Mario 64 Working Full Speed on PSP

YokimaSun writes "Homebrew coders push the boundaries on the PSP again, StrmnNrmn has released a new version of his Nintendo 64 emulator for the PSP that has been confirmed to play Mario 64 at Full Speed on Sony's Handheld. A full Compatibility listing is available with games such as Starfox64 playble too."

Re:Controls

[Runefox]

Not really, so did the N64. Both consoles have only one analog stick, and Mario 64 was a relatively simple game, control-wise.

Re:

[D4rk Fx]

I've played Super Mario 64 all the way through on an emulator on a PC using a KEYBOARD. Only arrows to control movement. The camera was fairly annoying some times as it's a lot harder to not fall off of things when the camera decides to shift a whole bunch. I usually just jumped my way around or through those areas. It is definitely doable.

Re:

[metroid composite]

and Mario 64 was a relatively simple game, control-wise.

I disagree--now, yes, Mario 64 is a relatively simple game, control-wise by today's standards, which is likely what you meant.

At the time, however, nobody was used to manipulating the camera, and needed to be taught that all through tutorials, making it a functionally 8-button game--more buttons than the vast majority of previous console games. It also had a much higher number of character-states than was normal at the time: "in-air" "on-ground" "

Re:

[Runefox]

I agree; I remember my first experience with both analog sticks and camera management, and it wasn't pretty. However, I was referring to its use of the controller in relation to the available input on a PSP, which can and will fit the bill for SM64's controls quite easily.

Funny

[MemoryDragon]

The main reason to buy a sony handheld is to play old Nintendo games...

Re:

[ganjadude]

seriously the PSP is useless, its nice to see its good for something other than pr0n ;)

Re:

[drsquare]

The main reason to buy a DS seems to be to play games that are clones of PC/console games from over a decade ago.

NDS??!

[Anonymous Coward]

Or I could buy a DS and play the new version on a decent handheld...

Re:NDS??!

[meringuoid]

Now if only that psp2 had a touchscreen, 700mhz cpu, 128mb sys, 64mb gf

And a battery life measured in seconds.

Re:

[Xymor]

We have UMPCs with similar specifications today.
Maybe not from Nvidia or ATI, but there's a lot of research and in a couple years we should have a lot more energy efficient components, better batteries and everything small enough for a pratical handhelds.

Re:

[Zo0ok]

My PSP has a battery time of 7h for games or watching movies. With a 700MHz CPU it would probably be shorter.

Battery time together with the larger display was the reason I got a PSP instead of a vides iPod.

The question on everyone's mind:

[TheSpinningBrain]

But does it emulate running Linux?

Re:

[Wanon]

It doesn't emulate it. It runs it, uClinux [dot5hosting.com]. Albeit a cut down version especially for processors without a memory management unit.

Re:

[TheSpinningBrain]

I think you missed it... I meant running Linux on top of the emulator.

I wonder...

[Runefox]

Is this full speed without specific optimizations, or full speed by using game-specific hacks? I'd be interested to know, since I have a PSP that's soon to be homebrew-ized.

Re:

[toejam316]

It uses a few optimisations, but they're not game specific. Mainly its all just preference, but the general tip is to use Frameskip 2 or 3.

Re:

[Runefox]

Ouch. That's a high frameskip... I wouldn't consider that to be completely full-speed, but hell, I guess the emulation is technically full-speed.

Full speed??

[Aladrin]

It isn't 'full speed' if you have to turn on frameskip to get it that way. That's like saying 'if you don't mind missing 2/3 of everything, it's all there.'

From TF... I hate to call it an article. From the forum posting: "mario 64 is really good arounf the castle with audio on frameskip 3" 3! That means it's at 1/4 detail for the audio.

"a steady 20fps and sometimes alot higher in mario 64" Yeah, full speed indeed.

No, Mario 64 is now -playable- on the PSP. Not full speed.

Re:

[ZakuSage]

Yeah, basically... not to mention you have pretty annoying slowdown once you enter the first level and emulating sound (which sounds rather choppy) makes it slow down to a point beyond playability. Still, considering the emulation environment of N64 even getting where he has is a mighty big accomplishment. Hopefully with time, Mario 64 will actually be full speed.

Re:

[Mitchell Mebane]

Except a lot of N64 games only ran at 20 or 30 FPS, to begin with. F-Zero is the only one I can think of that ran at 60, although I believe there were a few more. So, 20 FPS probably isn't missing much.

Re:Full speed??

[kalirion]

Heh, I remember, back in the day, playing Duke Nukem 3d on my P100 at an average of about 17fps (640x480) and not seeing anything wrong. How spoiled we've gotten...

Re:

[Aladrin]

I can actually still play games as low as 15-20fps without it interrupting my immersion. I count myself lucky that I can't tell the difference between anything 30fps and up. For those than can tell the difference up to 120fps, it must be really annoying to play at the lower fps.

I agree we've gotten spoiled, but it's also true that most newer games rely on the sense of immersion to make a good game, instead of other things like strategy or comedy. Since that's what sells, we're to blame for that. ;)

Re:

[aliquis]

People who are after 120 fps and so on probably do it for in game physic advantages and not for looks.

Re:

[Kennego]

I remember Killer Instinct Gold was one of the 60 fps ones, and that also came out pretty early. But most games were in fact 30 fps, which was fine for most people at the time.

How to get it to run at 60 fps...

[aliquis]

Of course you could just buy Mario 64 DS instead and play it at 60 fps on the NDS. But maybe that is to simple?

