Nintendo 3DS Architecture

Anti-Piracy

• 3DBrew contributors, NCSD (accessed 06-August-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, AES registers (accessed 06-August-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, NCCH (accessed 06-August-2023).
• Yifan Lu, The 3DS cryptosystem (accessed 06-August-2023).
• Edreih Aldana, Gateway 3DS first impressions, setup and review (accessed 16-September-2023).
• Smealum, derrek, plutoo, Breaking the 3DS - 32C3 keynote by smealum, derrek, plutoo (accessed 06-August-2023).
• Derrek, Nedwill and Naehrwert, Nintendo hacking 2016 - 33C3 keynote by derrek, nedwill and naehrwert (accessed 09-August-2023).
• SciresM, Game NCCH and CDN encryption (an explanation) (accessed 07-August-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, Titles (accessed 07-August-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, 3DS userland flaws (accessed 05-September-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, Title metadata (accessed 07-August-2023).
• Crown3ds, Crown3DS–world’s first real 3DS flashcard playing 3DS games on nintendo 3DS is coming (accessed 07-August-2023). Youtube, 2011.
• Martin Korth, GBATEK - DSi SD/MMC firmware nintendo DS cart whitelist file (accessed 07-August-2023).
• Nintendo, Profile (accessed 07-August-2023).
• Fierce_Waffle, 3DS toolkit (accessed 07-August-2023).
• NekoMichi, I have system menu version x, what can i do? (accessed 07-August-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, 7.0.0-13 (accessed 07-August-2023).
• Fierce_Waffle, Merry christmas - have some RAM dumping! (accessed 07-August-2023).
• smea, 3DS hack : Running unsigned code in 6.3 from 4.5 (redNAND) (accessed 07-August-2023). Youtube, 2013.
• GBAtemp contributors, Gateway 3DS (accessed 07-August-2023).
• GBAtemp contributors, Sky3DS (accessed 13-August-2023).
• xem, 3DShomebrew - limitations (accessed 03-September-2023). Github.
• yellows8, 3ds_webkithax (accessed 07-August-2023). Github.
• devkitPro et al., Libctru (accessed 07-August-2023). Github.
• Selver, ARM9Loader – technical details and discussion (accessed 08-August-2023).
• neobrain, Nihstro (accessed 13-September-2023).
• Derrek, Sighax (accessed 09-August-2023).
• MrJason005, Introduction to how 3DS hacks work (accessed June-2018).
• SciresM, Sighax and boot9strap (accessed 10-August-2023).
• Myria, Getting sighax (accessed 10-August-2023).
• Sylantemp, Assembling 3DS homebrew for gateway (accessed 12-August-2023).
• aliak11, Homebrew development (Archived).
• Roxas75, [Release] rxTools - Roxas75 3DS toolkit [fw 2.0 - 9.2] (accessed 12-August-2023).
• Riku, [Release] AGB_FIRM signature patcher + GBA ROM converter (accessed 12-August-2023).
• Rinnegatamante, CHMM - custom HomeMenu manager (accessed 12-August-2023).
• mtheall, [Ftp server] ftbrony, by mtheall (accessed 12-August-2023).
• Aurora Wright, Luma3DS - noob-proof 3DS custom firmware (accessed 12-August-2023).
• cpasjuste, CtrBootManager: 3ds boot manager/loader (HomeMenuHax) (accessed 12-August-2023).
• m45t3r, [Re-release] BootCtr - a simple boot manager for 3DS (accessed 12-August-2023).
• Steveice10, [Release] FBI - open source CIA installer (accessed 12-August-2023).
• GBATemp Wiki Contributors, 3DS CFWs (accessed 13-August-2023).
• astronautlevel, [RELEASE] Anemone3DS - a complete theme and splash manager for your 3DS! (accessed 13-August-2023).
• d0k3, [Release] GodMode9 - all access file browser for the 3DS (accessed 13-August-2023).
• Rocket Robz, Nds-bootstrap (accessed 13-August-2023).
• GBATemp Wiki Contributors, 11.17.0-50 (accessed 16-August-2023).
• Zoogie, Super-skaterhax (accessed 16-August-2023).
• Zoogie, Bannerbomb3 (accessed 16-August-2023).
• Zoogie, menuhax67 (accessed 16-August-2023).
• Zoogie, unSAFE_MODE (accessed 16-August-2023).
• GBATemp Wiki Contributors, 9.5.0-22 (accessed 16-August-2023).
• yellows8, Ctr-httpwn (accessed 17-August-2023).
• luigoalma, Nimdsphax (accessed 17-August-2023).
• luigoalma, Nimhax (accessed 17-August-2023).
• Selver, ARM9Loader – technical details and discussion (accessed 15-September-2023).

Audio

• ParthusCeva, Inc, ParthusCeva launches XpertTeak based digital audio extensions and development environment for consumer applications. 2003.
• Weiyi Wang, Teakra - DSi/3DS DSP emulator, disassembler, assembler, and tester (accessed 21-May-2023).
• Weiyi Wang, Teakra - features of the architecture (accessed 21-May-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, DSP binary (accessed 21-May-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, DSP services (accessed 21-May-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, DSP memory region (accessed 21-May-2023).
• Thomas Edvalson, DspDump - dump 3DS’s DSP component to SD for homebrew audio (accessed 21-May-2023).
• Nintendo, Buzzing/humming sounds when 3D effect is on.
• Martin Korth, GBATEK - 3DS sound and microphone.

