Nintendo DS emulators: Difference between revisions

The [[gametech:Nintendo DS|'''Nintendo DS''']] (DS) is a handheld console produced by Nintendo and released on November 21, 2004, and had 2 ARM CPUs (ARM9 and ARM7) with 4 MB of RAM and was priced at {{Inflation|USD|149.99|2004}}. The main selling point was the use of dual screens for gameplay, with one being a touchscreen. It was Nintendo's best selling portable console and best selling hardware overall (154.02 million units), having come close to the [[PlayStation 2 emulators|PlayStation 2]] in lifetime sales (over 160 million units) until officially being surpassed by the Nintendo Switch in early 2026 (155.37 million units). This popularity came as a result of attracting many casual players, and even non-gamers, into the gaming community.

; Remember, certain titles such as DSi retail and DSiWare games are exclusive to the DSi. Make sure your chosen emulator [[Nintendo DS emulators#Hardware features and peripherals|supports these variations (see "DSi-exclusive features" section)]] if you want to play them.

== Emulators ==

{| {{Emulator table}}

|+{{Emulator comparison introduction}}

!Compatibility

![[Recommended emulators|Recommended? (overall)]]

! colspan="9" |PC

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD|NetBSD|OpenBSD|LinuxARM|WoA}}||{{Ya}}  

|Dev builds

 

* [https://nightly.link/melonDS-emu/melonDS/workflows/build-windows/master/melonDS-windows-x86_64.zip Windows]

* [https://nightly.link/melonDS-emu/melonDS/workflows/build-ubuntu/master/melonDS-ubuntu-x86_64.zip Ubuntu]

* [https://nightly.link/melonDS-emu/melonDS/workflows/build-macos-universal/master/macOS-universal.zip macOS-universal]

 

[https://melonds.kuribo64.net/downloads.php {{MelonDSVer}}]

 

[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core]<ref name="melonDSRA" group="note">The [https://github.com/JesseTG/melonds-ds melonDS DS] libretro core or the standalone version of melonDS is highly recommended over the melonDS libretro core, because it is two versions out of date (still on 0.9.3), and the generation 5 Pokémon are broken. If you turn on C-Gear, after a few minutes you will be unable to save. [https://github.com/libretro/melonDS/issues/179#issuecomment-1407488464 '''You also can't use any Wi-Fi features'''] or do in game trades either or the game will freeze.</ref>

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|[https://melonds.kuribo64.net/board/forum.php?id=3 ?] ([https://github.com/melonDS-emu/melonDS/issues Issues])||{{Ya}}||{{Ya}} ||{{Ya}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://buildbot.libretro.com libretro core]

[https://github.com/JesseTG/melonds-ds git]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

|?||{{Ya}}||{{Ya}} ||{{Ya}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://desmume.org/download/ {{DeSmuMEVer}}/Nightly]

[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|[https://forums.desmume.org/viewforum.php?id=6 ?] ([https://github.com/TASEmulators/desmume/issues Issues])||{{Ya}}||{{Na}} ||{{Ya}}

|[https://pyra-handheld.com/repo/apps/32 0.1 Pyra]||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}<ref name="DraStic free">https://gbatemp.net/threads/drastic-ds-emulator-on-android-is-now-free-to-download-will-be-taken-down-soon.650119/</ref>

|{{Emulator compatibility (unofficial)|49|1078}}

{{Emulator compatibility|49|73|link=https://pandorawiki.org/DraStic_Compatibility_List}}

|{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{~}}

|[[BizHawk]]

(melonDS)

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://gitlab.com/TASVideos/BizHawk/-/pipelines Dev builds]

[https://tasvideos.org/BizHawk/ReleaseHistory.html {{BizHawkVer}}]

|{{Green}} {{License|MIT}}<br>{{License|BSD3}}

|?||{{Na}}||{{Ya}} ||{{~}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|DOS}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://problemkaputt.de/gba.htm {{No$GBAVer}}]||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}

|?||{{Na}}||{{Ya}} ||{{~}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}||{{Na|link=https://corgids.wordpress.com/2018/02/12/extended-break/}}

|[https://github.com/Cydrak/dasShiny git]||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{Na}}

|DualSOUP

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://github.com/Jaklyy/DualSOUP git]||{{Dunno}}  

|?||{{Na}}||{{Ya}} ||{{Na}}

|[http://ds-duos.blhttps://com/ DuoS]

