3DS Piracy Cartridge Bricks Console
Nintendo built the 3DS very, very well, and the biggest proof of that is that it’s yet to be properly hacked. Last year saw the release of the Gateway, an R4-like device that allowed people with a console below a certain firmware to play downloaded games. It wasn’t perfect, but it was piracy, and it looked for a while like this would end up as a perfect solution for those that wanted to play games without paying.
Those dreams may have been crushed. A user on GBA Temp has proven without a doubt that the Gateway bricks the 3DS. It goes without saying that you should never do anything that alters the official firmware of a device unless you’re willing to risk a certain amount of unexpected results, but this proves that there are issues with the Gateway that perhaps mean you should back off and wait for a while before investing.
From YouTube:
The good news is that if you’ve already gotten a bricked console thanks to the Gateway, you can recover your device. Using a Rasberry Pi and a soldering iron, you can unlock a backed up NAND. See this thread for more details.
Piracy doesn’t always pay – but when you know what you’re dealing with, at least you get to make the smart decisions based on apparent risks.
Article By Mat Growcott
Mat Growcott has been a long-time member of the gaming press. He's written two books and a web series, and doesn't have nearly enough time to play the games he writes about.
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