Homebrew Snickerstream - Unified NTR and HzMod streaming client for the 3DS

[Crimson Cuttlefish]

I get this question a lot and normally the answer would be to just check the FAQs, but considering that this might change in the future with HzMod support then I'll give you and in-depth answer.

I want to try and add HzMod compatibility and HzMod does support streaming on an o3DS but not at an acceptable framerate. MarcusD (the one who made HzMod) says that the hard limit for an o3DS is 21 FPS, which is already low enough, but keep in mind that you won't even go near that in a real life scenario, especially in games: In fact, if you look around on YouTube, you'll notice that during gameplay the actual framerate will be somewhere around 8 to 11 FPS. So, while screen streaming via WiFi on an o3DS might be possible even right now, it isn't possible at an acceptable framerate and it will never be due to hardware limitations.

If you're asking why I even want to try to code in HzMod support, the answer's is simple: it goes way beyond o3DS support (in fact, that's not even one of the main reasons!). Imo it's a very underrated streaming tool which might even be better than NTR in some cases as it's less hacky and more stable while being pretty much the same performance-wise. Again, don't take my word on it tho - I still haven't done enough research to see if I can actually do it, but I guess we'll see in time.

Okie-doke, I look forward to... whatever comes out in that case.

 

[ImInsane]

Try HorizonM.

 

[Crimson Cuttlefish]

Try HorizonM.

I have, and that's why I was excited for this one instead.

 

[RattletraPM]

Here's another quick update for you all: I've coded some new features and bug fixes and the new version is almost complete now! HzMod will have to wait (otherwise this update will take too long to release) but there'll still be plenty of things you asked about.

Considering this will be a pretty big update - possibly the biggest one since v0.75 - I'm doing a lot of testing to make sure that everything works as intended, but expect a vlog very soon and a relase sometime next week! Snickerstream will finally reach v1.0 and be officially out of beta!

 

[RattletraPM]

I promised you a new vlog and now here it is. Enjoy!
(Also I've released NTRRemoteplaySimulator. I don't know how many of you are going to find it useful, but you can see it in action in the video.)

 

[C_Sharp]

First of all let me say that as someone that is new to soft modding their console your program is a godsent and the ease of use is absolutely there and even though ive only used it for a week now im VERY excited to see the 1.0 is being worked on great work!
NOW on to my question, I have no option to play near my router as my house is occupied by others and the router is in another room away from my streaming desktop. I also cant just sit in there and play because i then cant do audio/commentary 'however i did get a fantastic near consistent 30-45 fps'
With that out of the way I need a cheap alternative to achieve the same results that i was so happy with at my desktop. I've heard a wifi dongle could do the trick, what kind of specs would be most suitable without going overboard or paying more than i have to? and does this even work at all? I also tried for hours to use my laptop to bridge a connection and create a hotspot however i was running into the issue that even after i figured it all out that it wasnt sending internet over the bridged connection or the virtual port, im not very advanced when it comes to these things.
So I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart and see if you had any suggestions. Much love -<3

 

[RattletraPM]

First of all let me say that as someone that is new to soft modding their console your program is a godsent and the ease of use is absolutely there and even though ive only used it for a week now im VERY excited to see the 1.0 is being worked on great work!
NOW on to my question, I have no option to play near my router as my house is occupied by others and the router is in another room away from my streaming desktop. I also cant just sit in there and play because i then cant do audio/commentary 'however i did get a fantastic near consistent 30-45 fps'
With that out of the way I need a cheap alternative to achieve the same results that i was so happy with at my desktop. I've heard a wifi dongle could do the trick, what kind of specs would be most suitable without going overboard or paying more than i have to? and does this even work at all? I also tried for hours to use my laptop to bridge a connection and create a hotspot however i was running into the issue that even after i figured it all out that it wasnt sending internet over the bridged connection or the virtual port, im not very advanced when it comes to these things.
So I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart and see if you had any suggestions. Much love -<3

Hey, I'm glad you find Snickerstream useful! Thank you for using it and for the kind words too!

Regarding your question, you have a few options: first of all, there's FakeProxy. It's a little tool written by cell9 himself that allows your 3DS to stay connected to a hotspot even if it doesn't have internet access. I haven't used it in a while and so I can't really help you set it up, but you can find some documentation here. You can get FakeProxy by downloading the NTR Starter Kit. If I were you, I'd give it a shot with your laptop's WiFi hotspot!