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows}}||{{Na}}  

|[http://www.emulatorhttps://om/download.php/emulators/nds/duos/DuoS.zip 8/25/2012 Beta]||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}  

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{Na}}

|dust

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|Mac}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://github.com/kelpsyberry/dust git]||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{Na}}

|[[Ensata]]

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows}}||{{Na}}  

|[http://www.mediafire.comhttps://0odmalrndt9m7a/Ensata+v1.4d.rar 1.4d]||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}  

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{Na}}

|[[GBE+]]

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://github.com/shonumi/gbe-plus/releases {{GBEVer}}]||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{Na}} (WIP)

|guac

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|rpi}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://github.com/aabalke/guac/releases {{guacVer}}]||{{Green}} {{License|BSD3}} ({{License|Permissive}})

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{Na}} (WIP)

|[https://web.archive.org/web/20111130005614/https://ideasemu.biz/ iDeaS]

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}||{{Na}}  

|[https://www.emulator-zone.com/https://mulators/nds/ideas/ideas1040.7z 1.0.4.0]||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}  

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{Na}}

|[[MGBA#medusa|mGBA/medusa]]

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}||{{~}}<ref name="medusa suspended" />

|[https://mgba.io/downloads.html#medusa alpha 2]||{{Green}} {{License|MPL2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{Na}} (WIP)

|ndsemu

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows}}||{{Na}}  

|[https://github.com/rasky/ndsemu git]||{{Dunno}}  

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{Na}}

|[https://web.archive.org/web/20110225190819/http://https://com/ NeonDS]

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows}}||{{Na}}  

|[https://web.archive.org/web/20100925152735/http://nehttps://m/system/files/NeonDS_0.2.1.zip 0.2.1]||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}  

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{Na}}

|[[NooDS]]

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://github.com/Hydr8gon/NooDS/releases git]||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{Na}} (WIP)

|[[SkyEmu]]

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://github.com/skylersaleh/SkyEmu/pull/321 Dev Builds]

[https://github.com/skylersaleh/SkyEmu/releases {{SkyEmuVer}}]

|{{Green}} {{License|MIT}} ({{License|Permissive}})  

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{Na}} (WIP)

! colspan="9" |Mobile

|[[melonDS]] (unofficial)

| align="left" |{{Icon|Android|iOS}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://github.com/rafaelvcaetano/melonDS-android git]

 

[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core]<ref name="melonDSRA" group="note" />

 

[https://github.com/SapphireRhodonite/WatermelonDS WatermelonDS fork]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPL3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

|?||{{Ya}}||{{Ya}}||{{Ya}}<ref group="note">The [https://github.com/SapphireRhodonite/WatermelonDS WatermelonDS fork] (formerly known as melonDualDS until v0.7.0), which is optimized for multiple displays (AYN Thor, AYANEO Pocket DS, Retroid Dual Screen add-on, etc.), is recommended and is more up-to-date than melonDS-Android with additional features (like Vulkan support), even if you use a single-screen device. It can also boot DSiWare games directly, and has RetroAchievements support.</ref>

| align="left" |{{Icon|Android}}||{{Na}}  

|[https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/exophase/drastic-2/drastic-r2-6-0-4a-release/ {{DraSticVer}}]

[https://github.com/SapphireRhodonite/SeedlessDS/releases SeedlessDS fork]

|{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}<ref name="DraStic free" />  

|{{Emulator compatibility (unofficial)|127|1078}}

{{Emulator compatibility|127|145|link=https://xdaforums.com/t/drastic-ds-updated-to-v2-1-5-1a-xplay-compatibility-list-over-100-games-playable.2396919/}}

|{{~}}<ref group="note">DraStic is discontinued and is no longer available on Google Play. The unofficial fork SeedlessDS is active in development.</ref>||{{Na}} ||{{Ya}}<ref group="note">DraStic/[https://github.com/SapphireRhodonite/SeedlessDS/releases SeedlessDS] is recommended for mid/low-end devices (like the Anbernic RG DS) that are not powerful enough to run melonDS-Android/WatermelonDS or the Nintendo DS libretro cores well. DraStic is lightweight, has external screen support, but no RetroAchievements support, and is no longer being updated. The [https://github.com/SapphireRhodonite/SeedlessDS/releases SeedlessDS fork] is based on DraStic r2.6.0.4a, but with a new user interface, RetroAchievements support, and additional features, while being lightweight for mid/low-end devices.</ref>

|melonDS DS

| align="left" |{{Icon|Android|iOS|tvOS}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://buildbot.libretro.com libretro core]

