Directx 9 Exagear Patched -

Technical Report: Implementation and Performance of DirectX 9 in ExaGear Emulators

Date: October 26, 2023 Subject: Analysis of Graphics Pipeline and DX9 Compatibility in ExaGear Windows Emulator

Hardware Requirements

• CPU: ARMv8 (64-bit) or ARMv7 (32-bit). Snapdragon 660 or better is recommended. Snapdragon 888/8 Gen 1 is excellent.
• RAM: 4GB minimum (6GB+ recommended for DX9 heavy titles like Oblivion).
• GPU: Adreno 600 series or Mali-G72+. (Note: Xiaomi/OnePlus devices have better driver support than Exynos for ExaGear’s odd GL calls).

Part 5: Game Testing – What DX9 titles actually run?

Here is the brutal truth: You will not run Crysis at 60fps. But many DX9 games run shockingly well.

5. Recommended software stack and configuration (practical setup)

Assuming an ARM Linux host (e.g., Raspberry Pi 4/5 or other SBC) and intention to run an x86 DX9 game:

1. Host prerequisites

   • Up-to-date ARM Linux distribution; kernel with GPU driver support.
   • Hardware-accelerated OpenGL or Vulkan drivers installed and verified (glxinfo, vulkaninfo).
   • Adequate cooling/power for the device (games are CPU/GPU intensive).

2. ExaGear / x86 translation

   • Install ExaGear Desktop or a community x86 translation layer capable of running 32-bit x86 Windows executables.
   • Verify it can run simple x86 Linux ELF binaries and basic Windows programs under Wine.

3. Wine (x86)

   • Install a 32-bit Wine build inside the ExaGear environment.
   • Configure WinePREFIX as 32-bit (WINEARCH=win32).
   • Install necessary DirectX redistributables (d3dx9, DirectX runtimes) via winetricks (d3dx9_36 etc.) using the Wine x86 environment.

4. Direct3D translation layer

   • Use wined3d (default Wine): generally highest compatibility for DX9 but slower.
   • Optionally try D9VK or other DX9→Vulkan backends if available and buildable for your setup (requires working Vulkan).
   • If host supports Gallium Nine on Mesa and Wine patched to use nine, that can significantly improve performance for D3D9 (Direct D3D9-on-Gallium). However, Gallium Nine targets native x86 Linux with native D3D9 Linux drivers; integrating with ExaGear/Wine on ARM is complex and may not be available.

5. Graphics backend tuning

   • If OpenGL only: ensure Wine uses OpenGL backend and vendor-specific drivers are enabled.
   • If Vulkan available: test D9VK/d3d9-over-vulkan implementations to leverage Vulkan performance.
   • Adjust Wine’s Direct3D settings: Use winecfg to set Direct3D settings (Offscreen rendering mode, shaders compilation behavior).
   • Use lower resolution, turn off demanding post-processing, limit FPS.

6. Sound/Input

   • Configure PulseAudio/ALSA backends for Wine (winetricks sound=alsa/pulse).
   • Map game controllers via SDL or Linux joystick support; in Wine, enable joystick support and test mapping.

7. Testing and benchmarking

   • Start with simple DX9 test apps (e.g., DX9 samples, glxgears analogs ported) to validate pipeline.
   • Run the game with logging (WINEDEBUG) to capture D3D9-related warnings.
   • Measure FPS, CPU utilization, GPU utilization where possible.

4. Performance Metrics (Example – Need for Speed: Most Wanted 2005)

• ExaGear Strategies (Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650):
  • 15–25 FPS @ 800x480, low settings.
  • Graphical artifacts on car reflections.
• Modded ExaGear + DXVK (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2):
  • 30–40 FPS @ 1280x720, medium settings.
  • Requires custom WineD3D config & Box64 wrapper.

2. Technical Background

| Component | Description | |-----------|-------------| | ExaGear | Binary translator (x86 → ARM) + Wine integration | | DirectX 9 | Graphics API (2002–2008 era) – includes D3D9, D3DX9, shader model 2.0/3.0 | | WineD3D | Wine’s Direct3D → OpenGL translation layer used by ExaGear | | Host GPU | ARM Mali, Adreno, PowerVR – typically OpenGL ES 3.x capable |

Is ExaGear Dead? The Future of DirectX 9 Mobile Emulation

The original ExaGear is dead. However, the technology is alive via Mobox (Termux-based) and Winlator (Standalone).

Why Winlator has replaced ExaGear for DX9: directx 9 exagear

• Updates Wine to version 9.0.
• Native support for Turnip drivers (custom Adreno drivers for massive performance gains).
• Container-based isolation (Android 11+).

If you search for "DirectX 9 ExaGear" in 2025, you should actually download Winlator.