Any DS / 3DS users here? Questions about my homebrew plans.

[Dochartaigh]

TLDR: Please give me some advice on how to jailbreak my DS and 3DS! - skip to the bold DS / 3DS sections below.


I'm jonesing for some handheld Castlevania since the Analogue Pocket is still delayed, and thought I would like to finally try the 3x DS Castlevania games for the first time. I tried to emulate them but hated how the 2x screens (and limited upscale options, horrible filters, laggy gameplay, etc.) looked on my modern TV, so I decided to embark on trying them on native hardware to see how I like that.

So I just bought (still in the mail!) a DS Lite to play these DS Castlevania games on (and also because it's the last one to have a GBA slot so if the Pocket is delayed again I can play my GBA carts on that natively - yes, I know these upscale GBA games, I'm generally fine with things like that fyi). ---- I also bought a "New 3DS XL" because that one seems to be able to play GBA, DS, and 3DS games on it, ALL natively (since the Arm9/11 of the 3DS has the Arm7 of the GBA baked into it or something like that? ...so these different consoles can be played natively on the 3DS i.e. NOT emulated if I'm understanding this correctly). I also like the larger screens of the 3DS XL, and it might be more comfortable for my hands.

...and now, two VERY late nights later of researching, I'm still a bit confused on how I'm going to mod these and wanted to ask if I'm on the right track. The MOST important thing to me is getting proper/native GBA and DS on the DS Lite. And on the 3DS getting GBA/DS/3DS all running natively off the SD card (if possible). I would also like to be able to play some other retro consoles (and maybe some arcade/shmups?) on the faster 3DS, but that is totally a secondary concern.



Nintendo DS Lite plan:

The Nintendo DS Lite seems like it might be the easiest. It doesn't have a SD card or anything so I'm basically stuck with (flash) cartridges (I actually have the 6x GBA/DS Castlevania cartridges themselves, but want to try other games which I then usually add to my collection, which is why I'm looking at a flashcart). Seems like the DS Lite is just barely even fast enough to emulate NES so I'm focusing on DS and GBA games ONLY.

DS Games: Looks like one of the dozens of R4 Gold? __whatever model__ flashcarts are the best bet? Which to get from a USA SELLER (a link would be great)? The models which many different FAQ's recommend are discontinued or sold out due to Covid, there's LOTS of talk about Timebombs on these, some talk about if you de-timebomb it with a different firmware it won't run some popular games correctly... and other confusion like this all around...

I was looking at this flashcart from a USA seller on eBay. Is that a good one to get? Also several on Amazon which I could get within a few days. Would LOVE a link to the best to get (feel free to PM me too!).

GBA Games (on DS Lite): I don't want to spend $130+ on a used Krikzz GBA Everdrive off eBay (usually $100 new, but seem to be OOS everywhere) especially since I might not like anything beyond those 3x GBA Castlevania games which I have carts of anyway. Seems like you can play GBA off the DS-size flashcart, but that would be emulation, correct? And I want to play it natively. Also read a bit about the better (and think unavailable now) DS flashcarts with a FPGA? for GBA? running down the battery and STILL being a bit buggy... What's the best to do here?

I also want keep in mind what might work best on the 3DS as well, if the same DS flashcart will work good on both the DS Lite and the 3DS (and *if* that's still the best way to play DS games on the 3DS - see below).



Nintendo New 3DS XL plan:

This one seems a LOT more complicated than the DS Lite... I've been reading that the Arm9/11 processor of the 3DS also has an Arm7 of the GBA built in, so the New 3DS XL can play NATIVELY (i.e. NOT emulated) GBA and DS games, right? But it lacks a GBA cartridge slot of course. If this is accurate I would LOVE to make the larger screen'd 3DS my go-to for GBA, DS, and of course 3DS games.

The thing is several tutorials contradict themselves by saying that you should mod the 3DS to run homebrew so you can run EVERYTHING off the SD card... but then they contradict themselves and say that a R4/Gold/whatever DS flashcart is STILL the best way to run DS games on the 3DS??? so I'm confused...

Then other tutorials talk about how you can use injection with .CIA files to run these GBA/DS/3DS games natively (NOT emulated) off the SD card (instead of using .GBA or .NDS roms which would be emulation -- kinda like how I would put PS1 eBoot 'bubbles' on my Sony handhelds so it would use the built-in PS1 chip to run those natively, and NOT use emulation --I think that's how it worked at least--)... so I don't know what to do here... Do you really have to hack the 3DS to run GBA natively, then STILL have to use a Flashcart for DS? - that doesn't make sense to me.