[https://github.com/JesseTG/melonds-ds git]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

|?||{{Ya}}||{{Ya}} ||{{~}}<ref name="melonDS DS & DeSmuME cores" group="note">melonDS DS or DeSmuME are recommendable for Libretro/RetroArch users with a single screen on their device. The regular melonDS core is outdated. Please note that RetroArch does not support multiple displays on devices like the AYN Thor or AYANEO Pocket DS.</ref>

|[https://docs.libretro.com/library/desmume/ DeSmuME_libretro]

| align="left" |{{Icon|Android|iOS}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core]||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

|?||{{Ya}}||{{Na}} ||{{~}}<ref name="melonDS DS & DeSmuME cores" group="note"/>

| align="left" |{{Icon|iOS|iPadOS}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://apps.apple.com/us/app/delta-game-emulator/id1048524688 {{DeltaVer}}]

[https://github.com/rileytestut/Delta git]

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{~}}

 

| align="left" |{{Icon|iOS}}||{{Na}}

|[https://github.com/iNDS-Team/iNDS/releases git]||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{Na}}

|[http://jefhttps://blog/nds4droid/ nds4droid]

| align="left" |{{Icon|Android}}||{{Na}}  

|[https://github.com/jquesnelle/nds4droid git]||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{Na}}

|nds4ios

| align="left" |{{Icon|iOS}}||{{Na}}  

|[http://https://angelxwind.net/i/?page/downloads SVN]||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}  

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{Na}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Android}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hydra.noods 0.1]

[https://github.com/Hydr8gon/NooDS/releases git]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{Na}} (WIP)

|[[SkyEmu]]

| align="left" |{{Icon|Android|iOS}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://github.com/skylersaleh/SkyEmu git]||{{Green}} {{License|MIT}} ({{License|Permissive}})

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{Na}} (WIP)

|[[Folium]]

| align="left" |{{Icon|iOS|iPadOS}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://apps.apple.com/us/app/folium/id6498623389 App Store] ($)

[https://folium.emuplace.app/downloads {{FoliumVer}}]

 

[https://github.com/emuplace/folium.emuplace.app/releases/latest Latest IPA]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

|?||{{Na}}||{{Dunno}} ||{{TBD}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|iOS|iPadOS}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://apps.apple.com/us/app/manic-emu-game-emulator/id6743335790 {{Manic EMUVer}}]

[https://github.com/Manic-EMU/ManicEMU/releases git]

|{{Green}} {{License|AGPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

|?||{{Na}}||{{Dunno}} ||{{TBD}}

|[[Provenance]]

| align="left" |{{Icon|iOS|iPadOS|tvOS}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://apps.apple.com/us/app/provenance-app/id1596862805 {{ProvenanceVer}}]

[https://github.com/Provenance-Emu/Provenance/releases git]

|{{Dunno}}  

|?||{{Na}} ||{{Dunno}} ||{{Dunno}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|iOS}}||{{Ya}}

|[[NiN10]]

| align="left" |{{Icon|iOS|iPadOS|watchOS}}||{{Ya}}

|[https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nin10-nintendo-emulator/id6503959130 {{NiN10Ver}}]||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}

|?

|{{Na}}

|{{Dunno}}

|{{TBD}}

! colspan="9" |Console

|[[Virtual Console]]

| align="left" |{{Icon|WiiU}}||{{Na}}  

|||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}  

|Only for selected titles||{{Na}}||{{Dunno}} ||{{Ya}}

|[https://docs.libretro.com/library/desmume/ DeSmuME_libretro]

| align="left" |{{Icon|Switch|PS4|Vita}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://www.retroarch.com/ 0.9.13]||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

|?||{{Ya}}||{{Na}} ||{{Ya}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|PSP}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/590011753849421846/870274164748079104/desmume_psp_4.zip V4]

[https://github.com/Xiro28/DesmumePSPExperimental Experimental]

|{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{~}}

|DeSmuME Wii

|[https://code.google.com/archive/p/desmumewii/downloads r185]||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}  

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{~}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Xbox}}||{{Na}}  

|[https://www.1emulation.com/forums/topic/35774-desmumex-v087-new-update 0.87]||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{~}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Switch|Vita|PS2}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core]<ref name="melonDSRA" group="note" />

 

 

