Hacking Game Resolution DS Rom Games vs Actual Games

[nutsnbolts]

I have downloaded a bunch of games and basically, when playing with it, I noticed that the graphics aren't so good. It isn't as astonishing as actual real game cartridges (3DS) games. Perhaps it's not a fair comparison but if I bought an actual DS game and used it with my 3DS, the graphics on that versus the graphics on a downloaded ROM. Are they the same?

I don't know if I'm doing something wrong and what not?

 

[nathancnc]

Downloading roms is illegal. I am disappoint in you.

 

[Foxi4]

A downloaded ROM (provided it is proper, but even if it wasn't it would look the same) is an exact copy of an original cartridge's content. There is no difference whatsoever in how the game will look.

 

[Cartmanuk]

Its your cheap cart maybe has a poor CPU

Test by playing a Video via the card

 

[shadowmanwkp]

A downloaded ROM (provided it is proper, but even if it wasn't it would look the same) is an exact copy of an original cartridge's content. There is no difference whatsoever in how the game will look.

Not true. You can enhance the picture quality of 2D games if you use an emulator with picture filters. The only emulator I am aware of with filter option is DeSmuME. Do note though that the technique ain't perfect. Some details can be dropped, leading to small missing details, although the loss is not as great as with a console like the NES or gameboy, which rely on a much smaller pixel count.

 

[Foxi4]

A downloaded ROM (provided it is proper, but even if it wasn't it would look the same) is an exact copy of an original cartridge's content. There is no difference whatsoever in how the game will look.

Not true. You can enhance the picture quality of 2D games if you use an emulator with picture filters. The only emulator I am aware of with filter option is DeSmuME. Do note though that the technique ain't perfect. Some details can be dropped, leading to small missing details, although the loss is not as great as with a console like the NES or gameboy, which rely on a much smaller pixel count.

He's not talking about emulators, he wants to launch the image on his 3DS. Also, alterations you mention have nothing to do with the ROM image but with the emulator used.

 

[shadowmanwkp]

A downloaded ROM (provided it is proper, but even if it wasn't it would look the same) is an exact copy of an original cartridge's content. There is no difference whatsoever in how the game will look.

Not true. You can enhance the picture quality of 2D games if you use an emulator with picture filters. The only emulator I am aware of with filter option is DeSmuME. Do note though that the technique ain't perfect. Some details can be dropped, leading to small missing details, although the loss is not as great as with a console like the NES or gameboy, which rely on a much smaller pixel count.

He's not talking about emulators, he wants to launch the image on his 3DS. Also, alterations you mention have nothing to do with the ROM image but with the emulator used.

*facepalm*

I should learn to read first

 

[nutsnbolts]

Downloading roms is illegal. I am disappoint in you.

Im trial'ng a game before buying it.

What are you doing on this forum anyway. You dont happen to have one of those carts that can play and load roms do you?

---

 

[Deleted_171835]

Err, it'll look exactly the same.

The only reason DS games look worse on the 3DS is because of the difference in resolution. Buying a legitimate game cart won't change that.

 

[nutsnbolts]

Err, it'll look exactly the same.

The only reason DS games look worse on the 3DS is because of the difference in resolution. Buying a legitimate game cart won't change that.

Thanks that's what I was looking to find out.

 

[Rydian]

Hey hey hey hey hey people.

Try telling him to hold select while booting a DS flash cart so the image isn't stretched.

 

[nutsnbolts]

Hey hey hey hey hey people.

Try telling him to hold select while booting a DS flash cart so the image isn't stretched.

While booting a game? Hmmm. Please clarify. Not sure exactly when to do this.

 

[chyyran]

Hey hey hey hey hey people.

Try telling him to hold select while booting a DS flash cart so the image isn't stretched.

While booting a game? Hmmm. Please clarify. Not sure exactly when to do this.

When you press the little DS Card tile and it starts loading the game, hold select until you see the game start.

 

[granville]

The DS' original resolution was 256x192 for each screen. However, the resolution DS games are played at on a 3DS is 320x240. That's the resolution of the bottom screen as well as the top screen when letterboxed on the sides. The DS games weren't programmed to natively support such a higher resolution, so they're stretched to that size. And to compensate for the skewed pixels, there's a blur filter applied to the visuals. This smooths them out somewhat. Otherwise you'd have to deal with a jagged mess of pixels that are all stretched in weird ways. I wouldn't have liked such an option anyways personally.

Here's a diagram i made a while back for a visual guide on how this works-

If you want to play the DS games in their original resolution without the stretching and blur applied, hold start or select while you're booting your DS game or flashcard. This boots the game at their original 256x192 resolution, so there's no distortion or stretching. However, this will force them to play with a much tinier view, they'll only take up a small part of the 3DS' screens. It'll be harder to see the screens since they're so small.

 

[rip-it-up]

picture 2 vs 3 look the same to me.

 

[granville]

picture 2 vs 3 look the same to me.

Look closer, especially at the text. There's a noticeable blurring on the 2nd image's pixels compared to the other two. The third image does not contain the blur, the pixels are sharp, however they are stretched to a resolution that makes the pixels appear distorted and uneven. Again, especially with the text you can notice how it's a bit fatter and thinner in places due to the resolution not matching up. Had the 3DS' resolution been a perfect 2x the original DS' resolution, the pixels would have scaled perfectly and not looked distorted. Due to the abnormal resolution it's being forced to stretch at however, a blur filter is required to keep all the pixels looking even and balanced, without any distortion.

Again, my third shot is a hypothetical look at how DS games would look if stretched without that blurring. It should also be noted that the games would look considerably worse in motion since the pixels would change on the fly. I guess a good comparison would be something like SnemulDS or JenesisDS, where the graphics have to be scaled down to a smaller resolution. It results in a chronic flickering of lines of pixels while in motion. It's sort of the reverse with DS games, having to stretch to a larger resolution, but it would probably produce a similar result.

 

[DarkStriker]

picture 2 vs 3 look the same to me.

You sir are blind.

 

[Kioku]

Downloading roms is illegal. I am disappoint in you.

Cuz you're clean, right?

Playing a DS Rom vs the Actual DS Card on the 3DS will give you the same picture quality regardless. Don't believe me? Get $10 and buy a cheap game... and look for yourself.

 

[exangel]

I have downloaded a bunch of games and basically, when playing with it, I noticed that the graphics aren't so good. It isn't as astonishing as actual real game cartridges (3DS) games. Perhaps it's not a fair comparison but if I bought an actual DS game and used it with my 3DS, the graphics on that versus the graphics on a downloaded ROM. Are they the same?

I don't know if I'm doing something wrong and what not?

I guess no one addressed the specific reason that DS games look worse than real 3DS games although many of the responses lead to the answer:
3DS games are actually a higher resolution than DS games are, hence why DS games comparatively look bad, especially if you were expecting pixel perfect rendering.
This is why I kept my DSi XL for DS games and DSiWare. *And why I regret migrating over most of my DSiWare to one of my 3DS units （╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

 

[totalnoob617]

the graphics are the same and on the 3ds you can have the ds games stretched(default) or you can boot to ds mode with a hotkey and have it go into the original ds resolution ,but the screen is smaller, i forget what you hold,i think its start and select ,
also just thought id report that when i play a dpg movie on my ds lite and then play it on the 3ds i nothine the 3ds resolution looks alot better, i know the res is the same pretty much but on the lite you can see the pixel mesh and it looks blocky ,on the 3ds screen you dont see it hardly ,it looks alot better