3DS Capture Device [First post updated with new forum link]

YamiHoshi.nl

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YamiHoshi.nl: 2011-05-19 04:23:25 am

2011-05-19 04:22:57 am

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Yes, the USB port is for use on a PC, and the 2 HDMI ports are for use on 2 TV's.
He's planning to make us able to use 2 screens on 1 TV, and he wants to make 3D to work on 3D TV's, but he isn't sure that he can make it, or not.

Greenalink

2011-05-19 09:56:48 am

DS Dictator

A small comparision to see what it looks like with/without the add on.

Yamihoshi.nl: Has Neal done any tests on his current (incomplete) project to see if it is at least working so far?

I guess it needs a special back lid to 'fit in' because of the added HDMI and mini USB slots (like those GBA original's GBA to TV Adapter / Converter)?

Attachment:

3DS Add on board.bmp

YamiHoshi.nl

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YamiHoshi.nl: 2011-05-21 12:48:18 am

2011-05-21 12:48:09 am

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I don't think the lid will be added at all.
I don't know if he either tested it or not, but I planned to speak him at the end of June, which makes it exactly 2 months after the last conversation, giving him time to do a lot more.

Sir VG

2011-05-21 12:51:32 am

Fucking Weeaboo

That would be weird. Hopefully with the back exposed your hands won't get too hot holding the unit.

YamiHoshi.nl

2011-05-21 12:55:05 am

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Again, that design is just a very early design, and yet very difficult to install it yourself.
He's looking for a way to make it a lot easier to install, but that could take up a couple of months.

YamiHoshi.nl

2011-05-24 11:01:41 am

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Neal has send me a small update on the hardware:

Greenalink

2011-05-24 11:33:33 am

DS Dictator

Looks very different to the last one, it makes me wonder what are those 6 pins are going to be connected to *thinking face*.

YamiHoshi.nl

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YamiHoshi.nl: 2011-05-24 12:04:32 pm

2011-05-24 12:01:48 pm

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Looks like he removed that picture, and I didn't save it.
Those 6 pins are for programming and debugging, but they will be removed on the final product.

Edit:
Found the photo again, but since he moved it elsewhere, I won't reveal the link to be sure.
He actually renamed the file, but it's easy to find.

Andrew_Mills

2011-05-29 05:08:17 am

AlphaStrategyGui des.com

So where does everyone stand on DS/DSI/3DS video capture then? It IS possible to buy the IS-Nitro from 'certain places' on the interwebs (for a substantial amount of cash), but obviously an HDMI enabled capture device would be super beneficial to me as a guide producer.

thieves like us

Edit history:

thieves like us: 2011-05-31 08:30:18 am

thieves like us: 2011-05-31 08:29:57 am

2011-05-31 08:27:29 am

Andrew_Mills:
good luck with that. when I was in the "biz" (for 10+ years), I tried like hell to get one but failed miserably (and I personally knew a lot of people that had "pull"). nintendo keeps its 3rd party developers accountable for just about every purchase from warioworld.com, so even trying to get someone that you know personally to get you one is probably a "no go".

as far as getting one from the interweb, your only chance is for one to pop up on ebay (and that's only if the auction makes it to the end) or some of the other more exclusive forum sites from a development house that has shut down where someone managed to make off with the dev hardware (nintendo usually asks for it back).

edit:
the IS-nitro isn't produced any more. the TWL-capture is also probably discontinued as well since there was a listing for a 3DS capture device being made available soon through warioworld.com

Andrew_Mills

2011-05-31 01:22:17 pm

AlphaStrategyGui des.com

Thanks for the e-mail thieves like us, I've seen several official DS capture kits (both with and without the wireless card) on sale on a specific site that specialises in such 'sales' (it's where I got my PS3 and 360 Dev Kits in fact). But I don't have the £600 required to get one in decent condition. They don't pop up often for sale, but I've certainly stumbled upon a few (privately and publicly) in the last year or so...

YamiHoshi.nl

2011-06-08 10:09:44 pm

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My Capture Device is now shielded against dust:
http://www.dshack.org/forum/index.php?/topic/432-capture-device-is-now-a-capture-box/

And at the same time, it now looks more like a IS-NITRO-CAPTURE (Nintendo's own capture device for Nintendo DS).

loopy

2011-06-09 03:21:48 pm

I'm the one working on the 3DS project YamiHoshi.nl is talking about. So far, I've tried to avoid attention until it's closer to being finished. There's still a lot of work to do, and I don't want to build hype too early in case sh*t happens and it doesn't get finished for some reason.

That said, I'm poking my head out now to gauge what features, etc. people are interested in so I know what to focus on. If you have anything to say along those lines, I'm listening.

Andrew_Mills

2011-06-09 03:41:24 pm

AlphaStrategyGui des.com

I'd - pay - for a compact(ish) device that allows dual screen capture over HDMI (480p) in realtime with zero input lag and still works over wifi. Basically any device that nearly does what the official Nitro-Capture kit can do but without the cost of paying £600+ for one. And if some-one can do that for the 3DS, then I'll happily pay more.

