Azahar 2127.0 Alpha 2

⚠️Important Alpha Information⚠️

As an alpha release, this build is not yet considered stable.

This prerelease is intended for users to test upcoming features, allowing the community to provide feedback before they are distributed in a stable release.
Users interested in testing bleeding-edge software are encouraged to test out this build to help us catch any issues we may have missed during development.

If you are unwilling to tolerate potential issues, it may be better to wait for the next stable release.

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Azahar 2127.0 Alpha 2

All

• Added support for a new ROM format: ROM Bundles (.bcxi, .bcci, .bcia). | @PabloMK7 #2369, #2673
  • ROM Bundles can store a base game and any necessary additional files, such as the game's updates, DLC, or any necessary system files (e.g. Mii data) within a single file. This makes it easier to manage and organize your game library, while also allowing for easier of use of game updates, DLC, and system files in libretro frontends (e.g. RetroArch) via .bcxi/.bcci files.
  • .bcxi/.bcci bundles allow content which would previously have to be installed via a CIA file, such as game updates and DLC, to be used alongside the base game without installing anything to the emulated 3DS.
  • .bcia files contain the content of multiple CIA files, allowing their collective content to be stored and installed via a single file.
  • ROM Bundles can be created using Tools -> Create ROM Bundle... on desktop platforms.
  • Creating ROM Bundles on Android is currently not possible, but bundles created on a desktop device can be run on any platform as long as Azahar's version is at least 2127.0 or later.
  • For more information, please read the PR description: #2369
• Implemented additional optimizations for Azahar's JIT shader compiler. | @Wunkolo #2597
• Check table_dirty before skipping proctex LUT upload. | @Dandandans #2627

Android

• Turbo speed is now disabled when a game is started, matching the behaviour on desktop platforms. | @ygordreyer #2657
• Closing a game which was opened from an Android home screen shortcut now closes Azahar. | @ygordreyer #2658
• Fixed an issue where, when relaunching a currently running game from an Android home screen shortcut, Azahar would display a black screen. | @ygordreyer #2656

Azahar 2127.0 Alpha 1

⚠️Important Alpha Information⚠️

As an alpha release, this build is not yet considered stable.

This prerelease is intended for users to test upcoming features, allowing the community to provide feedback before they are distributed in a stable release.
Users interested in testing bleeding-edge software are encouraged to test out this build to help us catch any issues we may have missed during development.

If you are unwilling to tolerate potential issues, it may be better to wait for the next stable release.

---

Note

To allow public testing of the new interpreter, which allows fantastic performance on iPhones all the way back to the iPhone XS with no JIT, we plan to distribute all of our 2127.0 prereleases on RetroArch with 2-3 days of delay as a one-off exception to our typical release scheduling.
We hope our iOS users look forward to testing out the new version and experiencing the improved performance it brings.

Note

This release invalidates any existing generated shader cache, so performance may temporarily be impared after updating.
Performance will improve again after playing for a while.

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Azahar 2127.0-alpha1 Changelog

License

• Azahar's license has been changed from GPLv2+ to GPLv3+. All downstream projects exposed to Azahar's source code must ensure that they follow the license terms and correctly update any license metadata as necessary. | @OpenSauce04 #2626 #2635

