The iQue Info + Opinion Thread

[Zamiel]

The "Everything you Need to Know about iQue" Thread



Recently, Twitch chats have been abuzz with talk of the iQue. Here is my attempt to have all information about it in a thread so that it can be quickly linked for a newcomer to the scene. I myself am new to the speedrunning community, so please forgive me if I misrepresent someone's opinion or get something wrong.

I will try to update this post with corrections or as new information becomes available.



What is the iQue?

The iQue is short for the iQue Player. Here's the Wikipedia article on it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IQue_Player

Basically, the Nintendo 64 was never released in China. In order for Nintendo to have their games reach the Chinese market, they partnered with the company iQue to produce the iQue Player. Here's a picture:



The iQue is different from the Nintendo 64 in that there is no "console". Rather, the console is contained within the controller, and games are loaded on a flash card that can be inserted into the controller.



When did the Ocarina of Time speedrunning community learn about the iQue?
What makes the iQue Ocarina of Time version so special?

Aleckermit is a collector of all of the different Occarina of Time carts that exist. To complete his collection he acquired an iQue, posting this video on August 31st, 2011:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rA3IwcN_1kk

He listed the following information about it in the video comment:

Here's the scoop:
1. It's v1.2
2. Most interactive objects have the crescent moon symbol, but the decorative signs have the new symbol .
3. There is no gameplay lag
4. There is no pause delay since it's not being emulated, but the un-pause delay is longer than N64's.
5. The text is much faster than even the Japanese version.
6. Can't use deku sticks on B or void hover (crashes).
7. You cannot access the debug screen (a red line appears in the top left, debug code does not work).

Overall it's a pretty sweet version of OoT, definitely the fastest because the text is super quick. It feels like playing on a beefed up N64 since it looks just like N64 yet performs like VC. I did an outdated-route Any% run on it today and managed ~1:07 easily (factored out the 1 minute pause I had to make in the Tower Escape):

http://www.twitch.tv/aleckermit/b/294093502

Thus, people have known about it for a few years, but no-one has bothered to get one.



Why is there a renewed discussed on the iQue?

The iQue was brought up in Runnerguy's Twitch chat. He usually plays on the English version because it is the most accessible, but he thought it would be interesting to try the iQue out. He told his chat that if someone purchased it for him, he would promise to try beating the Any% world record with it. User Callaghan_ generously stepped forward. Here is the video of Runnerguy unwrapping the system on April 22nd, 2013:

http://www.twitch.tv/runnerguy2489/b/394404526

This has brought a bit of controversy within the community since Runnerguy is the only speedrunner to actually have an iQue. (More info in subsequent questions.)



Are there any other known differences than the ones that Aleckermit mentioned above?

Probably, but no-one is quite sure yet. Runnerguy specifically mentioned that some glitches involved with getting keys in the Spirit Temple may be fixed.



Is it a legitmate version of the game?
Is this version legal for ZSR speed runs?

Despite its oddities, this is the official Chinese version of Ocarina of Time and thus a completely legitimate version of the game. Due to this, it is also legal for the ZSR leaderboards.



What is the controversy about?

ZFG feels that the iQue does not promote competitiveness within the ZSR community and is against Runnerguy beginning to use it for official ZSR speedruns.

Cosmo wrote a brief questionnaire that illustrates the difficulty that a site like SRL or ZSR has in making distinctions of this nature:

http://pastie.org/7699793

In summary, there is a deep level of granularity in what can be considered legitimate and some sort of arbitrary compromise must be agreed upon.



What are ZFG’s and Runnerguy’s arguments?

There are two characteristics desirable when choosing which version of a game to speed run.

1) Speed
2) Accessibility (to foster competition)

ZFG’s stance:

ZFG states that there should be a balance of going as fast as possible as well as encouraging competition. It can be argued that for some people, an element of the fun of speedrunning is derived from the community competition. The competition fostered by having other people challenge (and beat) your records provides an element of excitement for both the speedrunner and the viewer.

In the case of Ocarina of Time, historically the two major speedrunning communities are the English community and the Japanese community. Early on, the Japanese people were speedrunning on the Japanese version and the English people were speedrunning on the American version. As interaction between the two increased, the English community (over the course of time) switched over to speedrunning the Japanese version since the text was faster. Nowadays, both the English and Japanese community are no longer segregated: both communities benefit by having an increased pool of competition. The Japanese use the English version for Bingo runs, and the English use the Japanese version for official WRs.

