paulscode
New member
Having successfully ported Mupen64Plus to Android (with a LOT of help from the emulation community, of which I am very grateful), I've been looking for a new opportunity to push the envelope. I recently came across a device called the WiMM One.
This is a wristwatch running a slashed down, heavily modified branch of Android (different interfaces and a new app life-cycle). It has its own SDK, which can be linked with the NDK to support native libraries (making it theoretically possible to build Mupen64Plus for this platform). The CPU is ARMv6 clocked at 667Mhz. I haven't dug deeply into the SDK yet to see what the graphics capabilities are, but I suspect creating a video plug-in will likely be the main difficulty for this project.
Before everyone begins commenting on how impossible this is, let me clarify that this port is all about creating a novelty to show off to friends and to brag about how portable Mupen64Plus truly is (Mario's head smiling back at you from your wristwatch.. that would really be something!) It is not about creating a practical, playable emulator, and there are several reasons for this. Firstly, a busy, heavily-interactive program like an emulator goes against the WiMM best practices and normal app life-cycle, which are focused around quick glances, limited interaction, and conserving power. Secondly, the screen is really small - a one inch square, 160x160 pixels, and not many options for input besides the single-touch screen and a couple hardware buttons. Thirdly, it is unlikely the device supports GLES2 (I'll have to dig through the API a little deeper to confirm this). Fourthly, the CPU is ARMv6, which already has a big disadvantage compared to ARMv7, and 667Mhz is not the highest-end for ARMv6 either. Future generation WiMM devices may have the specs to fare better, but that is another discussion.
This is a wristwatch running a slashed down, heavily modified branch of Android (different interfaces and a new app life-cycle). It has its own SDK, which can be linked with the NDK to support native libraries (making it theoretically possible to build Mupen64Plus for this platform). The CPU is ARMv6 clocked at 667Mhz. I haven't dug deeply into the SDK yet to see what the graphics capabilities are, but I suspect creating a video plug-in will likely be the main difficulty for this project.
Before everyone begins commenting on how impossible this is, let me clarify that this port is all about creating a novelty to show off to friends and to brag about how portable Mupen64Plus truly is (Mario's head smiling back at you from your wristwatch.. that would really be something!) It is not about creating a practical, playable emulator, and there are several reasons for this. Firstly, a busy, heavily-interactive program like an emulator goes against the WiMM best practices and normal app life-cycle, which are focused around quick glances, limited interaction, and conserving power. Secondly, the screen is really small - a one inch square, 160x160 pixels, and not many options for input besides the single-touch screen and a couple hardware buttons. Thirdly, it is unlikely the device supports GLES2 (I'll have to dig through the API a little deeper to confirm this). Fourthly, the CPU is ARMv6, which already has a big disadvantage compared to ARMv7, and 667Mhz is not the highest-end for ARMv6 either. Future generation WiMM devices may have the specs to fare better, but that is another discussion.