titanium sparrow
manky lil coyote
Hiya folks! I hope this is the right place to discuss this, and I really want to hear your opinions/pros and cons, thoughts, etc. Maybe someone is been thinking about the same?
I've got a 2DSXL at the moment, vanilla, unmodded, with New Leaf. I've had it since around 2017/2018.
I'm super happy with it an all, no problem. But of course sad that the nintendo servers closed down, because I missed out on a lot already by joining late, but also due to nobody using the consoles anymore so never got any streetpasses and all that.
Anyway, I've been looking into emulators lately. I got myself the R36S some time ago and enjoy it, but of course it's no DS or anything, just a small thingy for older games.
I've also been looking into having a second game of ACNL, just for the sake of trying out more villagers and stuff.
So, I was kinda excited when the Ayn Thor came around, which is a clamshell DS emulator - which in theory should be able to run ACNL (ive not seen people test the game yet, but it should run it). I think there is a Anbernic clamshell too, but I dont know which one.
But from my understanding, the Ayn Thor doesn't support NFC, nor will it be able to use the Pretendo services in any way, since it's technically not modded and such. So you will still be playing just a vanilla, locked out ACNL version.
So, that means the other option is a modded original DS. Which is like 50/50 moot for me, as I was hoping to not have to rely on old tech, ya know? These devices wont last forever, and once they're broken, there's no fixing it more or less.
If I wanted to play just a vanilla, locked off game, I already have that with my 2DSXL acnl. So buying an emulator that doesn't do NFC or Pretendo feels like....there's no point, except that you get "new" tech.
If I buy a modded device with NFC and Pretendo, I will still have an older device, which is what I wanted to avoid, since I already have an old device.
There's also the issue with pricing. The Ayn Thor isn't super cheap, but still, fairly tolerable (300 - 400 USD i think?) - but not if it only does base game, no NFC or Pretendo.
A used (vanilla or modded, doesn't matter) DS in my country, goes for insanely high prices. A random used 3DSXL goes for like anything between 500 ~ 700 USD, I am not joking. A modded one usually goes for even higher - or a modded 3DS (not XL), usually goes for like 300 - 400 USD. Any sort of DS is also rare, as they've been bought up up a few "retro game shops" that sell them back for blood money.
I know I can buy them off Ali Express for cheaper (they go for around 150 - 200 USD without taxes), that's okay-ish. But it still leaves me with the issue - it's old tech that, once busted, will not be fixable. At least with a new device, you have some sort of guarantee for a few years - and buying those emulators invite people to continue making them.
I'm sort of stuck on what to do. For me, the best option would have been if the Ayn Thor (or any dual screen clamshell emulator) would also support NFC and Pretendo. I mistankely assumed that when I started looking them up, so it was kind of a bummer to see that even with that fine, new tech, you'd be sort of locked off to anything. I would have also considered just getting some old DS consoles and mod them as I need, but seeing as they're so rare and extremely high priced in my country - that's not really an option. I like thrifting and buying used, but only when it's priced as actual outdated tech.
So, I hope we can talk a little bit about old onsoles vs emulators and the options between them. What are your thought? What is your best choice and your dream options?
I've got a 2DSXL at the moment, vanilla, unmodded, with New Leaf. I've had it since around 2017/2018.
I'm super happy with it an all, no problem. But of course sad that the nintendo servers closed down, because I missed out on a lot already by joining late, but also due to nobody using the consoles anymore so never got any streetpasses and all that.
Anyway, I've been looking into emulators lately. I got myself the R36S some time ago and enjoy it, but of course it's no DS or anything, just a small thingy for older games.
I've also been looking into having a second game of ACNL, just for the sake of trying out more villagers and stuff.
So, I was kinda excited when the Ayn Thor came around, which is a clamshell DS emulator - which in theory should be able to run ACNL (ive not seen people test the game yet, but it should run it). I think there is a Anbernic clamshell too, but I dont know which one.
But from my understanding, the Ayn Thor doesn't support NFC, nor will it be able to use the Pretendo services in any way, since it's technically not modded and such. So you will still be playing just a vanilla, locked out ACNL version.
So, that means the other option is a modded original DS. Which is like 50/50 moot for me, as I was hoping to not have to rely on old tech, ya know? These devices wont last forever, and once they're broken, there's no fixing it more or less.
If I wanted to play just a vanilla, locked off game, I already have that with my 2DSXL acnl. So buying an emulator that doesn't do NFC or Pretendo feels like....there's no point, except that you get "new" tech.
If I buy a modded device with NFC and Pretendo, I will still have an older device, which is what I wanted to avoid, since I already have an old device.
There's also the issue with pricing. The Ayn Thor isn't super cheap, but still, fairly tolerable (300 - 400 USD i think?) - but not if it only does base game, no NFC or Pretendo.
A used (vanilla or modded, doesn't matter) DS in my country, goes for insanely high prices. A random used 3DSXL goes for like anything between 500 ~ 700 USD, I am not joking. A modded one usually goes for even higher - or a modded 3DS (not XL), usually goes for like 300 - 400 USD. Any sort of DS is also rare, as they've been bought up up a few "retro game shops" that sell them back for blood money.
I know I can buy them off Ali Express for cheaper (they go for around 150 - 200 USD without taxes), that's okay-ish. But it still leaves me with the issue - it's old tech that, once busted, will not be fixable. At least with a new device, you have some sort of guarantee for a few years - and buying those emulators invite people to continue making them.
I'm sort of stuck on what to do. For me, the best option would have been if the Ayn Thor (or any dual screen clamshell emulator) would also support NFC and Pretendo. I mistankely assumed that when I started looking them up, so it was kind of a bummer to see that even with that fine, new tech, you'd be sort of locked off to anything. I would have also considered just getting some old DS consoles and mod them as I need, but seeing as they're so rare and extremely high priced in my country - that's not really an option. I like thrifting and buying used, but only when it's priced as actual outdated tech.
So, I hope we can talk a little bit about old onsoles vs emulators and the options between them. What are your thought? What is your best choice and your dream options?
