What do you say to eulogize one of the men who helped shape your childhood?
Nintendo’s president has passed away, the company has announced.
Source: Nintendo President Satoru Iwata Dies at 55 | WIRED
UPDATE: 23 July 2015
While in New York on business, I made my way to the Nintendo World store in Rockefeller Center and was able to sign Mr. Iwata’s memorial book.
The 8-Bit Guy soundtrack is a great collection of electronic tracks in various styles from both amateur and seasoned professional composers! In this video, I’ll go over my first impressions and review a few of my favorite tracks.
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Tech teardowns, repairs, and reviews; sketches; how-to; games; and lots of other interesting geekery. At least one new video per month! Thanks for watching, and be sure to like, share, and subscribe!
I recently purchased Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D and it’s too big to fit on my 3DS XL’s SD card. In this video, I’ll show you how to upgrade your 3DS SD memory card and save all your data using a Mac. You can also use this method to backup your existing SD card data in case your handheld is ever lost or stolen.
For a Very Special Element14 Christmas, I’ll be building a project using one of Hallmark’s Keepsake ornaments. But first, I’ve got to open them up and have a look at how they work. In this video, I’ll be unboxing as well as reviewing the Donkey Kong and Legend of Zelda 2018 Hallmark Keepsake ornaments, showing their functions, and giving my initial thoughts.
They’re sold out from Hallmark, but you can try the usual suspects: Amazon
There are several methods to installing custom firmware on the 3DSXL, but the simplest way involves installing the ntrboot exploit by way of a MicroSD-powered flash cartridge. This inexpensive piece of hardware will allow the 3DS to run ROMs from the aforementioned MicroSD card. In my opinion, the R4i Gold 3DS flash cart is the best on the market and will come with the fewest functional restrictions.
Before beginning, download the latest versions of boot9strap, SafeB9SInstaller, Luma3DS, and ntrboot_flasher_nds. You’ll also need a small magnet.
Insert a blank MicroSD into your computer (operating system doesn’t matter as you’re only moving files to the MicroSD card). In the root folder of the MicroSD card, create a folder called ntrboot.
Unzip the boot9strap*.zip archive and copy the boot9strap_ntr.firm file into the ntrboot folder. Copy the ntrboot_flasher_nds.nds file to the root folder of the MicroSD card.
Eject the MicroSD card from your computer, reinsert it into the flashcart, insert the flashcart into the 3DS and power on the system.
Launch the flashcart from the 3DS main menu, then launch the ntrboot_flasher_nds.nds ROM from the flashcart menu. Follow the on-screen instructions to dump the flashcart’s memory for a backup. After making a backup, select “Inject FIRM” to install boot9strap on the flashcart. Once finished, power off the 3DS.
This tutorial assumes that you have a compatible 3DS flashcart (such as the R4i Gold 3DS) that’s been flashed with ntrboot. Before beginning, download the latest versions of boot9strap, SafeB9SInstaller, Luma3DS, and ntrboot_flasher_nds. You’ll also need a small magnet. Insert the ntrboot-flashed flashcart and continue.
Remove the MicroSD card from the 3DS console (not the flashcart) and insert it into your computer. Unzip the SafeB9SInstaller*.zip archive, then copy SafeB9SInstaller.firm to the root folder of the MicroSD card. Rename SafeB9SInstaller.firm as boot.firm.
Unzip the Luma3DS*.zip archive, then copy boot.3dsx to the root folder of the MicroSD card.
Create a folder called boot9strap in the root folder of the MicroSD card and copy boot9strap.firm and boot9strap.firm.sha from the aforementioned boot9strap archive to this folder.
Eject the MicroSD card from the computer and reinsert it in the 3DS console, then power on the 3DS. Use the magnet to locate the reed switch that controls the sleep function. This should be somewhere around the ABXY button cluster. Once the reed switch is located, power off the 3DS console and place the magnet over the reed switch. With the magnet in place, hold START + SELECT + X + POWER to boot into SafeB9SInstaller. Once all the startup checks complete, you can remove the magnet. Follow the on-screen instructions to install boot9strap, then, once the installation completes, hold the POWER button until the console turns off.
