Homebrew GBA emulator for 5.0.2?

[Deleted User]

There are already two people who have gc/wii emulator but one didn't show gameplay and one showed an image of mario on a switch telling that is from february 14th.

 

[aos10]

I can't take my 80 inch tv on the go.

But the 3DS XL, Vita, your tablet can.

There will be gba emulator, but not right now, my whole point about the screen size.
It seems everyone wants to "have" gba emulator on every dedevice he has so he can finally play them on the go, but we already have them on mobile and 3DS, PSP, Vita, but did those people played them?
It's just an excuse to have them but never play them.

 

[Haztel]

But the 3DS XL, Vita, your tablet can.

There will be gba emulator, but not right now, my whole point about the screen size.
It seems everyone wants to "have" gba emulator on every dedevice he has so he can finally play them on the go, but we already have them on mobile and 3DS, PSP, Vita, but did those people played them?
It's just an excuse to have them but never play them.

People do these things just because they can. People don't run doom/pokemon on their TI calculators for convenience just because they can. I think most people (including myself) want gba emulators on the switch because it adds value to the console, an all in one device for Switch games, gba games, nes whatever.

Screen wise I see what you mean, but eh not a big deal if you can adjust the screen size of the emulator. I want to load up my switch play some earthbound then maybe load up some splatoon 2 then switch to melee with the boys. 3DS just feels clunky to me and my phone touch screen aren't the same as physical buttons.

 

[horokeusama]

What system have available cores on retroarch switch?

 

[HyperXewl]

For Gamecube, yeah, on Linux and at very poor framerate, for Wii and the U not happening.

Both my mgba ( compiled latest version manually ) and retroarch gba emulator on my linux reach 60fps and it tickles the cpu like a feather, you just didn't set a power profile.

 

[Navonod]

But why play it on the 3DS, when you can play it on the Switch?

Bigger screens = Bigger fun

A 3ds is much more convenient though for on the go gaming. Takes less space to.

 

[aos10]

People do these things just because they can. People don't run doom/pokemon on their TI calculators for convenience just because they can. I think most people (including myself) want gba emulators on the switch because it adds value to the console, an all in one device for Switch games, gba games, nes whatever.

Screen wise I see what you mean, but eh not a big deal if you can adjust the screen size of the emulator. I want to load up my switch play some earthbound then maybe load up some splatoon 2 then switch to melee with the boys. 3DS just feels clunky to me and my phone touch screen aren't the same as physical buttons.

I understand some people or most people hate the touch control, but you can get one of those Android or iPhone game controller that attached to the device.
Or use normal DS3/DS4 and use a holder to hold the phone.

Also how the 3DS is clunky to use?
The 3DS, especially the n3ds regular size is perfect size, even the XL can be carried out and put it in pocket if your pocket is a bit large.

 

[AngryCinnabon]

When libnx comes to 5.0.2 i'm positive we'll get it.

 

[notimp]

Almost every post in here is a lie, or stupidly wrong.

Lets go through them in reverse order.

There are already two people who have gc/wii emulator but one didn't show gameplay and one showed an image of mario on a switch telling that is from february 14th.

More importantly though - all they did was running a RA via OpenGL under Linux, and one of them reported a framerate of 20fps on Mario Sunshine - which you guys ignored, because you don't read text anymore, you look images. (Unoptimized but dont get excited yet.)

But the 3DS XL, Vita, your tablet can.

There will be gba emulator, but not right now, my whole point about the screen size.
It seems everyone wants to "have" gba emulator on every dedevice he has so he can finally play them on the go, but we already have them on mobile and 3DS, PSP, Vita, but did those people played them?
It's just an excuse to have them but never play them.

Screen size is not the issue, nor does it affect the outcome negatively. If you want pixel perfect rendering, you use whole number factors in multiplying the original screensize (which is what mgba for 3.0.0 currently does), also - you can use filters, not all of them are attrocious. I've personally played through GBA titles on the OG Xbox on a TV screen. That said, the lack of detail (low original resolution) is showing on mgba on the Switch (I'd much prefer to play the SNES version of FF6 f.e.), so filters would be nice.

A 3ds is much more convenient though for on the go gaming. Takes less space to.

Possibly true - but "portable gaming" doesnt have to be on the go gaming. Its also "second screen" gaming (doing something, while other people "watch TV"), playing a quick 5-10 minute session, playing something in another location, in longer sessions without being interrupted by people on public transport... In which case the bigger screen is always nicer. (Switch is about as big as they should go) Also f.e. I dont own a 3DS, my PSP and DS are dont get turned on anymore - and the only other portable emulation platform I'd consider (PS Vita), runs at PSP speeds - so I'm inclined to wait for developments on the Switch scene. Tablets are useless - "dedicated emulation systems" are pricy, dont have original games, and lack in support and aesthetics.

I understand some people or most people hate the touch control, but you can get one of those Android or iPhone game controller that attached to the device.
Or use normal DS3/DS4 and use a holder to hold the phone.

Worst usability ever. Turns out people dont use the Switch in Kickstand mode at parties either..

