I, like many of you, am looking to upgrade from my OLD 3DS to one of those glorious New2DS LL’s being sold online for way cheaper than US/EU versions. But I do not want to lose the ability to use online services like Pokémon Bank. I also really…really…really enjoy making guides about hacking stuff. So I’d like to have a better understanding of all the options, the risks and benefits of each, and hear from you about your experience attempting each method, so I can make a guide for everyone to use for future reference.

As far as I’ve been able to understand it, there are 3 options:

Option 1: “Just Learn Japanese, Bro lol”

1. Buy Japaneses device

2. mod it

3. Use Luma Locale Switcher for US games that don’t like being played on a Japanese device.

4. Use a godmode9 script to change the console language to the desired one. Instructions

Pros:

• Low likelihood of screwing anything up

• Can still use online services, including Pokemon Bank. source

• People think you’re cool and that you can read Japanese.

Cons:

• Still gotta see Kanji. How often? How annoying is it?

• Gotta set everything up from scratch since we’re not doing a system transfer.

• Would have to use a new Japanese NNID. Can’t use your NA/EU one. Not a big issue but something to keep in mind.

Option 2: “bye bye Butterfree X a million”

AKA: ‘Blow Up the Bank’

1. Buy Japaneses device

2. mod it

3. do a Region Change

4. do a system transfer, then put old SD card in new system & use faketik to get your games back. full instructions

I also found these other guides but I’m not sure what circumstances they’d be relevant.

Pros

• Everything’s in your native language

• Saves all your games’ data

• Uses your original NNID

• Easy enough for you to do on your own

Cons

• Cannot use any online services, including Pokémon Bank

Option 3: SOAP Transfer and prayers

Okay what the hell is this “SOAP transfer” I keep going on about? SOAP stands for “Simple Object Access Protocol,” a communication method used for accessing services over HTTP. It makes it so all of your dreams can come true you can still access online services even after doing a region change. This explains how to do it but it’s best to leave it to the professionals. The procedure is thus:

1. Buy Japaneses device

2. mod it

3. do a Region Change

The SOAP guide linked above said you have to format your SD card BEFORE doing the SOAP transfer. Probably best to not do that until told to during Steps 4&5. Can someone clarify?

4. Join the Homebrew Discord Server here

5. Go to #3ds-assistance-1, and explain that your eShop isn't working after a region change and that you need someone to help you with a SOAP transfer to fix it.

6. Wait a bit, and those with donor consoles will help you out. The staff will create a private channel for you and the helper where you will upload your otp.bin to complete the SOAP process. Nintendo will put a one week cooldown on system transfers.

7. After the wait, format your system

8. Wipe your NEW 3DS’s SD Card

9. Restore Homebrew apps

10. Do a system transfer, then put old SD card in new system & use faketik to get your games back. full instructions

If everything goes right, you should now be on your regions NNID, with all your games, AND still have access to online services like Pokémon Bank.

I also found these other guides but I’m not sure what circumstances they’d be relevant.

Pros

• You get everything you’ve ever wanted and saved like $50-$100.

Cons

• Apparently SOAP Transfers don’t always work? I’ve asked the Discord and they made it seem like it wouldn’t be a problem, but I read elsewhere that they can fail?

• You’re putting your trust and sending files to people you don’t know on the internet who may or may not be able to help you.

• Takes more time than other methods. Up to a week?

Secret 4th Option: just shell out the money for an NA console

AKA: the easy yet more expensive option

1. Buy a device in your region

2. mod it

3. Do a system transfer, then put old SD card in new system & use faketik to get your games back. full instructions

Pros

• The easiest option, if money isn’t the issue.

Cons

• Prices are crazy right now so you’ll be paying 50-$100 more, possibly more than that if you get a special edition version

I’d like to know if there’s anything I’m missing here, any steps I don’t have listed, any pros or cons not mentioned. I’d love to hear from others about their experiences following either of these 3 methods, or if you went down a different route.

Thanks!

^edit: ^method ^clarification ^via ^comments ^below. ^v1.3