Release 1.2: iQue and HK support
09/09/2013

GW_Release 1.2: Support for iQue (China) and HK (Taiwan) region consoles has finally arrived !
The latest Blue card GW_Installer.nds will now prompt the user to select the correct region.
Consoles from the above regions will need to run the latest GW_Installer.nds.

Hardware Diagnostics and SPI reset:

Due to numerous issues primarily related to third party hardware, as of GW release 1.2 and onwards we have embedded a hardware diagnostics and verification routine into the Gateway Launcher.

This diagnostics mode is designed to:

1) Reset the GW onboard SPI FLASH. Should fix some "The game card has been removed" errors.
2) Sequentially test and verify the FPGA, SPI FLASH, and MicroSD functionality.
3) Stability verification of MicroSD cards. (Inserted into Red GW card)

For this reason we have provided a 1GB test file that should be written to the MicroSD card.
If this file is detected during the diagnostics test, the GW LED will flash a hue from blue to red depending on the detected read speed (Blue for fast and progressively changing towards Red for slow). The complete 1GB file will take up to 5 minutes to be verified, at which point the LED will turn constant green.

To enter into diagnostics mode, make sure you have the latest GW release build copied to your 3DS sd card. Hold down the "L" button while triggering the "Nintendo DS Profile" entry point. The 3ds will show black/gray screens with wifi / date and battery indicators on the top screen. Insert red GW card and press "L" to start the test.

Hardware Diagnostics sequence and LED colour meaning

Test 1. FPGA RED
Test 2. SPI write test YELLOW
Test 3. SPI read test TEAL
Test 4: SD
Blue = No valid SD data
White = Fat32 partition detected
Green = 3ds ROM header found (if you are still experiencing problems please download and write our GW_testrom to your micro SD, for a full read test)
When GW_testrom is detected on the micro SD, LED will flash hue from blue to red depending on the detected read speed, at the end of a full 1G successful read of the test file the LED should turn to constant Green.

If any test fails the diagnostics will halt on that test. (So if you start diagnostics and only see a constant RED, this means the FPGA is faulty and you should contact your reseller for a replacement. Constant RED,YELLOW or TEAL is idicative of a non user repairable fault)

Please note "The game card has been removed" error is most likely caused by rom data corruption, the diagnostics tools provided here were designed to offer the end user a way to verify his/her hardware setup, primarily rom writing, please ensure a full read test is performed using the GW_testrom file prior to contacting your reseller.

Check the download section HERE for all required files.
PUBLIC RELEASE OF Gateway 3DS V1.1a Region-free and Firm-Spoof
21/08/2013

We would like to thank all our beta testers for their timely response and reporting.

Common minor issues we are aware of are:

1) The lack of upper screen banner for some titles which trigger both region and firmware spoof requirements.

2) Some expected issues related to language fonts

There have been some unique reports of issues related to title exit or first GW3DS entry after installing the update. We believe these are either related to file fragmentation of the 3DS SD card or some users trimming the titles to fit on the red card's micro SD. Please make sure to try a new SD card for the 3DS as well as micro SD for the Gateway card together with a known good un-modified title, where possible.

Installation of the update is simple, download our release HERE and simply replace the "Launcher.dat" file on the 3DS SD card. ENJOY !!
Unshackling The Shackled !
19/08/2013

REGION-FREE and FIRMWARE SPOOFING released to beta testers !!! We are ecstatic to announce the beta release of our much awaited region liberator :-) All beta testers are kindly asked to feedback any issues in a timely manner so we can move the release to the wider public.

OSX fans :- We searched high and low for a suitable SD image writer and came up empty handed :-( therefore we decided to code our own tool for you :-) Please feel free to make use of our Mac OS 3DS SD Imager tool in place of the win 32 disk imager mentioned in our guides.

As always ENJOY !

Note: we are aware of compatibility issues with the iQue and HK units, rest assured work is in progress !
Firmware spoofing and Region Free - Homebrew now in the works
13/08/2013

Server Down ! Our sincere apologies for the server downtime. Apparently due to power spike and subsequent hardware failure.

As most already know from our YouTube post we proudly announce 2 critical features "Firmware spoofing" allowing newer backups which force updates higher than 4.5 to be run safely in GW mode. And "Region Free" allowing any backup normally locked to a specific region console to be used freely.

As a development team we are especially excited to announce the start of our long term dream to enable 3DS home-brew. We have long awaited the time to be able to start working on opening up your 3DS to the amazing home-brew talent. This is not a trivial feat to accomplish and it will take time ! In the meanwhile we will of course continue to enhance the GW3DS with rich features.

