Hacking FAQ: What CFW is best for me?

[samiam144]

I want to include Gateway CFW, but since I don't own a Gateway, I couldn't give a fair summery of all the features. I know I could just copy them and give a summery, but my summery would either be missing details or just straight up wrong. So if anyone want to contribute an article of their own for Gateway CFW, that would be greatly appreciated.

I think there are only a few things you would need to mention. I can give a few right now:

• It can be accessed on 4.X to 9.2 firmware and has multiple entrypoints such as MSET (DS Profile exploit), the spider browser exploit, and *hax entrypoints.
  • It also now supports Arm9LoaderHax, and can be used on an updated SysNAND, although if you use Gateway 4.0a or 4.0b, there is no Firm protection.
• It has a built in cheat engine that is typically regarded as one of the last features that GW has over other CFWs.
• It supports .3DS rom loading via a microSD inserted into their proprietary flashcard.
  • Two advantages I can think of right now: (1) it is a simple drag n' drop, no installation needed, and (2) Nintendo most likely has no way to tell whether your .3DS rom is a real cartridge or not unless you use a "public header" online.
  • One disadvantage I can think of right now is that to play online, you need to extract a "private header" from one or more of your legitimate games and inject them into the rom you want to play online.
• It does not support GBA and DS/DSi games in Gateway Mode or Classic Mode (someone can confirm this? It isn't working on my end).
• It does not have any configuration screen like most other CFWs, or really any customization at all.
• It has a menu with a few tools, such as NAND dumping, cartridge dumping (like Uncart), and cartridge save dumping (in .SAV format).

 

[The Catboy]

All I did was provide evidence to support my claim. It's not even about ethics, it's about safety. Users are safer with CFWs made by actual developers that know what they are doing. Using Salt puts your 3DS at risk. What's the point of even mentioning RXtools in this guide if you won't provide a proper description of it?

At what risk? I have been using SaltFW since it was called ShadowFW and I even updated my sysNAND on SaltFW without hassle.
I did mention before that this wasn't a finished topic. It was actually accidentally posted well I was editing it, so I quickly threw something together for RXTools to fill in the space. It's not a complete FAQ, but I work full-time, so I can really only edit it on my days off.
Regardless, SaltFW is not going to be removed from the list for the same reasons I put there. I see no reason it shouldn't be added and I see no reason it should be removed. If you don't like it there, then I would like to reiterate my previous statement, I don't care. I have been using SaltFW as my main since launch without hassle, I've watched the project very closely since launch. Until I see an actual issue like a brick or an unsafe sysNAND update, I will continue to keep it on my list.

Granted, it's not heavily used by many, but for completeness sake, Cosmo CFW? https://gbatemp.net/threads/yifanlu-releases-3ds-cfw-cosmo3ds.420912/

I tested out Cosmo CFW and was intending to add it to the list, but was having a hard time really understanding it. But I will put more thought into making an article for it.

I think there are only a few things you would need to mention. I can give a few right now:

• It can be accessed on 4.X to 9.2 firmware and has multiple entrypoints such as MSET (DS Profile exploit), the spider browser exploit, and *hax entrypoints.
  • It also now supports Arm9LoaderHax, and can be used on an updated SysNAND, although if you use Gateway 4.0a or 4.0b, there is no Firm protection.
• It has a built in cheat engine that is typically regarded as one of the last features that GW has over other CFWs.
• It supports .3DS rom loading via a microSD inserted into their proprietary flashcard.
  • Two advantages I can think of right now: (1) it is a simple drag n' drop, no installation needed, and (2) Nintendo most likely has no way to tell whether your .3DS rom is a real cartridge or not unless you use a "public header" online.
  • One disadvantage I can think of right now is that to play online, you need to extract a "private header" from one or more of your legitimate games and inject them into the rom you want to play online.
• It does not support GBA and DS/DSi games in Gateway Mode or Classic Mode (someone can confirm this? It isn't working on my end).
• It does not have any configuration screen like most other CFWs, or really any customization at all.
• It has a menu with a few tools, such as NAND dumping, cartridge dumping (like Uncart), and cartridge save dumping (in .SAV format).

Thank you I will add it to my thread in the morning!

My cfw isn't listed jk its still in testing phase heh (need reboot code and RF)

Once it goes public or if you need a tester, send me a message and I will add it to the list!

 

[AdmiralToucan]

So you literally don't care if someones CFW lacks proper protections of firm. That's just lovely.

 

[The Catboy]

So you literally don't care if someones CFW lacks proper protections of firm. That's just lovely.

Considering the fact that I actually updated my sysNAND using SaltFW, I can say it protected. I didn't just update one system, I updated 4 systems without hassle. It's using the same protection code from Luma3DS.
I've also looked through the entire thread and I have yet to see anyone report a problem with your FIRM protection. If there was a safety issue, it would have been reported by now.

 

[The Catboy]

I added a (WIP) to the title since I am actually not finished with this thread. It was actually accidentally posted when I was trying to preview the thread, but since it was mostly done, I let it slide. I should have added the (WIP) to it from the start, but it slipped my mind. Still, It's on there now

 

[Shadowhand]

He only liked her work enough to just take it and slap his name on it, then remove things he knows nothing about which is why it had so many revisions to fix the protections he stripped (Aurora herself even stated the flaws in the thread). The dev has been proven to be incompetent and disrespectful https://www.reddit.com/r/shittyprog...de_a_programming_on_3ds_homebrew_right_there/ If you want real active development in a CFW, then you just get ReiNand, Luma, or Cakes. Yet Another RX Tools? Looks promising as well and what these projects have in common is that they have developers.

