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By Suiginou
This is a guide that attempts to clarify some of the many, many terms thrown around the 3DS community. Please PM me if you've got an addition or things have changed; I'll update the guide asap. This also includes issues where terms aren't ordered alphabetically.
I do take liberties in order to keep it short, leaving out some potentially interesting information that just isn't relevant for people coming new to the scene. Note that I expect people to know basic non-3DS terms. If you do not know what exFAT is or where the root of your SD card is located, this guide is not for you.
THIS IS NOT A SUPPORT THREAD!
Items are ordered alphabetically and correctly capitalized, even if that means an entry starts with a lower-case letter.
3DSNUS/3DNUS: A tool to download raw title data and pack CIAs from content of Nintendo's content distribution network. The "NUS" part stands for Nintendo update server. This is particularly useful to selectively upgrade/downgrade individual system titles. See also: CIA
.3ds/3DS format/CCI: The format of ROMs on a cartridge. It cannot be run without an external flashcart. CCI stands for CTR cart image.
.3dsx: The de-facto standard format for 3DS homebrew endorsed by the devkitPro team and smealum. Requires Cubic Ninja/ninjhax to launch. See also: Cubic Ninja, ninjhax
BBM/Big Blue Menu/Dev Menu: A CIA manager. It is part of the official Nintendo 3DS SDK. It cannot be run without a Gateway flashcart or a CFW. See also: CIA, CFW
BRM/Big Red Menu: A CIA manager, developed by Rinnegatamante. It requires a Gateway flashcart or CFW to run. See also: CIA, CFW
CFW: Abbreviation for custom firmware. This refers to any firmware that does not originate from Nintendo. Currently publicly available are Palantine CFW, PBT-CFW, NTR CFW and rxTools/rxMode. See also: Palantine CFW, PBT-CFW, NTR CFW, rxMode
CIA: Abbreviation for CTR importable archive. CIA files contain installable content, which is either installed to the NAND or the SD card. This is the only format (the other is the CCI format, usually with a .3ds file extension) in which games can be run on the 3DS without the need for an external flashcart. See also: CCI, CTR, BBM, BRM, FBI
legit CIA/perfect CIA/well-signed CIA: A CIA whose every component is correctly signed and thus can be installed and launched on OFW. Currently, CIAs of this nature have only been created for preinstalled titles, which share a common ticket for every system they are installed on. See also: CIA, code signing, ticket
code signing/signature check: Nintendo signs off various content using digital signatures. Code and other content not matching the expected digital signature cannot be launched without a Gateway flashcart or a CFW. Exceptions are launching code via exploits. Due to the way the CIA format works, a patched signature check is a requirement to pirate games in CIA format; though there is a number of titles, namely preinstalled games, that have been packaged into well-signed CIAs. See also: CFW, CIA, homebrew, ninjhax
CTR: Either refers to the 3DS (the codename of the 3DS is CTR), or the CTR mode of encryption, which the 3DS uses.
Cubic Ninja: A mediocre title that had an entry point allowing launching of homebrew. Because of that exploits, it sells for multiple times more than it's worth in terms of gameplay. See also: ninjhax, homebrew
emuNAND: emulated NAND. An emuNAND is a full copy of the NAND on the SD card. The Gateway launcher permits creating an emuNAND, but requires a Gateway flashcart or CFW to launch it. rxTools can boot a Gateway emuNAND but calls it rxMode. Other flashcarts may have custom emuNAND formats. Creation of an emuNAND currently always destroys the existing data on the 3DS-internal SD card. See also: NAND, sysNAND
FBI: A CIA manager, developed by Steveice10. It requires ninjhax, a Gateway flashcart or CFW to run. See also: CIA, ninjhax
flashcart: A cartridge that can be loaded up with multiple ROMs on an internal flash memory. For the 3DS, the notable ones are Gateway (which also allows running unsigned code) and Sky3DS (which allows only retail ROMs, but still works on the latest firmware). See also: CFW
Gateway: A prominent flashcart that allows running retail titles and unsigned ROMs alike. Using a CIA manager, well-signed and improperly signed CIAs can be imported and run. Currently, it requires firmware 9.2 and below. See also: CFW, CIA, flashcart
header/public header: A part of the CCI header, which is meant to be unique for each cartridge, is transmitted every time a user connects to the Nintendo network for online play. Because unmodified scene dumps all have the same ROM header, this led to a wave of bans for careless users. They're also cart-specific so that Nintendo can track and find invalid headers, but technically, headers from other carts work. See also: CCI
mset: System Settings. mset is the product code of the System Settings application. Firmware versions before 5.0 were vulnerable to a privilege escalation exploit. This is used as a way of launching Gateway. A downgrade of the system settings application using any CIA manager is possible in some scenarios. See also: CIA, ninjhax, FBI
N3DS: New 3DS, as opposed to the old/regular 3DS.