Anyway, I was going to follow this video tutorial (which seems to be based off the 3ds.hacks.guide) to be able to install homebrew on the 3DS. Then try the FBI program to install those .CIA files... but the problem is finding the files (PM...). I own cartridges of all 6x Castlevanias for GBA and DS... and I had no problem finding the .CIA files for the 3x GBA ones, but seems like there are NO .CIA files for the DS Castlevanias (or any other DS games, just .NDS files which I thought were solely for emulation)? This then seems to put me back into that confusion where a couple tutorials said that the best way to play DS games on the 3DS is via a flashcart? (which again, just seems weird to me...).

Besides that I would install RetroArch for some early 8-16 bit (maybe PS1+ and some arcade). But this is a secondary concern - want to get the GBA/DS/3DS handled first. Any help is MUCH appreciated... I've done my research but still have a ton of questions thus the HUGE monster post I just wrote...

[fernan1234]

GBA Games (on DS Lite): I don't want to spend $130+ on a used Krikzz GBA Everdrive off eBay (usually $100 new, but seem to be OOS everywhere) especially since I might not like anything beyond those 3x GBA Castlevania games which I have carts of anyway. Seems like you can play GBA off the DS-size flashcart, but that would be emulation, correct? And I want to play it natively. Also read a bit about the better (and think unavailable now) DS flashcarts with a FPGA? for GBA? running down the battery and STILL being a bit buggy... What's the best to do here?

Another GBA flashcart option is the EZ Flash Omega Definitive Edition, which works really well and in some ways has some advantages over the GBA Everdrive (though the latter is IMO the overall better cart), though not sure about its availability right now.

The MOST important thing to me is getting proper/native GBA and DS on the DS Lite.

With this in mind, my advice is to go with flash carts both for GBA and DS games. An R4i Plus or whatever they're called nowadays will be the best option, as you'll be able to run DS games natively off of it, and they can also be used to extremely easily hack a 3DS, although it's also very easy to hack a 3DS via the available exploits, which leads to:

I was looking at this flashcart from a USA seller on eBay. Is that a good one to get? Also several on Amazon which I could get within a few days. Would LOVE a link to the best to get (feel free to PM me too!).

Do NOT get a 3DS flash cart!!! They are all garbage and infinitely inferior to hacking your 3DS and running 3DS and VC titles installed from CIA files (or .3ds files easily converted to .cia).

And I would suggest not following any video guide which may be outdated, but simply follow the 3ds.hacks.guide site. It's not hard at all, really just shuffling files around your SD card and following the steps.

One more thing:

This one seems a LOT more complicated than the DS Lite... I've been reading that the Arm9/11 processor of the 3DS also has an Arm7 of the GBA built in, so the New 3DS XL can play NATIVELY (i.e. NOT emulated) GBA and DS games, right? But it lacks a GBA cartridge slot of course. If this is accurate I would LOVE to make the larger screen'd 3DS my go-to for GBA, DS, and of course 3DS games.

GBA games installed as VC titles will run perfectly, but if you care about the size of the screen and you want your GBA and DS games to look accurately on a 3DS you'll want to run them integer scaled, which means they are not displayed on the full size screen of the 3DS. If you want to see DS games as large as possible, the best option is by far a DSi XL, but those lack a GBA port.

My personal choice is a separate device for each system. Go with a hacked new3DS XL for 3DS games, and a DSi XL with R4 flash cart for DS games. For GBA it gets quite a bit more complicated because all the backlit options give you incorrect colors for virtually the entire GBA library of games (for info see: https://forums.libretro.com/t/real-gba- ... s/1540/159). For this reason my go-to is a GBAConsolizer, or for handheld an old original DS phat.

[kitty666cats]

*TANGENTIALLY RELATED*

https://www.ebay.com/itm/272865480434

^ I have been watching this on eBay for ages and have always dreamed about somehow implementing it into a dual CRT monitor setup for DS emulation, lol - possibly a pipe dream, but if doable it would be SO cool

[Dochartaigh]

So based on Fernan's feedback (thanks for all the info!), unless somebody advises differently the game plan is now looking like:

DS Lite: Get a DS Flashcart (more on that below - NEED HELP finding the right one) to play DS games. NO playing GBA games (besides the ones I own original carts of) on the DS Lite since I don't want to spend money on a Krikzz or EZ-Flash.

New 3DS XL: DS flashcart (probably same one I'll use on my above DS Lite) for DS games. GBA games played via VC/Virtual Console versions, or .GBA's I convert to .CIA files (I think both of those use .CIA files actually). 3DS games played off SD Card (think those are .CIA files too).



Questions about the above:

1.) WHICH DS FLASHCART should I get? Fernan, the one I linked to above wasn't a 3DS flashcart - it's a R4 variant cart really only meant for DS games (although it'll play some GBA and such others via emulation), but it IS compatible with the 3DS --to play DS games only on the 3DS-- so maybe that's what you might have been thinking of (I never looked into a 3DS flashcart since you can load 3DS games onto the SD card and it'll play them natively).

