Changes

Since Because of the homebrewing scene the 3DS homebrew exploit, provided you can do this exploithas had, you can install a variety of emulators taking advantage of the hardware. Currently, the New 3DS is capable of running much faster than the older models, making it a much more ideal platform for emulation, but despite this there are still some emulators that have issues regardless. For more information on how to homebrew your 3DS, visit [https://3ds.hacks.guide/ 3ds.hacks.guide].

===Retroarch[[RetroArch]]===There are [https://gbatemp.net/threads/retroarch-emulation-thread-nightly-builds-included.400913/ preliminary 3DS ports] of the following cores: [http://buildbot.libretro.com/stable/ stable 3DS ports]

* CatSFC[[CATSFC]]* CatSFC CATSFC Plus (has more accurate audio, slower)* Final Burn [[FinalBurn Alpha ]] CPS1* Final Burn FinalBurn Alpha CPS2* Final Burn FinalBurn Alpha CPS3 (most games are too slow to run even on New 3DS, though JoJo runs almost full speed)* Final Burn FinalBurn Alpha [[Neo Geo emulators|Neo Geo]] (A few games are unable to be loaded due to memory constraints)

* [[Gambatte]]* [[Genesis Plus GX]]* [[gpSP ]] (dynarec only works by installing the CIA)* [[Mednafen ]] NGP

* [[mGBA ]] (acceptable with Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire, but otherwise too some games are slow to use , even on New 3DS , at present)* [[Nestopia]]

* PCSX-ReARMed - the latest nightly build has made some improvements, making it possible to have 60 fps emulation on some games (dynarec only works by installing the CIAmainly 2D based games, many but is possible for 3D games if you tweak some of the settings) and even added support for .CHD compression formats. These improvements are too slow even on mainly for the New 3DS)as the original model is not powerful enough.* Picodrive [[PicoDrive]] (32X emulation does not work in the .3dsx format, at least.)* PocketSNES (less compatible than CatSFCCATSFC, but can actually run many special chip games at full speed)* [[QuickNES]]* [[Snes9x]]-Next (too slow to use even on New 3DS at present)

Using current exploits, the New 3DS is capable of running most of these cores at or nearly at full speed on most games. The only cores the older 3DS can reliably run at full speed are 2048, Gambatte, QuickNES, NXEngine, and some older Sega games using PicodrivePicoDrive.

* [httphttps://filetripraw.netgithubusercontent.com/St4rk/3ds-downloads3DNES/homebrewmaster/dl-3dnes-1-2-f329313DNES_old.html 3dsx 3DNES]<i>no longer in development</i>

* [https://gbatemp.net/threads/snes9x-for-old-3ds.435568/ Snes9x for 3DS] - runs a good majority of games well, even on old 3DS/2DS's. It's recommended to use a New 3DS if you want to run games that uses the SuperFX or SA-1 chip properly.* [http://blargsnes.kuribo64.net/ blargSNES]- It works well, but lacks compatibility for games with certain chips <i>(i.e. the SuperFX chip)</i>.===Genesis===* [https://gbatemp.net/threads/snes9xrelease-picodrive-for-old-3ds.435568493521/ Snes9x PicoDrive for 3DS]

* [https://dl.dropboxusercontentgithub.com/uSteveice10/100702766GameYob/gameyobreleases/gameyob_3ds.zip latest GameYob]: GB/GBC emulationforked from a popular emulator used on the DS. Emulates the Game Boy and Game Boy Color.

