Summary (tl;dr)

The developers of the Azahar 3DS emulator have publicly withdrawn official support for Anbernic handheld devices, particularly their new RG DDS, due to Anbernic promoting the device using an "unofficial piracy-focused fork" of Azahar in its advertising.

Essential Background

The emulation community has faced significant legal pressure from Nintendo, which led to the shutdown of prominent emulators like Yuzu and Citra in 2024. Azahar emerged as a successor to Citra, striving to operate legally by requiring users to decrypt game ROMs themselves, thereby avoiding direct circumvention of Nintendo's encryption. Separately, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has recently urged U.S. trade representatives to classify Anbernic products as "Superfake" due to allegations of them being pre-loaded with unauthorized games.

The Full Story

Anbernic, a manufacturer of retro gaming handhelds, released promotional videos for its upcoming RG DDS, a dual-screen device designed to emulate the Nintendo 3DS. These videos prominently featured gameplay using "AzaharPlus," which is an unofficial and "piracy-focused fork" of the legitimate Azahar emulator. On October 26, 2026, the official Azahar emulator team announced that they would no longer officially support Anbernic devices, citing concerns that Anbernic's promotion of a piracy-enabling fork could jeopardize the Azahar project itself, especially in light of past legal actions against emulators. Consequently, the Azahar team stated they would not investigate or resolve any bugs or issues related to Anbernic hardware.

Why It Matters

This dispute highlights the ongoing conflict between emulator developers, who often seek to maintain legal and ethical boundaries, and hardware manufacturers whose marketing practices are perceived as endorsing piracy. The Azahar team's decision signifies a significant setback for potential Anbernic RG DDS owners, as their devices will lack official emulator support, likely leading to a diminished and unsupported emulation experience. Furthermore, this event underscores the fragile legal standing of emulation in general, particularly given Nintendo's history of aggressively protecting its intellectual property, and adds to the pressure Anbernic is already facing from the ESA.

Geographic Location

• Shenzhen, Guangdong, China (Headquarters of Anbernic, the manufacturer of the RG DDS and the subject of the dispute and ESA request)
• Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, United States (Location of the Office of the United States Trade Representative, where the ESA submitted its request regarding Anbernic's products)