this post was submitted on 13 Dec 2024
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Are there any DS emulators that have an overclocking feature? (lemmy.ml)
submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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There is a mod for the DSi/3DS called "Twilight Menu" and it allows DS games to use the DSi's better clock speeds. Given that overclocking is a common feature for emulators, I was wondering if there were any DS emulators with this feature. I have seen discussions on other websites about this topic and how it would be possible but none of the emulators are listed as having an overclocking feature. All of the documentation and discussions about this seem to be at least a few years old and I know a lot can happen in a few years.

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[–] bishoponarope 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

After some quick testing in RA you will want to use the MelonDS core, specifically titled (MelonDS DS), as opposed to (MelonDS), or (NooDS), both explicitly have a DSi emulation mode in the core options, accessible after loading a rom. My apologies, either I misremembered desmume having the feature or it's been removed/hidden.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I looked for that core earlier and couldn't find it, does that core have to downloaded separately? The only cores that appear for me are the MelonDS and DeSmuME cores.

[–] bishoponarope 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

That's odd. Have you run the update core info files, assets, database, etc in the online update of RA? Are you running latest stable RA(1.19.1)?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I just updated the core info files but it's still not listed. I'm using both of the versions available on the Google Play Store and they both say that they are version 1.9.12.

[–] bishoponarope 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Ok, download the APK directly from the RA site, you're significantly out of date on 1.9, and are missing features. Not sure why the play version are outdated so much tbh but issue for another day.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Ok, I've downloaded the newest version and the MelonDS DS core is listed but I'm having a new issue. As soon as RetroArch intercepts my controller, it stops excepting input from the touch screen which makes a lot of games unplayable. This was not an issue with the previous version I was using and I'm not seeing an option to change it back, any ideas on how to fix this?

[–] bishoponarope 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Have you run all the updates under the online updater again?

Specifically controller profiles but preferably all of them, one at a time?

It's probably an issue with a default remap profile.

As you're wanting to use a controller with a touchscreen device at the same time, you may need to tinker.

What controller are you using specifically?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I did go through and update everything but the issue is still present. The controller I'm using is an 8BitDo SF30 Pro.

I'm currently checking every section of the settings because I couldn't find the option in the inputs section and I have no idea where else it could be.

[–] bishoponarope 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Well, on android you have two sections of settings unfortunately.

The cog in the bottom right, and also the core options menu that you need to load a rom and hit the menu shortcut, probably L+R+start+select together on your controller, or the space invader symbol on the touchscreen overlay.

You can then go to core options > screen > touch mode which should be auto.

If youre finding things aren't as they should be, reset the app to fresh install settings using the inbuilt function or the android app (clear cache and data feature) under your app management and see if that solves the issue.

It may be a carry over from upgrading from such an old version, so a fresh start may serve you better.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I have cleared the cache and data from the app manager, re-updated everything in the online updater section and I have checked to make sure that the touch mode setting was set to auto but it's still not working. I will continue checking every section unless you have something I can try.

[–] bishoponarope 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Nothing right now I'm afraid. I will grab my 8bitdo later and test with an android tablet, see if I can recreate and figure out the issue. Expect a response in the next 6-8 hours, I'm afraid I gotta sleep, sorry.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Ok, I've looked into it a bit more and I found this issue on github. It seems the issue has been present since at least 1.17 stable and while it has been fixed in nightly, the issue still exists in the latest stable version because it seems like it was fixed about 5 days after the stable version was released.

I have downloaded the nightly version and I am able to use both a controller and the touchscreen together. I haven't tested the DSi emulation yet though, I'll have to do that later because I'm about to go to bed.

[–] bishoponarope 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Nice, guess there's a fix in the pipeline. Glad you found a solution. Lmk if it works, have a good one

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I have tried it more and I can't really tell if setting the console mode to DSi actually causes the games to perform better. The only game that I know of that has noticeable performance issues on real hardware is Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars but I can't really test it because the emulator lags during situations where the game would lag on real hardware. The only thing I have to go off of right now, is that the emulator seems to lag slightly more when the console mode is set to DSi but that could just be caused by differences in firmware.

[–] bishoponarope 2 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Interesting. I've noticed a performance boost in pkmn HG/SS & B&W2 from my own testing, and I ran a homebrew game called WolveSlayer, which definitely improved too.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago

I decided to try something. Seeing that just playing the games isn't really that good of a way to test it, I thought I could try running some homebrew that could either test the cpu or just tell me info about it. So far the closest I've gotten is to use DSLinux and run cat /proc/cpuinfo to get some info about the CPU. The only problem with this is that, the only thing I have to go of is the "bogomips" which is not a very good way to measure CPU speed. But for what it's worth, while it doesn't work in every emulator, I've noticed that some emulators are showing about 16 bogomips and others are showing about 33.

While bogomips is not a very accurate way to measure CPU speed, I think it would still be helpful in this particular situation. I can't test DSLinux on my DS because either my flash card or my DS itself aren't working properly, but I think it's probably safe to assume that the ones showing 33 bogomips are probably running at DSi clock speeds. I want to test it on more emulators but it's getting late for me, so I'll have to do that tomorrow.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago

I'm not sure about HG/SS or WolveSlayer but all four of the gen 5 Pokemon games are DSi enhanced so they get a performance boost even without a modded DSi. I'd try other games but if the emulator is lagging on everything I have then I don't know if I'd be able to. I know other emulators, like DraStic, actually run significantly better, even on older devices, but I don't know if they automatically use the DSi's clock speed or at least have the option to.