Gamecards

Physical interface

The 3DS gamecards have the same physical interface as regular DS and DSi gamecards. There is only a minor cosmetic difference in the plastic case, which has a small extruding notch on the top-right side. As such, it prevents insertion of the gamecard into old Nintendo DS or DSi systems.

When modifying the case so that the 3DS gamecard fits in a DS or DSi system, those systems will refuse to detect the gamecard and show no banner icon.

A 3DS gamecard

Close-up of PCB

Protocol

The communication protocol between the 3DS system and the 3DS gamecard has changed completely in comparison with the DS and DSi gamecard communication protocol.