Anbernic 3DS emulator fight: Azahar drops support for the RG DDS

Azahar still works on Anbernic hardware. Nothing has been switched off, and you can install and use the official emulator on an RG DDS or any other Anbernic handheld. What’s gone is official support: if the emulator misbehaves on an Anbernic device, the project’s volunteers won’t help you fix it.

For a single-purpose gadget like this, that matters more than it sounds. Emulators need constant tuning for specific chips and screens, and dual-screen handhelds are a tricky case. Without the core team’s attention, bugs specific to Anbernic hardware may sit unfixed for longer.

The fight is over a fork, a copy of an open-source project that someone else takes in a new direction. Anbernic’s promotional videos show the RG DDS running 3DS games on AzaharPlus, an unofficial version that isn’t part of the Azahar project.

The two differ in an important way. Official Azahar was built so it doesn’t get around Nintendo’s encryption itself. You have to supply game files that have already been decrypted, usually by dumping them from your own 3DS with a homebrew tool called GodMode9. That keeps the official project at arm’s length from piracy, but it’s slow, and dumping a big library can take days.

AzaharPlus skips much of that hassle. It has a decryptor built in, accepts files that work with older versions of Citra (the 3DS emulator Azahar descends from), and can download system files from Nintendo’s own servers. Convenient, yes, but it also makes it far easier to play games you never owned.

The Azahar developers have a second complaint. AzaharPlus kept the Azahar name and uses a similar logo, so many people can’t tell the two apart. Azahar developer PabloMK7 tried to get the fork’s maintainer to rename and rebrand it, but that request was reportedly refused. Another emulation app, Cocoon, had already said it would work only with official Azahar.

This isn’t Anbernic’s only headache this month. The Entertainment Software Association, the US trade group representing Nintendo, Microsoft, PlayStation, EA, Ubisoft and others, asked the US Trade Representative to put Anbernic on its list of Notorious Markets for piracy and counterfeiting.

The group says Anbernic devices are routinely sold with memory cards preloaded with hundreds or even thousands of unauthorized games, and it labels the devices superfakes. Anbernic itself doesn’t seem to bundle those cards when selling from its own website; third-party sellers often do. Landing on that list carries no direct penalty, but it could lead to a trade investigation and, eventually, import restrictions on the hardware.

Showing off a 3DS handheld with a fork that decrypts games for you was never going to calm those critics.

It also puts the volunteer emulator scene in a tough spot. Projects like Azahar survive by keeping a clear line between preserving games people own and helping people copy games they don’t. When a hardware maker with retail reach blurs that line in its own adverts, the open-source team is the one that risks attention from game publishers’ lawyers. Cutting off support is the strongest public signal a small volunteer project can send without breaking the software for ordinary users who did nothing wrong.

Here’s what Anbernic is selling:

• 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage: $299.99, or $284.99 with the preorder discount.
• 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage: $364.99, or $349.99 with the discount.
• Two 60Hz IPS screens, a retractable stylus, and colors called Glacier White, Basalt Black and Phantom Blue.
• Shipping is set to start gradually on December 10, 2026.

Its closest rival, the Retroid Pocket Duo, costs $269 with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage and uses 120Hz OLED screens. The Anbernic has the stronger processor and the built-in stylus.

Your preorder still gets you a working 3DS player. The question is support and peace of mind. A few practical steps:

1. Download Azahar only from the official project, not from links in promo videos or app mirrors, so you know which version you’re running.
2. Dump games from a 3DS you own, the route the official Azahar project is built around. Grabbing game files you never bought is exactly what the industry is complaining about.
3. Expect to rely on community forums, not the Azahar team, if something breaks on Anbernic hardware.
4. If official support matters to you, compare the Retroid Pocket Duo before the RG DDS ships.