Does anybody have a LINK for an exact flashcart to buy? and I mean like recently confirmed working in the last month or so, in-stock, no timebomb, and having great-to-excellent compatibility? I just searched groups/forums for another hour+ (searching by date for the most recent posts), and nearly every. single. time. somebody links to one they researched and specifically picked out and people say it's trash and to get ____ model instead. Then I either find that many other people think ____ model is garbage, and/or ____ was discontinued years ago and you simply can't find them. So I'm seriously just looking for somebody to say "get this one" with a link and I'll grab it lol - and that one above still looks like it's good fyi if somebody can confirm - think it has think it has r4isdhc.com brands compatible ysmenu kernel installed. (USA seller HIGHLY preferred as the DS/3DS is in the mail to me and I would like to start messing with it now and not wait a ~month to get one from China).



2.) Just wanted to confirm that you CAN'T run DS games (in native, NON-emulation mode) off the 3DS's SD Card directly (or I guess even the DSi XL's SD card as I found a good deal for one of those locally I might look into). Fernand recommends a DS flashcart, several FAQ's say it's the best way to play DS games on both the DS and 3DS... but then (and this is that contradiction I keep coming across...) people start talking about TWiLight Menu++ and nds-bootstrap which seems to give you the same CIA-native way to play DS games off the SD card but you can use regular .nds roms instead or something like that? The compatibility looks good to my eyes too...



3.) Are VC (Virtual Console) GBA games the same thing as if I used the program to convert .GBA roms to .CIA format? And these also use the NATIVE GBA processor in the DS or 3DS to run them? (i.e. NOT emulation). I always thought that a lot of the Virtual Console games (like the ones sold on the eShop) were essentially 98% the exact original game, but they commonly did some tweaks on the back end for the eShop versions (sometimes pretty important tweaks, sometimes just quality of life stuff I could probably live without).



4.) Bonus question: When playing DS games on 3DS (via whatever method is decided upon), can you switch which screen is which or will it ALWAYS be the same as the DS orientation?

I'm asking because the 3DS I got has the nice IPS screen on top, and a regular TN on the bottom... and I found out later through watching gameplay videos that all these DS Castlevania games I want to play have the main action on the bottom screen (which would be the inferior TN screen on my 3DS), so I wanted to see if I could switch which screen displays what to get it so the action is on the top IPS screen.

I might not be picky on screens and might not really care but thought I'd ask... for example I think my slim Vita w/ LCD screen looks just as good as any phat/original OLED Vita I've ever seen... although everybody says the OLED is so much better, both are great looking to me and not a day and night difference (and others online say that IPS is SO much better... and others say they're fine with either and both look just fine... so who knows...). Wish I got a 3DS with both IPS screens but there's no way to tell on eBay unless they post that rare fact, and when they do it's like $400+ on eBay (for a 3DS that was still sold in stores brand new for $180 or whatever in late 2020 even!).

I know when I play GBA games I'm pretty sure I can choose which screen those output on (on the DS Lite at least, assuming it's the same on the DSi XL and New 3DS XL).

[Extrems]

Don't bother with .cia's. Use open_agb_firm.

[orange808]

Booting warez isn't really homebrew. Just so you know. The Temp has a special definition for the word. Arrrr, matey!

Homebrew would be new games. Great ones are going to be a rare thing. Good software would require a team of devs and a lot of hard work. For any reasonably good design, devs can target PC and consoles. For most games, the hardware restrictions don't really do anything to simplify development--versus targeting a new machine with almost identical assets and game play. Gamers love pixel art and chip tunes, so the same assets are marketable on new hardware. Not many people will make a modern game design for an old system and never get paid.

So, not much legit use of "homebrew" capabilities.

[Rulumi]

TWiLight Menu++ works on DSi mode and so, may be fine for most.
But if you want something more accurate plus a near 100% compatibility (if you get a good one) a DS flashcard may be a good option.

[fernan1234]

TWiLight Menu++ works on DSi mode and so, may be fine for most.
But if you want something more accurate plus a near 100% compatibility (if you get a good one) a DS flashcard may be a good option.

This. I wouldn't bother with TWL. I think the only benefit of hacking a DSi is access to DSi titles but who cares about those?

So I'm seriously just looking for somebody to say "get this one" with a link and I'll grab it lol - and that one above still looks like it's good fyi if somebody can confirm - think it has think it has r4isdhc.com brands compatible ysmenu kernel installed.