All

• Implemented a significantly faster new interpreter for JIT-less environments, named FastInterp, which replaces the old DynCom interpreter. | @warmenhoven #2376
  • This new interpreter allows greatly improved performance on iOS and tvOS devices, allowing devices as old as the iPhone XS to play games, even with playback speeds of over 200%.
• Fixed inaccurate color blending behaviour in the Vulkan renderer, fixing an issue in Shin Megami Tensei IV where a black box would appear around enemies when killed. | @quickstraw #2427
• Corrected misuses of linear filtering in the video core where nearest neighbour should be used. | @OpenSauce04 #2554
  • Fixes texture rendering issues in Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition, and likely other games as well.
• Implemented a previously missing audio delay/echo effect in the HLE DSP implementation. | @PabloMK7 #2473
  • Restores previously missing echo effects to many games, such as New Super Mario Bros. 2, when using HLE audio.
  • Fixes a stuttering music issue in Shinobi 3D.
• Implemented improvements for Azahar's texture codec, resulting in greatly improved texture handling performance and general performance improvements in many games. | @PabloMK7 #2564
• Zero-area render passes are now skipped. | @Wunkolo #2510 #2544
  • This addresses certain graphical issues in 3D Thunder Blade.
• Implemented null descriptors for null surfaces. | @Wunkolo #2545
• Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition now force-disables the "Disable Right Eye Rendering" setting while running due to causing rapidly flashing rendering issues. | @OpenSauce04 #2555
• Due to ongoing issues, the Anime4K texture filter has been limited to only be selectable when using the OpenGL renderer. | @OpenSauce04 #2654

Windows

• In line with our previous deprecation, the MSYS2 build of Azahar has now been removed, with the MXE build replacing it. | @OpenSauce04 #2582
• Implemented a custom scrollbar style in Azahar's Qt frontend with improved visibility. | @OpenSauce04 #2642

Desktop

• Azahar now contains its own copy of FFmpeg, meaning that downloading and installing FFmpeg manually before using the Dump Video feature is no longer necessary. | @OpenSauce04 #2584

libretro

• Fixed an issue with touchscreen devices where, when pressing a blank area outside of the touchscreen area, the last selected location on the touchscreen would become activated. | @OpenSauce04 #2563

Desktop

• Fixed an issue where Azahar's .ini files could contain non-human-readable values. | @Wunkolo #2534

Technical

• Added additional logging when an attempted pixel format reinterpretation is unimplemented. | @Wunkolo #2508
• Added new CMake options to newly allow compiling with certain system libraries. | @kreinholz #1987
• Added new CMake option ENABLE_CCACHE. | @crueter #2219
• Added a missing include which allows Azahar to be compiled for Android with NDK r30. | @rtiangha #2622
• Fixed an issue which prevented building Azahar with openal-soft version 1.25.2 and newer. | @rtiangha #2617
• Cleaned up various instances of deprecated code in the Android codebase. | @OpenSauce04 #2637
• Removed Doxyfile due to lack of use, maintenance and interest. | @OpenSauce04 #2636

Azahar 2126.2

This a minor release for the 2126 branch which primarily addresses a reported security advisory.
It also includes several newly backported improvements and fixes from the master branch.

Users are advised to update as soon as is convenient.

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Azahar 2126.2 Changelog

All

• Addressed an oversight which allowed specially-crafted CIA files to execute arbitrary code in the host environment when locally installed by a user. | @PabloMK7 #2648
  • Addresses the following GHSA report: GHSA-h74v-5mw8-qg8r
• Fixed an issue where the xBRZ texture filter would be applied incorrectly when using the Vulkan renderer, resulting in an incorrect appearance. | @OpenSauce04 #2647
• Handling of large HTTP downloads within emulated 3DS applications has been improved, improving memory efficiency and stability. | @PabloMK7 #2515
  • Fixes downloading large games from the eShop.
• Added a new 3GX loader flag allow_homebrew_load, which allows loading 3GX plugins for homebrew apps if the plugin supports it. | @PabloMK7 #2649

Desktop

• Various improvements to GDB and RPC servers, fixing certain issues and improving functionality. | @PabloMK7 #2631, #2640, #2633
  • For additional info, see individual PR descriptions.
  • Script developers will need to update the RPC client as this is a breaking change.

Android

• Fixed a crash which could occur if the gpu_drivers directory contained a subdirectory. | @ygordreyer #2592

Technical

• Creating a copy of the kernel shared and config pages using svcMapProcessMemoryEx is now possible.
  • This is a technical accuracy change. Little to no end-user impact.