CPU

• ARM, ARM11 MPCore processor - technical reference manual. 2005.
• lioncash, Nintendo 3DS ARM documentation.
• Martin Korth, GBATEK - 3DS reference.
• David Thomas, ARM > introduction to ARM > architecture 6. 2012.
• mpthompson, Xark et al., Debian ‘armhf’ (hard-float ABI) for raspberry pi? (Forum thread). 2012.
• ARM, VFP11 - vector floating-point - coprocessor. 2002.
• ARM, ARM - synchronization primitives. 2009.
• ARM, ARM compiler - armcc user guide. 2010.
• AnySilicon, Understanding AXI protocol – a quick introduction.
• ARM, ARM11 MPCore (Archived).
• Citra contributors, CPU - citra. 2016.
• Kevin Kilbuck, FCRAM 101 part 1: Understanding the basics. 2002.
• Kevin Kilbuck, FCRAM 101 part 2: Applying FCRAMs to OC-192. 2002.
• ARM, CoreLink DMA-330 DMA controller. 2012.
• Citra contributors, Citra - applet manager.

Games

• Scott of Luckless Heaven, Nintendo 3DS hardware (accessed 26-July-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, 3DS development unit software (accessed 26-July-2023).
• Nintendo, What is the nintendo 3DS ambassador program? (accessed 01-August-2023).
• Nintendo, Downloading nintendo 3DS software updates (accessed 05-August-2023).
• Nintendo, Nintendo eShop pre-purchase and pre-load FAQ (nintendo 3DS family and wii u) (accessed 05-August-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, Gamecards (accessed 05-August-2023).
• Unity, Unity to support new nintendo 3DS and new nintendo 3DS XL (accessed 03-September-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, Download play (accessed 03-September-2023).
• Martin Korth, GBATEK - 3DS cartridge registers (accessed 05-August-2023).

Graphics

• Nikkei Electronics, [3DS teardown (1)] looking into 3D display (Archived). 2011.
• Jonathan Strickland, How the nintendo 3DS works. 2011.
• 3DBrew contributors, Nintendo OpenGL (accessed 16-April-2023).
• 西川善司, SIGGRAPH 2006 - 日本発のGPUテクノロジー「PICA200」が公開 (Archived, in Japanese, accessed 16-April-2023). 2006.
• OpenGL Wiki, Swap interval (Online; accessed 16-April-2023). 2017.
• Eisaku Ohbuchi, 3D graphics hardware IP uses OCP bus interface (Online; accessed 17-April-2023; author was a Hardware Engineer at DMP at the time). 2007.
• 3DBrew contributors, GPU/internal registers (accessed 18-April-2023).
• gmae199boy, 3DS-shootting-game - main.cpp (accessed 22-April-2023).
• devkitPro contributors, Picasso manual (accessed 22-April-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, GPU/fragment lighting (accessed 14-May-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, GPU/internal registers (accessed 14-May-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, GPU/shader instruction set (accessed 25-August-2023).
• Soumya Deb, Why nintendo chose DMP’s PICA200 GPU for the 3DS - technical details and insight (accessed 14-May-2023).
• Martin Korth, GBATEK - 3DS video LGY registers (legacy GBA/NDS video to framebuffer).
• Microsoft, Instructions - vs_2_0.
• Max Kazakov, Eisaku Ohbuchi, Primitive processing and advanced shading architecture for embedded space. 2011.
• Weiyi Wang, Pica-pipeline.svg (accessed 27-August-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, GPU/external registers (accessed 10-September-2023).
• Khronos, glTexEnv (accessed 10-September-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, MVD services (accessed 10-March-2024).

I/O

• Martin Korth, GBATEK - 3DS SPI registers.
• Martin Korth, GBATEK - 3DS SPI devices.
• Martin Korth, GBATEK - 3DS I2C device list.
• Martin Korth, GBATEK - 3DS MISC registers.
• Martin Korth, GBATEK - 3DS I2C MCU - RL78 CPU registers and flags.
• Renesas, 78K0R/Fx3 user’s manual: hardware. 2012.

Operating System

• Martin Korth, GBATEK - 3DS files - FIRM versions (accessed 01-August-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, Home menu (accessed 21-May-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, System settings (accessed 02-Sept-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, NS and APT services (accessed 02-Sept-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, FIRM (accessed 01-July-2023).
• TiniVi, Safehax/safefirmhax (accessed 27-August-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, Multi-threading (accessed 02-July-2023).
• Patrick Aalto, DSx86 - blog (accessed 02-July-2023).
• Martin Korth, GBATEK - 3DS DMA - corelink DMA register summary (accessed 02-July-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, Glossary (accessed 02-July-2023).
• qffdn, A technical overview of the 3DS operating system (accessed 02-July-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, Bootloader (accessed 09-July-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, OTP registers (accessed 09-July-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, Flash filesystem (accessed 09-July-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, SD filesystem (accessed 09-July-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, Bootloader (accessed 09-July-2023).
• 3DBrew contributors, Memory layout (accessed 09-July-2023).
• Tony Wasserka, C++now 2018: Tony wasserka “generative programming in action: Emulating the 3DS” (accessed 05-August-2023).
• Michael Scire, Melissa Mears, Devon Maloney, Matthew Norman, Shaun Tux, Phoebe Monroe, Attacking the nintendo 3DS boot ROMs. 2018.
• 3DBrew contributors, PDN registers (accessed 09-July-2023).
• wheremyfoodat, Panda3DS (accessed 14-September-2023).
• Hacks Guide Wiki, 3DS:Luma3DS/configuration (accessed 08-August-2025).
• dropbear32, 3DS: Correction on extra cores of the new 3DS line.

Photography

• Rodrigo Copetti (Me), Many photos, game screenshots and diagrams.
• Evan Amos, The vanamo online game museum.