Developer finds method for ‘unbricken’ Nintendo 3DS with the help of magnet

A developer has found a method to restore a ‘bricked’ 3DS using a magnet. The method is not out yet, but the developer says that Nintendo cannot fix the exploit in use with a software update.

The trick works, because the 3DS bootrom only starts from nand after a check if the user presses a certain key combination while the device is in sleep mode. That sleep mode can normally only be reached by closing the 3DS, but by placing the magnet over the B button, the device thinks it is in sleep mode. By then pressing Start-Select-X, it is possible to boot from a memory card, the topic says on GBATemp.

The developer has not yet released the software for unbricking 3DS handhelds, as he first wants the installer to work easily and for the software to be compatible with as many different cards as possible. With the 2DS, the magnet is not necessary, because it has a slide to put the handheld in sleep mode.

A brick often occurs because the firmware on the nand memory is corrupt and therefore no longer starts. By starting an operating system from the memory card it is possible to use the 3DS again. That way, users can also install custom firmware, the developer says. It is not yet known when the software to perform the magnet trick will appear online.