The 3DS has such an extensive library of games, and I used to play it so much as my favorite console back when it first came out.

This year with the eShop closing, I went on a bit of a spending spree and picked up a lot of games for it.

Currently I'm playing through Detective Pikachu and am almost near the end. This game is surprisingly better than I thought it would be, as I'll admit my curiosity to play it was first formed when I played Ace Attorney on 3DS, and then of course with the Ryan Reynolds movie a few years back.

After I put this one down, it's time for Tales of Abyss - a game I've owned for so long but never played.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.fmhy.ml/post/843636

Panda3DS is still in the early stages of development. Many games boot, many don't. Most games have at least some hilariously broken graphics, audio is not supported, performance leaves a bit to be desired mainly thanks to lack of shader acceleration, and most QoL features (including a GUI) are missing.

Posting this for posterity

Problem:

When attempting to play a 3DS physical cartridge game on the Nintendo 3DS, the error message appears: "Error Message: An Error Has Occurred. Hold Down the POWER Button."

Background:

Since Reddit has basically gone to the waste and since Lemmy (Fediverse) is indexable by search engines, I wanted to post this helpful guide to assist people with cartridge errors. I saw a lot of unresolved Reddit threads, so here is some resolution for you gamers out there that never got your answer. As the 3DS ages and due to the complexity of the technology compared to much older simpler systems, more errors have been popping up for both the game cartridges and the consoles themselves. These consoles have reached end of life and Nintendo is gradually winding down support for them, so it will become much more difficult to get support or get them repaired. Additionally if you send off a limited edition console for repair, you may not get that same one back. Use this guide to help with an error when you can't load a physical cartridge game on your console.

Official Nintendo Support Articles:

• Error Message: An Error Has Occurred. Hold Down the POWER Button. (https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/655/)
• How to Use the Nintendo 3DS Download Software Repair Tool (https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/71/)

Quick bullet points (full context in above articles):

• Do the standard stuff with technology: Reboot the 3DS, apply system updates, apply software updates, and check for any dirt/obstruction/physical damage to both the system and the game card itself.
• If dirt found, clean it using proper methods (e.g., High concentrate isopropyl alcohol and allow plenty of time to dry thoroughly, pencil eraser and gently rub over the pin contacts, etc.)
• Determine if the issue happens to a different game cartridge. If yes, try more cartridges in order to isolate the issue to either the 3DS itself or to your game cartridges.
• If the issue persists on all physical cartridges, your 3DS needs to be repaired. Contact Nintendo.
• If the issue only happens with one or two cartridges but works with fine with other game cartridges, the problem is either with the game cartridge itself (it's physically bad) or can potentially be mitigated by using the 'Software Repair Tool'.
• Download the 'Software Repair Tool' from the 3DS eShop. Follow the prompts and attempt to repair the software.
• Try again with the physical game cartridge and see if issue persists. If yes, the cartridge is the problem.

Next Steps:

• If any hardware issue is determined after you troubleshoot it, contact Nintendo. You'll need to get your 3DS repaired or get your game cartridge repaired/replaced.
• There may be other solutions online you can research to determine if you can fix it yourself. Do your research. If you are not confident in what you are doing nor do you have the right tools or skills, do not attempt to repair it. You can break it and that would be disappointing.
• Up to you, but if your game no longer works, there are always "other ways" to play that game again. Consider hacking your 3DS so you can play the games that are no longer sold, in print, broken, or ridiculously inflated by the used market.

I only have a 16GB one, but I just freed up a 32GB card by upgrading the one in my phone, so the 2DSXL gets a mild upgrade too.

I guess it would be cool to have a collection of all the games under the sun, but since I barely play lately anyway, this outta be enough... If not, guess I'll upgrade another 64GB card in another device and move it to the 2DSXL. The handheld is like the youngest sibling, always getting what the older ones don't need anymore.

Or should I be considering a major upgrade in the future...?

Hey again!

To keep this place both livelier and closer to its original purpose, let's do a little debate club / reading club thingy.

For this, every month, or week, or two weeks depending on how it goes - we shall pick a game to talk about, or some other topic.

We'll do community suggestions and voting too of course, this is just a launch.

So the first pinned topic: Big games on small systems

We tend to think of handheld games to be smaller, shorter and simpler. But sometimes they're quite grand on its own. From the beginning, GameBoy has been getting major games. Link's Awakening is one of the most loved Zelda games, Metroid had a sequel on GB too.

Another major source of big games are re-releases of console games from previous generations. Zelda comes to mind again with OoT. My personal favorite on 3DS is Xenoblade Chronicles, which is a really mind-blowing experimence on such a tiny system.

