Andy Walker / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Azahar emulator has released a new candidate build with major feature additions, such as Turbo mode, enhanced 3D effects, and more customization.
- Android-specific updates for this Nintendo 3DS emulator include visual improvements, game management options, and better UI layouts.
- While packed with upgrades across platforms, the release is still being tested and may contain bugs.
Azahar emulator took the reins from Citra as one of the best Nintendo 3DS emulators. It was recently released for Android, giving top-tier Android flagship users one good way to use all that horsepower in their hands. The Azahar team has now posted a fresh new release candidate build for the emulator, and it brings several new features such as fast-forwarding abilities and a more significant 3D effect than the original console could provide.
The full changelog for Azahar 2121 Release Candidate 1 build is quite lengthy, so a few highlighted changes are listed below:
- Redownloading owned DLCs is now supported.
- Added a new Turbo feature which allows increasing the emulation speed to a pre-specified percentage using a hotkey or on-screen button for desktop and Android, respectively.
- Added a new Screen Gap feature which allows the gap between the top and bottom screen to be configured by the user.
- The maximum value for the 3D slider has been increased from 100% to 255%. The maximum value possible on real hardware is 100%, so going beyond this value may cause graphical oddities.
- Desktop: Added quicksave/quickload functionality, with associated hotkeys, mirroring the existing Android functionality.
- Android:
- The icon of the currently running application/game is now displayed in the top left corner of the drawer menu.
- Added a new button to the long-press about menu which allows users to open various folders related to a game, such as the location of the application’s save data, DLC, textures, mods, etc.
- Added a new button to the long-press about menu which allows users to uninstall a game, its updates, or its DLC.
- The quicksave save state can now be saved to using the UI rather than being exclusively usable via a hotkey.
- Added a new portrait layout, Original, which maintains accurate proportions for the top and bottom screen.
- Added a new Expand to Display Cutout option which allows the emulation display to expand to the area taken up by the camera notch.
- Added the Auto internal resolution option, which already existed in the desktop version.
Of particular note is the new Turbo feature, which would massively help speed up gameplay in games like Pokémon, which have a lot of repetitive grinding. Desktop users also get quicksave and quickload functionality just like Android users, which Pokémon players would again appreciate as they can quickly save their game right after a rare Pokémon appears.
On the Android side of the release, displaying the currently running game’s icon is a neat touch. The two new options are also great if you want to play the original proportions of the Nintendo 3DS on your phone or have your game extend to your phone’s notch area.
The Azahar team warns that this is a release candidate build, meaning it isn’t stable enough to be considered a stable release, but it can become one if no major issues are discovered. Users are encouraged to test this version to help spot bugs that can be fixed before the stable release. However, if you’d rather not deal with bugs, you should hold off until a stable build is released.
