10 years of emulating the Nintendo 3DS: A tale of ninjas, lemons, and pandas (38c3)

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How is 3DS preservation faring 10 years after the release of the first emulator? What technical obstacles have we overcome, which ones remain? What hidden gems have we discovered beyond games? Join us on a journey through the struggles, the successes, and the future of 3DS emulation! The 3DS marks a key point in the evolution of handheld consoles from embedded systems to more powerful PC-like architectures, which makes it particularly interesting as a target for emulation: We'll look at the technical challenges presented by its unique hardware components and the custom microkernel-based software stack built on top of it, the various approaches taken to emulate them (low-level vs. high-level), and the trends we're seeing for the future. These technical challenges are put into historical context by looking at the emulator Citra, its initial way to success, the interplay between emulator developers and console hackers, and the impact of a prominent lawsuit that ultimately led to Citra's shutdown. Additionally we'll highlight broader community efforts like Pretendo that help preserve the platform beyond emulation. Finally we'll provide a status update for our ongoing emulation project Mikage and discuss the future outlook of 3DS preservation. This talk will be accessible to a technical audience and gaming enthusiasts alike. We particularly hope to spark new interest in preserving the 3DS legacy and foster new ideas for pushing the boundaries of emulation technology. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 about this event: https://events.ccc.de/congress/2024/hub/event/10-years-of-emulating-the-nintendo-3ds-a-tale-of-ninjas-lemons-and-pandas/