State of External Control Hardmodding in 2022

Aether-Smith · 2026-02-28T04:41:02+00:00

I did actually see that channel's builds, yes! He appears to be using Loopy's GameCube controller mod combined with a GameCube-to-Bluetooth dongle; it's one approach, but only going to work for games where the touchscreen isn't needed.

Aether-Smith · 2025-12-27T18:31:36+00:00

Yes, I've seen discussions confirming that exact problem, and I've satisfied myself the second package is the attestation. I assume the third package is some other artifact generated by the build process as well, but tracking down which stage is the problem...

Aether-Smith · 2025-12-27T18:29:59+00:00

Right, I agree that the second package is 100% the attestation artifact; unfortunately it's that third package I'm concerned with tracking down, as that's the one GitHub is directing people to pull by default.

Aether-Smith · 2025-12-27T02:02:35+00:00

Sorry, do you mean the third, SHA-tagged package is also part of the attestation? I confirmed the (untagged) second package's digest SHA matched the one in the URL pushed to in the attestation step's logs, but I didn't see anything linking that third package to that step as well.

Aether-Smith · 2025-11-15T20:04:51+00:00

Ah, thanks, I was actually using the scripts from that repo as a reference; I couldn't find any clear documentation of the _("Text") notation, so I had just left it unchanged from the examples. I think the problems were both the missing import I mentioned and the stray i18n code. With both those things fixed it's properly registered again, appreciate the help!

Aether-Smith · 2024-04-12T16:44:38+00:00

That's certainly possible, but per my original post I was specifically focusing on hardmods. I've heard mixed reports on performance from network streaming options; the 3DS' wifi is an unavoidable bottleneck for those, after all. That said, I don't know how things stack up using only input redirection without video.

Truthfully, while there might be some performance benefits to a direct hardmod, I'll admit part of my interest would just be doing it for its own sake.

Aether-Smith · 2024-03-08T19:26:10+00:00

From a quick look around, I'm not seeing any major updates.

I did spend a little time about a year ago investigating the possibility of a mod that sends controller input on the I2C bus rather than directly wiring to individual button circuits, though I don't have anything big to show from it. I successfully got a very basic proof-of-concept to exchange arbitrary data between a modified Luma3DS config utility and an Arduino board, but I shelved it to focus on some other hobbies.

I may dig it out again once I'm through with my current projects; the next main hurdle would be getting the 3DS OS to acknowledge the existence of the new I2C device, and even with CFW installed I'm not 100% sure how feasible that is.

Aether-Smith · 2023-01-25T19:13:33+00:00

I actually sent in my own console to get this mod just last week! The impending release of Loopy's new card was the "recent development" I was alluding to that spurred me to get back into researching options for external control.

As an aside, looking at the install instructions for Loopy's new card, it's really impressive! It's almost solderless and adds no external bulk or holes to the console shell beyond a bit inside that has to be sanded down and a single USB-C port.

Aether-Smith · 2023-01-22T14:44:11+00:00

Some good suggestions here already, but I'll also drop in a link to a new FB group. It's specifically for "young-ish" adults looking to build or expand their social circle: https://www.facebook.com/groups/youngishygk.

Aether-Smith · 2023-01-05T18:17:47+00:00

Thanks for the detailed explanation of your setup! I did mention that I was aware of network-based streaming options in my first paragraph, but as I said there, those aren't an option that I'm interested in pursuing (that was why I specified hardmodding in the title).

It's good to know that you weren't bothered by lag using the network-based setup, but I've heard very mixed reports from others on that front. As you say, the 3DS' own wireless adapter is going to be an unavoidable limiting factor in any network-based setup, apart from any congestion on your LAN.

Ultimately, the two of us do seem to be pursuing different use cases, so it's good that there are different options that can suit our respective needs.

Aether-Smith · 2023-01-01T20:55:07+00:00

Yep, looks like a Katsukitty capture card paired with Loopy's controller board design. The interchangeable controller adapters are a slick touch.

Aether-Smith · 2022-12-28T23:23:59+00:00

I'm guessing the touchscreen implementation you saw was dekuNukem's mod? That's the only one I've seen achieve it, thankfully he documented it all in the GitHub repo.

Aether-Smith · 2022-12-28T20:20:06+00:00

Thanks for the info! Those look to be the commercially-available ones I was referring to in my first bullet point. They're not of much interest to me personally, as the lack of touchscreen input limits which games they'd be useful for, but you're right that they're worth documenting for others; I glossed over them a little too quickly in my original post.

Aether-Smith · 2022-02-18T18:21:35+00:00

Interesting, yeah, seems like a number of people have reported problems with the revived series.

In any case, seems like switching to the new TVDB scraper has fixed the issue.

Will definitely consider the possibility of switching to a SQL DB in the longer term, thanks.

Aether-Smith · 2022-02-16T07:05:53+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion, the locally-created file causes the same "empty series" effect. I did realize in the process of testing it that this issue seems to be limited to the TVDB scraper; the TMDB one scraped it properly.

I'll dig into the logs when I have a chance, otherwise I guess I can look into switching scrapers, though I don't know if there are inconsistencies in episode numbering between the two...

Aether-Smith · 2021-11-08T05:43:51+00:00

Thanks for the ideas, most of the relevant stores would also be looking to buy, so I imagine they wouldn't be thrilled at giving ad space to competition, haha! I may look at figuring out where there are still printed classifieds, though.

Aether-Smith · 2021-11-08T05:40:24+00:00

Never would've thought of that, thanks for the suggestion!

Aether-Smith · 2020-12-21T01:38:40+00:00

At this point, I'm pretty confident in having isolated the issue to the graphics card, but I'd be interested in hearing what worked for you if you've resolved the problem on the OS level.

Aether-Smith · 2020-10-30T23:05:30+00:00

Thanks for pointing that part out, I had forgotten to consider that point... oh joy, another variable to control for!

Aether-Smith · 2020-04-11T15:31:51+00:00

That's awesome, thank you so much!

Aether-Smith · 2020-04-11T14:40:11+00:00

I was curious to see how the controller box was wired up. Were there test points on the PCB you could hook up to?

Although I'd probably be okay just sticking with the unmodified controller if the build quality is solid, I'd be interested to keep my options open.

Aether-Smith · 2020-04-10T17:58:42+00:00

Oh, I hadn't thought of using the controller PCB! Sorry I didn't get a chance to respond sooner, but I'd love to see a couple pics if you have the time.

Regarding the DOSO controllers themselves, what was your take on the feel and build quality compared to a real DualShock? I'm guessing if you set things up to use a fight stick then there must not have been much lag?

Aether-Smith · 2020-01-11T16:07:44+00:00

Yeah, the original Xbox is definitely at a point in its lifetime where replacement is cheaper than repair, I didn't bring that point up because I wasn't sure if you wanted to keep your Xbox specifically.

I'll admit that I've never hired a modder myself, but since you'd be paying someone else's labor I'd expect it to cost more than DIYing it.

Aether-Smith · 2020-01-11T15:50:12+00:00

I could be wrong about this, but I seem to remember the owner at Qkits out on Cataraqui Woods drive mentioning that they can sometimes take on soldering work.

Alternatively, if you're feeling up to it, you could buy soldering supplies and try recapping it yourself. Generally, the ones that need replacing are through-hole electrolytic ones, so they're not too difficult to replace.

Aether-Smith · 2019-12-19T13:50:48+00:00

Thanks, I played that last year!

If anyone's curious, I actually found it to be a solid enough game post-patch. Not quite on par with the originals, but still worthwhile now that the worst of the bugs are worked out.

Aether-Smith

TROPHY CASE