A couple of days ago news of a real 3DS Flashcart hit the GBATemp forums for the first time. Unlike the Crown 3DS (and various other rumoured 3DS carts) this one seems to be the real deal and is due to hit retailers sometime this month. Unfortunately we’re going to have to wait and see exactly how this cart will function as there is a lot of confusion and possible mis-information surrounding it at present.
If you watch the promotional video you’ll notice that the MicroSD card is being swapped over for every new game. So far there are 2 theories as to why the card is functioning like this. The first goes like this:
And the 2nd, allegedly written by respected scene enthusiast GaryOpa explains it as follows:
The thread on GBATemp is currently 46 pages long and there are compelling arguments for both theories being correct. One would hope that GaryOpa’s comment is the accurate one but we may have to wait until its release before we find out for sure.
You can check out the official Gateway 3DS website here.
Update: Here’s a Q&A between GBATemp and the Gateway devs. Unfortunately it looks like it is 1 ROM per card, no homebrew and region locked.
– Is it one microSD per game?
Currently yes.– Must the microSD card size match the game size?
No, so long as the microSD card is larger than the rom size.– Can it play games from other regions?
Currently no, however due to popular demand, we have launched an investigation into this possibility.– Can it play Homebrew?
No.– Are saved games working? Once you take out the game is the save file kept or lost?
We are currently working to fully support back up and restore of save data.– Can Nintendo block Gateway with an update?
Anything is possible we would rather not speculate (As always, any updates should be avoided)– How big are the games and what is the minimum size for the microSD card?
Some range from 256MB to 4GB– Can you play multiplayer local and mostly online?
Yes, but we advise not to use online features– Do the game keep internet capacity?
Yes, but we advise not to use online features– Is it upgradable?
Yes some aspects of the design will be upgradable.– Can it run normal DS roms?
No, there are many alternative options for this.– Suggested Retail price?
About $80/€65– Availability: End of June. BUT until production has started, we are not accepting any pre-payment, therefore end-users should NOT pay until we indicate on our site that pre orders are officially open and payments from resellers are being accepted. PLEASE DO NOT PRE-PAY UNTIL WE SAY SO !