So, my 3DS fell victim to the Black Screen of Death last weekend (lights turn on, but screen fails/system can' t connect to internet through force update), and after browsing the forums and a few calls to Nintendo, it looks like the best option is one that the Support Service mentioned over the phone: Get a New 3DS and send them the now-defunct system.
Since I couldn't find anything about this deal online, and I've heard that people have enough issues with a normal System Transfer to the New 3DS XL, I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on the situation. Here's a few of the questions I had:
- Do I have to include the SD Card when I send in my old 3DS?
Having never sent anything to Nintendo before, I don't know exactly what they ask for. I'm hopeful that I'll be able to keep my SD card, because my biggest worry ties into the next question... - Will I be able to recover all of my save data?
This is the big one. I know Nintendo can restore my eShop purchases through my Nintendo Network ID, or something like that. What I'm really concerned about is the data on the system itself. For starters, will I have to make a new NNID for the new system, or can I just use my old one? And more importantly, will I still have the save game data that was on my original 3DS? I don't know what kind of information they can get out of a broken system, or what's even stored on it- I can't even remember how much is on the SD card and how much was on the system itself (almost everything should be saved to whichever option is the default option, and I don't think I backed any of it up). But I have the SD card with me right now, so I wanted to know: If I can hold onto the SD card, would a System Transfer from someone else's 3DS to my New 3DS work? Would I be "taking" anything extra from them, like their Friend Code or save files, or would it just copy over the files on my SD card? - How long does the process take?
Again, having never sent anything to Nintendo, I just wanted to get a general idea of how long it takes to get something back from them. I'm at school now and I'd hate to be unable to pick it up because I gave them my school address and they sent it back while I was on break or something. - Has anyone else done this before?
Any time I search something about "upgrading to New 3DS," all I get is information for people who have a working 3DS or 3DS XL and are looking to get something new- most of it old enough to neglect the fact that the US didn't even get the standard New 3DS model. As someone with a broken standard 3DS model, I just wanted to know if anyone else has been through a similar process before and had any advice.
That's about all I can think of now- sorry for the lengthy post and for rambling on. If you have any suggestions or need me to clarify anything, please let me know. Thanks for taking the time to read this longwinded post, and thanks for your help!