The Japanese version of the game is not the fastest or the most accessible, but it is a middle ground that allows for the inclusion of the previously segregated Japanese community.

Runnerguy’s stance:

Runnerguy believes there shouldn't be a balance between speed and availability. If availability is more important, everyone (including the Japanese) should play on English carts. This would, globally, foster the greatest pool of competition. On the other hand, if speed is more important, all of the speedrunners should obtain Chinese versions of the game, since they are the fastest. The Japanese version is a middle ground that doesn't fully satisfy either option.

In particular, Runnerguy is known to not care about the competitive aspect of beating other people's times. Over the past few years, most of the English speedrunners have switched to the Japanese version while Runnerguy has stuck with the English version (for most intents and purposes). From his Twitch FAQ:

speedrunning for me has always been about improving myself and being the best I can be; it doesn't really matter what version you pick to do that.

- One argument against the use of the iQue is that if its use becomes widespread across all categories, then it greatly increases the barrier to entry for a newcomer into the OoT speedrunning scene. This is mostly because iQues are $90+ on eBay (as of April 2013) and it requires a voltage converter to use in both America and Japan.
- Runnerguy points out that for someone outside of Japan, the cost of purchasing a version 1.0/1.1 Japanese cart on eBay is comparable (if not even more expensive) than purchasing an iQue. However, a 1.0/1.1 cart is only really desirable for the 100% category, while the iQue would be desirable for all categories, so it isn't a perfect comparison.
   - Additionally, since emulators are permitted on ZSR, one does not technically need to actually buy the cart in order to participate.
   - Furthermore, it is permitted to use the Japanese virtual console version on a non-Japanese Wii, and this requires no purchases whatsoever. (Again, this would be desirable for any category except for 100%.)

In conclusion, there’s merit to both positions.



What categories is the iQue version good for?

As of right now, the iQue is believed to be the fastest version for all categories with the exception of 100%.

The current best 100% route utilizes the King Zora "hold R" bug in which you can recieve the Eyeball Frog early. This bug only works in versions 1.0 and 1.1; in version 1.2 it is fixed. The iQue version of the game is version 1.2. Thus, a 100% route on the iQue would have to use a different longer route. No-one knows if the time saved from faster Chinese text would make up for the difference in the longer route.



Is it possible to emulate the iQue on the PC?

There are no emulators known at this time.



Is it possible to extract the iQue OoT ROM out of the iQue for use on an emulator / Nintendo 64 with a Flash cart / Wii Virtual Console?

This is one idea that some people have speculated upon. It could be possible, but no-one has attempted it yet.



Do any controller adapters exist for the iQue so that I can use my Nintendo 64 or other controller to play the console?

It is unlikely that any exist since the controller is the console itself. It could be possible to disassemble the iQue and manually solder an adapter to the input board. I will update this question if anyone has more information.



.

[benstephens1000]

Give me iQue, or give me death!
But in all seriousness, I think it'll be neat to see some iQue runners. I'm never gonna stop using JP unless someone can emulate the iQue version as a wad file for VC which isn't gonna happen. In other words I don't really give a shit what others run on because I can still compare my best times with the best JP times to see where I am compared to the other runners

Also thank you for taking the time to make this very information thread Zamiel.

[DeathBasket]

ZFG states that there should be a balance of going as fast as possible as well as encouraging competition. It can be argued that for some people, an element of the fun of speedrunning is derived from the community competition. The competition fostered by having other people challenge (and beat) your records provides an element of excitement for both the speedrunner and the viewer.

On the matter of competition/availability, if you're a PAL user like me, the cheapest and fastest legitimate version of the game to obtain is the iQue. However, there's not a lot of point if you have a Wii you can (and want to) hack or you're happy with PC emulators. Personally, I just don't want to buy a system just for one game.

Is it possible to extract the iQue OoT ROM out of the iQue for use on an emulator / Nintendo 64 with a Flash cart / Wii Virtual Console?

This is one idea that some people have speculated upon. It could be possible, but no-one has attempted it yet.

The only benefit would be the smaller amount of text. It's the iQue hardware that reduces lag so if it were played through the original N64 hardware it would be like any other version. Even if it worked on VC, aren't injected wads banned for speedrunning? Wouldn't that defeat the purpose, because who plays casually in a language they can't read?