Shout out to emo kid 68 for discovering an interesting fact about our Gateway installer inhibiting the update nagger ! ( If there are no apps awaiting installation (just delete them) then after running our blue card GW installer the update nagger disappears)
GATEWAY 3DS Manuals & Files
07/08/2013

Please find in our downloads section links to .zip which includes V1.0 manuals and files for Gateway 3DS.

Currently it is not compatible with firmware above 4.5 but we are working on making it compatible as quickly as possible with 5.x and 6.x firmwares. It is most likely to happen in the weeks to come since we are now done with V1.0 of our product and can now fully concentrate on newer firmware and new functions.

Since the product is now released and soon in Nintendo's hands, anything above 6.2.0 will most likely never be compatible.

In any case: NEVER update, as we never know if we can make a fix for any update. Remove automatic updates by enabling parental control to prevent any accident.

We can't repeat it enough, do NOT update if you want to be able to enjoy the only solution for your 3DS: Gateway! You have been warned!
GATEWAY 3DS FAQ Update
29/07/2013

First units to ship this week !

And a quick note to update our FAQ regarding the use of the "blue" card and recent title releases:

Can the blue card run DS home brew ?

YES :- The bundled blue ds card, is in essence a standard DS cart capable of both DS backups and home brew for DS mode, tested to work on 6.1

Is the blue card required for every power cycle ?

No :- Our custom Gateway Installer DS app is only required to be run once to setup and thereafter any time the console is used in DS mode.

Does Gateway support all games:

No :- Animal Crossing uses unique NAND based save hardware in the cart, support will be added through a GW firmware update. Mario (released last week) is forcing 5.1 update. We have prioritised work on supporting all such future releases. Stay tuned.

Please NOTE the FAQ update was specifically speaking about our bundled BLUE DS card not the Gateway RED 3DS card ! as mentioned the Blue DS card is a standard DS card for DS mode. Gateway works on (4.1 -> 4.5) only for now.
GATEWAY 3DS Update
11/07/2013

Official opening of pre-orders !

Gateway is please to announce start of manufacturing and the opening of pre-orders. We expect to roll out the first units to resellers within the next fortnight.

Please pay special attention to the following critical information regarding our current software development phase.

1) Yes, we are exploit based (Yay !?) and therefore very dependent on console firmware version: Our current plan is to release for firmware version 4.5 while continuing work on a solution for 6.x + after release. (please see note below)

2) Gateway will be shipped with 2 cards, the red Gateway shown in our video, which will handle 3ds backups, and a blue ds cart which will be used to prepare the console. ( more demo videos showing save game compatibility as well as setup procedures to follow soon )

3) Your console can be safely updated to 4.5 by using an original title released after March 2013 till current. Please double check the update message (version) before proceeding !


Note:

We currently have a very convenient and user friendly way to enter into our Gateway mode, while this entry point has been tested up to 6.0 we expect it to be shut off shortly after we release. We can not stress enough the importance of staying away from any further updates! ( 6.0 compatibility is only valid for our initial entry point, as stated in point (1) we currently only support firmware version 4.5 )
GATEWAY 3DS F.A.Q
04/06/2013

- Is it one microSD per game?

Currently yes.

- Must the microSD card size match the game size?

No, so long as the microSD card is larger than the rom size.

- Can it play games from other regions?

Currently no, however due to popular demand, we have launched an investigation into this possibility.

- Can it play Homebrew?

No.

- Are saved games working? Once you take out the game is the save file kept or lost?

We are currently working to fully support back up and restore of save data.

- Can Nintendo block Gateway with an update?

Anything is possible we would rather not speculate (As always, any system updates should be avoided)

- How big are the games and what is the minimum size for the microSD card?
Some range from 256MB to 4GB

- Can you play multiplayer local and mostly online?

Yes, but we advise not to use online features

- Do the game keep internet capacity?

Yes, but we advise not to use online features

- Is it upgradable?

Yes some aspects of the design will be upgradable.

- Can it run normal DS roms?

No, there are many alternative options for this.

- Availability: End of June. BUT until production has started, we are not accepting any pre-payment, therefore end-users should NOT pay until we indicate on our site that pre orders are officially open and payments from resellers are being accepted. PLEASE DO NOT PRE-PAY UNTILL WE SAY SO !
GATEWAY 3DS Teaser