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This thread is copied from my own site. For those interested check out: The Mongolian Basket Weaving Forum
With the pace some console modding scenes can go there's not much point in writing a guide on the subject but for those interested in modding a 3DS check out: This little site
FAQ
What is the point of modding a 3DS?
There's a lot of purposes. If you have a "New" 3DS then you can take advantage of the improved chipsets on games that never utilized them such as Metal Gear Solid 3, Pokemon SM, Kingdom Hearts 3D and others! You can also use the console to: play games online again, stream to your desktop, pair bluetooth controllers, backup cartridges, play aftermarket game ports, utilize emulators and install 3rd party software such as PKSM, Netpass, CTGP-7 and more!
What does the 3DS do better than anyone else?
Any games designed for the DS series of systems are still best played on the 3DS. While the WiiU has DS emulators and the Citra PC emulator is pretty good at emulating the 3DS in a pinch it really just comes down to how the systems are designed being best suited to those systems! The 3DS is also a sleeper at emulating the Virtual Boy using the Red Viper emulator!
I don't have a 3DS so which should I get?
Probably a "New" 3DS. There are 6 major versions of the 3DS. The original release is usually the cheapest but is lacking a second analog stick, L2/R2 buttons (missing buttons were added with an addon) and the added horsepower of later models. The XL version suffers from all those same issues but does have a larger screen. The 2DS also goes for very cheap (it was cheap at the time too) but lacks any addons for the missing buttons. The "New" 3DS models are probably the best with added buttons and horsepower. I have a regular "New" 3DS for the soul purpose of the cute faceplates it introduced (most of which were Japanese exclusive and can be hard to come across).
Game backups?
Game backups can also be easily done using GodMode9 at boot to copy or install straight from a cartridge. **YOU SHOULD BACKUP YOUR GAME CARDS ASAP AS 3DS GAMES ARE LIKELY TO LOSE DATA IF NOT TOUCHED FOR SEVERAL YEARS**
You said emulation earlier?
The 3DS is the best emulation machine I've ever seen. It can run basically any system you'd usually emulate with the exception of the Playstation 1 which is still lacking (See the future PSP guide for a great PS1 machine). Pokemon games emulate particularly well though to the 7th generation with the obvious exceptions of Colosseum and XD thanks to the PKSM software which can interface with all the games to transfer back and forth, add events and so much more! The DS and GBA also technically don't even emulate thanks to the 3DS using architecture from both systems allowing for perfect system compatibility!
What about homebrew ports?
The 3DS has a great library of custom ports of some great games. The most noteable ports are Mario 64, Sonic Mania (And the Whitehead ports of all the Sega games), Sonic Robo Blast, Doom, Quake, Quake II, Half Life and probably some other ports I don't even know about!
Funny 3DS hacking stories
The 3DS was one of the first systems I ever hacked. Truth be told I can't even remember the exact reason I did so but I think I just wanted to be able to play Gameboy and Super Nintendo ROMs. The original hacking method required a crappy shovelware game called Cubic Ninja which shot up in price immediately for the purpose of installing custom firmware. The first exploit I remember being able to use myself involved a demo game that I can't remember the name of and later got patched which at the time would lock users out of homebrew until a new exploit was found. Luckily I had an Action Replay which could load custom saves from my PC and using an exploit for Ocarina of Time I was safe from any patches Nintendo would pump out!
My original modded 3DS was a black original release that I had added a Serial Experiments Lain wallpaper to. Back then adding custom wallpapers was a pain in the ass but it made the system look sick. Many years later when I was traveling to West Africa for 6 months I had left my 3DS at home and had my parents ship the system to me. While due to West African slums being a shit show the package got lost in transit along with my entire game library. Bummed out I repurchased my collection and a new "New" 3DS with custom backplates to build my ultimate 3DS system. Sure enough when I returned to the US my package with my old 3DS and all my games. So, in the spirit of Christmas, I gifted the 3DS to my then Girlfriend. When I asked her how she was enjoying the system she told me "it started playing music and showed me an anime girl so I got scared I broke something and turned it off". I assume she's still using it as a paperweight if she didn't pawn it off to avoid getting a job.
More recently my friend came to my apartment to spend a few nights while on a road trip. While extremely drunk and high on beating the friend at Mario Kart and Smash Bros Brawl I wanted to prove a point that I could still mod a 3DS in my state. He is now a proud owner of a Modded 3DS after half an hour of "moving like an experience heroin addict who's hands were disconnected from their body"
Conclusion
Go mod a 3DS! Here's some sick videos on the subject too!
