Hardware Is the 3DS' NDS-Mode really an NDS Emulator?

[jceggbert5]

I played (flash cart) Rhythm Heaven with no problem.

Strange....

Hmm... Did you play it fullscreen or unscaled?

[sorryfordoublepostagain]

Yes, full screen and the game itself looks aright, actually it looks the same. Although I'm not a XL owner.

Not trying to offend or anything,but

Maybe it the rom or you need to play longer(practice).

Or maybe I'm unknowingly adapting to the lag?

jk

Is it a huge lag?

Maybe I should look at these games harder, I can't really tell the difference. TBH

Well, if you're wondering how long I've played it, well... I have like all but 4 golds and about 15 perfects.

What cart are you using?

The lag is enough to make me fail Rhythm Rally 1 & 2, which I can get a Superb on my Lite and my iXL.



Also, how is the home button popup handled from the 3DS' side? It doesn't emulate sleep mode in the games, but the screens are blackened and the processing is frozen.

 

[YoshiKart]

I don't think the processes freeze when the home button popup is activated; I tried hitting home while saving in Pokemon White, and a while after, when I hit cancel, the game was on its save finished screen.

 

[CherrySkitty]

Uh, if you close your 3/DS while a Pokémon game is saving, it won't go into Sleep Mode until it's done xD

 

[leeday100196]

Uh, if you close your 3/DS while a Pokémon game is saving, it won't go into Sleep Mode until it's done xD

Yeah I noticed that too, it's because they can't stop processing the save command unless you force quit (ie: turn off). But it can't hurt to wait about 5 seconds maximum for a game to finish saving.

 

[Arnold Schwarzen]

How's Lameboy work or any other retro emulation in general?

 

[L_o_N_e_R]

How's Lameboy work or any other retro emulation in general?

lameboy works quite well on an acekard

 

[jceggbert5]

NDSSFC, NDSGBA, NESDS, and SNEMULDS work.

In other news, I lost my DSTwo, MonkeyBall 3D, and LEGO Star Wars while out of town T_T

 

[morphius]

well that sucks. was gonna ask a couple Qs ... is it a USA 3ds and also did you do the firmware update (it updates the nds playback)?

 

[jceggbert5]

Yes, it's a USA 3DS and I have the update with the 'OK Go' video. (1.1_01) or something)

I have my DSOnei up and running now, so I can still test things. Just not DSTwo plugins

Also, I'll be replacing the DSTwo with an iEvo, and I won't be rebuying Monkey Ball, but will probably be buying LEGO Star Wars (3!) again... If there's a 3DS Flash Cart, I might consider putting Monkey Ball on it, but it's NOT worth the $40...

 

[Okami Wolfen]

Someone once told me that the way flash cards work is through emulation.

 

[jceggbert5]

Someone once told me that the way flash cards work is through emulation.

No/Sortof.

They emulate the cartridge, not the system.

The 3DS seems to emulate the DS system more than 'downgrading' itself to the DS' specs, similar to what the DSi seems to do.

 

[DiscostewSM]

Someone once told me that the way flash cards work is through emulation.

No/Sortof.

They emulate the cartridge, not the system.

The 3DS seems to emulate the DS system more than 'downgrading' itself to the DS' specs, similar to what the DSi seems to do.

Very much like how past generation systems were able to play their prior generation games. Either the unit had the hardware, and/or the unit's hardware was set up to match the environment of the prior hardware as best as it could.

 

[TyRaNtM]

I also think that 3DS is emulating DS rather than downgrading to be a DS.
If you check another Nintendo's consoles in the past with backward compatibility, they used hardware emulation:
- GBA games in DS: GBA games runs in DS like a GBA. You can only play with the buttons that a GBA have.
- GC games in Wii: GC games runs in Wii like a GC. You can only play with the buttons that the GC have (and only with the same GC controller, not Wiimote).

What have in common both examples? In hardware backward compatibility is IMPOSSIBLE to access to new hardware things like buttons with older games.
- In DS, you can't use Y and X buttons.
- In Wii, you can't use any Wii controller or additional Wii hardware. You can't even access to home button and go back to menu. You must press manually Power button to exit the game.

And.. What do you have in 3DS with DS games?:
- You CAN use Home button! (so, you can exit the games and go back to the menu when you want without power off the 3DS).
- You can even use Circle Pad as D-Pad.

The buttons thing is the proof that 3DS is emulating via software like any emulator or at least is using half software and half hardware emulation.
But the thing is how 3DS games are in DS, is very different than before.
If DS games were hardware emulated like before, Home and Circle Pad button cannot be used.

 

[koji2009]

Actually, there is absolutely no reason why a hardware emulation couldn't access new hardware features. It would be trivial to 'link' controls... all you would need to do is modify the 'emulated' system's BIOS.

The simple fact is that the 3DS is not powerful enough to emulate the DS in the traditional sense of the word... What is going on in DS mode is virtualization. The 3DS is basically running a lite version of it's own OS while the rest of the hardware goes into a compatibility mode to run the DS code natively instead of through any sort of interpreter.

Think of it like this... My computer (and most computer made today) have processors capable of virtualization. If you run windows, you can create a virtual computer of just about any ability (as far as your hardware allows) with only having to save some hardware for windows to keep running. That virtual machine can't tell it's a virtual machine, as far as it can tell it's the only OS running and on a system with specs you decide (again up to the limit of your hardware).

Just like on the computer, you can set exactly what parameters you have to share and you can link certain functions to previous ones if you choose. Also just like the computer, the virtual system runs in it's own isolated bubble and can be closed independently of the actual hardware.

This isn't the same as emulation because you aren't translating any functions, you are running them natively as if they were a real machine... Also unlike emulation, the two systems have to run on the same type of hardware... You can't virtual machine PPC linux on a Windows PC.

(edit) Hope that is followable and not too ranty... I haven't gotten any sleep yet and it's already 10am!

 

[Nollog]

You can't virtual machine PPC linux on a Windows PC.

Sure you can.
Windows NT4 runs on a PPC arch.
You mean You can't virtualise a PPC Linux version on an x86 processor.

 

[koji2009]

Are there any VM's for NT4 PPC?

If you are going to be a stickler for details involving an OS that hasn't been supported in 10 years, I guess I can rephrase that to you can't virtual machine a PPC linux on an x86/x64 based windows pc.

 

[Nollog]

Are there any VM's for NT4 PPC?

If you are going to be a stickler for details involving an OS that hasn't been supported in 10 years, I guess I can rephrase that to you can't virtual machine a PPC linux on an x86/x64 based windows pc.

Normally I wouldn't be a fag about it, but it's an important distinction.

 

[koji2009]

Are there any VM's for NT4 PPC?

If you are going to be a stickler for details involving an OS that hasn't been supported in 10 years, I guess I can rephrase that to you can't virtual machine a PPC linux on an x86/x64 based windows pc.

Normally I wouldn't be a fag about it, but it's an important distinction.

Since you obviously knew what I was getting at you could have, you know, made the distinction yourself when you went to correct me

 

[Nollog]

Thought you'd be quicker.

 

[popoffka]

you can't virtual machine a PPC linux on an x86/x64 based windows pc.

GTFO. Please, at least make some research before claiming anything.
It is possible to emulate PPC architecture on x86. How would we have a Wii emulator otherwise?