#spotpass archival project

[pillows1616]

SPOTPASS SERVERS HAVENT SHUT DOWN YET

GO SUBMIT YOUR DUMPS HERE

[game-levels]

In a big win for video game preservation, a project meant to archive Wii U and 3DS data - including DLC - before Nintendo's server shutdown resulted in a "massive success."

[walks-the-ages]

it's April 4th, 2024, and there's just 4 days left to help contribute to the 3DS Spotpass Archival Project!

If you own a 3DS in 2024, then you (hopefully) already know that Nintendo is officially shutting down all online servers for the 3DS on April 8th, 2024

If you're wondering how you can breathe new life into your 3DS after all official support is officially stopped, you can hack your 3DS in 20 minutes or less , and allow it to run homebrew! Doing so will also allow you to dump Spotpass data to the above linked project, who are helping to collect data to eventually recreate multiplayer servers for 3DS games, so people can continue to play online with friends long after offical servers are shut down.

It's free, it's very easy, it walks you through step by step, and all you need is internet access on your computer, and make sure your computer has an SD card reader slot (or, if you have a New3DSXL, make sure you have a tiny screwdriver and have an SDcard-to-MicroSD card adapter for your computer to read it, since New3DSXL's have their microSD cards under the back casing )

What can you do with a hacked 3DS that runs homebrew?

Want to read ebooks on your 3DS? You can do that!

Want to turn your 3DS into a scientific calculator? You can do that!

Want to turn your 3DS into a handheld emulator? You can do that for pretty much everything pre-3ds. '

Want to uh..... want to play Fallout 1 on your 3DS? You can do that if you own the GOG edition of Fallout 1. (with a learning curve on the controls, from lack of keyboard and mouse)

And so much more!

EDIT: it's now 4pm PMT, and the Nintendo Servers are now gone. Thank you to everyone who reblogged!

4/11/24 Just found out the Spotpass Servers themselves are still somehow up, so if you did not get a chance to do this, please do it ASAP when you see this post! We've got no idea how long they'll be up for before they get taken down!

[zorrpu]

Pretendo needs your help!!

Pretendo Network has began an effort to archive SpotPass content before the 3DS and Wii U online services shut down April 8th

However they need us to help.

By dumping databases from your Wii U and 3DS systems, you can help preserve SpotPass content. Apparently you don’t even need custom firmware to dump 3DS data!? so please consider helping them out if you can!!

Here’s everything you should need to know

(I am not personally affiliated with Pretendo or the Spotpass Archival Project, I just want to help)

[as-if-and-only-if]

For anyone with a 2DS, 3DS or WiiU:

Deadline is April 8th, 2024, 4pm PDT! Then Nintendo is shutting down access to SpotPass content—which is essentially “free DLC that was made available for games”—for good. You may have SpotPass content for a game you played without even knowing it. (Not to be confused with StreetPass, the thing that kept track of other DS’s you physically passed by.)

Note that you don’t need to already have a modded/homebrewed (3)DS to archive your SpotPass. If you have a spare blank SD card, you can complete this process with your (3)DS as-is; the guides at the bottom of the page have step-by-step instructions, and the folks on the discord are very helpful!

[kafus]

Hey so uh, apparently there's an archival project for 3DS spotpass, maybe you could contribute and help spread the word before the servers shut down?

https://spotpassarchive.github.io/

oh yes i've been aware of this but neglected to make a post about it, ty!

^ clickable version. if you have a hacked 3DS or WiiU you should dump and submit your spotpass data!!

[smashwolfen]

So bestie informed me of this project for archiving streetpass data before the servers die! A group of folks are collecting the dumps of various streetpasses for 2DS/3DS and the WiiU in hopes of using the information given for potential revival of servers and features!

The Spotpass Archival Project!

A direct quote from their site sums it up better than I can:

"By dumping this database from your system(s), you can help various network revival services in preserving SpotPass content, ensuring that SpotPass features in these titles can be used long after Nintendo has pulled the plug on the service. Database dumps are anonymized when collected. Dumps are sent to network revival services to allow SpotPass features to be replicated later."

They have tutorials and step by step instructions to help guide those with or without custom firmware on their consoles

Any data before tomorrow, April 8th at 4:00pm, is better than none to help these guys efforts in not losing many features and services our beloved consoles have given us in the past! If your able to help by all means its fairly quick! And if you don't have any way to upload info to their cause, then the next best thing is to spread the word!

[solsticepony]

For anyone with 3DS and Wii U systems before the April 8th

[duskstarzz]

[soulguibo]

IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY GO TO THIS WEBSITE IF YOU CARE ABOUT SPOTPASS ON YOUR 3DS! :)

Today is the day Nintendo discontinues SpotPass! SpotPass allows you to exchange data from one console to the other, and if you wanna keep that I highly reccomend you mod your 3ds and do so if you haven't!

here's a link for other consoles as well :D

[arbony]

You dont need to have a modded console to do this!

If you have a 3ds/wiiU please consider archiving your spotpass

[scuffledig]

you should upload your 3ds and wii u spotpass data!

the spotpass archival project needs people to upload their spotpass data from wii u and 3ds titles: https://spotpassarchive.github.io/

by uploading your spotpass data, you are helping preserve online communications run by the community & future emulators will thank you for your submission well in the future

they need more wii u than 3ds dumps but you can give whatever you have!

[doozie97]

If you have a 3DS or Wii U please donate a SpotPass dump to the archive project to help restoration efforts

Modded or Unmodded Devices welcome!

The SpotPass servers are residually open even after the April 8 online closure, so please join the discord and complete the partition dump if you can! All data does to the Internet Archive and by extension Pretendo.

It takes data built into your 3DS system data into the attached SD Card, so be sure to at minimum have room in the 4GB SD or micro SD that comes with any 3DS (or buy one for your Wii U as external storage is sold separately). If you follow instructions and all works well it should only take less than 15 minutes of your time but the discord has plenty of helpful people for advice.

If you buy a brand new SD card, be sure to also format the SD to Fat32 (this is great for micro SDs over 256GB so you can have plenty of game storage) and there are very easy tutorials online. Here’s one for Windows Devices:

[walks-the-ages]

Own a 3DS, or know someone who does? Take a few minutes to upload your Spotpass to the Spotpass Archival Project, which are helping various homebrew projects bring Spotpass and Online play back to the 3DS family!

The Spotpass servers are still up after the April 8th shutdown of online play servers, so time is of the essence, and we do not know how long they'll be up for! Please contribute if you can, and reblog this to help preserve gaming history and functionality!

[fishmech]

If you have a 3DS (or I guess a Wii U, but no one has a Wii U) and can run homebrew on it, you should do this immediately, before April 8, to preserve SpotPass data ahead of the total shutdown of the SpotPass service.

This includes data as varied as special event pokemon in the 3DS games, player ghosts in Mario Kart, Tomodachi Life outfits, and many more things.

If you don't already have homebrew enabled, there are also special instructions for how to do this with systems that haven't been modified yet, but those may take significant time. If you can already do homebrew though, the program only takes about 10 minutes to run and upload its data for preservation!

[chocoowluniverse]

If you have a 3DS/Wii U, please help providing Spotpass data so that it can be used by network revival services!

For 3DSs, this can be done even without modding!