Azahar 2124 Release Candidate 1

Azahar 2124 RC1 has been released as an open-source 3DS emulator based on Citra. Key updates include implemented cartridge insertion functionality, improved Vulkan renderer features such as texture filtering and secondary screen opacity, and enhanced multiplayer capabilities for select games. The emulator now supports ROM compression, fixed various graphical and sound issues, and improved overall performance with updates to input handling and memory management. Android-specific enhancements include VSync adjustments for reduced latency and settings to hide 3DS images. A Docker image option has also been added for local multiplayer hosting. Download options are available for both x64 and Android.

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Azahar 2124 RC1 has been released. This is an open-source project for a 3DS emulator, based on Citra.

Azahar changelog:
New features include:
Implemented emulated cartridge insertion functionality. | @PabloMK7 #1304
Now the cartridge is recognized as inserted on the emulated HOME menu, functioning like actual hardware.
Added texture filtering for the Vulkan renderer. | @jbm11208 #1116, @jbm11208 #1513, @PabloMK7 #1561
Support for secondary screen opacity in the Vulkan renderer. | Briar @OpenSauce04 #1255
Enhanced HLE DLP module implementation. | @lannoene #1375
This allows multiplayer gaming without LLE DLP in several new titles, such as Luigi’s Mansion, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, and Mario Kart 7.
Implemented HLE DSP sleep and wakeup functions. | @PabloMK7 #1529
This resolves sound issues when games are launched from the HOME menu.
Introduced a new SMDH region-free patch setting, which is enabled by default. | @PabloMK7 #1541
It works similarly to the region-free patch from Luma3DS.
Improved memory mode management, enabling extended memory games to launch from the HOME menu. | @PabloMK7 #1534, @PabloMK7 #1560
Optimized plugin memory management for launching applications with plugins from the HOME menu. | @PabloMK7 #1554
Adjusted unimplemented GAS mode behavior to fix visual issues in Monster Hunter games using the blur effect.
Resolved garbled graphics on the HOME menu when suspending an app. | @PabloMK7 #1518
Made various improvements to stereoscopic 3D settings and functionality. | @DavidRGriswold #1212
Implemented AM:CancelImportProgram to allow cancelling mid-way CIA installations. | @PabloMK7 #1535
Enhanced MemorySystem::GetPhysicalPointer, yielding a slight performance boost. | @PabloMK7 #1587
Transferred plugin framebuffer address ownership from the plg:ldr service to the memory system, resulting in a small performance gain. | @PabloMK7 #1572
Fixed potential crashes in the Vulkan renderer from malformed geometry shaders. | @PabloMK7 #1585
Switched to xxHash instead of CityHash64, improving ShaderSetup hashing and resulting in a slight performance increase. | @PabloMK7 #1592
Addressed geometry shader issues in SEGA 3D Classics titles like Thunder Blade, After Burner, and Power Drift.
The play_time.bin file has been relocated from the log to the sysdata directory. | @OpenSauce04 #1310
On Android
Minimum Android version raised to Android 10. | @OpenSauce04 #1368
Introduced support for compressing and decompressing ROM files. | @ne-kle @PabloMK7 #1458
Added background color, secondary screen opacity, and audio emulation settings from the desktop version. | marsia @rtiangha @OpenSauce04 #1254
Fixed a Discord issue that disrupted secondary screen detection on dual-screen devices. | @DavidRGriswold #1455
New “Hide 3DS Images from Android” setting added. | marsia @OpenSauce04 #1254
This stops Azahar-related images from appearing in the Android gallery.
VSync is now turned off by default on Android, as explained here. | @DavidRGriswold #1456
This change drastically reduces input latency without affecting game visuals.
This adjustment will automatically apply to existing configurations; VSync will be disabled after updating if it was previously turned on.
Fixed an issue where restoring input bindings to default settings wouldn’t clear the bindings. | @DavidRGriswold #1463
Corrected a bug causing the secondary screen opacity setting to apply incorrectly in layouts other than the custom layout. | @DavidRGriswold #1496
Resolved problems with certain external gamepads having inverted axis controls. | @DavidRGriswold #1483
Affected gamepads will need to be rebound following the emulator update.
The emulator UI’s refresh rate is no longer restricted to 60Hz on devices with higher refresh rates. | @ne-kle
However, during emulation, the display refresh rate remains at 60Hz to conserve battery.
Fixed flickering in the Toggle Controls menu and misaligned list clickboxes on specific Android devices. | @OpenSauce04 #1598
Corrected a bug where the screen size detection could be inaccurate. | @DavidRGriswold #1495
For Desktop
Introduced batch compression and decompression features. | @PabloMK7 #1503
Enhanced consistency in UI capitalization and colon usage. | @RedBlackAka @OpenSauce04 #1306
Stopped refreshing the game directory while emulation is active to prevent race conditions. | @PabloMK7 #1553
For Docker
Added an option to download a new Docker image with release files. | @OpenSauce04 #1493
This Docker image contains the azahar-room executable, facilitating local multiplayer sessions.
For Technical
ARM macOS binaries are now built using macOS 26 runners. | @OpenSauce04 #1412
Implemented new game launch stress testing capabilities in the desktop build, accessible via the ENABLE_DEVELOPER_OPTIONS CMake option. | @OpenSauce04 #1442
Various minor internal enhancements to the Android performance overlay. | @OpenSauce04 #1367
Fixed a build failure on Unix-like systems caused by Qt 6.10.0. | @OpenSauce04 #1441
Moved DSP memory management to the memory subsystem. | @PabloMK7 #1520
Updated dynarmic to the latest version. | @PabloMK7 #1569