[whyieyesya]

Is it possible to extract the iQue OoT ROM out of the iQue for use on an emulator / Nintendo 64 with a Flash cart / Wii Virtual Console?

This is one idea that some people have speculated upon. It could be possible, but no-one has attempted it yet.

As far as I know the iQue has different hardware than a real N64 (it does resemble it though), so it isn't gonna work.

I have an iQue myself and I really want to try to hook up a N64 controller to it, but I'm too afraid of breaking it.

[Jbop]

I have been interested in the iQue Player for a long time, even before I got into speedrunning (although then I only liked it because it was like a wacky n64, now I actually see it has some good use  ).

This has brought a bit of controversy within the community since Runnerguy is the only speedrunner to actually have an iQue.

Actually several speedrunners have iQue's 

Is it possible to extract the iQue OoT ROM out of the iQue for use on an emulator / Nintendo 64 with a Flash cart / Wii Virtual Console?

This is one idea that some people have speculated upon. It could be possible, but no-one has attempted it yet.

I know for a fact that people are working on unencrypting files on the iQue atm, including the games. Intercepting files over USB and obtaining unencrypted RAM dumps are being worked on as well.

Do any controller adapters exist for the iQue so that I can use my Nintendo 64 or other controller to play the console?

It is unlikely that any exist since the controller is the console itself. It could be possible to disassemble the iQue and manually solder an adapter to the input board. I will update this question if anyone has more information.

I know several people have done this. I'll try to post any information about doing it that I can still find.

And...

Either way, I don't mind anybody using the iQue, because likely it won't change anything. People will just keep using the JP version and competing with other JP times since that's where the competition is. If there were an easy way to compare times between regions and languages, then there would be no issue. But there isn't and never will be.

^I couldn't agree more.
Also, thanks for the thread Zamiel!

[whyieyesya]

I know several people have done this. I'll try to post any information about doing it that I can still find.

I really would like to see this.

Also, this post was pretty interesting to me, but also confusing. Am I correct that he isn't using an iQue Player, but a seperate iQue controller (if these even exist at all)? It leads me to think this, because the PCB in his post after that doesn't look like one from an iQue Player. Anyways, I'm really confused what kind of hardware he's doing this with, is it an iQue Player or some other device?

[lilkcough1]

My position is basically just make it another category, like how U and J are already separated.  Then, you can use the iQue for and wr runs and then use J or U for races, or the iQue for races if everyone agrees.  But I see nothing wrong with simply separating the iQue like we already separate J and U.

[nathanisbored]

The issue isn't about separating them, the issue is about being able to compare times between players who use different versions, and to have a universal leaderboard (which is impossible).

[Kimimaru]

Do we know the amount of time text saves in the J version compared to the U version? I thought I saw it somewhere. Anyway, if we do then I don't see how we wouldn't be able to find the amount of time the iQue version saves compared to the J version.

[whyieyesya]

Do we know the amount of time text saves in the J version compared to the U version? I thought I saw it somewhere. Anyway, if we do then I don't see how we wouldn't be able to find the amount of time the iQue version saves compared to the J version.

You can easily check the time it saves, but someone has to be willing to do it. Also, route changes are gonna make the estimates wrong again.

[whyieyesya]

I opened my iQue today, to check some stuff. Turned out swapping the analog stick with an N64 one was easier than I thought. The connections are completely the same and the construction is also almost the same. I basically swapped the original analog stick with an N64 one, by replacing the bottom construction of an N64 analog stick with the bottom construction of the iQue one. You still need to file the N64 analog stick at a certain place to make it fit with the bottom part of the iQue analog. It doesn't align very nicely with the hole in the iQue, but it's good enough and not noticeable at all while playing. Installing the N64 analog stick will fix the crappy backwalking and other problems.


I'll post some pics of how the analog stick needs to be modded later.

I'm also looking into making an adapter so you can use your N64 controller with it, but I'm afraid the easiest way to do this, is by hardwiring every button. I don't want to ruin my iQue with something like this. I can't find any chip that handles the input, so that makes me believe that the big NEC chip the system has, handles the input and soldering onto this thing would then be the same as just soldering a wire to every button seperately.

[Hamcake]

for me the barrier to entry of an iQue is lower than an NTSC N64 + jap cart since I'd have to buy them all most likely separately and also with an unknown degree of quality. This situation might be similar for other current PAL players.