Sir VG

2011-06-09 03:49:48 pm

Fucking Weeaboo

Here's my thoughts on a DS Capture Device:

1. Having a way to record in HD for superior quality is nice. HDMI makes things very simple for people going this route.
2. That being said, not everybody has an HD recording method, so having an S-Video method (or composite, but S-Video is superior) is important too, I think.
3. Bonus: Being able to record in a screen format like this would be fantastic, but that's at the bottom of the priority list. At the very least, maybe a switch to turn on/off the space gap in the video output for games that use it (like Contra 4).
4. Having a way to plug in an external controller via a USB type method (so it's removable and swappable) would be awesome. Some games on the DS include really crappy controller schemes. I'm not sure how easy it would be to do that though, unless it's designed with a specific controller/adapter in mind. Going with the Wii Classic Controller (Pro) or DualShock 2 would be best for this.

Here's my thoughts on a DS Capture Device:

1. Having a way to record in HD for superior quality is nice.  HDMI makes things very simple for people going this route.
2. That being said, not everybody has an HD recording method, so having an S-Video method (or composite, but S-Video is superior) is important too, I think.
3. Bonus: Being able to record in a screen format like [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0_GIuWHnyQ]this[/url] would be fantastic, but that's at the bottom of the priority list.  At the very least, maybe a switch to turn on/off the space gap in the video output for games that use it (like Contra 4).
4. Having a way to plug in an external controller via a USB type method (so it's removable and swappable) would be awesome.  Some games on the DS include really crappy controller schemes.  I'm not sure how easy it would be to do that though, unless it's designed with a specific controller/adapter in mind.  Going with the Wii Classic Controller (Pro) or DualShock 2 would be best for this.

Greenalink

Edit history:

Greenalink: 2011-06-09 04:18:44 pm

2011-06-09 04:18:30 pm

DS Dictator

I'm still behind in terms of HD equipment that I can only use composite cables at the moment by using a HDD DVD recorder. I've got enough money to either buy a New HD TV + Capture card &/or a new ~£600 PC unit (for USB capture) but I'm not too good at finding the right ones, especially when you find out a few months later that it gets obsoleted very quickly by a newer PC or a better capture card.

Most of the speed runs I wanted to do involves good amounts of Touch screen usage.
Example:

Code:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUWm0TbhnB0

With the eShop update on the 3DS, there is a Easter Egg that enables players to add on GB borders. I'm mentioning this because the Gameboy runs on here are done with either the Gameboy Player or Super Gameboy (on Super Nintendo) shows borders, it's concrete proof that the run is not done on a emulator.

Most of the rare games you find online like Shantae on Game Boy Color had sky high prices, luckily with the eShop and the possible 3DS Add on, it's pretty much the most reliable alternate of speedrunning games that were too pricey to buy the physical copy online.

I'm still behind in terms of HD equipment that I can only use composite cables at the moment by using a HDD DVD recorder. I've got enough money to either buy a New HD TV + Capture card &/or a new ~£600 PC unit (for USB capture) but I'm not too good at finding the right ones, especially when you find out a few months later that it gets obsoleted very quickly by a newer PC or a better capture card.

Most of the speed runs I wanted to do involves good amounts of Touch screen usage.
Example: 
[code]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUWm0TbhnB0[/code]

With the eShop update on the 3DS, there is a Easter Egg that enables players to add on GB borders. I'm mentioning this because the Gameboy runs on here are done with either the Gameboy Player or Super Gameboy (on Super Nintendo) shows borders, it's concrete proof that the run is not done on a emulator.

Most of the rare games you find online like Shantae on Game Boy Color had sky high prices, luckily with the eShop and the possible 3DS Add on, it's pretty much the most reliable alternate of speedrunning games that were too pricey to buy the physical copy online.

Mr. K

2011-06-14 07:01:35 pm

Yes

My thoughts:
1. I'd prefer being able to capture both screens over a single line, IE one hdmi cable that has video from both screens as opposed to an hdmi cable for the top screen and one for the bottom
2. I have the ability to capture everything between composite to hdmi so whichever method you choose makes no difference to me.
3. I would love to use an external controller and I would be willing to pay more for it, though I don't know if this is possible. I'd vote for a wii classic controller.
4. I would be willing to throw down $400-$500 for such a device.
5. Removing the gap between screens would be nice, but it's something that could be removed with post production video editing and so that's pretty low on my priority list. I actually play Contra 4 and I got used to the gap.

Aftermath

2011-06-14 10:04:49 pm

Quits halfway

HDMI works for me. A switch for the gap would be nice, otherwise I'd say just go without a gap.

A steady framerate, whether 30 or 60, is the only other important thing to me.

YamiHoshi.nl

2011-06-14 10:50:21 pm

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I don't think a lot has to be added, to be honest.
I mean, we won't need full debugging features, to just make video's or screenshots.

Also people, the less stuff you'd like to have, the sooner this can be released.

