Gateway 3DS - The Gamechanger Review

April 3rd, 2014, 14:07 Posted By: wraggster

For those of you who dont know the Gateway 3DS is a Flash Cartridge for the Nintendo 3DS, i received a review sample before Xmas but i was waiting for the day i could do justice with a review, add to that the bad press Gateway got over their software being used on clone 3DS flash carts which may or may not have bricked many consoles.

Lets move on to last weekend, Gateway released 2 new firmwares in the space of hours and this is where the Gamechanger happened, the Flash cart could now hold multiple roms, if you own 20 3DS games the last thing you want is to carry 20 carts around, your liable to lose them or they may get broken or stolen etc, well now you dont need to, its as simple as that.

What you Need

First off you need a Nintendo 3DS with firmware in the 4.1 to 4.5 range, this is the hardest bit at present, new Nintendo 3DS consoles will come with a much higher firmware so sadly you wont be able to use them, look in 2nd hand shops and the likes of Ebay and make sure you have proof before hand.

Assuming you have a 3DS with firmware 4.1 to 4.5 on you will also need

2GB SD Card or maybe even a 4GB
Gateway 3DS Blue and Red Card
To use with the Blue card a 1GB Micro SD Card
To use with the Red Card as higher MicroSD card as you can afford im using a 16GB for now.
Adapters to read SD/MicroSD Cards on PC
Your PC Obviously.

Installation

The Installation of files is easier when theres a video guide to watch and theres no better on the internet than the following guide, its up to date except for the part when you put 3DS Roms on the MicroSD, you no longer have to do it that way (make an image file), now you just drag and drop.

Watch this Video and use it as a reference:



If you have a 3DS above 4.5 then the Gateway 3DS cant work on your 3DS, if you have one below 4.1 you can use the games listed here to upgrade to firmware 4.1 -4.5 making sure that wifi access is turned off at all times.

Now since the video was made some of the guide is now obsolete, like i mentioned you dont need to make an image file, you just drag and drop 3DS roms onto the root of the MicroSD Card inside the Gateway Red 3DS Cart. If your using a Large Micro SD Card then format with exfat.

So with everything installed and a test 3DS Rom on your Gateway 3DS Card you then turn on the 3DS, go into System Settings (make sure wifi is off at all times) go to other settings, go to profile, click on Nintendo DS profile.

It then brings up a menu with Gateway on it with several options, the first option to Launch gateway mode is the most exciting, because when you click that it goes back to the main menu then you just press select and on the top screen it brings up your games to try, the Gateway 3DS on the 20 games i tried was flawless, its region free and compatible with all present retail games including eshop games.

Another option on the cart is the ability to back up your own 3DS Games (yes it plays perfectly well roms that you find elsewhere but its illegal so i cant say where to get them), the games can be backed up onto the SD Card in the 3DS, then all you have to do is transfer the file to the Micro SD Card in the Gateway Red Card and all of your games can be stored on the one card.

You also have the Emunand Mode but to be honest you have to be extremely careful and because i like my 3DS as is and im not risking it for no one i suggest viewing the video to make sure your doing it right..

So is it Worth it?

If i was asked when it first came out i would say yes but its a fair bit of messing about but with the recent Omega 2.1 firmware release and the fact that Gateway are upgrading features all the time this is a great card despite the price.

The Gateway 3DS turns your Region Locked Nintendo 3DS into a fully region free Console, why they lock consoles mystifies me in this day and age, also and this is great is the fact that you can back up all your 3DS Games and have them stored on one cart making it so great for changing games at will. Next is the option to play games that are downloaded, piracy is never a good thing but the option to play them and play them perfect is now viable.

For me id like to see the Gateway 3ds open to all 3ds consoles and most importantly i would like Native 3DS Homebrew and support for not only Eshop titles but also virtual console titles.

What an awesome bit of hardware and yes its worth the wait, keep away from the clones and always download from the official site and mirrors and use the resellers and support on the Gateway 3DS Site.

Is it worth it , thats a hell yes

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