I've always said that where there's a will there's a way...especially when it comes to hackers and those of their ilk.
That being said, it seems a Parisian hacker has finally cracked Nintendo's 3DS, and in a most unconventional manner. According to a report at Polygon (via Yahoo!), 22-year-old Jordan "Smealum" Rabet appears to have broken through the Nintendo 3DS' defenses in an attempt to enable homebrew software development on the handheld gaming device. And the game that facilitates that exploit, an obscure, 2011 Ubisoft game called "Cubic Ninja," is enjoying an explosion in popularity because of it.
Earlier this week, news of Rabet's Nintendo 3DS exploit was posted to the GBAtemp forums. The exploit is described as being in the same vein to one that facilitated homebrew software running on the Wii, and requires an internet connection, an SD card and a copy of "Cubic Ninja" to run.
The exploit is defined as "versatile" and can be installed on "virtually any Nintendo 3DS console out there, regardless of firmware." More specifically, that means "versions from 4.0 to 9.2, all consoles 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS, N3DS, N3DS XL," Rabet says. But, you can bet your bottom dollar that Nintendo will be working its collective butts off to shut down this exploit with a future firmware update.
Corresponding to a post on the GBAtemp forums from a member who claims they've played a homebrew "Minecraft" clone on a hacked 3DS, the newly publicized exploit will make homebrew games, applications and emulators possible on the system. But it won't enable the use of "backups" (i.e., pirated copies of games) on the 3DS.
Rabet's exploit is slated to be released this weekend on Nov. 22. But the title of the game that makes the exploit possible was revealed last night, and that announcement has caused the price of "Cubic Ninja" to go through the roof.
Copies of "Cubic Ninja" were going for as low as $3 earlier this week on eBay, but are now being listed for 10 times that amount, with some sellers emphasizing the game's homebrew-enabling feature. Amazon sellers have jacked up their prices, leading to a range of prices between $40 and $500.
Gotta love that free market economy...making a three-year-old, long-forgotten game into a collector's item just like that.