/ Aliquis, NDS owner at troll mod risk :D

Re:

[Aladrin]

I actually didn't like the DS one. -sigh- Something's just different in how it plays. (Besides the add-ons, I mean.) I got it for the Wii also and I like the Wii's unmodified one better.

pish posh

[j00r0m4nc3r]

Call me when it can emulate an AppleTV that emulates OSX

Update: Mario 64 Working Full Speed and Prettier..

[GweeDo]

on the Nintendo DS. Seriously, congrats PSP, you can run a worse looking version of a game that runs on the DS.

Re:Update: Mario 64 Working Full Speed and Prettie

[Abcd1234]

What kind of crack do you smoke? It's gotta be pretty amazing stuff, because the DS has never, and will never, run Super Mario 64. Yes, it has Super Mario DS, which is a *remake* of the original specifically tailored for the DS, but that's hardly the same thing as emulating a Nintendo 64 so you can run the original game.

Fact is, if someone had the rights and the willingness, they could easily reimplement Super Mario 64 for the PSP. No one will, but they could.

And to the moron who modded that post up as i

Re:

[7Prime]

Actually, the full name of the game is "Super Mario 64 DS". It's not so much a remake as a port with a few additional features. I think it's perfectly reasonable to point out that Mairo 64 runs on the DS. I don't know why you would get so angry with the poster for mentioning anything like this, for one thing, it's perfectly true. Furthermore, questioning the +1 insightful in that manner is simply childish, he had a perfectly ligitimate reason for marking it in that way.

Furthermore, WHY run Mario 64 on the P

Re:

[Abcd1234]

It's not so much a remake as a port with a few additional features.

And you know this how? The DS is significantly different than the Nintendo 64 from a hardware standpoint. I'd be very surprised if it was just a straight port. Wikipedia describes it as an "enhanced remake", though it's hardly an authoritative source.

I don't know why you would get so angry with the poster for mentioning anything like this, for one thing, it's perfectly true.

Umm, no, I don't believe it's true, and thus, to me, it constitut

Re:

[7Prime]

Jesus dude, I own the game, and I played a lot of Mario 64 (the original), not too long ago. It's an update, not a remake, trust me. They ADDED multipul characters (of which you can choose to always play as Mario), and slightly altered the power-up system (I'll remind you that the power-up systems in both versions of the game are an extremely minor part of the gameplay, unlike the games in the rest of the series). After that, they ADDED one more star to each course, without altering the courses. Made very v

Re:Ha ha ha...zo'o

[mattxmayhem]

You are definitely missing the point. It is a remake, in that the original code has been drastically optimized to run on the ds. I don't know the specifics, but since they are DIFFERENT platforms, you can't just use the initial data with a veritable expansion pack and play it on whatever system you want, otherwise PC's wouldn't be the computer system of choice for gamers, and Dreamcast games would work on playstation - they can read the discs, can't they?

SM64DS was largely a recompile

[tepples]

the DS has never, and will never, run Super Mario 64. Yes, it has Super Mario DS, which is a *remake* of the original specifically tailored for the DS

Likewise, Windows has never, and will never, run GIMP or Gaim. Yes, it has GIMP for Windows and Gaim for windows, which are *remakes* of the originals specifically tailored for Windows.

Super Mario 64 was written in C++, and its game logic was recompiled to form the single-player portions of Super Mario 64 DS. Yes, the graphics engine had to be rewritten in part to port it from UltraSDK to NitroSDK, just as GTK+/GDK/Glib had to be rewritten in part to move GIMP and Gaim from an X11/POSIX backend to a W

Re:

[Abcd1234]

Likewise, Windows has never, and will never, run GIMP or Gaim. Yes, it has GIMP for Windows and Gaim for windows, which are *remakes* of the originals specifically tailored for Windows.

Correct. What's your point? Mine was that the DS will never run a Nintendo 64 emulator, and comparing a DS-targeted remake of Super Mario 64 to a PSP Nintendo 64 emulator makes no sense, as they're drastically different animals. Thus the post is hardly insightful, and is definitely off-topic.

Compare to UltraHLE

[tepples]

What's your point? Mine was that the DS will never run a Nintendo 64 emulator

It was expected that the PSP become able to emulate the N64, as the UltraHLE emulator ran on PSP-class PC hardware by intercepting UltraSDK calls and translating them to the Glide API, just as the N64 to DS ports replace UltraSDK calls with NitroSDK calls. My point is that it would have benefitted them to demonstrate their work using a game that isn't officially ported to a modern handheld, so as to avoid "well whoop-dee-shit, I can do that cheaper than it would cost to mod my new PSP and without breakin

Re:Update: Mario 64 Working Full Speed and Prettie

[Perseid]

Are you trolling or do you seriously not understand the difference between a remake and an emulator? The fact that the N64 emulator is improving means it can potentially someday run any N64 game. Can your Super Mario DS cartridge do that?

Full speed, pretty, but legal?

[tepples]

The fact that the N64 emulator is improving means it can potentially someday run any N64 game

Yeah, and CSS descramblers can rip DVD-Video discs. But that doesn't make it lawful on U.S. soil. (Slashdot is on U.S. soil.) Running Super Mario 64 DS on Nintendo DS doesn't infringe Nintendo's copyrights nor Sony's patents nor Nintendo's anti-circumvention rights nor Sony's anti-circumvention rights. Can your modded PSP and bootleg N64 ROMs do that?