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|?||{{Ya}}||{{Ya}} ||{{~}} (WIP)

|[[NooDS]]

| align="left" |{{Icon|Switch|Vita|WiiU|PSP}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://github.com/Hydr8gon/NooDS git] (Switch/Vita/WiiU)

[https://github.com/Xiro28/NooDS_PSP git] (PSP port)

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{~}} (WIP)

| align="left" |{{Icon|PSP}}||{{Na}} <small>(POC)</small>

|[https://wololo.net/downloads/index.php/download/1235 0.7]||{{Dunno}}

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{Na}}

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|[https://forums.desmume.org/viewforum.php?id=6 ?] ([https://github.com/TASEmulators/desmume/issues Issues])||{{Ya}}||{{Na}} ||{{Ya}}

|[https://github.com/kelpsyberry/dust git]||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

|?||{{Na}}||{{Na}} ||{{Na}}

== Native ==

{| {{Emulator table}}

!Name

!Platform(s)

!Active?

!Latest version

![[Licensing|License]]

!Compatibility

![[Nintendo DS emulators#Nintendo DSi|DSi]]

![[Recommended emulators|Recommended? (overall)]]

|[[nds-bootstrap]]

| align="left" |{{Icon|NDS|3DS}}||{{Ya}}  

|[https://github.com/DS-Homebrew/nds-bootstrap/releases 2.13.1]||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}}

|{{Emulator compatibility|1065|1078|link=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LRTkXOUXraTMjg1eedz_f7b5jiuyMv2x6e_jY_nyHSc/edit?gid=0#gid=0}}||{{Ya}} ||{{Ya}}

== Comparisons ==

 

; [[melonDS]]

: Unlike DeSmuME, melonDS has some DSi support. In terms of being user-friendly, options in melonDS are more simplified. Has similar DS game compatibility as DeSmuME. Both can run games at a higher internal resolution (sharper 3D objects) and can open ROMs inside a compressed archive (ZIP, RAR, 7Z etc.). Both can display the two screens in a variety of ways, but melonDS has a hybrid mode. [https://i.imgur.com/S73Eb4m.jpg (Example)] While the developers of No$GBA had documented the Wi-Fi capabilities first, melonDS is the first and only emulator that has gotten as far as it has, and it has been found to work reasonably well with a handful of games. Switching to OpenGL in core options may give a performance boost, with 1.0 RC version OpenGL [[High/Low level emulation#Rendering Advancements|compute shader renderer]] [https://melonds.kuribo64.net/comments.php?id=216 introduced] similar to [[High/Low level emulation#Rendering Advancements|other compute shader renderers]]. In May 2023, it was confirmed that there are plans for high-level emulation of Arm7 on MelonDS. The project is codenamed MelonHLE.

:; melonDS DS

:: An enhanced remake of the melonDS libretro that prioritizes standalone parity, reliability, and usability. Features included in this remake that were not available in the melonDS libretro core include full Wi-Fi support (Kaeru WFC, AltWFC, Wiimmfi), firmware overrides (name, color, birthday, etc.), homebrew save data support, screen rotation in the core settings (as the screen rotation feature in RetroArch's Video settings did not rotate touch inputs for melonDS and DeSmuME and can distort the screen), additional screen layout options, directly boot Nintendo DSi and DSiWare titles (unlike the standard melonDS — which requires manually installing DSiWare to the DSi NAND via its GUI — the MelonDS DS Libretro core includes the convenient [https://github.com/JesseTG/melonds-ds?tab=readme-ov-file#streamlined-dsiware-installation Streamlined DSiWare Installation] feature), RetroAchievements support for DSi(Ware) games, battery support, and selectable NAND and firmware images. However, some melonDS libretro core features aren't yet presented in this remake, such as local wireless connection, GDB Stub Support, DSi Camera support, and OpenGL compute shader renderer, but some are planned to be implemented. With that stated, this remake is not a perfect replacement for the melonDS libretro core but has its uses that the original core and the DeSmuME libretro core lack.

 

 

: Focuses on speed, and has major compatibility issues and glitches as a result. Because it was initially a GBA emulator, the DS' 3D features are still very poorly handled. It is a good option for low-end machines, but don't expect a lot of games to run perfectly. A fan program, No$Zoomer, was released for version 2.6, which increases compatibility and options, as well as the titular zooming and resizing abilities. The biggest addition is noise cancellation which clears up static No$GBA makes with its 3D rendering. It doesn't change accuracy though. No$Zoomer never rebased to newer No$GBA versions, and it looks like it was abandoned, so it likely never will. In v2.8, No$GBA became the first emulator to support DSi games, which has been their most notable feature. Only use No$GBA for DSi games that don't work on other emulators, debugging (if you've taken up ROM hacking for DS games or homebrew development), if you value speed above everything, if you're using a potato PC, or just as a last resort.