Once again, remove the MicroSD card from the 3DS console and insert it into your computer. Delete boot.firm from the root folder of the MicroSD card, then copy the boot.firm file from the Luma3DS archive to the root of the MicroSD card. Eject the MicroSD card from the computer and reinsert it into the 3DS.
Power on the 3DS and it will boot into the Luma3DS configuration menu. Enable “Show NAND or user string in System Settings” from the configuration menu. Press START to save and reboot.
Once you have completed the installation of boot9strap and Luma3DS to your 3DS console, you no longer require the ntrboot exploit on a flashcart. To return the flashcart to its original functionality, simply restore the dumped backup using the following instructions. Before beginning, download the latest version of ntrboot_flasher.
With the 3DS powered off, remove the MicroSD card from the console and insert it into your computer. Create a folder called ntrboot in the root folder of the MicroSD card. Unzip the flashcart backup archive and copy the resulting *.bin file to the ntrboot folder.
Navigate to the luma folder on the MicroSD card and create a folder called payloads and copy ntrboot_flasher.firm into it. Eject the MicroSD card and reinsert it into the 3DS console.
Insert the flashcart into the 3DS, hold the START button while powering on to boot into ntrboot_flasher. Follow the on-screen instructions to select the appropriate flashcart (R41 Gold 3DS) and restore the original flash. Once completed, press A to return to the main menu and B to power off the console.
This tutorial assumes that you already have Luma3DS installed to the MicroSD card in the 3DS. From here, you will install Luma3DS to the internal memory as well as several other pieces of software to enable the extended functionality of a custom firmware setup. Before proceeding, download the latest versions of ctr-no-timeoffset, FBI (3dsx and cia files), DSP1 (just the cia file), GodMode9, Homebrew Launcher Wrapper, Universal Updater (cia file), Checkpoint 3.7.4 (cia file), and Anemone3DS (cia file).
With the 3DS powered off, remove the MicroSD card from the console and insert it into your computer. In the root folder of the MicroSD card, create a folder called 3ds and one called cias.
Copy ctr-no-timeoffset.3dsx and FBI.3dsx to the 3ds folder. Copy Homebrew_Launcher.cia, FBI.cia, DSP1.cia, Anemone3DS.cia, Checkpoint.cia, and Universal-Updater.cia to the cias folder.
Create a folder called payloads within the luma folder on the MicroSD card. Unzip the GodMode9*.zip archive and copy GodMode9.firm to the /luma/payloads folder. Copy the gm9 folder to the root of the MicroSD card. Eject the MicroSD card and reinsert it into the 3DS console. Power on the console and verify that it has the latest updates. If needed, navigate to System Settings > Other Settings > System Update.
From the 3DS main menu, launch the Download Play application. When you see the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo DS buttons, press L + DOWN + SELECT at the same time to open the Rosalina menu. Select “Miscellaneous Options” from the menu, then “Switch the hb. title to the current app”. Press B until Rosalina exits, then press HOME and close Download Play.
Launch Download Play again. This time, the Homebrew Launcher application will launch. Select ctr-no-timeoffset from the list. Press A to set the offset to 0, then press START to return to Homebrew Launcher. Select FBI from the list. In the file directory, navigate to SD > cias. Select <current directory> then “Install and delete all CIAs” and press A to confirm. Press HOME and close Download Play. Your home screen will now display icons for Homebrew Launcher, FBI, DSP1, Anemone3DS, Checkpoint, and Universal Updater.
Launch DSP1 from the home screen. Once completed, press B to delete the app and return to the home menu.