NAND: A type of flash memory; used to refer to the flash memory in the 3DS. The NAND consists of multiple partitions: firm0 (firmware), firm1 (safe mode firmware), and "nand" (holds a FAT16 file system; can be read on a computer and holds files such as title.db and ticket.db). See also: emuNAND, sysNAND
ninjhax: An exploit for Cubic Ninja developed by smealum that permits running homebrew on firmware versions 4.0 to 9.2. This is currently the only way to launch .3dsx homebrew. A ROM of Cubic Ninja on a Sky3DS works as a base for ninjhax. See also: Cubic Ninja, spiderninja
NTR CFW: A CFW that has a plugin system, a way of taking screenshots and more, developed by cell9. Does not permit execution of unsigned code and is thus sometimes called "cuck CFW" in certain circles of the Internet, making a pun of the abbreviation "NTR" for "netorare", the Japanese term for cuckolding. See also: CFW, code signing
O3DS: old 3DS, as opposed to the New 3DS.
OFW: Abbreviation for original firmware. I.e., unmodified firmware. See also: CFW
Palantine CFW: A modified version of a CFW leaked by GovanifY, named after its developer Palantine. It runs inside an emuNAND and permits execution of unsigned code. It uses firmware 4.5 as a base and is thus incapable of running titles that require the new 7.x crypto. See also: CFW, code signing, emuNAND, NAND
PBT-CFW: A modified version of the Palantine CFW, developed by nop90. It runs inside on sysNAND and permits execution of unsigned code. It uses firmware 4.5 as a base and is thus incapable of running titles that require the new 7.x crypto. See also: CFW, code signing, sysNAND, NAND
rxTools: A set of decryption, NAND injection and NAND extraction tools as well as an emuNAND launcher/CFW launcher, developed by Roxas75. See also: CFW, code signing, NAND, rxMode
rxMode: A CFW (part of rxTools) developed by Roxas75. Does not allow the execution of unsigned code, though a means of installing and launching homebrew CIAs has been promised. See also: CFW, code signing, rxTools
SKATER: The product code for the web browser on the New 3DS. Unlike spider, there is no exploit for it. See also: spider
Sky3DS: A flashcart that allows only retail games to run. It can be used to run Cubic Ninja for ninjhax. Sky3DS currently also works on the latest firmware. See also: CFW, Cubic Ninja, flashcart, ninjhax
smea: Short for "smealum", developer of ninjhax. See also: ninjhax
SOON/soon(TM): This usage of "soon" is sarcastic. It stems from the Gateway flashcart team being usually terribly slow to deliver while always only saying that the next release will be "soon".
spider: The product code for the web browser on the old 3DS. There is an exploit for it, used for many things, including as a Gateway entry point and spoofing firmware to access the eShop. See also: SKATER
spiderninja: An abandoned, incomplete project by Yifan Lu to allow launching of .3dsx homebrew using only the spider exploit. See also: ninjhax
sysNAND: system NAND. This is the NAND you boot into if you turn on your 3DS.
Waitway/Waitway: A joking way to refer to the Gateway flashcart. Background: The team of the Gateway flashcart is usually extremely slow to deliver while always only saying that the next release will be "soon".
