Dolphin on Windows RT. Is it possible?

Mustafa Can · 10-20-2013, 05:12 PM #1

Just thinking about that. Everyone says Windows RT is a clean port of Windows 8. If we compile Dolphin for RT is it work better than our Android port? I heard there is Direct3D support available on RT.

uyjulian · 10-20-2013, 05:54 PM #2

(10-20-2013, 05:12 PM)Mustafa Can Wrote: Just thinking about that. Everyone says Windows RT is a clean port of Windows 8. If we compile Dolphin for RT is it work better than our Android port? I heard there is Direct3D support available on RT.

Wait for android port to be stable.
The devs barely got emulator running full speed on ARM.

Mustafa Can · 10-20-2013, 10:54 PM #3

(10-20-2013, 05:54 PM)uyjulian Wrote: Wait for android port to be stable.
The devs barely got emulator running full speed on ARM.

I heard that Android port is barely runs full speed because of bad drivers and OpenGL ES.

Windows RT has Direct3D and all windows devices should pass Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL), Which means we have no problem with OpenGL ES and bad drivers, that means a clean port from current Windows version can work on RT too. No need to mess with bad drivers and OpenGL ES.

**Anti-Ultimate** · 10-21-2013, 04:18 AM #4

(10-20-2013, 10:54 PM)Mustafa Can Wrote:
(10-20-2013, 05:54 PM)uyjulian Wrote: Wait for android port to be stable.
The devs barely got emulator running full speed on ARM.
I heard that Android port is barely runs full speed because of bad drivers and OpenGL ES.

Windows RT has Direct3D and all windows devices should pass Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL), Which means we have no problem with OpenGL ES and bad drivers, that means a clean port from current Windows version can work on RT too. No need to mess with bad drivers and OpenGL ES.

You'd still need to improve the JitARM recompiler. It isn't as easy as "It works on another device that uses an ARM processor but totally different GPU etc. so it should work here too."

Gir · 10-21-2013, 04:42 AM #5

Windows - Gimmick Edition

***Shonumi*** · 10-21-2013, 05:04 AM #6

(10-21-2013, 04:42 AM)Gir Wrote: Windows - Gimmick Edition

What does that comment have anything to do with the topic? I know a lot of people (myself included) feel Windows 8 RT has little to limited use, but you're not contributing anything to this discussion.

**mbc07** · 10-21-2013, 05:58 AM #7

I'm not sure, but Windows RT don't allow sideloading apps (you MUST get them from Windows Store). And, accordingly to PPSSPP site, it's possible but it'll be slow because using recompilers in an app prevend it from being published in Windows Store...

PS: I know PPSSPP is a different emulator, but some ARM code is shared between Dolphin and PPSSPP...

Mustafa Can · (This post was last modified: 10-21-2013, 10:43 AM by Mustafa Can.)

(10-21-2013, 04:18 AM)Anti-Ultimate Wrote:
(10-20-2013, 10:54 PM)Mustafa Can Wrote:
(10-20-2013, 05:54 PM)uyjulian Wrote: Wait for android port to be stable.
The devs barely got emulator running full speed on ARM.
I heard that Android port is barely runs full speed because of bad drivers and OpenGL ES.

Windows RT has Direct3D and all windows devices should pass Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL), Which means we have no problem with OpenGL ES and bad drivers, that means a clean port from current Windows version can work on RT too. No need to mess with bad drivers and OpenGL ES.
You'd still need to improve the JitARM recompiler. It isn't as easy as "It works on another device that uses an ARM processor but totally different GPU etc. so it should work here too."

We already have an JitARM recompiler because of android port, isn't it?
We all have different GPU's, some have Nvidia, some have Intel, some have AMD. The important thing is that it support Direct3D, which means we can use same code which works on Windows 8. Isn't it?

(10-21-2013, 05:58 AM)Jhonn Wrote: I'm not sure, but Windows RT don't allow sideloading apps (you MUST get them from Windows Store). And, accordingly to PPSSPP site, it's possible but it'll be slow because using recompilers in an app prevend it from being published in Windows Store...

PS: I know PPSSPP is a different emulator, but some ARM code is shared between Dolphin and PPSSPP...

It is possible to sideload apps on RT tablets, even desktop programs. Because windows RT has almost all windows API's just recompling for ARM works on most programs. No need to make a new interface, no need to make OpenGL ES, no bad drivers, no shitty dalvik VM, no Java. Only thing changed is Cpu archiecture and just using JitARM recompiler works.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthre...?t=2092158

Quote:Q) Can I use this to run PuTTY, VNC, X-Chat, <Insert open-source product here>?
A) Yes! Open-source programs are ones that you, having the source code, can recompile to work on the ARM. If it's not already available (A small but growing number of programs are) it's easy to get started. There are some useful threads in the Windows 8 Development and Hacking board on XDA-Developers.
Please note that not all programs can reasonably be ported over to ARM, due to either program complexity, overuse of inline assembly, or the current lack of a GNU Compiler

**mbc07** · (This post was last modified: 10-21-2013, 01:25 PM by mbc07.)

The point is that on Windows RT the end-user would need to do some tricks to get Dolphin, and because of that I don't think it'll be easier.

I may be wrong, but your statement saying that Windows RT will just work magically because it support DirectX sounds wrong for me, after all, if it's easy like that (without requiring big changes at Dolphin's codebase) some random guy would probably have ported Dolphin to Windows RT already (like the guys who made unofficial ports of PPSSPP for Symbian and iOS, for example)

**NaturalViolence** · (This post was last modified: 10-21-2013, 03:44 PM by NaturalViolence.)

Mustafa Can Wrote:It is possible to sideload apps on RT tablets, even desktop programs. Because windows RT has almost all windows API's just recompling for ARM works on most programs. No need to make a new interface, no need to make OpenGL ES, no bad drivers, no shitty dalvik VM, no Java. Only thing changed is Cpu archiecture and just using JitARM recompiler works.

Great to know that it's so easy. When can we expect your branch sir?