UchihaSasuke

2011-06-14 11:44:44 pm

Stand: Devil's Call in your Heart

controller support seems like too much extra work.
that could be something useful for a v2 later down the line after the first version is out.

YamiHoshi.nl

Edit history:

YamiHoshi.nl: 2011-06-15 07:33:47 am

2011-06-15 07:31:10 am

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It just shot to my mind, maybe sound support would be nice, as I won't need to use my Line-In cable anymore., but I think that would be even more solder work.
Also, drivers and software for Mac OS X would be great too (if you can make them).

loopy

Edit history:

loopy: 2011-06-15 10:27:36 am

2011-06-15 09:59:33 am

Thanks for the feedback.

What I have planned:

3DS video+audio capture over USB. Single and dual HDMI output (or DVI with an adapter). Combined on one screen, or each LCD with its own output. Upgrade capability over USB.

I'm a little surprised at requests for s-video / composite output. I know not many people have HDMI recording equipment, but USB should cover that (as long as a steady frame rate is achievable). My original intent was to use USB for recording and HDMI could be used for an external display.

Screen formatting: Gap size, etc is trivial to change so I'm not concerned about that. It would make sense to have those things configurable. I'd like to experiment with other formats (like that 3-way screen Sir VG linked to) but I'll save that for later.

OSX support: I have no experience here, so it would come later (if at all), unless I find some help.

External controls: Still undecided on this. Probably going to save that for later. It wouldn't be too hard to have a connected PC send down controls (for button inputs, anyway. Analog stick is trickier to do).

Thanks for the feedback.

What I have planned:

3DS video+audio capture over USB.  Single and dual HDMI output (or DVI with an adapter).  Combined on one screen, or each LCD with its own output. Upgrade capability over USB.

I'm a little surprised at requests for s-video / composite output.  I know not many people have HDMI recording equipment, but USB should cover that (as long as a steady frame rate is achievable). My original intent was to use USB for recording and HDMI could be used for an external display.

Screen formatting: Gap size, etc is trivial to change so I'm not concerned about that. It would make sense to have those things configurable. I'd like to experiment with other formats (like that 3-way screen Sir VG linked to) but I'll save that for later.

OSX support: I have no experience here, so it would come later (if at all), unless I find some help.

External controls: Still undecided on this. Probably going to save that for later. It wouldn't be too hard to have a connected PC send down controls (for button inputs, anyway.  Analog stick is trickier to do).

YamiHoshi.nl

2011-06-15 10:52:20 am

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I only have a DVD Recorder with SCART (and the 3 separated cables) support, but USB is just fine (and eventually, it's digital, not analog).
I'd keep the HDMI support on it too, as it's very handy for presentations and demonstrations on a 3DS screen, without showing someone the handheld.

Sir VG

Edit history:

Sir VG: 2011-06-15 11:14:09 am

Sir VG: 2011-06-15 11:11:44 am

Sir VG: 2011-06-15 11:11:18 am

Sir VG: 2011-06-15 11:07:06 am

2011-06-15 11:04:21 am

Fucking Weeaboo

I think the main reason people want S-Video/composite is simplicity. It's a good fallback, since some people have computers that either can't handle it, or often times desync when doing digital capture, whereas you won't have that type of failure when recording with a DVD recorder. Though if I can help find a cable adapter out there generally like what I have for my capture card (which basically amounts to a S-Video/composite/component to HDMI adapter), then there'll be no need for other connections. Whether something like that exists and works the way it would need to, I'll have to see.

Well, something like this but not so expensive, of course.

~~Ha, found something cheaper. Found this online for $65.99 w/ free shipping, save some money if you buy them in pairs. Will keep hunting for cheaper stuff.~~

Under $50 for a converter box on eBay. Free shipping Same product as the item above (that I striked out).

I think the main reason people want S-Video/composite is simplicity.  It's a good fallback, since some people have computers that either can't handle it, or often times desync when doing digital capture, whereas you won't have that type of failure when recording with a DVD recorder.  Though if I can help find a cable adapter out there generally like what I have for my capture card (which basically amounts to a S-Video/composite/component to HDMI adapter), then there'll be no need for other connections.  Whether something like that exists and works the way it would need to, I'll have to see.

Well, something like [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882804147&cm_re=hdmi_to_s-video-_-82-804-147-_-Product]this[/url] but not so expensive, of course.

[s]Ha, found something cheaper.  [url=http://www.meritline.com/hdmi-composite-s-video-converter---p-58899.aspx?source=nextaghdac]Found this online for $65.99 w/ free shipping, save some money if you buy them in pairs.[/url]  Will keep hunting for cheaper stuff.[/s]

[url=http://cgi.ebay.com/HDMI-to-S-video-Audio-Video-Converter-Cable-for-PS3_W0QQitemZ190487437037QQcategoryZ149974QQvarZQQcmdZViewItem#vi-content]Under $50 for a converter box on eBay.  Free shipping[/url]  Same product as the item above (that I striked out).

YamiHoshi.nl

2011-06-15 11:14:14 am

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It looks like they both ship very slowly, and I think the first one will not ship at all, as I live in Europe.