...so Nintendo patched the 3DS

As the title says, a couple days ago Nintendo released a patch for both New3DS and Old3DS models. From what I know, already homebrewed devices are fine as usual (thanks, Luma and B9S), but methods of homebrewing a vanilla 3DS have been completely patched. 

This is one of the more interesting business decisions on Nintendo's part. The 3DS has been discontinued for some time now, and the eShop with it, so why now? If it's to prevent piracy, it's a bit too late for that. I mean, the eShop is already gone and it's not like they're making any new games. It would've made more sense to me if they had released this patch a little while before the eShop shutdown. That way, when everyone is feeling like this is their last chance to get DS games, anyone without a homebrewed 3DS would be forced to do it legally. That's just the opinion of some teenager who knows nothing about business, though, so take it with a grain of salt. Regardless, it feels like piracy is the only way to get some of those DS exclusives without having to spend a fortune (not to mention the eShop exclusives or games that never released in your region looking at you, gyakuten kenji 2). 

Now, that's not to say I condone piracy, but I would be lying if i said the fact most of my childhood movies/tv shows were pirated didn't rub off on me a little. Still, I don't think you should take the eShop shutdown as an excuse to pirate games you could buy legally elsewhere, ESPECIALLY if they were made by an indie dev or small company. After all, that "piracy isn't a victimless crime" message from your blu-rays and DVDs are there for a reason. 

Anyways, once the 3DS homebrew community is back on its feet, modding a 3DS is something I do recommend. I mean, who doesn't want a rainbow LED instead of a blue one? Universal Updater provides you with access to TONS of homebrew tools and games, Luma3DS lets you take screenshots, apply screen filters, and change the screen brightness without closing your game and more, and godmode9 lets you access all your files and SD card. Thats not even including FBI, which lets you download apps from QR codes, anemone3DS which lets you use custom themes, checkpoint which lets you make backups and use cheatcodes in games, and homebrew launcher to, well, launch your homebrew. The app that lets you have a rainbow LED is called MCU Bricker, by the way. 

And if you know about 3DS hacking, you've probably seen the memes. "Did you know it's actually really easy to mod a 3DS?" "Modding a 3DS is surprisingly easy!" yeah, those ones. While theyre not entirely true at the moment, the modding community is active as ever and working to find solutions for the latest update. So hey, keep an eye on 3ds.hacks.guide if you've updated your 3DS already and follow one of their preexisting guides if you haven't. You can do some pretty cool stuff on a homebrewed 3DS (and you feel like a hacker while doing it).