Azahar 2126.1.2

This an unscheduled fix release which addresses a commonly experienced issue in Azahar's libretro cores.
For other versions of Azahar, this update is identical to 2126.1.1.

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Azahar 2126.1.2 Changelog

libretro

• Fixed an issue which could cause RetroArch to entirely freeze or crash when exiting a game. | @Razor221 #2572

Azahar 2126.1.1

This an unscheduled fix release which addresses a few notable issues discovered post-launch in the 2126.1 update.
All users are encouraged to update as soon as is convenient.

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Azahar 2126.1.1 Changelog

All

• Fixed an issue where Azahar could instantly crash when opened on certain systems with poor Vulkan support. | @Wunkolo #2528
• The "Skip Presenting Duplicate Frames" setting has now been disabled by default due to minor observed regressions compared to the old behaviour. | @PabloMK7 #2530, @OpenSauce04 #2536
• Fixed an issue which could cause Azahar's Vulkan renderer to crash when handling certain shadow textures. | @Wunkolo #2533
  • Fixes a crash in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate after opening the equipment menu.

Windows

• The About menu and Azahar's log file now indicate which build variant is currently being used (MXE, MSVC or MSYS2). | @OpenSauce04 #2538

Azahar 2126.1

This minor release contains many improvements and fixes which didn't make it into the base 2126.0 release.
Of particular focus in this release are stability improvements, eliminating potential crashes in many identified scenarios.
All users are encouraged to update as soon as is convenient.

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Azahar 2126.1 Changelog

All

• Save states are now locked to the version of Azahar that they were created with. | @PabloMK7 #2394
  • Attempting to load a save state from a different Azahar version will now display an error message explaining this restriction, and will also display the version of Azahar that the save state was originally created with, recommending temporarily downgrading to retrieve progress using the in-game save functionality if necessary.
  • This does not limit save state usage compared to previous behaviour. Before this change, loading a save state from a previous version of Azahar would just crash the emulator. This change now gracefully shows a message instead.
• Fixed an issue where it was possible for texture surfaces to be deleted while in use, especially at larger internal resolution settings. | @Wunkolo #2407
  • This change fixes Vulkan related crashes in many different games and situations. Most notably, when starting missions in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.
• The highest available internal resolution scaling setting has been increased from 10x (4000x2400) to 18x (7200x4320), allowing 8K displays to take full advantage of upscaling functionality. | @72374 #1906
• Implemented a fix for a crash in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Danger of the Ooze when using the Vulkan renderer due to inaccurate handling of the rasterizer cull mode being set to an unusual value. | @PabloMK7 #2396
• Fixed an issue which caused excessive lag in the character select screen for Super Smash Bros 4. | @PabloMK7 #2412
• Fixed an issue which caused excessive lag in Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge when walking on diagonal surfaces. | @PabloMK7 #2412
• Fixed a regression which caused the 3DS friends menu to crash when opened. | @PabloMK7 #2412
• Fixed a crash which could sometimes occur during multiplayer sessions due to thread-unsafe logic. | @PabloMK7 #2405
• Implemented optimizations to GPU command list processing which save 0.5-1ms of processing time per frame on average. | @PabloMK7 #2318
• Implement geometry shader output register banking, which fixes a lot of SEGA 3D Classics games without the need of per-game patches. | @PabloMK7 #2338
  • The mentioned games still present other rendering issues that need to be fixed in future versions of the emulator.
• Fix floating point denormal accuracy, which fixes various rendering issues in several games. | @Wunkolo #2350
• Fixed an issue where linear filtering was forcefully enabled with certain drivers, primarily on Android w/ Adreno. | @PabloMK7 #2445
• Fixed an issue where the 3DS Internet Browser would freeze due to incorrect core rescheduling behaviour. | @PabloMK7 #2370
• Implemented an improvement to emulated audio handling which fixes crackling sounds when an audio source's volume is changed. @Grayforz2468 #2409
  • Most notable example is the Home Menu no longer having crackling music.
• Fixed an issue which caused HLE audio emulation to produce crackling in games that update looping PCM16 buffers while they are being played. | @Angelico2102 #2454
  • This is known to address audio issues in "Inazuma Eleven 3".
• Fixed an issue in the Vulkan renderer related to the handling of disabled cubemap texture units. | @Wunkolo #2406
  • This brings over a fix which was previously applied to the OpenGL renderer in a previous update.
• Fixed an invalid memory access issue related to uds beacons. May fix undiscovered issues in certain multiplayer games. | @PabloMK7 #2403
• Implemented checks to ensure that Vulkan layers the system doesn't support are not enabled, avoiding crashes on certain setups. | @Wunkolo #2511
• Fixed a crash which could happen during gameplay under certain circumstances while using custom textures. | @demetriospantaleao-del #2481