When libnx comes to 5.0.2 i'm positive we'll get it.

The only homebrew "emulators" 5.0.2 users are able to run (pfba, scummvm), already are using libnx. libnx already works on 5.0.2. The Retroarch port doesn't use libnx. And thats kind of an issue, and also "the" issue you guys are facing.

Just play gba games on your 3DS. I feel like the switch should have like Gamecube, Wii, and WiiU emulators. At least that's what I'd put on mine if available.

No GBA games for you! Fascist...

Except it's [(GCN,) Wii and WiiU games on Switch] already happened.

No.

If there is Gamecube, there is Wii.
A lot of Wii games are very light.

No. (In a sentiment kind of way - almost true, but not when it comes to details.)

Gamecube and Wii emulation, when optimised, as shown on NVIDIA Shield TV, would run perfectly at 1080p/60fps with 4xMSAA.
Wii U can be ported natively so no emulation is needed.
Fun fact, even 3DS and Wii can be ported natively using Nintendo's SDK tools.
It supports Citra > Cafe and Revolution > Cafe conversion.

No. On all those points. (What a bunch of BS, if I might say.)

The Switch is a arm64 plattform. All the other systems werent even remotely. Emulation is needed. Native ports are not possible, because the sourcecode is not available, Wii games on the Shield do not run in 1080p60 with 4xMSAA (I believe - have to double check). Switch is a slowed down X1, so not even GCN titles run in full speed (30fps, not 60 on most games) currently - using the OpenGL pipeline (under linux), which is the only form of HW accelleration for those cores we currently have - and also - not really. (No one really wants to use them that way (Linux > opengl).) (See Lakka Port thread.)

Not really, you see, the switch has 720p resolution, gba games will looks bad even with filters, but on 3DS's screen which is 240p it's perfect.

Filters go a long way. Add a little blur, add some dithering. There is no reason, why a lower res screen "experience" would be inherently better. But I agree with the sentiment, that GBA games' lack of detail is showing - when they are displayed uniltered on the Switch screen. Thats an aesthetical argument though, and other people might not agree.
It is not a technical argument (use full figure scale factors (2x, 3x, ...)), and you'll get pixel perfect output on whatever rez screen. There is no such thing as "too much resolution" - as in "now it looks bad", a screen can provide.
(There are things like "more resolution than needed", or "more render resolution, than looks good with specific assets" - but too much screen resolution > now it looks bad, isn't a thing. Too much screen size, now assets look "lacking in detail" is a thing, but that can be mitigated with filters.)

Of course i say this if you really serious saying bigger screen = bigger fun, maybe you are joking, who knows.
You can always play Pokemon emerald on PC and hook it to 80 inch TV, but will it be fun?

My nieces played through their first video game (Pokemon something), on an OG Xbox on their 30inch family CRT. I believe I had filters active (Retroarchs filter handling UI is ATROCIOUS, and as USER UNFRIENDLY as possible, btw - which might be the main issue here, everything always is better if retroarch doesnt enter the picture, and you have dedicated devs working on emulator ports for a certain system (here: Switch)). They had fun. (And the image wasnt atrocious looking.. ) They could have chosen N64 titles, OG Xbox titles, Neogeo, ScummVM, DosBox, all with higher resolution. They chose a GBA Pokemon (of course they did.. ).

 

[SimonMKWii]

No. On all those points. (What a bunch of BS, if I might say.)

The Switch is a arm64 plattform. All the other systems werent even remotely. Emulation is needed. Native ports are not possible, because the sourcecode is not available, Wii games on the Shield do not run in 1080p60 with 4xMSAA (I believe - have to double check). Switch is a slowed down X1, so not even GCN titles run in full speed (30fps, not 60 on most games) currently - using the OpenGL pipeline (under linux), which is the only form of HW accelleration for those cores we currently have - and also - not really. (No one really wants to use them that way.) (See Lakka Port thread.)

You're talking out your arse, you have no fucking clue.
The Switch has an x86 mode called "NXonNX32".
Wii U games can be run natively by reversing the endianness of the contents in the binary files and generating a suitable EXE.
Wii games and 3DS games can be ported using SDK tools.
Here's a screenshot from one of the SDK tools:

.cspj = Citra Sound Project, .rspj = Revolution Sound Project.
So don't you fucking dare accuse me of lying.

Worst regards,
Simon

 

[notimp]

You're talking out your arse, you have no fucking clue.
The Switch has an x86 mode called "NXonNX32".
Wii U games can be run natively by reversing the endianness of the contents in the binary files and generating a suitable EXE.
Wii games and 3DS games can be ported using SDK tools.
Here's a screenshot from one of the SDK tools:
View attachment 123264
View attachment 123266
.cspj = Citra Sound Project, .rspj = Revolution Sound Project.
So don't you fucking dare accuse me of lying.

Worst regards,
Simon

If thats possible with game binaries, consider me shocked.

So far no proof of concept has been shown. I'll become a believer, once I see anything close to that.

Until then the "liar" part is lifted.

