Most of us probably agree that new homebrew releases are important to keep hacking scenes going but I think that homebrew updates are equally important as they’re what make many pieces of homebrew feel polished! This time, the Vita scene got a lot of important homebrew updates with new versions of mGBA, EDuke32 and DaedalusX64 (PSP) that bring along many bug fixes and features!

EDuke32 updated to version 1.5.1 with mod support

If you’re thinking “Doesn’t the PSVita already have a native Duke Nukem 3D port?”, you’d be right since it does.

Did you get tired of Duke Nukem and want to play Duke 3D as Doomguy? Well, you can with the Doom Weapons Mod! (Mod works on the Vita but I couldn’t get the HUD to show up so screenshot was taken on a PC)

However, Duke Nukem 3D Megaton Edition was taken off the PSN store over 2 years ago and it doesn’t have nearly enough features as Rinnegatamante’s EDuke32 port especially with the latest update.

EDuke32 1.5/1.5.1 for the Vita brings about:

• Mod support which is one of the main selling points of EDuke32!
• An update to a more recent version of EDuke32 (r6862)
• Higher quality sprite rendering and fix for graphical glitches like mirrors not working as intended
• Support for add-ons like “Nuclear Winter” and “Duke It Out in D.C” which are great if you’re a Duke die-hard!
• Many other improvements like an increase in available RAM, bilinear filtering to the final rendered framebuffer and more more!
• The above are all features brought by version 1.5. Version 1.5.1 brings about a bug fix regarding memory allocation, a fix for a crash relating to autoload and the ability to give savegames a name.

To grab the latest version of EDuke32, you can download it via VHBB or by following this link to its VitaDB page. You need original Duke Nukem 3D files to play the full version but you may obtain the demo files for free.

mGBA 0.7.1 released with a fix for the Vita save bug

mGBA is a GameBoy Advance (and Colour/Original) emulator that aims to deliver accurate emulation while performing well on lower-end devices.

mGBA on the PSVita in action emulating TLZ: The Minish Cap

This emulator is available on multiple hacked platforms, like the Switch, 3DS and Wii, and PCs but the folks behind it still manage to keep the same codebase for all the available versions so all supported platforms get the latest goodies!

As this emulator is still actively in development, it regularly receives updates and the latest one is version 0.7.1 which brings along:

• A fix for the Vita port in which save files weren’t flushed to disk if mGBA crashes or closes unexpectedly.
  • This could cause save files not to be updated with the latest save data and progress to be lost
• Freezes in the menu on the 3DS and bugs relating to opening the application and gyroscope orientation on the Switch were fixed
• Internal core improvements relating to memory, DMA and video were made to increase accuracy
• Other minor features and bug fixes such as an updated Italian translation and a fix for the window icon when using X11

To grab the latest version of mGBA, check out this link and download the appropriate version for the platform of your choice.

DaedalusX64 1.1.6 with better audio emulation

If you want to play some Mario Kart 64 on your PSP/PSVita, Daedalus has you covered and for better performance, you should try this updated build as it could provide boosts which make the gameplay much better!

DaedalusX64 is the only working Nintendo 64 emulator for the PSP and PSVita and it can emulate some titles like Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 quite well. However, it’s still quite far from being a perfect emulator but thankfully, some people like z2442, TheMrIron2 and wally4000 seem to have taken an interest in making it better.

Through their efforts, many updated builds have been released and the most recent one is 1.1.6, which was released a few days ago and it brings along:

• Improvements to the job manager which improved the performance of the audio emulation routine and made it more stable
• An update to the toolchain being used to compile the emulator which has unexpectedly brought about performance improvements
• Faster memory copying routine
• Work is also being done on a PC (Linux) port of Daedalus which may make it easier for debugging and improving the performance of the PSP version

In order to get this updated version of Daedalus, click on this link and grab the ZIP file linked in it. If you’re using a PSVita, this must be run via Adrenaline as there isn’t a native port of Daedalus yet.

Conclusion

Without a doubt, these releases have a good deal of tinkering potential so when you have time, put your messing-around hats on and go test some mods in EDuke32 and Nintendo 64 ROMs in DaedalusX64 😉 You may also donate to the people behind these pieces of great homebrew through the links below.

mGBA’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mgba

Rinnegatamante’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Rinnegatamante