The LNH Team has been quietly building something the Nintendo DS modding scene has needed for a long time. After four years of development, their DSpico flashcart, the first fully open-source cart for the DS and DSi, keeps getting more capable with every firmware update. NTRBoot support, a real DSi mode exploit, and a steady stream of bug fixes are pushing this project well beyond what most people expected when it was first announced on GBAtemp back in November 2025.
The DSpico runs on a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller, and everything about it, the PCB, firmware, bootloader, shell, even the box art, is publicly available on GitHub. Anyone can build one, modify it, or improve it. That alone sets it apart from every other flashcart on the market.
The firmware itself emulates a retail DS cartridge, uses a PIO-based SDIO interface for SD card access, and even includes an R4 emulation mode, meaning software that runs on the Wood R4 kernel works on it too. But the features being added lately are what’s really turning heads.
NTRBoot support turns it into a 3DS modding tool too
One of the most significant additions to the DSpico is NTRBoot support for both the Nintendo 3DS and DSi, and that combination matters more than it sounds. NTRBoot is the method used to install Boot9Strap, the custom firmware exploit that gives full control over a 3DS. It works by loading a special payload from a DS flashcart during an early boot sequence before the system can block anything.
Most flashcarts only handle one or the other. The DSpico handles both. That means a single cart can be used to mod a 3DS, mod a DSi, or recover a bricked console that won’t boot through normal means.
The Flashcart Wiki already recommends it specifically for NTRBoot use, noting that it doesn’t even require a working console to flash, the firmware goes on over USB directly. For anyone dealing with a bricked or otherwise uncooperative 3DS, that’s a significant advantage over older carts that depend on the system being partially functional to set up.
It’s worth noting that DSi NTRBoot has one specific requirement: the DSpico needs to be powered via its micro-USB port during the process. Without external power, the firmware doesn’t boot fast enough to keep up with the DSi’s NTRBoot sequence. It’s a small detail, but one that matters if you’re trying to use it for DSi recovery and wondering why it isn’t triggering.
Community members have been distributing prebuilt firmware builds that include auto-switching NTRBoot, meaning the cart detects whether it’s running in a 3DS or DSi environment and adjusts accordingly.
One of those builds even had to be rebuilt after a bug was discovered in the NTRBoot encryption step, and it was fixed and re-released quickly. That kind of fast turnaround is one of the real benefits of an active open-source community versus waiting on a manufacturer that may or may not still exist.
WRFUxxed gives it real DSi mode on unmodified consoles
This is the part that separates the DSpico from traditional flashcarts. The firmware includes support for an exploit called WRFUxxed, built around the WRFU Tester v0.60 ROM, which allows the cart to run in full DSi mode on completely unmodified DSi and 3DS consoles, not the stripped-down DS compatibility mode that every other flashcart uses.
The difference is substantial. When a standard flashcart runs in DS mode on a DSi, it has no access to any of the hardware improvements that came with that console. The extra RAM, the faster CPU, WPA Wi-Fi support, camera access, none of it exists from that environment. WRFUxxed changes that entirely. The DSpico boots with full permissions and access to all DSi-exclusive hardware, something no other flashcart achieves on a stock console.
The setup requires an extra step because the WRFU Tester ROM is copyrighted and can’t be bundled in a ready-to-flash file. Instead, the community provides a build with the ROM slot empty and users inject their own copy.
It’s a reasonable workaround, and the documentation covers it well. There’s also a Hybrid firmware option for consoles that already have custom firmware installed, it skips the exploit and boots faster, which is actually the better choice for DSi users running HiyaCFW on a large SD card, since WRFUxxed can slow down in that specific setup.
One thing worth knowing: when you flash the WRFUxxed firmware, a DSi will autoboot directly into the WRFU Tester screen because that ROM has the autoboot flag set. That’s normal behavior, not a sign that something went wrong. The 3DS and original DS are not affected by this.
Active development means the firmware keeps getting better
The DSpico isn’t a project that shipped and stopped moving. The official v1.0.0 firmware launched on November 25, 2025, and the LNH Team has already followed it up with v1.0.1 in February 2026, which fixed an SD write race condition that was causing issues with various SD card models.
On top of the official releases, community-distributed builds have addressed additional issues like the NTRBoot encryption bug, rounding out a steady stream of improvements since launch.
The firmware compiles with optimization enabled by default, which contributes to read speeds of up to 6MB/s from a microSD card and an average power draw of around 57mW, efficient enough that battery life isn’t a concern. Launchers aren’t locked in either. TwilightMenu++ and Wood menu both work on the DSpico, and Pico Launcher, the cart’s native front-end, also runs on other flashcarts.
Every component of the project lives in its own GitHub repository: hardware, firmware, bootloader, DLDI driver, the WRFUxxed exploit, and Pico Launcher. Each is documented and open for contributions.
That structure means improvements can come from anywhere in the community, and no single point of failure can kill the project the way a manufacturer going dark kills a commercial flashcart.
For now, most of the DS library works, though the LNH Team acknowledges there are still some titles with compatibility issues. It’s a project in active development, not a finished product, and that’s actually the point. The DSpico is being built in public, with the community shaping where it goes next.
What do you think, is the DSpico the flashcart you’ve been waiting for, or are you still holding onto your old R4? Tell us in the comments!