Homebrew Retro emulation without CFW?

vandel212

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Hi I was wondering if it's possible to emulate older system NES, SNES, GBA, etc... without installing CFW? Looking through the forum, I pretty much only get CFW options. I see flashcarts for sale, but I hear lots of complaints about them, but usually it's for trying to run 3ds games on it, which I'm not concerned with at all. I'm only interested in running older consoles.

Thanks!
 

Spider_Man

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Hi I was wondering if it's possible to emulate older system NES, SNES, GBA, etc... without installing CFW? Looking through the forum, I pretty much only get CFW options. I see flashcarts for sale, but I hear lots of complaints about them, but usually it's for trying to run 3ds games on it, which I'm not concerned with at all. I'm only interested in running older consoles.

Thanks!
i had a gba emulator on my 3DS without using CFW, but would only boot if using Gateway or CFW.

or

StarGate 3Ds are also working at bringing emulators to its flashcard, not sure exactly how it will work, likely selected as you would a rom or maybe a button hook command.

But StarGate is simply plug and play, no need to install CFW and works on all consoles/firmwares to date.
 

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Go about it the old fashion way. That would be the only way without CFW or flash carts. It's been a while since I've been around 3DS hacking, so I don't know the latest FW, but if you happen to own Cubic Ninja, I'm pretty sure that has always and will always work as long as Smealum updates the payloads for it. If you have 11.3 or below, you can use the 3DS Sound app, so it wouldn't require you to buy a game. If you're above it, I assume Cubic Ninja works, and the other games might as well. The site has all the info you need.

http://smealum.github.io/3ds/
 
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wormdood

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Hi I was wondering if it's possible to emulate older system NES, SNES, GBA, etc... without installing CFW? Looking through the forum, I pretty much only get CFW options. I see flashcarts for sale, but I hear lots of complaints about them, but usually it's for trying to run 3ds games on it, which I'm not concerned with at all. I'm only interested in running older consoles.

Thanks!
you dont see people suggest homebrew solutions because they suck . . . here is an old thread containing links [Tutorial]The Homebrew Launcher Emulators all-in-one Noob's Guide (SNES/GB/GBC/GBA/NES)
imo if you are unwilling to cfw your 3ds then you are better off using an android for emulation
StarGate 3Ds are also working at bringing emulators to its flashcard, not sure exactly how it will work,
they will very likely just be ds mode emulators via wood
 
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Giodude

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the modern exploits that can get you basic hbl access are all tied behind some sort of game cartridge. In addition to this, many of the emulators are broken on 11.6 due to the unstable payloads. I highly reccomend investing on a $20 nds flashcart (which is cheaper than most hax games such as cubic ninja and freakyforms) and using it to install cfw. I am able to play genesis, snes, nes, master system, neo geo, neo geo pocket, gb, gbc, gba, and arguably ps1 games at near perfection. What have you heard about flashcarts not working? I apparently own the mos tunstable one, though it works without any issues whatsoever. Cfw also isnt just a piracy method. It allows for so many more things without the fear of updating and losing it. I cannot reccomend buying a flashcart enough.
 

vandel212

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the modern exploits that can get you basic hbl access are all tied behind some sort of game cartridge. In addition to this, many of the emulators are broken on 11.6 due to the unstable payloads. I highly reccomend investing on a $20 nds flashcart (which is cheaper than most hax games such as cubic ninja and freakyforms) and using it to install cfw. I am able to play genesis, snes, nes, master system, neo geo, neo geo pocket, gb, gbc, gba, and arguably ps1 games at near perfection. What have you heard about flashcarts not working? I apparently own the mos tunstable one, though it works without any issues whatsoever. Cfw also isnt just a piracy method. It allows for so many more things without the fear of updating and losing it. I cannot reccomend buying a flashcart enough.

The incompatibilty I've seen is with playing 3DS games. Like not supporting saves, no wi-fi support, or just not working. I only want to play retro games, so I was hoping that there might be a little more wiggle room for non-DS systems using something like stargate, or one of the many others out there. I'd like to get this for my girlfriend, but I don't want to have to have her install CFW. Ideally I'd like something stable.
 

