Forums · This is why DS emulation is taking so long
read this technical info and you'll soon know why:
Nintendo DS
CPU
Main ARM946E-S (67MHz)
Sub ARM7TDMI (33MHz)
Memory
Main memory 4KB
32KB - ARM9/ARM7 common use
64KB - ARM7 only RAM
656KB - VRAM
Video
3-inch, semitransparent reflective TFT color LCD with 256 x 192 pixel resolution and .24 mm dot pitch, capable of displaying 260,000 colors -backlit 2D core (x 2) + 3D core
2nd Touch Screen - Same specs as top screen, but with a transparent analog touchscreen.
Sound
16ch (ADPCM/PCM)
Game medium
Matrix 3-D Memory (? )
now lets compare this to the gba.
CPU
ARM7TDMI (16.78MHz)
Memory
Work RAM - 288KB
VRAM - 96KB
Video
240 x 160 x RGB dots
32,768 colors
Sound
4ch (GB interchangeability) + 2ch (PCM)
Game medium
Masked ROM cartridge
All of that stuff has to be emulated.. See the difference compared to the gba. Now that you know, be patient.
Nintendo DS
CPU
Main ARM946E-S (67MHz)
Sub ARM7TDMI (33MHz)
Memory
Main memory 4KB
32KB - ARM9/ARM7 common use
64KB - ARM7 only RAM
656KB - VRAM
Video
3-inch, semitransparent reflective TFT color LCD with 256 x 192 pixel resolution and .24 mm dot pitch, capable of displaying 260,000 colors -backlit 2D core (x 2) + 3D core
2nd Touch Screen - Same specs as top screen, but with a transparent analog touchscreen.
Sound
16ch (ADPCM/PCM)
Game medium
Matrix 3-D Memory (? )
now lets compare this to the gba.
CPU
ARM7TDMI (16.78MHz)
Memory
Work RAM - 288KB
VRAM - 96KB
Video
240 x 160 x RGB dots
32,768 colors
Sound
4ch (GB interchangeability) + 2ch (PCM)
Game medium
Masked ROM cartridge
All of that stuff has to be emulated.. See the difference compared to the gba. Now that you know, be patient.
But you see...even if you post this there will always be people who will randomly take an urge to post topics asking for a "FUL WERKING DS EMU PLZZZ!!!". Even still its nice to know what the devolopers are dealing with thanks :)
BTW: whats being done to deal with the touch screen thing? I've never thought about it till now.
BTW: whats being done to deal with the touch screen thing? I've never thought about it till now.
[quote author=Amy link=topic=17665.msg88161#msg88161 date=1123211547]
BTW: whats being done to deal with the touch screen thing? I've never thought about it till now.
[/quote]
The current existing buggy and slow DS emulators all have 2 screens, one of top of the other.
BTW: whats being done to deal with the touch screen thing? I've never thought about it till now.
[/quote]
The current existing buggy and slow DS emulators all have 2 screens, one of top of the other.
Well let's compare the N64 Against the DS, will we then?
Nintendo 64:
CPU: 64-bit R4300i RISC (93.75MHz) / 64-bit data paths, registers with 5-stage pipelining
Co-processor: 64-bit RISC (62.5MHz)
RAM: 4MB (36Mb) upgradeable
Graphics: Pixel Drawing Processor (RDP) built into co-processor
Colours: 16.7 million (32,000 on screen)
Polygons: 150,000 per second
Resolution: 640x480 pixels
Sound: 16 to 24-channel 16-bit stereo (up to 100 PCM channels possible)
DS:
CPU: Main ARM946E-S (67MHz)
Co-processor: Sub ARM7TDMI (33MHz)
Memory: 4KB
RAM: 32KB - ARM9/ARM7 common use | 64KB - ARM7 only RAM | 656KB - VRAM
Graphics: 3-inch, semitransparent reflective TFT color LCD with backlit 2D core (x 2) + 3D core
Colours: 60,000 colors
Resolution: 256 x 192 pixels (.24 mm dot pitch)
Sound: 16ch (ADPCM/PCM)
The N64 was actually emulated before the GBA was, it wasn't easier to emulate but it was emulated none the less, and at the moment the emulation is of a very high quality. Comparing the specs of the GBA against the DS isn't really all that accurate, as the higher specs of the DS would only account a small portion for the longer time it would take for the DS to be emulated. I'm sure that the more important and harder to emulate feature of the DS is by far the already mentioned Touch-Screen. Nothing like it has been emulated before so it is easily the hardest.