Windows (MXE)

• Fixed crash which could occur when trying to launch any app with the Vulkan renderer while using the MXE build. | @OpenSauce04 #2392
• Fixed an issue where frame pacing could be inconsistent when using the MXE build. | @OpenSauce04 #2392

Desktop

• The minimum motion control sensitivity value has been reduced from 0.01 to 0.001. | @ParadiseOfMagic #2383

Linux

• The Wayland and non-Wayland AppImage have now been once again merged into a single binary which includes Wayland support. This is due to the original crash issue which caused the split now being fixed. | @OpenSauce04 #2458
• Implemented a measure to help avoid having a missing application icon with certain desktop environment setups. | @Kyuyrii #1727

Android

• Upgraded target Android SDK from Android 15 (35) to Android 17 (37). | @OpenSauce04 #2416
• Fixed various edge-case crashes related to surface handling which could occur at game boot, during screen rotation, during app suspension, or during save state loading. | @PabloMK7 #2425
• Fixed an issue where debug builds of Azahar on Android would instantly crash due to a logic error relating to configuration validation. | @PabloMK7 #2398
• Fixed an issue where, if a 3DS application closed itself or encountered a fatal error and the user selected "Abort", the emulator would crash instead of returning to the application menu. | @PabloMK7 #2399
• Fixed an issue which would cause Azahar to crash if a save state was loaded after being launched from a 3rd-party frontend. | @PabloMK7 #2452
• Fixed an issue where Azahar would crash if it had not yet performed initial setup and a 3rd-party launcher attempted to start it. | @PabloMK7 #2452
• Invalid ROMs are now displayed with an "Invalid ROM" card in the game list instead of being blank. | @OpenSauce04 #2509
• Fixed various issues/ inaccuracies related to string translation tagging. | @OpenSauce04
• UI strings which indicate which region a game is for/from (e.g. "Europe, Australia") are now translatable in the frontend for non-English languages. | @OpenSauce04 #2497
  • As with all translations, this relies on translations being provided for each language by the community, and may not be translated immediately.
  • If you are proficient in a non-English language we support and would like to contribute, you can join our Transifex page and contribute translations here: https://app.transifex.com/azahar/azahar/dashboard/

macOS

• Enabled Liquid Glass interface elements on macOS 26. | @OpenSauce04 #2429
• Fixed an issue when using macOS 27 where connecting to local network devices such as a real 3DS would always fail (e.g. Artic Base, system files setup). | @OpenSauce04 #2428

libretro

• "Stereoscopic 3D Mode" and "Stereoscopic 3D Depth" settings are now available for the libretro core. | @XenuIsWatching #2339
• Updated NDK version used to build the Android libretro core to 29.x

