# How the Nintendo 3DS got hacked&#8230;

**Date:** 2026-07-06  
**Author:** Kees C. Bakker  
**Original:** https://keestalkstech.com/notes/how-the-nintendo-3ds-got-hacked/

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Sometimes you hear a story that stays with you. This is the story of how the [Nintendo 3DS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_3DS) got hacked trough a [buffer overflow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffer_overflow) in a game using a QR code!

But that is not all... it set off an arms race between (an almost paranoid company called) Nintendo and the community to get control of the system. It raises the question: who *owns* the hardware? The company or the consumer?

[YouTube Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zuuVwUPKac)