The 3DS does include natively a native firmware for a GBA modewhich was mainly used to run ambassador releases instead of having to develop an emulator for them. So far, used the only way to access this firmware is by injecting a GBA ROM as a VC application. This can be achieved through various programs such as [https://gbatemp.net/threads/release-ultimate-gba-vc-injector-for -3ds.438057/ this one]. Compatibility is high with the ambassador exception of cartridges with special hardware. The only downside is it can't provide features that are normally available on other emulators, such as savestates, screen filtering, or sleep mode, since technically it's running a "virtual" GBA. Also, each ROM must inject and install individually including the [https://3ds.hacks.guide/godmode9-usage.html#backup-gba-vc-saves save files]. If you're using an old 3DS/2DS, this is the best option to play GBA games. On the other hand, there are also some homebrew GBA emulators available for 3DS:* [https://gbatemp.net/threads/citragb-3ds-gba-emulator-wip.376438/ CitrAGB] - (based on [[gpSP]])* [https://github.com/mgba-emu/mgba/releases mGBA] [https://s3.amazonaws.com/mgba/mGBA-build-latest-3ds.7z (Latest Nightly)] - (can also be used to play GB/GBC) ===Neo Geo Pocket===[https://gbatemp.net/threads/neopop-port-neo-geo-pocket-emu.376830/ NeoPop]===Nintendo DS===[https://github.com/masterfeizz/DeSmuME/releasesDeSmuME] - an experimental port of DeSmuME that has since been abandoned, it wasn't very compatible. [https://github. But its com/DS-Homebrew/TWiLightMenu/releases TWiLight Menu++] - Not technically an "emulator", rather it's a frontend for a seperate program, [https://github.com/ahezard/nds-bootstrap nds-bootstrap], which allows for an NDS ROM to be loaded from an SD card. It utilizes the virtual DSi (aka the TWL_FIRM) that the 3DS has for backwards-compatibility , meaning this program can also be installed on the original DSi provided it has CFW installed. Compatibility is high with only a few games having small loading lags, <i>(eg. GTA: Chinatown Wars)</i>, or triggering anti-piracy protections (the latest version now includes AP patches for some games and will patch them on the fly). It also comes pre-bundled with a hit variety of emulators used on the DS and a misswork-in-progress GBA hypervisor, missing features[https://github.com/Gericom/GBARunner2 GBARunner2], and its software mode actually runs very slowthat works to some degree. *[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LRTkXOUXraTMjg1eedz_f7b5jiuyMv2x6e_jY_nyHSc/edit#gid=0 Compatiblity List]*[https://www.odrive.com/s/8443cc3a-862e-41d7-b064-09378f79f6b3-5965a89a List of AP patches if needed]

Some homebrew apps do real GBA emulation on ===DSiWare===Because the firmware that the 3DSuses for backwards-compatibility is actually the same as the DSi, it's possible to inject DSiWare as an installable <code>.cia</code> file. There's two ways to do this:* [https://wwwgbatemp.net/threads/scripts-dsiware-conversion-easily-convert-to-nds-and-cia-files.dropbox478575/ DSiWare Conversion Script] - This script can be used to convert <code>.combin</code> files from your DSi'sSD card to <code>.nds</fraixj1fn9ql3w4code> which can then be used to convert into <code>.cia</3DSGBAcode>.zip?dl=0 3DSGBA]* [https://wwwgithub.dropboxcom/d0k3/GodMode9/releases GodMode9] - Version 1.8.0 added in a script that can convert <code>.nds</code> to <code>.comcia</code>, [https:/s/sxb7x34u58g4zo23ds.hacks.guide/godmode9-usage 3ds.3dsx?dlhacks.guide] has more information on how to update to the latest version if needed.These scripts will <b>ONLY</b> work for DSiWare, <font style=0 CitrAGB]"color:red"><b>NOT NDS GAMES</b></font>.

Some have tried injecting alternate ROMs in the available Virtual Console releases (MD, GG, NES, GBA Ambassador, GBC, Japanese emulated SFC compilations) with varying degrees of success. VC emulators for Sega systems , in particular , have high compatibility.<br> There's an easy tool that will convert and inject any supported ROM file as its associated VC application called [https://gbatemp.net/threads/discussion-new-super-ultimate-injector-nsui.500376/ New Super Ultimate Injector]. It's an all in one tool and can even remotely install the injection provided your 3DS is connected to the same network. It's currently in beta, but it's still really useful.