On the other hand, if you want to stream online matches (even if I don't recommend doing so, as Nintendo has reportedly banned users who play with NTR online) or if you have some spare cash then you can definitely use a WiFi dongle as you've already read. Because the 3DS only supports WiFi b/g standards, which are sadly old and slow, pretty much any WiFi adapter on the market is going to do the job just fine. So if I had to buy one just to stream, I'd look for something with a good external antenna instead of focusing on bandwidth or other features that your 3DS wouldn't support anyways. I've already suggested the TP-Link TL-WN722N before, which might even be overkill for something like this but it's still cheap.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

 

[chirogan]

Ive been following this thread a lot and im glad to see huge improvements given the fact you work individually most of the time.
I use Snicker stream from time to time. Glad to see youre still working to improve your project a lot.

This post has one aim: to show support and appreciation. (I dont want to be a hit and run member)

 

[C_Sharp]

Oh no How prominent are those rumors of bans? Thank you for your recommendations as well.

 

[RattletraPM]

Ive been following this thread a lot and im glad to see huge improvements given the fact you work individually most of the time.
I use Snicker stream from time to time. Glad to see youre still working to improve your project a lot.

This post has one aim: to show support and appreciation. (I dont want to be a hit and run member)

Thanks a lot, man!
And yes, all code has been written by me (with the exception of the Direct2D UDF and NTR itself, obviously) but hey, if anyone wants to lend me a hand I'd be very grateful! (And if you don't know how to code you can still make me a suggestion, so far all of them have been pretty useful!)

Oh no How prominent are those rumors of bans? Thank you for your recommendations as well.

Not many as I recall but I always warn everyone because there's still a possibility (and NTR isn't really stealthy about how it hooks itself into the system). If you didn't use it to cheat, however, you should be in the clear - especially considering that Nintendo is caring less about the 3DS with each day that passes. Not to mention that unbanning yourself is quite easy nowadays, so if I were you I wouldn't worry about it too much

 

[C_Sharp]

That is a very huge sigh of relief. I actually put cfw on my system for the sole reason of using your program. <3 Thank you for the warning, i do appreciate you keeping it real with me. Looking forward to your newest work!~

 

[chirogan]

Thanks a lot, man!
And yes, all code has been written by me (with the exception of the Direct2D UDF and NTR itself, obviously) but hey, if anyone wants to lend me a hand I'd be very grateful! (And if you don't know how to code you can still make me a suggestion, so far all of them have been pretty useful!)

I will. Thank you for supporting 3ds. It is one of my favorite consoles of all time(games, backwards compatability, virtual consoles and emulators) and its good to see devs working in the scene. I will let you know if i do have ideas.

Oh no How prominent are those rumors of bans? Thank you for your recommendations as well.

The only time i see getting banned of a nintendo 3ds console is by doing explicit save modifications. Nintendo can see right away if you modified a game save (cheating etc.) In a fully active server (like pokemon games. Stay away from cheating in that game)

 

[RattletraPM]

The only time i see getting banned of a nintendo 3ds console is by doing explicit save modifications. Nintendo can see right away if you modified a game save (cheating etc.) In a fully active server (like pokemon games. Stay away from cheating in that game)

Just a small correction: Nintendo will ban you if you save edit your Pokémon games if you've enabled Game Sync (because this way you're sending your game's data to their server, making it very easy for them to spot if you've cheated). If you don't have Game Sync enabled then you will be fine. Also, bans that happen this way are only linked to your save game, not the console - so if you start a new game you'll be unbanned.

In a nutshell, it's just a measure to prevent cheating in ranked matches.

 

[chirogan]

Just a small correction: Nintendo will ban you if you save edit your Pokémon games if you've enabled Game Sync (because this way you're sending your game's data to their server, making it very easy for them to spot if you've cheated). If you don't have Game Sync enabled then you will be fine. Also, bans that happen this way are only linked to your save game, not the console - so if you start a new game you'll be unbanned.

In a nutshell, it's just a measure to prevent cheating in ranked matches.