I'd suggest using the classic Wood firmware with an R4i card instead of ysmenu, but that should be fine too. And yeah when I said not to get a 3DS flashcard I meant one for 3DS games, a DS flashcard that works on a 3DS is fine. Sorry I can't help with a link, but if I were buying one today I'd probably get one that ships from the US on eBay or Amazon, since if for some reason it's a bust you can easily force a return on it. If you want to play Pokemon games or whatever you'd want to make sure it's one with real-time clock, otherwise it doesn't matter.

3.) Are VC (Virtual Console) GBA games the same thing as if I used the program to convert .GBA roms to .CIA format? And these also use the NATIVE GBA processor in the DS or 3DS to run them? (i.e. NOT emulation). I always thought that a lot of the Virtual Console games (like the ones sold on the eShop) were essentially 98% the exact original game, but they commonly did some tweaks on the back end for the eShop versions (sometimes pretty important tweaks, sometimes just quality of life stuff I could probably live without).

Can't say for sure since I never use this option for GBA games, but I'd go with the open_agb_firm stuff that Extrems linked, it looks like it would be better for that.

4.) Bonus question: When playing DS games on 3DS (via whatever method is decided upon), can you switch which screen is which or will it ALWAYS be the same as the DS orientation?

I think some games support the option to let you choose, but I don't think it's a global system setting like with GBA.

[Guspaz]

GBA on a 3DS of any kind is never going to be an ideal experience. The palette is dark (though I'd imagine this can be changed if you're loading your own ROMs), the native pixel mode is small, and the d-pad is in a very uncomfortable position. It's also going to be loading ROMs and not your actual GBA carts.

[Dochartaigh]

I got all 3 handhelds yesterday (including that local DSi XL). Also ordered that DS R4i Gold Revolution flashcart I originally linked to. Impressions of the 3x handhelds, and some questions:




DS Lite is a dud. It has white lines flashing on both screens when I turned it on with the included DS game so that's getting returned... It was also too small for me (both screen size and using it) so it's kinda good I can return it.




DSi XL is setup with TWiLight Menu++ with nds-bootstrap. Followed dsi.cfw.guide. Looks like GBARunner2 is included for GBA games. PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong, but looks like both nds-bootstrap for DS, and GBARunner2 for GBA, both use the native non-emulated DS and GBA hardware inside the DSi XL to run those games, right?

Am I running the .NDS and .GBA files correctly? I literally just put them in folders on the root SD card and the DS seems to know which program to run them with automatically. Seemed too easy so thought I'd ask if that's the right way to do it.

I've had some sound issues with GBARunner2 (which is supposed to use the native built-in GBA processor). It's ONLY on the intro of 2x GBA games I've tried so far . Circle of the Moon has some slight stuttering and light ticking/clicking noises on the intro (slight - couldn't even capture with my phone) - regular gameplay seems perfect. Golden Sun on the very first menu sounds kinda crappy - like the speakers are blown but they're surely not, yet in-game seems fine again... I don't have an original GBA to try carts on to compare...

Anybody know of any IN-STOCK DSi XL grip cases? I have a touch of arthritis and I'm having a really hard time using the DSi XL without discomfort. Grip cases are OOS everywhere (no used ones on eBay even!), and even using my Buyee account to shop Japan-only stores I can't find a single one... not on AliExpress either...




For the New 3DS XL I used the 3ds.hacks.guide. Think it's running "boot9strap + Luma3DS custom firmware". Using FBI to install .CIA files to play both GBA and 3DS games. Pretty sure that runs them on the native hardware as well.

I just downloaded Twilight++ on the 3DS to play DS games off the SD card (this is the same program I use for the DSi XL) and it seems to work as well. I would always rather play everything off the SD card instead of using a flashcart, so this might work for me. Did a search on compatibility and in just the last year or so everyone is saying it's gotten really, really good and many have moved from a flashcart to Twilight++ now. This also lets me flip the screens, and with both top screens clarity/contrast/colors being better than the bottom screens on the DS and 3DS (think it's that crappy touch layer removing clarity, making it more reflective, and just more drab looking - on both the IPS and TV variants) being able to switch to the clearer top screen I'm really beginning to value.

BIGGEST surprise on the 3DS is how much I like the 3D effect. It's like I'm playing a 3D hologram. It actually made my eyes hurt when I had it turned on for the menus while hacking it, but last night I played like two hours of Metroid Samus Returns and the 3D was very, very cool. Even liked playing the first level of 3D Streets of Rage! Maybe I'll get sick of it next week (nearly EVERY review on the 3DS commented how they tried 3D for a week, then it's been off ever since then), but right now I think it's AWESOME!!!

WORST surprise is how you guys are right. Playing both GBA and DS games on the 3DS is a blurry mess (I don't care about colors - which seem to be plenty vibrant for me, just about it being sharp fyi). I thought I would be fine on the 3DS because my PS Vita upscales everything from NES to Arcade games to PS1 very sharply to my eyes. Like I can even get fake scanlines on one of the PS1 scaling modes - looks incredible to me... 3DS is the exact opposite...

