Here's my interview with OpenSauce and PabloMK7, the two developers behind Azahar, and as far as I can establish, this is the first and only interview the pair have done together about the project.
We talk about their very different routes into programming and 3DS development, their time working with Citra, how Lime3DS and PabloMK7’s fork eventually came together as Azahar, and some of the difficult problems involved in emulating the 3DS hardware accurately. We also get into what makes the original 3DS systems so interesting to emulate, and the new wave of dual-screen Android handhelds like the AYN Thor and Retroid Pocket Duo/Duo Lite that are bringing fresh attention to 3DS emulation.
There’s also plenty here about open source, preservation, the homebrew scene, and where they see 3DS emulation going next. It was a really interesting conversation, especially getting both sides of Azahar’s story in one place.
Hope some here enjoy it!
Warning, it is a bit of a long read, probably best for those who like articles instead of short form!
3 Comments
NekoKoneko@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1d
Thanks, that was a nice read. Sorry, I'm catching up on 3DS emulation, but is it correct there is no way currently to emulate the namesake feature of the 3DS, the stereoscopic 3D?
I was hoping that would pop up in your questions about hardware now being custom built for emulation. I know few people heavily used the 3D feature, but to me it's surprising that is so overlooked by hardware makers and emulation gamers alike.
PerfectDark@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1d
I'm in an odd position in that I only really fell into reviewing handhelds. Early on when I'd writing gaming articles and interviews, some of the companies started to reach out to me, which in turn led to others doing so. I only mention this because I had the unique intro to it all by actually befriending some people at each company. And now I've ended up in the odd spot of knowing what each company is working on, and has planned for around the next 18 months or so.
I only say this to give some context as to why I can't tell you who it is exactly, but I do know one company looked into the stereoscopic 3D screens, and replicating them. I don't know how far along they are, whether it is viable, or whether they'll continue, but I do know at least one company is interested and had started work that way.
As it stands though, there's nothing at all like that on the market!
NekoKoneko@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
Ah! Well, that certainly is interesting... Thank you for the clues, always nice to have something to hope for/look forward to.
I figure at the very least, a VR-based emulator could do it (but I'm sadly almost certainly not able to use VR, the few times I've used it there's a 50/50 chance of severe nausea to the point of being immobilized for like an hour or more).