[SteeloDMZ]

Is there a way to use a microSD card with the 3DS?

[Zeer0id]

Is there a way to use a microSD card with the 3DS?

It should work if you have an adapter. They pretty much come packed with most microSD cards, right?

[nephilimdj]

Because starting in August you can get NSMB2 FULL RETAIL GAME for download and going forward Nintendo will start putting(and 3rd party to i assume) all their full retail games on Eshop. You gonna need a bigger card son.

3d land is 400MB, doubt need 32GB unless you are using 3ds as a mp3 player ($30 Sansa clip will give u better sound)

[SteeloDMZ]

Thanks. I'm a complete sdCard noob. Would this micro sd card with adapter (16GB) work fine on the 3DS?

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-16GB-M...5501468&sr=8-3

I want a microSD since my laptop has a port for those, not the bigger ones.

[Zeer0id]

Thanks. I'm a complete sdCard noob. Would this micro sd card with adapter (16GB) work fine on the 3DS? http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-16GB-M...5501468&sr=8-3 I want a microSD since my laptop has a port for those, not the bigger ones.

It'll work, but you might want to consider getting a higher Class, as this one is Class 4 (means it will load slower). I think Class 6 will probably be good enough; some have reported that the 3DS can't even make use of the additional speed offered by Class 10, for example.

[DavidDayton]

Class 10 just means the card has a minimum guaranteed write speed of 10MB/s. The class designator says nothing of the cards read speeds or it maximum/average performance. The SD card included with the system is only a Class 2 because the write speeds can drop just below 4MB/s for short moments but in terms of average performance it'll actually outperform a cheap Class 10 in read speeds.

Yeah, it's worth noting that Class 10 doesn't always mean that much -- especially as OS-level card access requires frequent read/write access in small chunks, and many "class 10" cards are dismal at frequent file access. The Class system, in the higher numbers, is tied entirely to large file transfers -- not random access.

Folks always want to recommend class 10 over everything else, but it really depends on the actual access speeds. I've been trying to find a good comparison of actual SD card stats, but the closest I found was this google docs spreadsheet comparing micro SDHC cards... https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...lRDJQTEE#gid=0

It'll work, but you might want to consider getting a higher Class, as this one is Class 4 (means it will load slower). I think Class 6 will probably be good enough; some have reported that the 3DS can't even make use of the additional speed offered by Class 10, for example.

...Class 10 doesn't necessarily offer "extra speed" in the case of most "real world" software applications. It is generally faster for transferring/saving large sequential files (photos, videos, etc..), but there are no speed guarantees for random access as would be used in a file system. Many lower class cards are significantly faster for OS/program use.

[SteeloDMZ]

It'll work, but you might want to consider getting a higher Class, as this one is Class 4 (means it will load slower). I think Class 6 will probably be good enough; some have reported that the 3DS can't even make use of the additional speed offered by Class 10, for example.

By loading slower you mean transferring the data from PC to card, or loading games and such? If it's the former, I don't mind that much, plus the reviews for the card seem to be pretty good and it's cheap as hell too.

[Femmeworth]

Does the 3DS even benefit from faster SD cards?

[EvilDick34]

3d land is 400MB, doubt need 32GB unless you are using 3ds as a mp3 player ($30 Sansa clip will give u better sound)

Well, what if you intend on going mostly DD? And there are games that are already well over 2gb for the 3ds.

[corn_fest]

Does the 3DS even benefit from faster SD cards?

Yeah, I think Swapnote has been reported as being quite slow when using low end SD cards, for example.

[Zeer0id]

By loading slower you mean transferring the data from PC to card, or loading games and such? If it's the former, I don't mind that much, plus the reviews for the card seem to be pretty good and it's cheap as hell too.

Both, potentially. I'm not sure if anyone's done benchmarking for 3DS load times with SD card classes, you might want to look into it just in case.

...Class 10 doesn't necessarily offer "extra speed" in the case of most "real world" software applications. It is generally faster for transferring/saving large sequential files (photos, videos, etc..), but there are no speed guarantees for random access as would be used in a file system. Many lower class cards are significantly faster for OS/program use.

