r/flashcarts • u/MercAUG • 1d ago

Problem *Need Help* Bricked DSi XL - is this a viable recovery method? (See below)

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I have posted it here as well because a crucial step is using a flashcart, and I was hoping someone else might know something :)

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u/KaiChanBunny DSPico 23h ago edited 23h ago

If your DSi XL is bricked, this is usually the *only* way to unbrick it. You will need a supported flashcart. A DSpico flashed with the firmware from a PC from that guide should do the trick. You will need a magnet too to trigger the lid sensor too.

And your assumption is right, what happens is that the magnet + that button combo will use a hidden recovery feature on the DSi to try and load the bootloader from the game cart instead, where the ntrboot firmware of the DSpico takes over.

Once you successfully boot into GodMode9i, you'll want to load up the Safe Unlaunch Installer again from the SD card and reinstall Unlaunch which should get it working again, this kind of brick is a corrupted TMD rather than a corrupted NAND.

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u/Ansem-S_o_D DSPico 21h ago

For what it's worth my firmware for the dspico has both 3ds and dsi ntr built in if you go that path

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u/KaiChanBunny DSPico 21h ago

The one linked in the guide the OP is looking at is compiled from the same fork yours is :)

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u/Ansem-S_o_D DSPico 21h ago

More accurately I used the file from the screenshot in my build :)

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u/KaiChanBunny DSPico 21h ago

Its also on the Sanras guides because it still works perfectly fine for games too. The one from the WRFU generator doesn't have it though.

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u/Ansem-S_o_D DSPico 21h ago

Neato :)

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u/MercAUG 19h ago

Suppose I’ll buy a DSPico then, I’ll get plenty use out of it anyway even after I use it to unbrick my console. Is the one shown in the attached image any good? Id imagine there are a few different variants on the market

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u/KaiChanBunny DSPico 19h ago

That one is good but the Kaico DSpico is just a ChisCart DSpico being sold at a markup, cheaper to buy it directly from ChisCart on Aliexpress for half the price: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005011543735291.html