Artic Base 3DS

Artic Base
General
Author	PabloMK7
Type	3DS Streaming
Version	1.2.0
License	Mixed
Last Updated	2024/07/17
Links
Download
Website
Source

Artic Base is a Luma3DS 3GX plugin that uses the Artic Base protocol to stream your Nintendo 3DS game collection to a compatible emulator, such as PabloMK7/citra, without requiring game dumps. It works by forwarding the filesystem requests from the emulator to the console. The tool also syncs the save data, so you can resume your progress at any time from the console.

Note: Artic Base Server was released very recently and may have unexpected bugs. Please back up the save file of the game you want to broadcast just in case.

Features​

• Play games from your console without having to dump them.
• Sync the savedata/extdata of the broadcasted game during the play session.
• Load shared ext data and NCCH archives from your console.
• Remove the need to dump AES keys, as the decryption is done by the console's OS.

User guide

Advantages over playing on real console​

• Play your games at higher resolutions.
• Use external controllers that may better fit your playstyle.
• Switch between playing on your PC at home and your console on the go.
• Reduce e-waste by reusing partially broken consoles to broadcast your games to your PC.
• Allow museums or non-profit game preservation organizations to have a centralised database of preserved games, while using an Artic Base Server + a compatible emulator to do research as needed.

Disadvantages over game dumps

• Slower loading times, ranging from 2x to 5x depending on how much data is needed by the game. Thanks to the use of a cache in memory, loading times get better if game resources that were already loaded are requested again.
• Constant and stable connection is needed with the console running the server so that it's able to provide the game resources on demand.

How to use

• Download the .cia or .3dsx file from the releases page and install it.
• Run the Artic Base Server application. Press A to confirm you want to start Artic Base.
• Select the application you want to broadcast from the Home Menu.
• On a compatible emulator, select the Artic Base option and enter the IP address displayed on your console.

Note: A recent version of Luma3DS (v13.1.1 or newer) is requires to use Artic Base Server.

Screenshots

Artic Base Server

Media

3DS Emulation - Artic Base Demo (Shovel Knight) (PabloMK7)

Changelog

v1.2.0 2024/07/17

• Added Artic Controller support, which allows using the console as the input device if the feature is enabled on the emulator.
  • The following inputs are supported:
    • Buttons & circle pad
    • Touch screen
    • Gyroscope and accelerometer
    • New 3DS extra buttons
  • The following inputs are not supported:
    • Circle pad pro (on New 3DS, this is emulated with the extra buttons)

v1.1.0 2024/07/10

• Added support for DLC.
• Added support for SystemSaveData.
• Send the console ID to the emulator for games that check it against a saved value.

v1.0.1 2024/05/13

• Fixed a bug that would make extended memory games not work if no plugins had been used previously.

v1.0.0 2024/05/13

• First release.

External links

• Artic Base Server (3DS application) - https://github.com/PabloMK7/ArticBaseServer
• PabloMK7's Citra fork with Artic Base support - https://github.com/PabloMK7/citra
• GBAtemp - https://gbatemp.net/threads/articbase-a-tool-to-broadcast-your-3ds-games-to-an-emulator-has-been-released.655767/