...here's the problem though. If DSi XL grip cases are unobtanium, and I can't play it comfortably, but CAN play on the New 3DS XL just fine with a grip case (which I just ordered 2x to try on my 3DS)... what options are there to get GBA/DS to look better on the 3DS? Playing 1:1 ratio is too small and not an option. I've been looking into TWPatcher for the 3DS with many different scaling options and filters (and some impressive screenshots), but from what I've gleamed flipping through the 100 page topic on GBATemp (which 90% is over my head) it seems like the developer has given up on that and isn't even hosting the files anymore? Any other option(s) I'm missing?

Don't bother with .cia's. Use open_agb_firm.

I looked into this (it was even mentioned in the TWPatcher topic as having a better-than-stock, but still not mind-blowing, scaling option built-in), but am I missing something and there's really not a pre-compiled version available? I've tried to do that myself on other projects no less than a dozen times on my mac via Terminal and I failed every single time. It's WAY over my head to compile it myself, especially when their github says I'll need dev kit, an assembler, and a CTR firm builder (whatever that is).

Also, how does this differ from VC GBA titles which run on the native GBA hardware on the 3DS, or GBARunner2 which does the same?

[Extrems]

I looked into this (it was even mentioned in the TWPatcher topic as having a better-than-stock, but still not mind-blowing, scaling option built-in), but am I missing something and there's really not a pre-compiled version available? I've tried to do that myself on other projects no less than a dozen times on my mac via Terminal and I failed every single time. It's WAY over my head to compile it myself, especially when their github says I'll need dev kit, an assembler, and a CTR firm builder (whatever that is).

https://github.com/profi200/open_agb_firm/releases

Also, how does this differ from VC GBA titles which run on the native GBA hardware on the 3DS, or GBARunner2 which does the same?

GBARunner2 isn't remotely the same thing.

[Rulumi]

If you are fine with things from TwilightMenu++, I guess that's fine enough.

GBARunner 2 is an hypervisor, it's an interesting and neat thing, but since it runs on DS mode it has some severe limitations, like not having acess to the 8 bit "GBC" audio channels.

If you have other options for GBA, like the 3DS AGB_FIRM, it'll be better to use them.
OPEN_AGB_FIRM has a sharper scaling method and you can get the unfiltered colors if you wish so by doing some settings, so give it a try if you don't plan on using a GBA/original DS or Lite model from Slot 2.

[Dochartaigh]

https://github.com/profi200/open_agb_firm/releases

Can't say for sure since I never use this option for GBA games, but I'd go with the open_agb_firm stuff that Extrems linked, it looks like it would be better for that.

OPEN_AGB_FIRM has a sharper scaling method and you can get the unfiltered colors if you wish so by doing some settings, so give it a try if you don't plan on using a GBA/original DS or Lite model from Slot 2.

So I hate to ask... and maybe I'm doing it wrong... but are you guys actually happy with how open_agb_firm is doing the scaling? That was my entire issue with playing GBA on the 3DS how I was currently doing it (and not in 1:1, scaled to be larger on the screen of course) - that it looks like absolute garbage (specifically compared to the DSi XL sitting right next to it playing the same exact game). I'm really not being picky either, it literally looks like I hooked up my NES to my 4K TV via composite steaming pile of ___. I thought that open_agb_firm was supposed to handle this better per many peoples comments on it... but it's horrible still. TBH I could care less if open_agb_firm eeks out another like .05% of accuracy over GBARunner2 or CIA/VC or whatever... if it looks like crap I'm not going to play it.

Anyway, I really did give this a fair shake since you all made it seem like it's amazing. I read through the entire SEVENTEEN PAGES of discussion about open_agb_firm. Tried about 6x+ variants of it people were branching off of GitHub, or posting the links to that topic, many focused on the scaling and the SUPER dark image open_agb_firm has (like horribly dark, like can't see any details dark... even trying what the dev himself said to try for brightness in the GitHub by editing the config.ini in all different ways is STILL too dark and lackluster looking). Other .firm's people compiled had decent brightness but still can't get past that scaling (which seems to be a moot point simply by how many pixels the 3DS screen has... just no good way to do it I guess).



So unless something changes looks like my DSi XL is my go-to for GBA and DS games. Might get replaced by the Analogue Pocket for GBA, but I'm probably going to hate going to that smaller screen and form factor. I would LOVE to keep trying anything all you wise people suggest for the 3DS for these two systems, but I think the 3DS will only be for playing 3DS games (which is a real shame... I really hate having to own two extremely similar systems to play all this stuff... especially if I'm trying to travel light, but I guess that's just how it is). Thanks for all your suggestions so far - it's much appreciated.