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The incompatibilty I've seen is with playing 3DS games. Like not supporting saves, no wi-fi support, or just not working. I only want to play retro games, so I was hoping that there might be a little more wiggle room for non-DS systems using something like stargate, or one of the many others out there. I'd like to get this for my girlfriend, but I don't want to have to have her install CFW. Ideally I'd like something stable.
First of all, stargate is an overpriced sham. It advertises 3ds piracy along with ntrboot compatibility for around $70, though ntrboot in of itself allows for easier 3ds piracy for cheaper. Besides that, what you heard about cfw is completely false, and i have no idea where you heard that from. Aside froma payload on boot and a few patches applied to the OS, a cfw functions identically to a regular 3ds. Think of it as a 3ds that never loses homebrew. All games save, wifi works perfectly, and the 3ds cannot be told apart from a regular 3ds if it was usede normlly. In theory, you could cfw a 3ds, use it like a normal 3ds, and it would function completely normally with no signs of a cfw being installed besides holding select at boot to change settings. I go a bit more in depth about what a cfw really is here if you're interested:
I'm going to say this now so I can copy and paste this into other threads to explain exactly what a cfw is:

Basically, a cfw (Custom FirmWare), is several patches applied to the 3ds OS launched via some sort of exploit (in most cases b9s). These patches range from signature patches (allowing for the installation of CIA files with invalid tickets) to the Rosalina system module that pops up when L+DOWN+SELECT are held. Otherwise, there is no difference between a regular vanilla 3ds and a 3ds with a cfw launcher installed (as a cfw is never really installed. What is really being installed is something that launches a cfw. That's why godmode9 and other payloads can be loaded too). This means that the 3ds can be updated as normal, with no need to worry about losing games or saves. The same goes for updating games, which is discussed in detail later. In fact, you could install b9s (boot9strap) and use your 3ds like a completely normal 3ds, and there would be absolutely zero difference between that 3ds and a regular vanilla one. The only way to tell would be to send it in to Nintendo.

Due to a lack of account system on the 3ds at launch (Nintendo network IDs were shoehorned in later, and thus don't function quite right), all 3ds games acquired illegitimately (CIA files) function identically to games that were purchased and installed through legitimate means. This means that pirated games can be updated and played online just like normal games. The only exception to this is if the game is from a different region then the 3ds itself. Those games muse be updated via a dumped update CIA file, which are easy to come by.

Lastly there comes the fear of being banned from Nintendo's online services, which for the most part have been blown out of proportion. As stated earlier, a cfw 3ds is no different then a regular 3ds aside from a few patches here and there. This makes it 100 percent impossible for Nintendo to detect a console running a cfw, and thus impossible to ban. Even running games invested via a cia file online are guaranteed to work fine online. Now this isn't to say that bans are impossible to come by. Many cfw users have been banned for unknown reasons. Though not much is known about these bans, there are several things that are known. 1: it is not caused by running a cfw or using pirated games. 2: users who do not use CIA Homebrew apps and instead use Rosalina 3dsx loading have been shown to be unbanned. 3: cheating online or playing leaked roms before they have been released will 100 percent result in a ban. From these clues, it can be concluded that people who simply use Rosalina to load 3dsx Homebrew instead of using custom Homebrew CIA files are nearly guaranteed to be safe from any future banwaves.

Again this might be a bit long to read, but I wanted to get this info out there, and so I would never have to bring this up ever again. People are free to quote this in their own posts if they feel this gets a good point across. I might update this post for updated information and/or spelling corrections. This was typed in the middle of the night on mobile so spelling mistakes are bound to be abundant.
I really just dont want people thinking cfw is this unstable and magical thing. It's a regular 3ds that does regular 3ds things that can pirate games or play some emulators if it wants to.
 
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vandel212

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First of all, stargate is an overpriced sham. It advertises 3ds piracy along with ntrboot compatibility for around $70, though ntrboot in of itself allows for easier 3ds piracy for cheaper. Besides that, what you heard about cfw is completely false, and i have no idea where you heard that from. Aside froma payload on boot and a few patches applied to the OS, a cfw functions identically to a regular 3ds. Think of it as a 3ds that never loses homebrew. All games save, wifi works perfectly, and the 3ds cannot be told apart from a regular 3ds if it was usede normlly. In theory, you could cfw a 3ds, use it like a normal 3ds, and it would function completely normally with no signs of a cfw being installed besides holding select at boot to change settings. I go a bit more in depth about what a cfw really is here if you're interested:

I really just dont want people thinking cfw is this unstable and magical thing. It's a regular 3ds that does regular 3ds things that can pirate games or play some emulators if it wants to.