; [[BizHawk]]

: Uses melonDS 0.9.5 core for Nintendo DS and DSi emulation, mGBA or VBA-Next cores for Game Boy Advance emulation

; [[Delta]]

: An open-source [[Multi-system emulators|multi-system emulator]] for iOS with the ability to emulate many consoles and handhelds, including the DS. Since version 1.3, Delta Emulator allows you to emulate Nintendo DS with a DeSmuME or melonDS [https://melonds.kuribo64.net/comments.php?id=199 (0.9.1)] core. You will need to have DS BIOS or DSi BIOS to play DS/DSi games in Delta using the melonDS core. It also allows you to boot into DS/DSi home screen and functions similarly to melonDS.

; [[NooDS]]

: A one-man project aiming for simplicity and speed, filling a similar niche as the old NeonDS or No$GBA. It's a WIP that is currently not nearly as accurate as competing options, but it now includes HLE firmware re-implementations to allow running games straight out of the box. It's also one of the few modern DS emulators to support playing GBA games.

; [[MGBA#medusa|mGBA/medusa]]

: [[mGBA]] developer endrift is also creating a DS emulator, but it is very much a [https://mgba.io/timeline.html#IN+THE+FUTURE work-in-progress] and isn't nearly as far as melonDS in terms of the capabilities it's covered. As of March 2018, medusa's development is "suspended until further notice".<ref name="medusa suspended">https://mgba.io/2018/03/09/holy-grail-bugs-revisited/#postscript-a-several-month-late-explanation</ref>

; iDeaS

: An abandoned and experimental DS emulator that uses a plug-in system, it is very slow and buggy but has partially gotten some features working, like the camera and slide accessories.

; [[Ensata]]

: Nintendo's official DS emulator that was leaked to the public. It is not very usable or compatible, but it can run a few games.

; [[nds-bootstrap]]

nds-bootstrap is an application for Nintendo DS, DSi and 3DS that allows DS and DSi ROMs and homebrew homebrew to be booted from SD cards (DSi/3DS) or flashcard (DS). It is included in [[TWiLightMenu++]], where selecting a game will start it via nds-bootstrap, but games can also be started straight from the 3DS home screen by creating shortcuts with forwarders such as [https://github.com/YANBForwarder/YANBF YANBF]. In terms of enhancements, it supports cheats from [https://gbatemp.net/threads/deadskullzjrs-nds-i-cheat-databases.488711/ usrcheat.dat] (different databases even include [https://gbatemp.net/threads/circle-pad-patches-for-super-mario-64-ds-and-other-games-in-twilightmenu-with-twpatcher-and-rtcom.623267/ analogue control patches for 3DS]), a widescreen mode, which stretches the image to fill the whole upper screen of the 3DS (the internal resolution stays at the DS's 256x192, however), and, in contrast to all the emulators so far, it even supports "overclocking" in the form of booting 3DS games in DSi mode (with the DSi's clock rate of 133 MHz, double the DS's 67 MHz), which significantly increases the frame rate of certain games (Rayman DS, Trackmania DS, Trackmania Turbo etc.).

Comparisons of several Nintendo DS emulators:

=== High resolution ===

 

; [[melonDS]]

: [http://melonds.kuribo64.net/comments.php?id=90 Has an OpenGL renderer with upscaling as of version 0.8.] The renderer is much faster than DeSmuME's and supports increasing the internal resolution up to 16x native resolution. More features, such as texture filtering, are planned.

; DeSmuME X432R

: A fork of DeSmuME that has graphical enhancements, such as an option to increase internal resolution and use MSAA. The devs of DeSmuME have now included an option for increased internal resolution (see below), making X432R outdated. See the [[DeSmuME]] page for more details.

; [[DeSmuME]] ([[libretro]])

: Also has the option to increase internal resolution since the [https://github.com/libretro/desmume/commit/5e430dfbc22f9d54c77f291304a38352ee1e5a63 8/8/15 git commit]. It requires a very high-end CPU to run at a reasonable frame rate.

; DraStic

: Has released a beta version supporting double the original resolution.