Other times, it's the reverse, where a handheld game is good enough to get a release on main platforms later. For many, Resident Evil Revelations was the return to form for RE, and it started on the 3DS.

A game I also need to point out is GTA Chinatown Wars. I know it's a best seller, but I still find it underrated. It may be odd, but when I'm randomly thinking of a GTA game, it's this one. Those were good times playing GTA while waiting in my taxi for a passenger.

==========

NEWS

For pickups, collections, and other "look what I have/got/found" topics, there is now a single pinned thread. Lemmy makes it easy to attach an image directly (or multiple) in a comment.

So don't make individual posts for this purpose. If the mega thread fills up (I don't know what the comment limit is), we'll make a new one and link the history.

Of course you can still make a new post if you have a question or need help with your game or gear, or it's something to talk about beyond a single photo. (Or it's something suuuuper cool.)

I'll update the sidebar at some point too.

Thank you!

Any of you had some of these?

I had 3 Soviet knockoffs. I'm in my old family home rn so I'll look for them.

I recently picked up a 3DS LL and i've already been playing some games on it and i'm having a blast so far, I'm just wondering if anyone could recommend me some short but charming games since those types of games are the ones i usually find myself enjoying the most.

Hey everyone,

This community has been up for 3 weeks, and it’s a small and cozy place. I personally think it’s fine if there isn’t a lot of activity, these consoles are already “retro” after all. People can still write and if you’re subscribed, you’ll see it, so it’s not like posts become invisible.

That said, would you prefer that we have some extra activity here to keep things lively? Such as weekly, bi-weekly or monthly discussions on some particular topic? Or something like a reading club, to check out a particular game? Or some other idea?

Next, should we have a megathread for collections and pickups? I personally think we should, as most communities/subs for specific older consoles tend to only have these kinds of posts, and I’m not a huge fan of that (maybe I’m just jealous).

Next next, should this community be specific to just a) 3DS, b) 3DS+DS, c) all Ninty handhelds (except Switch)?

Originally I intended to have it all here since 3DS is so well compatible with everything that before, but [email protected] looks pretty lively and is probably a better place for things like GB homebrew or alternative handhelds.

I'd still keep this open to things like the Game&Watch or flip-style emulation handhelds anyway.

Finally, I could use a backup mod or a few. Nothing bad is happening here, so there’s no work for the time being (unless you want to be very active in posting etc.). My intent is to keep the community friendly but also allow a bit of rowdiness, as people can be passionate or have a bad day, so I don’t like being too hasty with bans. Just gotta keep it civil in general. Either way, everyone is 100% nice here, so that’s just theoretical.

Let me know if you’d like to be a mod. At this time I can only take users of lemmy.world to avoid bugs and incompatibilities that stem from federation. We can expand again later as things get smoother.

Anything else, lmk.

Thanks.

Ha, just a few days ago I was asking about DS multiplayer...

Inspired by this comment, I'm curious how many people play DS or 3DS online, or even older GB games by some virtual Link Cable emulation? (If that exists?)

Last time I played was RE Revelations quite a while ago, and that was pretty active. I wonder how it's now. I imagine people still playing Mario Kart.

While I'm too busy with other stuff at this time, I think it would be cool to gather information and resources and maybe coordinate some online games for the handheld lemmies.

It's also worth noting that 3DS is one of the newest consoles that still offers free multiplayer. I only have a PS3 and 3DS and as such, I still can't wrap my head around it that all the current consoles require a subscription to play with fiends. In other words, [email protected].

It's not in great condition - broken hinge, missing stylus and GBA insert, some scratches - I'm still really happy with it though :)

Ignore the ad in the YT snippet

My list:

• Crosswords DS
• Bejeweled 3
• Plants vs Zombies
• Peggle Dual Shot
• Dragon Quest V
• Mario Kart DS
• Elite Beat Agents
• Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime
• Ace Attorney Phoenix Wright
• Puzzle Quest

Maaaan if only this thing had two normal analog sticks...

GB Studio is a visual game builder with no programming knowledge required allowing you to make real Game Boy ROMs in minutes. You can run the games on any emulator or you can run them on your Game Boy if you've got a flash cart!

After promising myself I'd take my 3DS everywhere with me this year, I got my first legitimate StreetPass of the year a few days ago and it felt amazing. Does anyone else still get StreetPass hits? :)

The Nintendo DS, the worlds best selling hand held games console ever. But just how powerful is this thing really? How does it compare with home consoles like the N64 and the original PlayStation and what about its main rival the Play Station Portable?

Really interesting video about the early days of 3DS hacking