3Beans vs CitraVR

3Beans is a low-level Nintendo 3DS emulator that runs the system OS as if it were on physical hardware. It can start the Home Menu and launch some games, but the maker describes it as an early project with unresolved issues. Graphics can use software or hardware GPU rendering; the CPUs remain fully interpreted. Running it requires boot9.bin, boot11.bin, and nand.bin dumped from a physical 3DS with homebrew access. Games must be encrypted cartridge dumps, though 3Beans can also boot without a cartridge or let users choose one from the File menu. An optional sd.img can be any FAT-formatted image file and acts as an SD card. Controls are viewable and adjustable in Settings. The project is free and open source under GPL-3.0. Android and iOS appear in its platform list, while the maker provides Windows, macOS, and Linux builds through the releases page, where latest builds are supplied through GitHub Actions. The maker welcomes testing, issue reports, and feedback, but says pull requests will not be reviewed or accepted.

CitraVR is a free Quest app for playing 3DS homebrew and personal game backups in 3D. It supports stereoscopic rendering, mixed reality, and a large screen that can be moved and resized. The listed compatible headsets are Meta Quest 2, Quest Pro, Quest 3, and Quest 3S. It works with Touch controllers and third-party wired USB or wireless Bluetooth controllers. The app uses an emulator core incorporating changes from Azahar and has Azahar as its upstream project. CitraVR is an engineless OpenXR app, and its maker says it does not depend on the Meta SDK. Its source is public under GPLv3 or later. Games must be decrypted because the Azahar core no longer supports encrypted games. Release notes describe Android multiplayer rooms with private rooms, chat, and public-room browsing when an unofficial web API is configured. They also warn that Vulkan with asynchronous shader compilation may cause graphics artifacts or briefly incomplete visuals while shaders compile. Releases are provided through GitHub Releases, with support resources including troubleshooting pages, GitHub issues, and a Discord channel.