Azahar 3DS Emulator Launches with Performance Boosts and Fixes

Key Takeaways

1. Azahar 2120 is the first official stable version of the 3DS emulator, available for Windows, Linux, and Android.
2. The emulator introduces a feature to disable “right eye rendering,” potentially improving performance by up to 50%.
3. Azahar now uses .cci file extensions for game ROMs, moving away from .3ds files to avoid piracy associations.
4. New updates include Nintendo 3DS eShop integration and fixes for visual glitches and gameplay bugs.
5. Rising prices of 3DS consoles are boosting interest in 3DS emulation, especially with improved smartphone gaming capabilities.

3DS emulation went into a bit of a slump after the downfall of Citra, which was an emulator that suffered alongside YuZu. However, things are looking up for 3DS emulation with the emergence of new emulators like Lime3DS and the latest one, Azahar.

New Release of Azahar

Azahar 2120 has just been launched on GitHub, representing the first official version of this 3DS emulator. While there have been earlier versions of Azahar, they were only release candidates. This marks the first “stable” version available for Windows, Linux, and Android. According to the developers, this release is based on a “merge of PabloMK7’s fork [of Citra] and Lime3DS.”

Improvements and Features

The latest release comes packed with numerous enhancements and bug fixes. One of the most notable features (which we talked about last week) is the ability to turn off “right eye rendering.” This option allows the emulator to display games in monoscopic mode. The Nintendo 3DS originally creates a 3D image through stereoscopic rendering, which displays the same frame twice from slightly different angles to create a 3D effect, similar to many 3D films. By turning off this rendering method, Azahar claims it can boost performance by as much as 50%.

In addition to this, the emulator no longer supports .3ds files. Instead, it utilizes game ROMs with the .cci file extension. Converting existing .3ds files to .cci is simple; you just need to rename the file with a .cci extension. The developers chose the .cci format to “distance from piracy terminology as much as possible [sic].”

Additional Changes and Popularity

Other updates include Nintendo 3DS eShop integration for downloading purchased games, fixing visual glitches on Linux systems that use Wayland, and correcting a bug that caused Starfox 64 3D to render upside down during gameplay.

With the increasing prices of 3DS consoles (like this renewed Flame Red 3DS on Amazon, curr. $214.34), 3DS emulation is becoming more popular. Given how well smartphones handle gaming and emulation now, it’s no wonder that interest in 3DS emulation is surging.

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