Thank you for the very informative reply! I'm not against the CFWs out there, and I totally get their stability, I did the whole PSP hombrewing, iphone, jail breaking, and android rooting, so I'm kind of familiar with the process. I know it's to protect their own butts, but you always see the disclaimer about bricking the console, so I wouldn't want her to get worried. Also I'd prefer to be lazy this time haha. So if there is a flash cart that I can just drop some files on, and then I'm good to go, I'd prefer to do that. What specific cards do you use for emulation? Also, where would I go to buy them?
 

Giodude

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Thank you for the very informative reply! I'm not against the CFWs out there, and I totally get their stability, I did the whole PSP hombrewing, iphone, jail breaking, and android rooting, so I'm kind of familiar with the process. I know it's to protect their own butts, but you always see the disclaimer about bricking the console, so I wouldn't want her to get worried. Also I'd prefer to be lazy this time haha. So if there is a flash cart that I can just drop some files on, and then I'm good to go, I'd prefer to do that. What specific cards do you use for emulation? Also, where would I go to buy them?
In that case, i don't believe stargate can play anything besides actual 3ds games. I could be wrong about this, but this was the case for sky3ds+ which worked essentially the same way. Also, the 3ds has recently gotten to the point where bricks are 100 percent impossible, which was a huge feat with introduction of b9s. No disclaimers, safety is guaranteed. If you really are against cfw though, i'm afraid i do not believe there' an option. Though games like cubic ninja and freakyforms deluxe offer basic homebrew payload loading, 11.6 broke most apps, including nearly all emulators, though i'm not sure if this has been fixed. AFAIK it hasn't been. I wouldn't want you to buy a game that has a small chance of working.
 

wormdood

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So if there is a flash cart that I can just drop some files on, and then I'm good to go, I'd prefer to do that. What specific cards do you use for emulation?

but usually it's for trying to run 3ds games on it, which I'm not concerned with at all. I'm only interested in running older consoles.
supercard dstwo (+) . . . its way cheaper than stargate and has the most impressive emulators available on a flashcard . . . period
 
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AlexanderLS

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How many older games are you looking to play?
The flash cards other members are mentioning seem quite expensive.
Might be best to just get virtual console versions from the Nintendo eShop.
Or you could get a cheaper flash cart and use that to install B9S, then go from there.

If you are on an older firmware you might be able to use soundhax to boot into the homebrew channel and run emulators through that.
 
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wormdood

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The flash cards other members are mentioning seem quite expensive.
Might be best to just get virtual console versions from the Nintendo eShop.
Or you could get a cheaper flash cart and use that to install B9S, then go from there.
cfw was suggested and the op is insistent ageist cfw . . . its only one page read it
 
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FateForWindows

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Gateway or CFW
Was going to correct this but I recognized your PFP and username. Didn't I see you somewhere on the forums having an argument over whether gateway uses CFW or not? Nevertheless, I'm excited to see how Stargate implements their emulators. I don't think they'll be using CFW for that. Maybe NTRBoot to temporarily provide access to the homebrew on their card and temporarily use a CFW until a system restart?
 

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If I was you, I'd get a PSP and emulate all those old glories without much trouble.

Actually I've got one PSP already.
 

AlexanderLS

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cfw was suggested and the op is insistent ageist cfw . . . its only one page read it
Most of my suggestions were around the OP's desire to avoid cfw.
It's only one post, READ IT!

OP comes to the homebrew section of a forum to not use homebrew.
It doesn't change the fact that getting emulation running is easiest with cfw, which is why I used a whole sentence to reinforce that fact.

EDIT: You are clearly just a troll. You will now be ignored and you should expect no further response/feed.
 
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wormdood

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Most of my suggestions were around the OP's desire to avoid cfw.
It's only one post, READ IT!
no one line was
OP comes to the homebrew section of a forum to not use homebrew.
It doesn't change the fact that getting emulation running is easiest with cfw, which is why I used a whole sentence to reinforce that fact.
no its not the easiest its the cheapest
EDIT: You are clearly just a troll. You will now be ignored and you should expect no further response/feed.
lol kiddo no one has time to be a troll (i am a grown man with a kid of my own and a job) you are the one being counterproductive the op has the right to choose not to install cfw if he chooses and even after the op states not once but twice that he does not want cfw you try to cram it on him . . . so please do ignore me because i am obviously the one trolling here lol . . . btw kiddo i dont know you and you are nothing more than another internet random so why on earth should i care . . . have a good day/life kiddo
 

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