Technical

• The MXE build is now compiled using an LLVM+Clang based build environment, replacing the previous GCC-based stack. | @OpenSauce04 #2392
  • Huge thanks to @kleisauke, who for about a year and a half has been thanklessly maintaining an unofficial LLVM MXE plugin in a GitHub repository with only a single star. Without their work, making this happen would have taken much longer than it did.
• Added copyright years to all source code license headers. | @PabloMK7 #2415
• Implemented a workaround for a current compiler bug in MSVC. | @PabloMK7 #2410
• Added a new CMake option CITRA_ADDRESS_SANITIZE. | @PabloMK7 #2402

FreeBSD

• When building on FreeBSD, system libusb is now always used due to being bundled with the OS. | @sonphantrung #2281

Azahar 2126.1 Release Candidate 5

⚠️Important Release Candidate Information⚠️

This is a release candidate. Please expand this drop-down to read more about what this means before installing.

As a release candidate, this build is not yet considered a stable release, but is instead a build which could be promoted to a stable release if it is sufficiently tested with no major issues being discovered. Ideally, the release candidate period will last for 7 days, however if major issues are discovered, this will be extended to allow for additional testing with a corrected release candidate.

Despite its status as a pre-release build, users are encouraged to test this version to help us catch any newly introduced issues before the build is promoted to a full release. If you do observe such issues, please report them to us on GitHub so we can evaluate them.

If you are unwilling to tolerate potential minor issues, you may be better off waiting until a release candidate is promoted to a full release.

Users are advised to back up their Azahar user data directory before using a pre-release build.

---

This release candidate fixes a single critical regression first seen in the 2126.1-rc3 prerelease.
It is otherwise identical to 2126.1-rc4.

For a more complete picture of what will be included in the final release, you can see the changelog for Release Candidate 1 here:
https://github.com/azahar-emu/azahar/releases/tag/2126.1-rc1

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Azahar 2126.1-rc5 Changelog

All

• Fixed a regression which caused consistent memory leakage while running an application with the OpenGL renderer. | @Wunkolo #2517
  • This issue affected all platforms which support the OpenGL renderer, but the rate of memory leakage was much more drastic on Windows.

Azahar 2126.1 Release Candidate 4

⚠️Important Release Candidate Information⚠️

This is a release candidate. Please expand this drop-down to read more about what this means before installing.

As a release candidate, this build is not yet considered a stable release, but is instead a build which could be promoted to a stable release if it is sufficiently tested with no major issues being discovered. Ideally, the release candidate period will last for 7 days, however if major issues are discovered, this will be extended to allow for additional testing with a corrected release candidate.

Despite its status as a pre-release build, users are encouraged to test this version to help us catch any newly introduced issues before the build is promoted to a full release. If you do observe such issues, please report them to us on GitHub so we can evaluate them.

If you are unwilling to tolerate potential minor issues, you may be better off waiting until a release candidate is promoted to a full release.

Users are advised to back up their Azahar user data directory before using a pre-release build.

---

This release candidate is an amendment to 2126.1-rc3. It introduces some final tweaks and fixes in preparation for the stable release. We hope that this will be the final release candidate, assuming no major issues are discovered.

For a more complete picture of what will be included in the final release, you can see the changelog for Release Candidate 1 here:
https://github.com/azahar-emu/azahar/releases/tag/2126.1-rc1

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Azahar 2126.1-rc4 Changelog

All

• Implemented checks to ensure that Vulkan layers the system doesn't support are not enabled, avoiding crashes on certain setups. | @Wunkolo #2511

Desktop

• Fixed the setting for the newly introduced debug exception handler being erroneously enabled by default; it is now disabled by default. | @PabloMK7 #2505
  • Having this setting enabled can cause certain game mods which specifically target emulators to crash.

Android

• Invalid ROMs are now displayed with an "Invalid ROM" card in the game list instead of being blank. | @OpenSauce04 #2509
  • These blank cards unintentionally contained an error string in 2126.1-rc3 due to an oversight. By the nature of this change, that issue has also been fixed.

Azahar 2126.1 Release Candidate 3

⚠️Important Release Candidate Information⚠️

This is a release candidate. Please expand this drop-down to read more about what this means before installing.