Ive stopped playing pokemon since diamond so im not fully aware. Thanks for the correction. I usually see people getting banned here and there because of pokemon genning. Will an exported save before game modification or banning through JKSM(or other save managers) remove the ban when imported back to the game? ( provided i turn the game sync off from the start)

 

[RattletraPM]

Ive stopped playing pokemon since diamond so im not fully aware. Thanks for the correction. I usually see people getting banned here and there because of pokemon genning. Will an exported save before game modification or banning through JKSM(or other save managers) remove the ban when imported back to the game? ( provided i turn the game sync off from the start)

Not sure, but starting a new game and re-importing your Pokémon via PKHeX/PKSM (alongside any other changes you want to make, like enabling flangs for centain events so you don't have to do them again) is a sure way to get unbanned.

 

[RattletraPM]

Snickerstream v1.00 is here! Grab the latest version from the GitHub repo!

And now, here's your regularly scheduled changelog:

Spoiler

**New features:**
* A brand new “Advanced” settings menu which lets you change all variables that could only be changed by directly editing the INI file before.
* Multiple 3DS streaming to a single PC is now supported (after patching NTR & changing the listen port, click here for a guide)
* (D2D Only) Individual screen scaling – finally! You can either set this via the Advanced menu or by editing/adding TopScalingFactor and BottomScalingFactor in the INI.
* (D2D Only) You can now pop up the other screen in full screen modes with the push of a button! (default: Spacebar) The screen can also be scaled using the previously mentioned individual screen scaling function.
* Hotkeys can now be customized by editing/adding a “Hotkeys” key to the INI. They have to be specified as a string of seven hexadecimal key codes separated by a vertical bar, ex. 26|28|25|27|0D|53|20|1B. The functions corresponding to the key codes are: Scale up, Scale down, Change interp. (plus), Change interp. (minus), Return to the connection window, Capture a screenshot, Show secondary screen popup (only in fullscreen modes), Exit Snickerstream. A full list of keycodes supported by AutoIt is available here.
* You can now choose whether to center the screens or not (via Advanced menu or by editing/adding CenterScreens to settings.ini)
* New screen layouts! Non-streched fullscreen (top), Non-streched fullscreen (bottom), stretched fullscreen (bottom) and separate windows! (Keep in mind that all of these are D2D only except for stretched fullscreen bottom)
* You can now specify the settings INI file’s name and path manually by passing it as a command line argument to Snickerstream. Useful if you want to connect multiple 3DSes. Example usage: ‘snickerstream.exe C:\Path\to\setting\file.ini’
* Added support for custom presets. Custom presets will only change the remoteplay settings (except for the IP), they don’t need you to reopen Snickerstream each time you want to change them (but you will need to restart your 3DS if remoteplay has already been started) and are stored on a separate INI file, making them very useful if you wish to save different settings for your games. Snickerstream will always look for the presets.ini in the same directory as the settings INI, even if you specified a custom path for it. Thanks to ElderCub for the suggestion!
* A shiny new icon made by Trinsid!
**Improvements & Bug fixes:**
* The quality value will be set to 10 if it’s too low (10 is the lowest quality value allowed by NTR).
* Snickerstream will no longer pause if you right-click on its tray icon.
* Snickerstream now returns to the connection window if it’s not able to receive the stream after initializing remoteplay (instead of hanging on a black screen) and tells the user to double check its firewall rules/listening ports.
* A completely redesigned about screen!

On a quick note, I want to underline that update is called "The Definitive Update" because I've coded each and every single thing I originally wanted for Snickerstream now. This doesn't mean there won't be any future updates tho! There's still some very experimental stuff that I want to try...

I know that this update is a bit late and I'm sorry for it, however I wanted to be extra sure that everything worked fine. Still, I hope you all enjoy it!

 

[PeeJay Bonobo]

Snickerstream v1.00 is here! Grab the latest version from the GitHub repo!

Only the source code is available. No binaries?

 

[RattletraPM]

Only the source code is available. No binaries?

*Sigh...* Of course I had to forget something... And this time I forgot the release. Fixed!

 

[PeeJay Bonobo]

*Sigh...* Of course I had to forget something... And this time I forgot the release. Fixed!

Thanks. Will try out in a bit.

 

[GcRayden]

I keep getting a specific error:
Line 24976: Error: Variable used without being declared.

Also, I cannot connect via Snickerstream anymore but it connects flawlessly via Kit-Kat Slim. I did not change any of the advanced settings. Do I have to add the NTR bin if I don't patch it?

Sorry for bringing this up right after you released, as a developer I know how frustrating bugs can after launch. I really do appreciate you working on this; you're helping a lot of people. Thank you