Interesting...

Might be well worth doing a bit of investigation then.

[EvilDick34]

Does anyone have that list floating around of how much each 3ds game in terms of size taken up on the card it comes on?

[Zeer0id]

Does anyone have that list floating around of how much each 3ds game in terms of size taken up on the card it comes on?

linked it earlier

Where's that thread.... http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=456554 There are apparently four games that use a 4GB card, which is currently the largest size. 512MB is the most common.

edit: oh, did you mean specifically the size of each game...? Not sure then.

...I have access to a list but it would probably be unwise to link it or copy it as-is. Transcribing would take too long :(

haven't there been 'scene releases' of 3ds games already? Shouldn't the size of those roms be accurate to the game size?

That may or may not be the "list" I was referring to :P

[chickdigger802]

haven't there been 'scene releases' of 3ds games already? Shouldn't the size of those roms be accurate to the game size?

[Femmeworth]

Yeah, I think Swapnote has been reported as being quite slow when using low end SD cards, for example.

Ah, makes sense that games/apps designed specifically for the eShop would be able to take advantage of it.

[Persona7]

Anybody have experience with AmazonBasics cards? 32GB, Class 10, $29.99. http://amzn.com/B0058GH2DY

Yes , I have been using them for awhile now and they are great.

[Sagitario]

Guys, this is super important: don't forget to use the SD Formatter (https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_3/).

Continuing with this card:

I bought this one: http://www.amazon.com/Sandisk-SDSDU-.../dp/B007B5RIYI for my 3DS a few weeks ago. SanDisk SDHC SDSDU-032G-A11 Class 10 32GB 30MB/s transfer speed

+ formatter = 3DS apps/software/games load, open and close so freaking fast (for example, apps like Mii Plaza, Pokédex and Swapnote close in 1~2 seconds now). It's amazing, it makes the OS/UI feel so... improved. Night and day! Highly recommended!

[Allan Holdsworth]

Generally the expensive brands like Samsung, Toshiba and Lexus have much better performance than the cheaper ones. One important thing to point out is: Not all Class 10 SD cards are made equal. Class 10 just means the card has a minimum guaranteed write speed of 10MB/s. The class designator says nothing of the cards read speeds or it maximum/average performance. The SD card included with the system is only a Class 2 because the write speeds can drop just below 4MB/s for short moments but in terms of average performance it'll actually outperform a cheap Class 10 in read speeds. So yeah, if load times are important to you then don't be stingy. If the price:capacity ratio is more important to you then get a semi cheap brand like Kingston or Sandisk. Ultra cheap generic cards just aren't worth it.

Any tests comparing different brands? I care more about load times than capacity.

[Chopper]

I bought this. Just don't buy this.

Why not?

Edit: Oh, price I guess. In my experience, the 3DS isn't fussy at all. I bought a 32Gb Class 10 off Amazon for about £15. It's perfect.

[Luigiv]

Any tests comparing different brands? I care more about load times than capacity.

I don't have any sort of links like that handy myself but you could try google searching. I did see something a few months back that compared included card with a cheap Class 10 and the included card flogged it.

[Torraz]

Probably a stupid question, but I want to make sure.

Are SD cards region locked? I am contemplating getting a JP 3ds sometime.

[Electivirus]

I bought this one: http://www.amazon.com/Sandisk-SDSDU-.../dp/B007B5RIYI for my 3DS a few weeks ago. SanDisk SDHC SDSDU-032G-A11 Class 10 32GB 30MB/s transfer speed

Just bit on this one. :D

[Tenck]

Probably a stupid question, but I want to make sure. Are SD cards region locked? I am contemplating getting a JP 3ds sometime.

No they are not. If they were that'd be stupid :P

[trinest]

I picked up a cheap ass 16GB for like $8 on ebay works fine.

[NeOak]

I bought this. Just don't buy this.

Why the Ultra and not the Extreme?

