Glossary

A miniature dictionary for terms you may encounter on 3DSBrew.

C

C

A language homebrew developers program in. Also a programming language that is used to make everything from web browser to timers for your computer.

C++

An object oriented language homebrew developers program in. Like its name suggests, C++ is essentially a step up from C.

D

DSi

A handheld console created by Nintendo. It is the second successor to the Nintendo DS, and the 6th generation portable Nintendo gaming system. It features two (larger) screens, two cameras, and an online shop system. The menu is also overhauled, now using similar channels as used on the Wii. It has a screen brightness that can be set to one step higher than the DS Lite.

DS Lite

The predecessor to the DSi. It came after the original DS PHAT and has a screen that can be set to 4x as bright as the DS PHAT.

DS "PHAT"

The original Nintendo DS. It ended up being the successor to the Game Boy, though Nintendo did not intend for this to happen. It added a touch screen.

DSiWare

A platform started by Nintendo that allows developers to cheaply create and then sell original content at low prices (compared to the prices of brand new DSi games). All DSiWare games are available on the DSi Shop Channel on the main menu.

Dump

To extract the protected contents of something like a chip or NAND drive or disc which are otherwise inaccessible and/or incomprehensible under normal circumstances.

DS Download Play

Another application built into the Nintendo 3DS firmware. It is a place where people can download multiplayer games from another DS or 3DS. With those compatible games you are able to use only one game card while playing against several people.

E

Exploit

A clever circumvention of security allowing a user to perform tasks that are not normally permitted. Often several exploits will be employed in a series with the user gaining increased authority over a system at each step, the goal typically being complete access and control.

F

FCRAM

FCRAM (Fast Cycle RAM) is a new technology developed by the Fujitsu Corporation that approaches the problem of DRAM/Processor speed in a different way. It is one of the components of 3DS hardware.

H

Hexadecimal (Hex)

A term used to describe the base 16 number system, in which each digit represents four bits. After the digits 0-9, the letters A-F are used to represent the values 10-15. Hexadecimal is the preferred format for displaying binary data, as it is easy to mentally convert to/from binary and uses only 2 characters per byte.

Home Menu

The 3DS's main interface which appears after the health warning screen when the system is powered on. In the 3DS this is where all of your default and downloaded channels and games are.

I

IRC

Internet Relay Chat; that is, realtime text-based chat over the Internet.

M

MPO

Multi-Picture Object, This is the open-file-format used by Nintendo to make 3D images. It uses Exif tags and MP tags with JPG. You can read the MPO file like two JPG files stuck togather.

S

SD Card

A common type of memory card, used by the 3DS, digital cameras, music players, etc. Stands for Secure Digital. The standard SD card has a maximum capacity of 2 gigabytes (2048 Megabytes); however, some 4GB cards exist but are rare. These cards usually do not have great compatibility with non-SDHC products, even though they are not SDHC, so 2GB is the size you should use.

SDHC

Stands for Secure Digital High Capacity Card. A type of SD card with a higher storage capacity than normal SD cards. These are theoretically capable of holding up to 2 terabytes of space, but are politically limited by the current standards to 32 gigabytes.

T

TMD

See Title metadata.

Title

A title is a 3DS Game on a card or in a 3DS. This includes the built-in channels and menus. A title is identified by a unique title ID, an 8 byte (4 character) long code used for title identification. All titles are encrypted for security purposes.

Title Metadata

A format used for storing metadata about a title and its installed contents, including which contents they consist of and their SHA1 hashes.