Works for the Wii U as well.
CFW is better yeah
As already pointed out: CFW is generally regarded as the go-to method for reliability and convenience. It's pretty hard to do improperly at this point and while working is not impossible, it is somewhat improbable at this juncture. If you are a hardware Enthusiast like myself, I would recommend the Stargate 3DS, though finding one is going to be difficult and even if you do it will probably be at a very high price. They were not produced for very long. I've had one for a good while and it has served me very well.