Edit: Oh, the second one is the old Extreme III... for $199.99 D:

[MrGreencastle]

Why the Ultra and not the Extreme?

Yeah, it's 10 dollars more for a 45MB/s one... Not sure if the 3DS even supports that speed, though.

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extrem.../ref=pd_cp_e_2

[NeOak]

Yeah, it's 10 dollars more for a 45MB/s one... Not sure if the 3DS even supports that speed, though. http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extrem.../ref=pd_cp_e_2

Thing is, are Random Writes that important for the 3DS? If so, the new Extremes are pretty good. The second one a Master Ninja listed is the old Extreme III. I think he meant the price at BB which is just absurd.

UHS is basically DMA. I doubt the 3DS handles it anyway.

Honestly, if it worked with the 3DS I would just get a 64GB SDXC...

[Shai-Tan]

write isnt very important at all which is why it makes more sense to buy a cheaper card as the more expensive ones are for cameras and other devices that require frequent writes at a high transfer rate (card the original person linked only has lower range write speed but it doesn't really matter, unless you make video or something I guess)

[MrGreencastle]

Thing is, are Random Writes that important for the 3DS? If so, the new Extremes are pretty good. The second one a Master Ninja listed is the old Extreme III. I think he meant the price at BB which is just absurd. UHS is basically DMA. I doubt the 3DS handles it anyway. Honestly, if it worked with the 3DS I would just get a 64GB SDXC...

write isnt very important at all which is why it makes more sense to buy a cheaper card as the more expensive ones are for cameras and other devices that require frequent writes at a high transfer rate (card the original person linked only has lower range write speed but it doesn't really matter, unless you make video or something I guess)

Hmm... alright, good to know.

--

So Amazon won't ship that $30 SanDisk to Canada.

Is the Amazon brand one any good?

[itxaka]

Wait wait wait.


DD reatail game...from Nintendo?

What the fuck have I missed?

[dallow_bg]

Guys, this is super important: don't forget to use the SD Formatter (https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_3/). Continuing with this card: + formatter = 3DS apps/software/games load, open and close so freaking fast (for example, apps like Mii Plaza, Pokédex and Swapnote close in 1~2 seconds now). It's amazing, it makes the OS/UI feel so... improved. Night and day! Highly recommended!

Thanks for this tip!

[NeOak]

write isnt very important at all which is why it makes more sense to buy a cheaper card as the more expensive ones are for cameras and other devices that require frequent writes at a high transfer rate (card the original person linked only has lower range write speed but it doesn't really matter, unless you make video or something I guess)

Usually the ones with the fast write speeds are the ones with the faster read speeds.

It's quite rare these days to find a recent card that reads fast and writes slow.

[Medalion]

Wait wait wait. DD reatail game...from Nintendo? What the fuck have I missed?

You missed the Thursdayaton

[Zeer0id]

You missed the Thursdayaton

And what a Thursdayton it was

[entrement]

So how to do I manage multiple SD cards. Let's say I want to upgrade and move stuff over? Do I redownload? What about save data?

[Randdalf]

I don't imagine Nintendo will release huge games on DD. Rolling Western is full 3d game of a pretty high quality and takes up 430 blocks. New Super Mario Bros 2 isn't likely to be any bigger than that, given it's relative simplicity compared to Rolling Western.

What I'd like is an option to install games from cards onto the 3DS... mmm beautiful always there games... perhaps then it would be necessary to upgrade SD cards.

[zigg]

I bought this one: http://www.amazon.com/Sandisk-SDSDU-.../dp/B007B5RIYI for my 3DS a few weeks ago. SanDisk SDHC SDSDU-032G-A11 Class 10 32GB 30MB/s transfer speed

Just got one myself. Seems like a good card. I don't know if it's faster than stock, but it's certainly faster than the 8 GB microSD I had in my last 3DS.

[Sagitario]

So how to do I manage multiple SD cards. Let's say I want to upgrade and move stuff over? Do I redownload? What about save data?

Just copy and paste. No need to re-download anything. There are usually 2 folder in root (DCIM for pics and 3DS-something).