[fernan1234]

So I hate to ask... and maybe I'm doing it wrong... but are you guys actually happy with how open_agb_firm is doing the scaling? That was my entire issue with playing GBA on the 3DS how I was currently doing it (and not in 1:1, scaled to be larger on the screen of course) - that it looks like absolute garbage (specifically compared to the DSi XL sitting right next to it playing the same exact game). I'm really not being picky either, it literally looks like I hooked up my NES to my 4K TV via composite steaming pile of ___. I thought that open_agb_firm was supposed to handle this better per many peoples comments on it... but it's horrible still. TBH I could care less if open_agb_firm eeks out another like .05% of accuracy over GBARunner2 or CIA/VC or whatever... if it looks like crap I'm not going to play it.

IMO nothing will look good except 1:1. If I had to play GBA on a DS/3DS/2DS, I'd just accept the smaller picture window just to get a correct, non-scaled picture. But you seed the bigger screen is essential to you so might as well try that, or just play on an actual GBA. I guess 1:1 on a DSi XL should still be a pretty decent picture size.

[Dochartaigh]

IMO nothing will look good except 1:1. If I had to play GBA on a DS/3DS/2DS, I'd just accept the smaller picture window just to get a correct, non-scaled picture. But you seed the bigger screen is essential to you so might as well try that, or just play on an actual GBA. I guess 1:1 on a DSi XL should still be a pretty decent picture size.

Yeah, it's definitely my bad for thinking open_agb_firm would do something noticeable to the scaling, but just impossible based on the pixel size of the actual screen it looks like unfortunately. Oh well – I still have a cool 3DS I'm enjoying 3DS games on (just not GBA or DS lol

GBA on DS is definitely great looking. Don't mind the bigger pixels the XL has over the original either (they're the same pixel resolution, just bigger screen which I love).

If anybody sees any DSi XL grip cases PLEASE let me know. That's the only thing I really need to make this pretty perfect. Actually found a 3D printed one I might try to print and assemble (which will make me finally setup this 3D printer I rec'd as a gift years ago).

[bobrocks95]

IMO nothing will look good except 1:1. If I had to play GBA on a DS/3DS/2DS, I'd just accept the smaller picture window just to get a correct, non-scaled picture. But you seed the bigger screen is essential to you so might as well try that, or just play on an actual GBA. I guess 1:1 on a DSi XL should still be a pretty decent picture size.

Yeah, it's definitely my bad for thinking open_agb_firm would do something noticeable to the scaling, but just impossible based on the pixel size of the actual screen it looks like unfortunately. Oh well – I still have a cool 3DS I'm enjoying 3DS games on (just not GBA or DS lol

GBA on DS is definitely great looking. Don't mind the bigger pixels the XL has over the original either (they're the same pixel resolution, just bigger screen which I love).

If anybody sees any DSi XL grip cases PLEASE let me know. That's the only thing I really need to make this pretty perfect. Actually found a 3D printed one I might try to print and assemble (which will make me finally setup this 3D printer I rec'd as a gift years ago).

Haven't found a handheld as an adult that doesn't hurt my hands after a bit, except maybe the Game Gear lol. My Switch stays docked 99% of the time. That sort of thing.

Do the GBA or DS consolizers interest you in any way? Or at least GBA on a Gameboy Player? For me, converting handhelds into home console experiences in one way or another has been the only way to really play comfortably, and personally I haven't had much time to play handhelds away from home since I was a kid anyway.

[Kez]

Haven't found a handheld as an adult that doesn't hurt my hands after a bit, except maybe the Game Gear lol. My Switch stays docked 99% of the time. That sort of thing.

Have you tried grip cases? They really make an insane difference. I was trying to play Metroid 2 on 3DS and got cramps after only a few minutes, but I grabbed a cheap grip case on eBay and was able to clear the whole game twice in a week without any problems.

[Dochartaigh]

Haven't found a handheld as an adult that doesn't hurt my hands after a bit, except maybe the Game Gear lol. My Switch stays docked 99% of the time. That sort of thing.

Me too! Even for my Switch, for the (very) rare times I'll use it on the go, I bought literally 4 or 5 cases (gotta love Amazon'e free returns...) until I found one that was quasi-comfortable for me ("Skull & Co. GripCase Set" if anybody is wondering).

Do the GBA or DS consolizers interest you in any way? Or at least GBA on a Gameboy Player? For me, converting handhelds into home console experiences in one way or another has been the only way to really play comfortably, and personally I haven't had much time to play handhelds away from home since I was a kid anyway.

