System Transfer is functionality that was added with the 2.0.0-2 June 6/7 2011 system update, which allows you to transfer DSiWare, recorded audio from the Nintendo DSi Sound title, "internal memory" pictures, WFC configuration, from DSi to 3DS. On DSi this is done with the "Nintendo 3DS Transfer Tool" that is downloaded from DSi Shop, while on 3DS System Transfer is accessible in the System Settings. System Transfer can also be used to transfer 3DSWare to other 3DS systems.

DSi System Transfer

With the DSiWare DSi->3DS transfer, savegames are not transferred. When transferring DSiWare, the DSi system transfer title will send a SOAP request to the DSi Shop server, this transfers the DSiWare license/ticket to the 3DS shop account. The DSi title will then delete the ticket from NAND. The 3DS will then download the ticket, tmd, and content immediately from shop/CDN.

The 3DS broadcasts beacons with Nintendo tag vendor 0009bf. This includes the 3DS user-name, and possibly some consoleID? The DSi authenticates/associates with some binary SSID. The rest uses cleartext ntr/twl multi-cast communications, a lot of keep-alive frames are sent.

The DSi will then send its country code, username, and serial number to the 3DS, 3DS will send its country-code/username/serial# to DSi as well. The DSi sends a list of owned titles to the 3DS. The 3DS then seems to query the shop server via SOAP to check which titles may be transferred, it then replies to the DSi with a list of titles(of the titles which were sent to it) that can be transferred. When the user selects which title to transfer, DSi sends the banner of that title to the 3DS and many frames later the titleID.

When the DSi transfer tool and 3DS transfer tool startup, the DSi sends HTTPS SOAP requests to ecs.t.nintendowifi.net, ias.t.nintendowifi.net, and cas.t.nintendowifi.net. The 3DS sends HTTPS (mostly SOAP, unknown why the first one is used) requests to nus.c.nintendowifi.net, ecs.c.nintendowifi.net, and cas.c.nintendowifi.net. When entering the transfer DSiWare list menu, DSi requests from ecs* and cas*, 3DS does likewise.

When DSi sends the title list, after the first 6 bytes of the 802.11 data payload, is the below header. Following the header is the list of titles.

Offset Length Notes
0x0 0x4 Always zero?
0x0 0x4 ?
0x8 0x4 Total titles?
0xc 0x1 Filler
0xd 0x48 All 0xFF bytes.

3DS title list header:

Offset Length Notes
0x0 0x4 ?
0x4 0x4 Usually zero?
0x8 0x4 ?
0xc 0x4 Total titles?
0x10 0x4 ?
0x14 0x4 ?
0x18 0xf 3DS serial number
0x27 0x11 Bytes alternates between 0xbd and 0xf7: first byte is 0xbd, second is 0xf7, third is 0xbd etc.
0x28 0x8 Some ASCII numbers?
0x30 0x18 Always zero?

Title record from DSi and 3DS

Total record size is 0x128 bytes.

Offset Length Notes
0x0 0x8 TitleID
0x8 0x8 Little-endian ticketID
0x10 0x4 Usually zero?
0x14 0x4 Usually one?
0x18 0x4 Some ID?
0x1c 0x4 Usually zero?
0x20 ? Sometimes the title name is stored here?

3DSWare Transfer

3DSWare transfer isn't available yet, would be implemented in another future system update.

See also

Nintendo of Japan System Transfer page.