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How do I record DS gameplay as a video?

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Ixeua

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    • Seen Dec 23, 2016
    How do I record DS gameplay as a video? Are there any methods I can use aside from filming manually with a camera? Can I plug a USB cable into the DS and connect it to my computer and use recording software?

    Thanks,
     
    Yes, you need a capture card google it and you will find out what you need and what you need to buy and from where.
     
    Is there any way of doing this without modifying the DS or using emulators?

    I heard of Q - mark but you will need to modify your DS.

    There is also 3DS capture but it is very expensive and works only for the 3DS (EDIT: I found this: youtube . com/watch?v=BJCOxUyXrWc, but it is expensive to buy.)
     
    Last edited:
    You could always use a video camera to record.
     
    Ixeua said:
    I found this youtube . com/watch?v=BJCOxUyXrWc but it is expensive to buy.
    Click to expand...
    Looks like a mod.

    Nintendo never released any official video recording devices or TV-out for Nintendo DS/DSi/3DS, so it's either you mod the console, you film with a camera (or a cellphone, or a webcam, you get the idea) or you use an emulator. Unless you're an employee of either Nintendo or some gaming websites (they have officially modded consoles from what I hear) , there are no other options.

    I ended up buying an unofficially modded 3DS with a capture card after attempting to record footage from my 3DS XL without modding. Audio capture is obviously very easy, but video capture is a pain when you use a camera, a cellphone etc:
    • First of all, the recording device you will use must allow to disable autofocus and automatic color correction, otherwise the device will freak out every time the screen goes black for a second: basically, every time you'll go through a door in Pokémon, you'll get a few seconds of blurriness and/or extra brightness when the image will come back on. It's very hard to find a device that allows disabling both nowadays.
    • Second, you'll need to find (or build) something stable enough to hold your recording device in place while you record. Depending on what you find to hold your recording device, you might need to do the same for the console itself.
    • And finally, if you want your videos to look good, avoid using the touch screen as much as possible (unless you hold your stylus in a very uncomfortable way, your hand will more probably than not cover half of your lower screen) , and above all, you absolutely can't move your console when you play, and it's very hard to do with a handheld. I tried playing Pokémon like this and it sucked, I can't even imagine recording an action game with such a setup.

    This was from my experience, from what I see on Youtube some people have better luck than me.

    EDIT: I forgot another thing I've seen on the internet: there's some sort of a camera attachment for the DS (you basically wrap it around the top screen of the DS), it doesn't require modding, but the colours are darker around the edges in the recorded footage and you only can record the top screen. I don't think these are available anymore, but just wanted to let you know.
     
    Last edited:
    SaniOKh said:
    Looks like a mod.

    Nintendo never released any official video recording devices or TV-out for Nintendo DS/DSi/3DS, so it's either you mod the console, you film with a camera (or a cellphone, or a webcam, you get the idea) or you use an emulator. Unless you're an employee of either Nintendo or some gaming websites (they have officially modded consoles from what I hear) , there are no other options.

    I ended up buying an unofficially modded 3DS with a capture card after attempting to record footage from my 3DS XL without modding. Audio capture is obviously very easy, but video capture is a pain when you use a camera, a cellphone etc:
    • First of all, the recording device you will use must allow to disable autofocus and automatic color correction, otherwise the device will freak out every time the screen goes black for a second: basically, every time you'll go through a door in Pokémon, you'll get a few seconds of blurriness and/or extra brightness when the image will come back on. It's very hard to find a device that allows disabling both nowadays.
    • Second, you'll need to find (or build) something stable enough to hold your recording device in place while you record. Depending on what you find to hold your recording device, you might need to do the same for the console itself.
    • And finally, if you want your videos to look good, avoid using the touch screen as much as possible (unless you hold your stylus in a very uncomfortable way, your hand will more probably than not cover half of your lower screen) , and above all, you absolutely can't move your console when you play, and it's very hard to do with a handheld. I tried playing Pokémon like this and it sucked, I can't even imagine recording an action game with such a setup.

    This was from my experience, from what I see on Youtube some people have better luck than me.

    EDIT: I forgot another thing I've seen on the internet: there's some sort of a camera attachment for the DS (you basically wrap it around the top screen of the DS), it doesn't require modding, but the colours are darker around the edges in the recorded footage and you only can record the top screen. I don't think these are available anymore, but just wanted to let you know.
    Click to expand...

    Thanks for typing all of this!

    So ... there are no cheap methods?
     
    Ixeua said:
    Thanks for typing all of this!

    So ... there are no cheap methods?
    Click to expand...

    You're welcome.

    No, there are no cheap methods if you want to record from your console and not an emulator, while getting high quality footage. Since Nintendo never released an official recording device, those who did release one were free to jack up the price as high as they wanted because, hey, no comptetition.

    I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that people buy very expensive mods to be able to record gameplay footage, yet Nintendo doesn't even try to tap this market. An official recording device, an official TV out add-on, a new version of the 3DS with TV-out, a software feature allowing us to stream gameplay to a computer for it to record, a 3DS Player for the Wii U... anything?
     
    You've got some pretty good answers here, but if you need further assistance, please take it to the Technology forum. :) Good luck with everything though! I'd like to get into recording my playthroughs in the future as well, actually. lol

    Locked.
     
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