Shut down the 3DS console. Press and hold START while powering the 3DS console back on to launch GodMode9. Create the essential files backup and fix the date and time if prompted, then press A to continue. Press HOME to open the action menu, then select “Scripts…” > “GM9Megascript” > “Scripts from Plailect’s Guide” > “Setup Luma3DS to CTRNAND” and press A when prompted, then follow the on-screen instructions. When you’ve returned to the action menu, select “Cleanup SD card” and follow the on-screen instructions.
From the GodMode9 action menu, select “Backup Options” > “SysNAND Backup”. Once completed, press B to return to the menu, then select “Dump Options” > “Dump Boot9.bin & Boot11.bin” and follow the on-screen instructions. Once finished, exit and navigate to [S:] SYSNAND VIRTUAL and select essential.exefs then “Copy to 0:/gm9/out”. Once completed, press HOME to return to the action menu and select “Poweroff system”.
Once the console is shut down, remove the MicroSD card and insert it into your computer. Copy the contents of the /gm9/out/ folder from the MicroSD card to your computer for safe keeping. After copying, delete <date>_<serialnumber>_sysnand_###.bin and <date>_<serialnumber>_sysnand_###.bin.sha from the /gm9/out/ folder. Eject the MicroSD card from the computer and reinsert it in the 3DS console.
You now have access to several custom applications from the home menu with the option to install many more. The installed applications are as follows:
.3dsx file extension..cia file extension.*.cia files for installing via FBI.My wife’s Wii has been languishing on a shelf for the past several years, so I wanted to breathe a little life back into it. Ever since the NES Classic launched a wave of “mini” self-contained consoles, I wanted to extend that kind of convenience to all the consoles in our collection. There’s a much different experience playing a game on something resembling the original hardware than there is using an emulator on a PC, but I wanted to be able to do it without the wear and tear on optical drives or having to worry about damaged discs. So, I decided to install a USB loader on the Wii in order to be able to play those discs from backups stored on a hard drive and keep the originals in their cases for posterity!
There are several different ways to install The Homebrew Channel on the Nintendo Wii, but this guide will be using str2hax since I don’t have an SD card available at the moment. (I’ll fix that soon.)
In the Wii settings menu, click on “Internet”, then “Connection Settings”, then your current connection.
From there, select “Change Settings” and skip forward until you reach the DNS settings (“Auto-Obtain DNS”) menu. Select “No” and then click “Advanced Settings”. Type in 18.188.135.9 as the primary and secondary DNS. Press “OK” and perform the connection test. If the connection was successful, you can click “No” to skip the system update.
Go back to Internet settings, then click “User Agreements”, then “Yes”. The system will appear to freeze for a couple of minutes. This is normal. In about 1.5-2 minutes, you will get a screen featuring a pixelated Rainbow Dash taking a nap. Welcome to the HackMii installer. Click “I ACCEPT” and wait for the installer to download.
After another few minutes, you will get a warning screen declaring that the software you are using is to be distributed free of charge and is not allowed to be exchanged for money. Thirty seconds later, “Press 1 to continue” will flash on the screen. Press 1 to continue.
On the Hackmii installer main menu, highlight “Install the Homebrew Channel” using the D pad, and press A to select. Select “Continue” once the installation is finished. At this point, I would install BootMii, but my SD card was having problems. I opted to skip this step and revisit it later once I knew my SD card worked, so for now, select “Exit”. (BootMii can be installed by launching the Hackmii Installer from The Homebrew Channel.)
Since BootMii didn’t want to install yet, I opted to install Priiloader to have a level of brick protection. This application is a custom bootloader that allows you to select how you want the Wii to boot (either to stock system menu or to any number of bootable apps you can install). It also allows you to run recovery discs in case of a bricked system, so it’s pretty invaluable when embarking on this hackery nonsense. The trick to using any old SD card is making sure that you do a full (overwrite) format as FAT32. Once that’s formatted, you can download the Priiloader installer from GitHub, unzip the archive, and drop the “apps” folder into the root of your SD card.