Just got one myself. Seems like a good card. I don't know if it's faster than stock, but it's certainly faster than the 8 GB microSD I had in my last 3DS.

It's definitely much faster than stock:

3DS apps/software/games load, open and close so freaking fast (for example, apps like Mii Plaza, Pokédex and Swapnote close in 1~2 seconds now). It's amazing, it makes the OS/UI feel so... improved. Night and day! Highly recommended!

[Costcosaurus]

That 32GB Class 10 SD card is pretty cheap for $30. Anyone looking for a new SD card should just buy that one.

[Zeer0id]

What I'd like is an option to install games from cards onto the 3DS... mmm beautiful always there games... perhaps then it would be necessary to upgrade SD cards.

I remember speculating (wishfully) about this back in 2010. Silly me!

It should totally be possible too, due to the writable nature of 3DS carts. All it would take is something like, when you install a game to an SD card, the cartridge can be "locked". And the only way to unlock it is having the cart inserted in the 3DS and the installed data simultaneously deleted. (I know this could raise a couple problems like you being fucked if you format the SD card, for example, but there might be ways to deal with this).

Bah. :(

[hardcastlemccormick]

The talk of load times in this thread is tempting me.

If Nintendo implements an account based system, I will buy that 32GB card and go digital. Until then, I'll stew over it for a while.

[King_Moc]

I'm just amazed that you can get 32GB on an SD card. I'll have to get one at some point. Although i do prefer to have retail games where possible.

[chickdigger802]

Interesting

@RichIGN: Nintendo claims the 3DS can only support 2GB SD and 4GB SDHC cards. Do you have larger? LMK ASAP.

People with 32 gb cards, does the system recognize all the 'blocks'?

[Eusis]

People with 32 gb cards, does the system recognize all the 'blocks'?

Looked that way to me.

I'm going to try the SD Formatter then put everything on the SD card again, maybe that'd iron out my odd "ejected while asleep" issue.

[Sammy Samusu]

Interesting People with 32 gb cards, does the system recognize all the 'blocks'?

Lies.

http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E4%BB%BB%E5...dp/B0069HQXL8/
http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E4%BB%BB%E5...dp/B0069HR696/

[Sagitario]

Open blocks: 233,914
Saved software titles: 6,245
Extra data: 3,089
----------------------------
Total: 243,248

I am guessing a few of those software/data blocks are stored in the internal memory (DSiWare is separated and not counted), but most of them are in the external memory.

Assuming 1 block = 128 kB, 243,248 blocks = 31,135,744 kB = 30,406 MB = 29.69 GB

But of course, the card is sold to the customer as 32GB because 1 GB = 1 billion bytes and some capacity isn't available for data storage.
So... it sounds about right.

[Zeer0id]

The hell is Nintendo on about now? They've clearly stated in the past that 3DS supports up to 32GB cards.

[Erethian]

I remember speculating (wishfully) about this back in 2010. Silly me! It should totally be possible too, due to the writable nature of 3DS carts. All it would take is something like, when you install a game to an SD card, the cartridge can be "locked". And the only way to unlock it is having the cart inserted in the 3DS and the installed data simultaneously deleted. (I know this could raise a couple problems like you being fucked if you format the SD card, for example, but there might be ways to deal with this). Bah. :(

Installing games is never going to happen until they can lock a cartridge to your account, effectively destroying its resale value.

So in other words it's never going to happen.

Edit: I'm pretty sure that guy at IGN is confusing game cart sizes with SD card sizes.

[zigg]

It's definitely much faster than stock

I read that, but it didn't feel faster to me. Maybe it's because there was hardly anything on my stock card when I upgraded, since I've only had this 3DS a day or two. Swapnote is my benchmark.

I did need the space, regardless, so it was definitely a good deal.

[Gameboy415]

I got this Sandisk 32GB SD card on Amazon a few weeks ago and it works great:

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-32GB-F...5576034&sr=8-1

Currently $24.19 w/Amazon Prime.

It does take a bit longer for the 3DS to boot up initially, but it doesn't really bother me.