For the GBA that most definitely interests me. That's specifically why I bought the dock for the Analogue Pocket (would have never, ever, ordered one if the dock wasn't an option) – so I can use it with whatever comfortable wireless controller on my big screen. It'll probably only ever see very occasional use in handheld mode (just like my Switch).

My main purpose of this exercise was to play the 3x DS Castlevania games (also literally bought the Pocket for the 3x GBA Castlevania games mainly since I had never played those DS games before, and I found that I hated the 2x screens on my bigscreen when I emulated the DS (and didn't like the other option of switching screens back and forth either), so the real thing with the 2x screens was the only option...

Haven't found a handheld as an adult that doesn't hurt my hands after a bit, except maybe the Game Gear lol. My Switch stays docked 99% of the time. That sort of thing.

Have you tried grip cases? They really make an insane difference. I was trying to play Metroid 2 on 3DS and got cramps after only a few minutes, but I grabbed a cheap grip case on eBay and was able to clear the whole game twice in a week without any problems.

He'll answer himself I'm sure, but my problem right now is there are NO grip cases for the DSi XL available! And the DSi XL is the one I want to keep for GBA and DS games... hoping one of the 3DS cases I ordered works on the similar size DSi XL.

[bobrocks95]

Haven't found a handheld as an adult that doesn't hurt my hands after a bit, except maybe the Game Gear lol. My Switch stays docked 99% of the time. That sort of thing.

Have you tried grip cases? They really make an insane difference. I was trying to play Metroid 2 on 3DS and got cramps after only a few minutes, but I grabbed a cheap grip case on eBay and was able to clear the whole game twice in a week without any problems.

I've got a 3DS XL grip case that helped a bit, but it also added to the weight. It's a decently heavy console to hold up with your elbows bent so the top screen is close enough for the 3D to work. Ultimately the screens are too small on most handhelds to really let your arms lay naturally in your lap. Maybe just my poor eyesight lol.

I would also love a DSi XL grip, it's imo the most premium feeling Nintendo handheld, I guess since it was marketed towards adults. I looked for grips 2 years ago when I got it and there weren't any then either though.

Haven't found a handheld as an adult that doesn't hurt my hands after a bit, except maybe the Game Gear lol. My Switch stays docked 99% of the time. That sort of thing.

Me too! Even for my Switch, for the (very) rare times I'll use it on the go, I bought literally 4 or 5 cases (gotta love Amazon'e free returns...) until I found one that was quasi-comfortable for me ("Skull & Co. GripCase Set" if anybody is wondering).

Do the GBA or DS consolizers interest you in any way? Or at least GBA on a Gameboy Player? For me, converting handhelds into home console experiences in one way or another has been the only way to really play comfortably, and personally I haven't had much time to play handhelds away from home since I was a kid anyway.

For the GBA that most definitely interests me. That's specifically why I bought the dock for the Analogue Pocket (would have never, ever, ordered one if the dock wasn't an option) – so I can use it with whatever comfortable wireless controller on my big screen. It'll probably only ever see very occasional use in handheld mode (just like my Switch).

My main purpose of this exercise was to play the 3x DS Castlevania games (also literally bought the Pocket for the 3x GBA Castlevania games mainly since I had never played those DS games before, and I found that I hated the 2x screens on my bigscreen when I emulated the DS (and didn't like the other option of switching screens back and forth either), so the real thing with the 2x screens was the only option...

Haven't found a handheld as an adult that doesn't hurt my hands after a bit, except maybe the Game Gear lol. My Switch stays docked 99% of the time. That sort of thing.

Have you tried grip cases? They really make an insane difference. I was trying to play Metroid 2 on 3DS and got cramps after only a few minutes, but I grabbed a cheap grip case on eBay and was able to clear the whole game twice in a week without any problems.

He'll answer himself I'm sure, but my problem right now is there are NO grip cases for the DSi XL available! And the DSi XL is the one I want to keep for GBA and DS games... hoping one of the 3DS cases I ordered works on the similar size DSi XL.

Hoping for a DS Consolizer from Woozle after the Morph scaler is out, with Wii U Gamepad support. That thing is pretty chunky and light.

Speaking of, have you tried DS emulation on Wii U? Don't know what compatibility looks like, but they look like they control well.

Let us know if any 3DS grips work for the DSi XL. The 3D printed one I saw looked... Uncomfortable.

[Kez]

Unfortunately my 3DS grip case does not work on my DSi XL, hopefully you have better luck! I have seen the 3D print design on thingiverse.. It doesn't look great but I have a printer so I may give it a go at some point.

[fernan1234]

If you're considering non-portable options, then for GBA at least I'd strongly suggest using a MiSTer. The GBA core is extremely accurate (and likely will stay ahead of the Analogue core on the Pocket), has color space correction (really important IMO), QoL conveniences like save states, and pixel-grid filters can be used for a more authentic chunky pixel-like look.