This is a guide that attempts to clarify some of the many, many terms thrown around the 3DS community. Please PM me if you've got an addition or things have changed; I'll update the guide asap. This also includes issues where terms aren't ordered alphabetically.
I do take liberties in order to keep it short, leaving out some potentially interesting information that just isn't relevant for people coming new to the scene. Note that I expect people to know basic non-3DS terms. If you do not know what exFAT is or where the root of your SD card is located, this guide is not for you.
THIS IS NOT A SUPPORT THREAD!
Items are ordered alphabetically and correctly capitalized, even if that means an entry starts with a lower-case letter.
3DSNUS/3DNUS: A tool to download raw title data and pack CIAs from content of Nintendo's content distribution network. The "NUS" part stands for Nintendo update server. This is particularly useful to selectively upgrade/downgrade individual system titles. See also: CIA
.3ds/3DS format/CCI: The format of ROMs on a cartridge. It cannot be run without an external flashcart. CCI stands for CTR cart image.
.3dsx: The de-facto standard format for 3DS homebrew endorsed by the devkitPro team and smealum. Requires Cubic Ninja/ninjhax to launch. See also: Cubic Ninja, ninjhax
BBM/Big Blue Menu/Dev Menu: A CIA manager. It is part of the official Nintendo 3DS SDK. It cannot be run without a Gateway flashcart or a CFW. See also: CIA, CFW
BRM/Big Red Menu: A CIA manager, developed by Rinnegatamante. It requires a Gateway flashcart or CFW to run. See also: CIA, CFW
CFW: Abbreviation for custom firmware. This refers to any firmware that does not originate from Nintendo. Currently publicly available are Palantine CFW, PBT-CFW, NTR CFW and rxTools/rxMode. See also: Palantine CFW, PBT-CFW, NTR CFW, rxMode
CIA: Abbreviation for CTR importable archive. CIA files contain installable content, which is either installed to the NAND or the SD card. This is the only format (the other is the CCI format, usually with a .3ds file extension) in which games can be run on the 3DS without the need for an external flashcart. See also: CCI, CTR, BBM, BRM, FBI
legit CIA/perfect CIA/well-signed CIA: A CIA whose every component is correctly signed and thus can be installed and launched on OFW. Currently, CIAs of this nature have only been created for preinstalled titles, which share a common ticket for every system they are installed on. See also: CIA, code signing, ticket
code signing/signature check: Nintendo signs off various content using digital signatures. Code and other content not matching the expected digital signature cannot be launched without a Gateway flashcart or a CFW. Exceptions are launching code via exploits. Due to the way the CIA format works, a patched signature check is a requirement to pirate games in CIA format; though there is a number of titles, namely preinstalled games, that have been packaged into well-signed CIAs. See also: CFW, CIA, homebrew, ninjhax
CTR: Either refers to the 3DS (the codename of the 3DS is CTR), or the CTR mode of encryption, which the 3DS uses.
Cubic Ninja: A mediocre title that had an entry point allowing launching of homebrew. Because of that exploits, it sells for multiple times more than it's worth in terms of gameplay. See also: ninjhax, homebrew
emuNAND: emulated NAND. An emuNAND is a full copy of the NAND on the SD card. The Gateway launcher permits creating an emuNAND, but requires a Gateway flashcart or CFW to launch it. rxTools can boot a Gateway emuNAND but calls it rxMode. Other flashcarts may have custom emuNAND formats. Creation of an emuNAND currently always destroys the existing data on the 3DS-internal SD card. See also: NAND, sysNAND
FBI: A CIA manager, developed by Steveice10. It requires ninjhax, a Gateway flashcart or CFW to run. See also: CIA, ninjhax
flashcart: A cartridge that can be loaded up with multiple ROMs on an internal flash memory. For the 3DS, the notable ones are Gateway (which also allows running unsigned code) and Sky3DS (which allows only retail ROMs, but still works on the latest firmware). See also: CFW
Gateway: A prominent flashcart that allows running retail titles and unsigned ROMs alike. Using a CIA manager, well-signed and improperly signed CIAs can be imported and run. Currently, it requires firmware 9.2 and below. See also: CFW, CIA, flashcart
header/public header: A part of the CCI header, which is meant to be unique for each cartridge, is transmitted every time a user connects to the Nintendo network for online play. Because unmodified scene dumps all have the same ROM header, this led to a wave of bans for careless users. They're also cart-specific so that Nintendo can track and find invalid headers, but technically, headers from other carts work. See also: CCI
mset: System Settings. mset is the product code of the System Settings application. Firmware versions before 5.0 were vulnerable to a privilege escalation exploit. This is used as a way of launching Gateway. A downgrade of the system settings application using any CIA manager is possible in some scenarios. See also: CIA, ninjhax, FBI
N3DS: New 3DS, as opposed to the old/regular 3DS.