As a release candidate, this build is not yet considered a stable release, but is instead a build which could be promoted to a stable release if it is sufficiently tested with no major issues being discovered. Ideally, the release candidate period will last for 7 days, however if major issues are discovered, this will be extended to allow for additional testing with a corrected release candidate.

Despite its status as a pre-release build, users are encouraged to test this version to help us catch any newly introduced issues before the build is promoted to a full release. If you do observe such issues, please report them to us on GitHub so we can evaluate them.

If you are unwilling to tolerate potential minor issues, you may be better off waiting until a release candidate is promoted to a full release.

Users are advised to back up their Azahar user data directory before using a pre-release build.

---

This release candidate is an amendment to 2126.1-rc2. It primarily addresses issues discovered in the prior 2126.1 prereleases.

For a more complete picture of what will be included in the final release, you can see the changelog for Release Candidate 1 here:
https://github.com/azahar-emu/azahar/releases/tag/2126.1-rc1

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Azahar 2126.1-rc3 Changelog

All

• Fixed a crash first seen in 2126.1 Alpha 1 where changing the internal resolution during emulation could cause graphical artifacts and major memory leakage, resulting in a crash. | @Wunkolo #2489
• Fixed a crash which could happen during gameplay under certain circumstances while using custom textures. | @demetriospantaleao-del #2481
• Fixed a regression introduced in 2126.1 Release Candidate 1 which could cause major audio stuttering while audio stretching was enabled. | @OpenSauce04 #2487
  • This issue was caused by a previously implemented attempt to improve audio latency while audio stretching was enabled (#2439). This has now been reverted.

Android

• UI strings which indicate which region a game is for/from (e.g. "Europe, Australia") are now translatable in the frontend for non-English languages. | @OpenSauce04 #2497
  • As with all translations, this relies on translations being provided for each language by the community, and may not be translated immediately.
  • If you are proficient in a non-English language we support and would like to contribute, you can join our Transifex page and contribute translations here: https://app.transifex.com/azahar/azahar/dashboard/

Azahar 2126.1 Release Candidate 2

⚠️Important Release Candidate Information⚠️

This is a release candidate. Please expand this drop-down to read more about what this means before installing.

As a release candidate, this build is not yet considered a stable release, but is instead a build which could be promoted to a stable release if it is sufficiently tested with no major issues being discovered. Ideally, the release candidate period will last for 7 days, however if major issues are discovered, this will be extended to allow for additional testing with a corrected release candidate.

Despite its status as a pre-release build, users are encouraged to test this version to help us catch any newly introduced issues before the build is promoted to a full release. If you do observe such issues, please report them to us on GitHub so we can evaluate them.

If you are unwilling to tolerate potential minor issues, you may be better off waiting until a release candidate is promoted to a full release.

Users are advised to back up their Azahar user data directory before using a pre-release build.

---

This release candidate is an amendment to 2126.1-rc1. It addresses regressions discovered in the Android build.

For a more complete picture of what will be included in the final release, you can see the previous changelog here:
https://github.com/azahar-emu/azahar/releases/tag/2126.1-rc1

---

Azahar 2126.1-rc2 Changelog

Android

• Fixed a regression where using a fresh install of Azahar or resetting the on-screen controller overlay would result in the overlay layout being positioned partially off the edge of the screen for devices with a selfie camera. | @OpenSauce04 #2465
  • Users affected by the aforementioned issue should reset their on-screen controller overlay layout using the side menu after updating. The issue will then be fixed.
• Fixed a regression where, when the "Expand to Cutout Area" setting was enabled, any touchscreen inputs to the virtual 3DS screen would be either horizontally or vertically offset for devices with a selfie camera. | @OpenSauce04 #2469
• Slightly adjusted the positioning of the face buttons in the default portrait layout for the on-screen controller overlay for better ergonomics. | @OpenSauce04 #2468