Homebrew apps on the Wii SD card live in a folder called “apps” in the root directory. Inside the “apps” folder, each app will have its own folder, and each app folder will contain a “boot.dol” or “boot.elf” file, an “icon.png” file, and a “meta.xml” file. If you’re having trouble with any Homebrew apps, check to make sure all these conditions are met.
Insert the SD card into the slot on the front of the Wii and launch The Homebrew Channel from the system menu. Click the Priiloader Installer and follow the directions on the screen. Once you return to The Homebrew Channel, power off the Wii.
To boot into Priiloader, hold the RESET button while powering on the Wii. Once Priiloader loads, you can release RESET. For the initial configuration, highlight “System Menu Hacks” with the D-pad and select with A. For the initial configuration, enable “Region Free EVERYTHING”, “Block Disc Updates”, “Block Online Updates”, “Auto-Press A at Health Screen”, and “Replace Health Screen with Backmenu”. Save your settings, the press B to return to the main menu. Highlight “System Menu” to boot to the Wii home screen.
Now that we have The Homebrew Channel available to us, we can install a few niceties that can breathe a little life back into the unsupported mid-aughts console. First among these, we’ll need the ability to run custom firmware for the Wii (referred to as IOS). To do this, we’ll need the dx2 cIOS Installer. Download the application, unzip the archive, and place it in the apps folder of the SD card. Once the SD card is in the Wii, you can run the installer from The Homebrew Channel.
Once the application loads, press A to continue, then match the settings as seen below:
Select cIOS: v10 beta52 d2x-v10-beta52
Select cIOS base: 57
Select cIOS slot: 249
Select cIOS version: 65535
Press A twice to install, then press A again to install the next cIOS:
Select cIOS: v10 beta52 d2x-v10-beta52
Select cIOS base: 56
Select cIOS slot: 250
Select cIOS version: 65535
Again, press A twice to install, then press A again to install the final cIOS needed:
Select cIOS: v10 beta52 d2x-v10-beta52
Select cIOS base: 38
Select cIOS slot: 251
Select cIOS version: 65535
Press A twice to install, then B to exit once completed.
Download Homebrew Browser and place on the SD card like with the previous apps. Back on the Wii, launch The Homebrew Channel and select Homebrew Browser. At the very least, you’ll want to install USB Loader GX, Wii Mod Lite, and Nintendont. USB Loader GX is a full-fledged system menu replacement for Wii (and can be launched at boot through Priiloader) that will launch backup titles from a USB hard drive as well as install games to the hard drive. Wii Mod Lite will let you install custom channels to the system menu. Nintendont works inside USB Loader GX to handle launching GameCube games. Both apps are listed under the “Utilities” heading and should be at the very top (sort by popularity). Once the apps are installed, you can exit the Homebrew Browser.
USB Loader GX can be launched from the Homebrew Channel or through Priiloader. To launch from Priiloader, you’ll have to point the “Installed File” setting to the application and set the auto boot to “Installed File”.
The loader takes a few seconds longer than the stock Wii system menu to load because it’s checking for a USB hard drive. Also: make sure to use a USB hard drive. Flash drives tend to not work with USB Loader GX.
If a game does not load from the hard drive, try using a different cIOS. Select the problematic game, then click “Settings”. Click “Game Load”, then “Game IOS”. Enter the IOS you wish to try (249, 250, or 251), then click “OK”. Return to the banner screen and attempt to load the game. If the game doesn’t load, rinse and repeat. GBATemp has a pretty extensive compatibility list available here.
If you prefer to keep the stock system menu on the Wii, you can still easily load USB Loader GX as a channel (saving you the step of having to go through The Homebrew Channel to launch). To do this, you’ll need to install the forwarder WAD. Download the WAD from the website and drop it in a folder called “wads” on your SD card. From The Homebrew Channel, launch Wii Mod Lite. Use the D-pad to select “WAD Manager”, then navigate to the wads folder on the SD card. Highlight the WAD file that you want to install and press A twice to install. Once installed, use the HOME button to return to the system menu. USB Loader GX will now appear as a channel!