[Extrems]

has color space correction (really important IMO)

I feel the same. So much so, the first public release of Game Boy Interface had it but no working sound...

[fernan1234]

has color space correction (really important IMO)

I feel the same. So much so, the first public release of Game Boy Interface had it but no working sound...

Truly a man of vision.

And BTW this is not just a mere desaturation of colors which for a long time was what emulators did trying to address this issue. It's for this reason that I quickly gave up on using an AGS-101 back when it was all the rage (or LPS replacement screens which are all the rage nowadays).

[Extrems]

Yes, nobody else was really doing it right at the time, so I came up with my own attempt using the color profile of a screen of similar technology.

[fernan1234]

Just out of curiosity, what screen was that? Not many LCD screens use that kind of non-sRGB color profile.

[Extrems]

99-100% sRGB coverage is a more recent development than you think, particularly for laptops.

[Rulumi]

TBH I could care less if open_agb_firm eeks out another like .05% of accuracy over GBARunner2 or CIA/VC or whatever...

It's not .05%, AGB_FIRM will work better with most games than GBARunner2 and you'll have the true "GBC" audio channels instead of the emulated ones of GBARunner2 since it runs on DS mode.
AGB_FIRM is sort of a proper GBA mode.

[Dochartaigh]

TBH I could care less if open_agb_firm eeks out another like .05% of accuracy over GBARunner2 or CIA/VC or whatever...

It's not .05%, AGB_FIRM will work better with most games than GBARunner2 and you'll have the true "GBC" audio channels instead of the emulated ones of GBARunner2 since it runs on DS mode.
AGB_FIRM is sort of a proper GBA mode.

I appreciate your enthusiasm, really! but I think you missed my entire point. Please give the rest of that paragraph you quoted from another read please.

If you want me to re-paraphrase: it doesn't matter how much more accurate open_agb_firm makes the game if the game looks like absolute crap once enlarged on the New 3DS XL's screen (and again, 1:1 is NOT an option - doesn't work for my eyes, doesn't work for my arms when I have to hold the tiny screen 8" from my eyes to be able to see what's happening on-screen).



Oh, and kinda replying to everybody here too as I just thought of this: It does NOT matter if we can get GBA to look perfectly scaled on the 3DS if we can't ALSO get DS games to look beautiful on the 3DS!!! ...because if we can't get both (which I'm positive simply isn't possible no matter what), then I'm STILL going to have to use my DSi XL for DS games... and since GBA looks beautiful on the DSi XL there is simply no reason to try to get it to run better on the 3DS as I'm never going to have an all-in-one GBA/DS/3DS where all those systems look great on it.

[bobrocks95]

Got to try DS virtual console on the Wii U last night, after several hours spent fixing my Wii U first (a console that new shouldn't break...).

Visually it looks good and is scaled well on the output. I saw people complaining online that it looked terrible, and I think that's people expecting a lot from a 256x192 source. There's an internal config file you can mess with to up the rendering resolution for 3D games as well that I haven't tried yet.

You can inject roms into the VC so you aren't limited to just the 30 or so titles on the eShop.

Screen layout options leave a lot to be desired though. The only proper way to have the screens stacked is with this dumb png of a phat DS around it. Lots of wasted space, maybe to get an integer scale? There's another layout that I believe had them stacked but it was meant for touch controls and inverted the D-Pad or something weird like that.

So overall for games that focus the action on one screen and something like inventory or a map on the other, I think it looks good. For games that utilize both screens for a very tall picture (I tried Contra 4) it's pretty worthless. I think the only way that's really going to look good is a rotated display with the screens stacked, ideally with a gap since most games accounted for it and had a bit of a blind spot in-between the screens.

There are more modified layouts in a gbatemp thread that I'll try, and I can get some screenshots. Maybe you've already tried this though OP.

[Dochartaigh]

Also wanted to post about a pretty good DSi XL grip case I bought which seems to work pretty great, even if it's meant for the New 3DS XL. You throw out the top/screen protective part fyi, that only fits on the 3DS, so I only used the bottom grip part of this set.

Positives: Can use ALL buttons on it! Shoulder buttons work nice even (the other 3DS case I tried did NOT let you hit these). Can easily hit the left volume up/down buttons with minimal effort too. Can easily pull down the rear rubber part of the case to plug in a charger or insert a DS cartridge (I'll probably be cutting our a spot for the charger to plug in through though).

Negatives: I don't know how I'm going access the stylus which you actually do need for some games (going to try to cut a hole with an exacto - wish me luck). Have to pull away the side of the case to access the SD card slot. Even though it's not perfect as it's designed for the New 3DS XL, when I can't find a proper DSi XL case in stock anywhere this works very nicely and is inexpensive.