There are a few other factors that come into but overall the main reason why it is taking longer than the GBA is because of the screen. The DS really hasn't been out for that long so flashbang is right, you'll have to wait. :(
Nintendo 64:
CPU: 64-bit R4300i RISC (93.75MHz) / 64-bit data paths, registers with 5-stage pipelining
Co-processor: 64-bit RISC (62.5MHz)
RAM: 4MB (36Mb) upgradeable
Graphics: Pixel Drawing Processor (RDP) built into co-processor
Colours: 16.7 million (32,000 on screen)
Polygons: 150,000 per second
Resolution: 640x480 pixels
Sound: 16 to 24-channel 16-bit stereo (up to 100 PCM channels possible)
DS:
CPU: Main ARM946E-S (67MHz)
Co-processor: Sub ARM7TDMI (33MHz)
Memory: 4KB
RAM: 32KB - ARM9/ARM7 common use | 64KB - ARM7 only RAM | 656KB - VRAM
Graphics: 3-inch, semitransparent reflective TFT color LCD with backlit 2D core (x 2) + 3D core
Colours: 60,000 colors
Resolution: 256 x 192 pixels (.24 mm dot pitch)
Sound: 16ch (ADPCM/PCM)
The N64 was actually emulated before the GBA was, it wasn't easier to emulate but it was emulated none the less, and at the moment the emulation is of a very high quality. Comparing the specs of the GBA against the DS isn't really all that accurate, as the higher specs of the DS would only account a small portion for the longer time it would take for the DS to be emulated. I'm sure that the more important and harder to emulate feature of the DS is by far the already mentioned Touch-Screen. Nothing like it has been emulated before so it is easily the hardest.
There are a few other factors that come into but overall the main reason why it is taking longer than the GBA is because of the screen. The DS really hasn't been out for that long so flashbang is right, you'll have to wait. :(
YEah... a 'decent' 64 emulator wasn't out until 2000. And it wasn't 'perfected' until around 2002-2003. And since the 64 was released in 1996 that's 7 years to make a good emulator.
Before that all the emulators required you to download glidewrappers and other components that confused people.
The fact that there's already a ds emulator out there that can do somethihng with commertial games is impressive. Even if it is just a 3 fps buggy intro to the metroid demo that freezes once you get into the main game.
Before that all the emulators required you to download glidewrappers and other components that confused people.
The fact that there's already a ds emulator out there that can do somethihng with commertial games is impressive. Even if it is just a 3 fps buggy intro to the metroid demo that freezes once you get into the main game.
[quote author=Amy link=topic=17665.msg88161#msg88161 date=1123211547]
BTW: whats being done to deal with the touch screen thing? I've never thought about it till now.
[/quote]
they're making it so that the mouse cursor is the stylus so u click to "touch" it
BTW: whats being done to deal with the touch screen thing? I've never thought about it till now.
[/quote]
they're making it so that the mouse cursor is the stylus so u click to "touch" it
At that rate it could take a very long while to get a good NDS Emulator since the N64 took so long too. And about the touch screen thing, I think it will be kind of hard to do some of the stuff with your mouse. Everything would have to be adjusted to suit.
The N64 really didn't take that long to develop. Sure the N64 was released in 1996, but Emulation itself didn't really become popular until about 1998.
Everyone thought N64 emulation would be impossible, but out of nowhere came the first N64 Emulator that ran commercial ROMs, and very well too. UltraHLE was released on January 28, 1999, and was able to play Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, and many other games pretty much flawlessly. UltraHLE was actually a breakthrough in emulation in other ways, as HLE means 'High Level Emulation', which was a new type of emulation that allowed many other consoles to be emulated as well. This made emulating many other handheld consoles (such as the GBA) much easier as the developers had a new tool in emulating certain features of the console.
The N64 was released on June 23rd 1996, so it actually only took about 2 and 1/2 years to develop. If High Level Emulation had already been developed N64 emulation would probably have only taken a year.
The DS like i said is only hard to emulate from the two screens are perhaps the two procesors. The actual system specs of it are hardly relevant as even the Playstation has been emulated and that has even higher specs.
Everyone thought N64 emulation would be impossible, but out of nowhere came the first N64 Emulator that ran commercial ROMs, and very well too. UltraHLE was released on January 28, 1999, and was able to play Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, and many other games pretty much flawlessly. UltraHLE was actually a breakthrough in emulation in other ways, as HLE means 'High Level Emulation', which was a new type of emulation that allowed many other consoles to be emulated as well. This made emulating many other handheld consoles (such as the GBA) much easier as the developers had a new tool in emulating certain features of the console.
The N64 was released on June 23rd 1996, so it actually only took about 2 and 1/2 years to develop. If High Level Emulation had already been developed N64 emulation would probably have only taken a year.
The DS like i said is only hard to emulate from the two screens are perhaps the two procesors. The actual system specs of it are hardly relevant as even the Playstation has been emulated and that has even higher specs.
[quote author=Grim Reaper link=topic=17665.msg88419#msg88419 date=1123275928]
At that rate it could take a very long while to get a good NDS Emulator since the N64 took so long too. And about the touch screen thing, I think it will be kind of hard to do some of the stuff with your mouse. Everything would have to be adjusted to suit.
[/quote]
plus your hands will be constantly moving like pikachu's feet do.
At that rate it could take a very long while to get a good NDS Emulator since the N64 took so long too. And about the touch screen thing, I think it will be kind of hard to do some of the stuff with your mouse. Everything would have to be adjusted to suit.
[/quote]
plus your hands will be constantly moving like pikachu's feet do.