Ever since I started my Youtube channel in 2012 I've had people ask me to post DS and 3DS playthroughs. The problem, however, was that I had no way to record footage from these systems, which don't feature any built-in audio/video outputs to connect to TVs. Even though some people manage to record these systems with a mere camcorder, I didn't have the means to achieve this setup, and in any event, such footage wouldn't live up to the direct capture quality I've set with my channel.
Starting around 2012, however, some various companies began offering modifications to 3DS systems to install capture devices. Initially I was against this idea since I view all of my systems as collectible pieces of hardware that I don't want modified. But eventually one company in particular started offering to sell brand new 3DS systems with built-in capture cards, which would allow me to avoid that problem entirely.
After Nintendo released me (and everyone else) from their restrictive Nintendo Creator's Program and I wholly partnered my channel with Youtube directly, my ad revenue started increasing drastically to the point that I could purchase a 3DS capture card with Youtube revenue alone.
I decided to take some of that ad revenue and invest it back into the channel by purchasing a New 3DS XL with a built-in capture card directly from Katsukity in Japan (https://www.3dsvideocapture.com/). I ordered the New 3DS XL in the middle of January 2019, and I was told that my my modified system would arrive in three weeks.
Unfortunately, by early February, I discovered that the company had gone bankrupt and shut down its storefront in Japan. The company also failed to respond to my emails, so I had to demand a refund from Paypal and look for alternatives.
It turned out that a related store in Germany was selling the same capture cards (https://www.merki.net/), but it had limited stock due to the Japanese manufacturer shutting down. The German store had two US version 3DS XLs in stock with the capture cards already installed, so I rushed and purchased one before they ran out. It was shipped the very next day. It just arrived today, as I'm making this post.
These capture cards are now incredibly rare, and even the original 3DS capture card manufacturer (Loopy), doesn't seem to be selling his capture devices anymore. So it's going to be extremely difficult for people to obtain these devices going forward.
Someone also devised a way to install a software modification for 3DS systems that wirelessly streams the video to a computer for recording, but that setup appears to have framerate issues.
I kept my special edition New 3DS, giving me two systems, and allowing me to record local multiplayer footage with friends. Since the 3DS is backwards compatible with DS games, I'll be able to record my entire DS and 3DS library now.
I hope everyone enjoys this new addition to my channel. It's my way of saying thanks to everyone who subscribed and watched my videos.
About dang time.
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