I found someone willing to sell me a 3DS XL with the 4.5 soft version + a 3DS link flashcart. Before I buy it, I really need some advice and a few answers, because I'm not exactly sure how the flashcarts work on the 3DS (I have an old NDS Lite and a R4 clone, but I'm hearing the 3DS flashcarts work a little bit differently). I'm buying this console mainly for the Pokemon games, but I'm probably gonna try some other games that I find interesting as well. My first question is how much does the firmware version impact gameplay? For example, am I able to trade pokemon/battle online with a 4.5 version on the flashcart? Second question - how good is a 3DS Link? As far as I've read, they're not exactly great, and there are way better alternatives out there, such as the Gateway 3DS. Is it worth it to buy a gateway or should I just stick with the 3DS Link? Third question - How do the 3DS sd card, flaschart sd and internal memory work together? Is there anything I should consider about this or there's nothing to worry about? Thank you for your time.
with the newest gateway update it can work up to firmware 9.2 so just take that into consideration when buying it. the firmware version impacts online play quite a bit however you can get around it by installing the latest firmware as emunand via the gateway exploit (i dont know if any other flashcards work with emunand) i cannot comment on the 3ds link as i dont own one the only thing to consider other than size is read speed the faster the better
Would I be able to update only to 9.2? Or when you start updating it goes directly to the latest version?
as far as im aware the only way to choose what system version to update to is by using a game with the update on it
Some games may work with the current firmware 4.5 so no need to update. While other games can't be played under this version, you could update your firmware via the game. Gateway 3ds flashcart can support 4.1-9.2 firmware version and has the emunand function. I am having one. It is maybe a great choice for the v4.5
