HUELEN10
Member
I know a lot of you were excited at SNES developments on homebrew 3DS emulators since it worked so well... and in my eyes, this is as exciting, or moreso. So if you've been reading any my posts lately, I (like many of you) have fallen head-over-heels for Apple's new handset. It's small, fast, and beautiful (and MINE ❤️
, but more than that, it's THE best way to play GBA games (possibly not just on the go, but period), and I want to explain why.
SPEED
The A9 in the SE is the same one used in the 6S. It's also driving a smaller display (at the same 326 PPI pixel density mind you) at a 1136 x 640 resolution. What does this mean?It's fast, and in some cases, actually scores higher benchmark results than the 6S making this not just Apple's newest phone, but its fastest!
DISPLAY
Let's get this out of the way: NO Nintendo-made GBA solution doesn't compromise. Original wasn't backlit, the SP washes things out, the SP2 has a shitty refresh rate, and the Micro is great, best screen on a GBA, but small. at 3 inches or less, we can admit it it: compared to today's displays, these suck. Now, the iPhone SE has an amazing 1136 x 640 IPS PANEL which looks absolutely amazing. Not only that, but it is 4 inches, so everything looks nice; big, but not too big.
Now it's these 2 combined that makes the magic happen. The iPhone 5, and 5S had similar screens... but they are nowhere near as powerful to run emulation well enough. Hell even on an iPhone 6 (something with better hardware than these listed), GBA games can hiccup. On the other hand, playing GBA games on a 6S is a better experience because the hardware has the power to run things well... but things don't LOOK well. With its 1334 × 750 display, the numbers just don't work with the scaling...
BUT THE SE NAILS IT!
It has the power to run the best GBA emulator on the platform (the latest GBA4iOS of course, provenance is still lacking in this department) with 0 frameskip and great sound (yes, you CAN play Rhythm Tengoku on this thing, I've tried) and it looks PERFECT.
and by perfect, I mean perfect, take a look for yourself.
GBA's resolution was 240×160, and the iPhone SE has a 1136 x 640 display. Multiply the GBA's res by 4 and you get 960 x 640; every GBA pixel is represented EXACTLY by 4x4 on the iPhone SE, backed by the power to actually run the emulator well (kinda like how 3DS is perfect for SNES because of how low res the screen is). Over the past few days I've been floored with the GBA performance of this phone. Now, GBA4iOS does have some nice haptic control options and on-screen buttons, but if you REALLY wanna play, you'll need some sort of MFi controller. The Nimbus is regarded as the best MFi pad out there, but unless yo get a clip or mod it, it will be great, but bulky. Fortunately, THIS exists (and it's under 10 bucks on Amazon)!
So yeah, perfect resolution scaling GBA-wise plus the power to run the emulator means that the SE is a killer GBA machine, and when you compare it to other options... there's little comparison on the screen/performance front. If you have the choice, I think this is a legitimate option to consider.
, but more than that, it's THE best way to play GBA games (possibly not just on the go, but period), and I want to explain why.SPEED
The A9 in the SE is the same one used in the 6S. It's also driving a smaller display (at the same 326 PPI pixel density mind you) at a 1136 x 640 resolution. What does this mean?It's fast, and in some cases, actually scores higher benchmark results than the 6S making this not just Apple's newest phone, but its fastest!
DISPLAY
Let's get this out of the way: NO Nintendo-made GBA solution doesn't compromise. Original wasn't backlit, the SP washes things out, the SP2 has a shitty refresh rate, and the Micro is great, best screen on a GBA, but small. at 3 inches or less, we can admit it it: compared to today's displays, these suck. Now, the iPhone SE has an amazing 1136 x 640 IPS PANEL which looks absolutely amazing. Not only that, but it is 4 inches, so everything looks nice; big, but not too big.
Now it's these 2 combined that makes the magic happen. The iPhone 5, and 5S had similar screens... but they are nowhere near as powerful to run emulation well enough. Hell even on an iPhone 6 (something with better hardware than these listed), GBA games can hiccup. On the other hand, playing GBA games on a 6S is a better experience because the hardware has the power to run things well... but things don't LOOK well. With its 1334 × 750 display, the numbers just don't work with the scaling...
BUT THE SE NAILS IT!
It has the power to run the best GBA emulator on the platform (the latest GBA4iOS of course, provenance is still lacking in this department) with 0 frameskip and great sound (yes, you CAN play Rhythm Tengoku on this thing, I've tried) and it looks PERFECT.
and by perfect, I mean perfect, take a look for yourself.
GBA's resolution was 240×160, and the iPhone SE has a 1136 x 640 display. Multiply the GBA's res by 4 and you get 960 x 640; every GBA pixel is represented EXACTLY by 4x4 on the iPhone SE, backed by the power to actually run the emulator well (kinda like how 3DS is perfect for SNES because of how low res the screen is). Over the past few days I've been floored with the GBA performance of this phone. Now, GBA4iOS does have some nice haptic control options and on-screen buttons, but if you REALLY wanna play, you'll need some sort of MFi controller. The Nimbus is regarded as the best MFi pad out there, but unless yo get a clip or mod it, it will be great, but bulky. Fortunately, THIS exists (and it's under 10 bucks on Amazon)!
Consensus is it's great for games that only rely on the D-pad and not sticks... so it's pretty much perfect for making yourself a 4-inch IPS GBA.
So yeah, perfect resolution scaling GBA-wise plus the power to run the emulator means that the SE is a killer GBA machine, and when you compare it to other options... there's little comparison on the screen/performance front. If you have the choice, I think this is a legitimate option to consider.