Oh wow, someone did their research on me. SaltFW exists because I wanted it to exist. I'm just stepping into 3DS development. I have solved all the problems that there ever was with SaltFW. I may release hotfixes, but they will be shortly after a release, and they are LTS versions, meaning I won't have to update that version until something really good shows up. Also, Aurora Wright did fix the payload chainloading code after I posted that, so damn me, I'm a horrible human being for pointing out the flaws.

HOTFIX: I forgot to mention that this is a nice list (not because it includes SaltFW), because it actually presents the choices people have in a nice and clean manner. Thanks @Crystal the Glaceon for the nice thread.

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Snip

If you're using an SD card that's 16GB or bigger, backup your SD contents and format your SD with emunand9, then copy everything back and watch as everything boots faster.

 

[The Catboy]

Oh wow, someone did their research on me. SaltFW exists because I wanted it to exist. I'm just stepping into 3DS development. I have solved all the problems that there ever was with SaltFW. I may release hotfixes, but they will be shortly after a release, and they are LTS versions, meaning I won't have to update that version until something really good shows up. Also, Aurora Wright did fix the payload chainloading code after I posted that, so damn me, I'm a horrible human being for pointing out the flaws.

HOTFIX: I forgot to mention that this is a nice list (not because it includes SaltFW), because it actually presents the choices people have in a nice and clean manner. Thanks @Crystal the Glaceon for the nice thread.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------



If you're using an SD card that's 16GB or bigger, backup your SD contents and format your SD with emunand9, then copy everything back and watch as everything boots faster.

I will test that in the morning. I just bought a brand new 64GB MicroSD card.
I will be working on the Rxtools section, Cosmo CFW, and add the Gateway cfw, in the morning.

 

[dubbz82]

So you literally don't care if someones CFW lacks proper protections of firm. That's just lovely.

Point of this thread IS to not care, I think, but rather allow users to make their own choices based upon information given. If a dev wants to use a cfw without firm protection to test their a9lh payloads...

 

[alpha_noj]

Luma looks interesting. But here's a question (that probably isn't in the right place): I'm a dinosaur, and still on Gateway emuNAND. Believe my system is currently at 9.2. Is it worth switching to a CFW as opposed to Gateway? Can I run them at the same time? And is there a way to boot into CFW without an internet connection?

 

[Shadowhand]

Luma looks interesting. But here's a question (that probably isn't in the right place): I'm a dinosaur, and still on Gateway emuNAND. Believe my system is currently at 9.2. Is it worth switching to a CFW as opposed to Gateway? Can I run them at the same time? And is there a way to boot into CFW without an internet connection?

1) You can run GW with a CFW
2) You don't need internet to launch a CFW
3) CFW is better than Gateway.

 

[alpha_noj]

1) You can run GW with a CFW
2) You don't need internet to launch a CFW
3) CFW is better than Gateway.

Something I forgot to ask, what bout my NNID? It's currently connected to my Gateway emuNAND. Any way to swap that around if I were to install a CFW?

 

[Shadowhand]

Something I forgot to ask, what bout my NNID? It's currently connected to my Gateway emuNAND. Any way to swap that around if I were to install a CFW?

Current CFWs can work with your GW Emunand.

 

[The Catboy]

I had some plans come up, so I will be working on this guide later. For now, I'll be doing some quick testing after taking Shadowhand's advice to speed up my SD card.

Point of this thread IS to not care, I think, but rather allow users to make their own choices based upon information given. If a dev wants to use a cfw without firm protection to test their a9lh payloads...

Yes, that actually is the point. I am trying to give a non-bias approach and information on each CFW. The point of this thread is for the user to decide which CFW works best for them, not not about debating nor ethical concerns about the dev. If it was, this would be a completely different thread.
As well SaltFW does have FIRM0/1 protection, it's the same protection as Luma3DS in fact. And I've even updated 4 different 3DS's running SaltFW and not a single problem came up. All of them updated and their A9LH install was left untouched. If SaltFW didn't have this code, that would have been included in the first post.

 

[dubbz82]

What's your thoughts of including palentine cfw? Granted it's pretty obsolete and not applicable to either menuhax nor a9lh....

 

[The Catboy]

What's your thoughts of including palentine cfw? Granted it's pretty obsolete and not applicable to either menuhax nor a9lh....

Considering it's long inactive status, I will not include it. The only reason I am including old RXtools is because of it's popularity and I want to explain why it shouldn't be used.

 

[phazer]

@Crystal the Glaceon:
Thanks tons for this very informative thread. I did not know that there are so many CFWs available meanwhile since the release of rxTools.

My old 3DS XL is currently running 4.5.0-8E, rxTools v2.6 and RX3D 9.9.0-26E.
Do you recommend to switch/upgrade to a A9LH bases CFW? If so, I don´t want to loose installed CIAs and savegames. Is that possible?

 

[proflayton123]

What even is Mizuki CFW?


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[Shadowhand]

@Crystal the Glaceon:
Thanks tons for this very informative thread. I did not know that there are so many CFWs available meanwhile since the release of rxTools.

My old 3DS XL is currently running 4.5.0-8E, rxTools v2.6 and RX3D 9.9.0-26E.
Do you recommend to switch/upgrade to a A9LH bases CFW? If so, I don´t want to loose installed CIAs and savegames. Is that possible?

You won't lose CIAs or Save games once you're fully switched to a9lh.

 

[The Catboy]

What even is Mizuki CFW?


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It's a CFW like SaltFW, which was based on ReiNAND. It went into private development after the community shit on the project for no reason

 

[proflayton123]

It's a CFW like SaltFW, which was based on ReiNAND. It went into private development after the community shit on the project for no reason

Is it still accessible although private though I'd like to look into the code and things


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