NAND: A type of flash memory; used to refer to the flash memory in the 3DS. The NAND consists of multiple partitions: firm0 (firmware), firm1 (safe mode firmware), and "nand" (holds a FAT16 file system; can be read on a computer and holds files such as title.db and ticket.db). See also: emuNAND, sysNAND
ninjhax: An exploit for Cubic Ninja developed by smealum that permits running homebrew on firmware versions 4.0 to 9.2. This is currently the only way to launch .3dsx homebrew. A ROM of Cubic Ninja on a Sky3DS works as a base for ninjhax. See also: Cubic Ninja, spiderninja
NTR CFW: A CFW that has a plugin system, a way of taking screenshots and more, developed by cell9. Does not permit execution of unsigned code and is thus sometimes called "cuck CFW" in certain circles of the Internet, making a pun of the abbreviation "NTR" for "netorare", the Japanese term for cuckolding. See also: CFW, code signing
O3DS: old 3DS, as opposed to the New 3DS.
OFW: Abbreviation for original firmware. I.e., unmodified firmware. See also: CFW
Palantine CFW: A modified version of a CFW leaked by GovanifY, named after its developer Palantine. It runs inside an emuNAND and permits execution of unsigned code. It uses firmware 4.5 as a base and is thus incapable of running titles that require the new 7.x crypto. See also: CFW, code signing, emuNAND, NAND
PBT-CFW: A modified version of the Palantine CFW, developed by nop90. It runs inside on sysNAND and permits execution of unsigned code. It uses firmware 4.5 as a base and is thus incapable of running titles that require the new 7.x crypto. See also: CFW, code signing, sysNAND, NAND
rxTools: A set of decryption, NAND injection and NAND extraction tools as well as an emuNAND launcher/CFW launcher, developed by Roxas75. See also: CFW, code signing, NAND, rxMode
rxMode: A CFW (part of rxTools) developed by Roxas75. Does not allow the execution of unsigned code, though a means of installing and launching homebrew CIAs has been promised. See also: CFW, code signing, rxTools
SKATER: The product code for the web browser on the New 3DS. Unlike spider, there is no exploit for it. See also: spider
Sky3DS: A flashcart that allows only retail games to run. It can be used to run Cubic Ninja for ninjhax. Sky3DS currently also works on the latest firmware. See also: CFW, Cubic Ninja, flashcart, ninjhax
smea: Short for "smealum", developer of ninjhax. See also: ninjhax
SOON/soon(TM): This usage of "soon" is sarcastic. It stems from the Gateway flashcart team being usually terribly slow to deliver while always only saying that the next release will be "soon".
spider: The product code for the web browser on the old 3DS. There is an exploit for it, used for many things, including as a Gateway entry point and spoofing firmware to access the eShop. See also: SKATER
spiderninja: An abandoned, incomplete project by Yifan Lu to allow launching of .3dsx homebrew using only the spider exploit. See also: ninjhax
sysNAND: system NAND. This is the NAND you boot into if you turn on your 3DS.
Waitway/Waitway: A joking way to refer to the Gateway flashcart. Background: The team of the Gateway flashcart is usually extremely slow to deliver while always only saying that the next release will be "soon".