(Still sounds impossible - you'd need an emulation layer somewhere. "Three click game ports" sound unbelievable to me. (Also - who does the QA testing, if some stuff in certain titles doesnt work... So the three click port part also has to be 100% reliable... which sounds even more impossible.. )

 

[SimonMKWii]

If thats possible with game binaries, consider me shocked.

So far no proof of concept has been shown. I'll become a believer, once I see anything close to that.

Until then the "liar" part is lifted.

(Still sounds impossible - you'd need an emulation layers somewhere. "Three click game ports" sound unbelievable to me. (Also - who does the QA testing, if some stuff in certain titles doesnt work...))

You don't need an emulation layer when you're literally converting the files to a Switch-usable format.
That's the definition of a "port". Converting the code for another platform.

 

[notimp]

Yes, and the process of a port is concerned with hitting port specific issues every step of they way - because a game was developed for one system and not the other (clock timings, gpu architecture specific implementations, ...). The concept of a "three click port" that "just works" is utterly unbelievable.

There is no magic "compile to the new thing - from binary" button. Unless Nintedo somehow had a masterplan, and developed and coded _for this_ 10 years ago, always in parallel with development. Also - Microsoft actually did (had certain documentation layers in the original code - ) - and even they still use emulation layers.

Every backcompat program so far uses emulation. Current ports of Pa Rapper the Rapper rather use a PSP game with spliced in hi res assets on a PSP emulator, than to port the thing to current platforms. Windwaker on Android is shipped with an emulator.

Three clicks native ports, to a different plattform, with good compatibility - for Wii and WiiU games, sounds impossible.

 

[SimonMKWii]

Yes, and the process of a port is concerned with hitting port specific issues every step of they way - because a game was developed for one system and not the other (clock timings, gpu architecture, ...). The concept of a "three click port" that "just works" is utterly unbelievable.

Every backcompat program so far uses emulation. Current ports of Pa Rapper the Rapper rather use a PSP game with spliced in assets on a PSP emulator, than to port the thing to current platforms. Windwaker on Android is shipped with an emulator.

Three clicks native ports, to a different plattform, with good compatibility - or Wii and WiiU games, sounds impossible.

I never said they WOULD do a native port, I just said it was possible.
The Switch could emulate Gamecube or Wii at 1080p/60fps WITHOUT A HITCH if correctly optimised.

 

[notimp]

Sure...

 

[SimonMKWii]

Can I talk to someone who speaks through their mouth now, please?
I don't know which hole this information came out of, but it's the wrong one.

 

[nmkd]

Just play gba games on your 3DS. I feel like the switch should have like Gamecube, Wii, and WiiU emulators. At least that's what I'd put on mine if available.

Not everyone has a 3DS.

Wii U can be ported natively so no emulation is needed.

Lol what the hell are you on?

 

[Deleted User]

More importantly though - all they did was running a RA via OpenGL under Linux, and one of them reported a framerate of 20fps on Mario Sunshine - which you guys ignored, because you don't read text anymore, you look images. (Unoptimized but dont get excited yet.)

I'm talking about them :
https://twitter.com/SlimeHax/status/984997876286873600?s=19
And yes developer of Dolphin just came with a picture saying it's from february 14 and all you guys believe him because he made Dolphin.

 

[igivenup]

Not really, you see, the switch has 720p resolution, gba games will looks bad even with filters, but on 3DS's screen which is 240p it's perfect.

Of course i say this if you really serious saying bigger screen = bigger fun, maybe you are joking, who knows.
You can always play Pokemon emerald on PC and hook it to 80 inch TV, but will it be fun?

Yeah, it will be fun. People already emulate Gameboy/gba games on 24 inch monitors. I played Emerald the other day fullscreened on my monitor. Not everybody is a purist when it comes to emulation.

 

[Craftyawesome]

The Switch could emulate Gamecube or Wii at 1080p/60fps WITHOUT A HITCH if correctly optimised.

Are we talking similarly to how the Wii runs n64 at 480p60 without a hitch? If so then probably. The problem is that the emulation isn't very good. Most games have small effects missing. For example in Mario 64, noise isn't implemented so when warping or using a vanish cap you are missing an effect. The emulators are heavily hacked per game too, look at any Wii n64 injection compatibility list.
https://wiki.gbatemp.net/wiki/VCInjections_Compatiblity_List#Nintendo_64

As for running dolphin on switch, AFAIK our graphics drivers nor dolphins arm64 jit are as fast as they could be. I'd imagine at least lightweight games could be playable eventually without per game hacks.

I never said they WOULD do a native port, I just said it was possible.

Getting usable code from a compiled binary is not an easy feat. If you had the code you could use some of it but if you used any quirks of the original system things get much harder. From what I understand the 3ds's pica GPU is quite weird to the point you couldn't reuse much rendering code at all. Also, about your example for conversion

.cspj = Citra Sound Project, .rspj = Revolution Sound Project.

Unless I'm unaware of some programming term, this is just audio conversion. They presumably convert a .wav or similar standard file to one of those formats. If they have the code to do that, it wouldn't be too hard for a large game company to make code to reverse the process and then redo the conversion for the new format.