With the pace some console modding scenes can go there's not much point in writing a guide on the subject but for those interested in modding a 3DS check out: This little site
FAQ
What is the point of modding a 3DS?
There's a lot of purposes. If you have a "New" 3DS then you can take advantage of the improved chipsets on games that never utilized them such as Metal Gear Solid 3, Pokemon SM, Kingdom Hearts 3D and others! You can also use the console to: play games online again, stream to your desktop, pair bluetooth controllers, backup cartridges, play aftermarket game ports, utilize emulators and install 3rd party software such as PKSM, Netpass, CTGP-7 and more!
What does the 3DS do better than anyone else?
Any games designed for the DS series of systems are still best played on the 3DS. While the WiiU has DS emulators and the Citra PC emulator is pretty good at emulating the 3DS in a pinch it really just comes down to how the systems are designed being best suited to those systems! The 3DS is also a sleeper at emulating the Virtual Boy using the Red Viper emulator!
I don't have a 3DS so which should I get?
Probably a "New" 3DS. There are 6 major versions of the 3DS. The original release is usually the cheapest but is lacking a second analog stick, L2/R2 buttons (missing buttons were added with an addon) and the added horsepower of later models. The XL version suffers from all those same issues but does have a larger screen. The 2DS also goes for very cheap (it was cheap at the time too) but lacks any addons for the missing buttons. The "New" 3DS models are probably the best with added buttons and horsepower. I have a regular "New" 3DS for the soul purpose of the cute faceplates it introduced (most of which were Japanese exclusive and can be hard to come across).
Game backups?
Game backups can also be easily done using GodMode9 at boot to copy or install straight from a cartridge. **YOU SHOULD BACKUP YOUR GAME CARDS ASAP AS 3DS GAMES ARE LIKELY TO LOSE DATA IF NOT TOUCHED FOR SEVERAL YEARS**
You said emulation earlier?
The 3DS is the best emulation machine I've ever seen. It can run basically any system you'd usually emulate with the exception of the Playstation 1 which is still lacking (See the future PSP guide for a great PS1 machine). Pokemon games emulate particularly well though to the 7th generation with the obvious exceptions of Colosseum and XD thanks to the PKSM software which can interface with all the games to transfer back and forth, add events and so much more! The DS and GBA also technically don't even emulate thanks to the 3DS using architecture from both systems allowing for perfect system compatibility!
What about homebrew ports?
The 3DS has a great library of custom ports of some great games. The most noteable ports are Mario 64, Sonic Mania (And the Whitehead ports of all the Sega games), Sonic Robo Blast, Doom, Quake, Quake II, Half Life and probably some other ports I don't even know about!
Funny 3DS hacking stories
The 3DS was one of the first systems I ever hacked. Truth be told I can't even remember the exact reason I did so but I think I just wanted to be able to play Gameboy and Super Nintendo ROMs. The original hacking method required a crappy shovelware game called Cubic Ninja which shot up in price immediately for the purpose of installing custom firmware. The first exploit I remember being able to use myself involved a demo game that I can't remember the name of and later got patched which at the time would lock users out of homebrew until a new exploit was found. Luckily I had an Action Replay which could load custom saves from my PC and using an exploit for Ocarina of Time I was safe from any patches Nintendo would pump out!
My original modded 3DS was a black original release that I had added a Serial Experiments Lain wallpaper to. Back then adding custom wallpapers was a pain in the ass but it made the system look sick. Many years later when I was traveling to West Africa for 6 months I had left my 3DS at home and had my parents ship the system to me. While due to West African slums being a shit show the package got lost in transit along with my entire game library. Bummed out I repurchased my collection and a new "New" 3DS with custom backplates to build my ultimate 3DS system. Sure enough when I returned to the US my package with my old 3DS and all my games. So, in the spirit of Christmas, I gifted the 3DS to my then Girlfriend. When I asked her how she was enjoying the system she told me "it started playing music and showed me an anime girl so I got scared I broke something and turned it off". I assume she's still using it as a paperweight if she didn't pawn it off to avoid getting a job.
More recently my friend came to my apartment to spend a few nights while on a road trip. While extremely drunk and high on beating the friend at Mario Kart and Smash Bros Brawl I wanted to prove a point that I could still mod a 3DS in my state. He is now a proud owner of a Modded 3DS after half an hour of "moving like an experience heroin addict who's hands were disconnected from their body"
Conclusion
Go mod a 3DS! Here's some sick videos on the subject too!