; Virtual Console (Wii U)

: Has a configuration file with support for x2 internal resolution without any significant performance hit (as well as a brightness setting). However, there is no legit way to enable it without a homebrew-enabled console.

== Enhancements ==

{| {{Basic table}}

! colspan="2" style="width:50%" |Name

!melonDS

!melonDS DS

!DeSmuME

| rowspan="3" |Controls

|{{Enhancements/Controls/Input lag mitigating}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Na}}||{{Na}}

|{{Enhancements/Controls/Mouse injector}}||{{~|link=https://github.com/makidoll/melonPrimeDS?tab=readme-ov-file#melonprimeds}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Na}}

|{{Enhancements/Controls/Turbo button}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Ya}}

| rowspan="6" |Graphics

|{{Enhancements/Graphics/Better texture filtering}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|{{Enhancements/Graphics/Pre-rendering anti-aliasing}}||{{Na}}||{{Na}}||{{~}}

|{{Enhancements/Graphics/Resizable internal resolution}}||{{Ya}}||{{Ya}}||{{Ya}}

|{{Enhancements/Graphics/Super resolution}}

| colspan="3" |Requires access to the depth buffer and temporal data like motion-vectors, so it is quite challenging and unlikely to be possible soon.

|[[Texture packs#Texture Replacement (3D)|Texture packs]]||{{WIP-Box|link=https://melonds.kuribo64.net/comments.php?id=182}}||{{Na}}||{{Na}}

|{{Enhancements/Graphics/Widescreen hack|Nintendo DS|Widescreen is possible thanks to specific codes made by the community for a lot of DS games.}}||{{Ya|link=https://github.com/melonDS-emu/melonDS/issues/395}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

| rowspan="3" |Performance

|{{Enhancements/Performance/Frame generation technologies}}

| colspan="3" |Implementing frame generation technology in an emulator is unfortunately quite challenging and unlikely to be possible soon however post-processing techniques such as motion interpolation is quite possible. [[Input lag|Input latency]] will be a crucial factor, but its impact likely varies depending on the specific technique used, it is recommended to use after applying the "Internal frame rate hack".

|[[30/60 FPS cheat codes|Internal frame rate hack]]||{{Dunno}}||{{Na}}||{{Na}}

|[[Overclocking|Overclock]]||{{~|link=https://melonds.kuribo64.net/board/thread.php?pid=2574#2574}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

| rowspan="6" |Post-processing

|{{Enhancements/Post-processing/AI-powered filter}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|{{Enhancements/Post-processing/Filters}}||{{Na}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Ya}}

|{{Enhancements/Post-processing/Inverse tone mapping}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|{{Enhancements/Post-processing/Post-rendering anti-aliasing}}||{{~}}<br><small>Only possible with software renderer.</small>||{{Dunno}}||{{~}}<br><small>Supports MSAA but there is no post-rendering AA technique supported.</small>

|{{Enhancements/Post-processing/Post-rendering scaling}}||{{Ya}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Ya}}

|{{Enhancements/Post-processing/Shader chain}}||{{~}}<ref name="lrRA" group="note">Only possible with libretro core. [https://github.com/melonDS-emu/melonDS/issues/1146 GitHub Issue page for adding RetroAchievements to the melonDS standalone version]. But DSi RetroAchievement are [https://docs.libretro.com/guides/retroachievements/#nintendo not supported]. [[Shaders,_presets,_and_filters#Emulator_support|Pedro-HDSR's MelonDS build also supports .slang shaders and presets]].</ref>||{{Ya}}||{{~}}<ref name="lrRA" group="note" />

| rowspan="11" |Quality of life

|Automatic updater||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|[[Frontends#Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs)|Big Picture Mode]]||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|Command-line options||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|Built-in [[Cheats and patches|cheat manager]]||{{Ya}}||{{Ya}}||{{Ya}}

|Built-in [[Mods, hacks and fan-translations#Built-in mod editor and manager for emulators|mod editor and manager]]||{{Na}}||{{Na}}||{{Na}}

|Built-in [[Cheats and patches|patch manager]]||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|[[Save converters|Built-in save manager]]||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|Pause/Resume emulation||{{Ya}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Ya}}

|Per-game profiles||{{~}}<ref name="lrRA" group="note" />||{{Ya}}||{{~}}<ref name="lrRA" group="note" />

|{{Enhancements/Quality of life/Portable and stealth}}||{{Ya}}||{{Ya}}||{{Dunno}}

|[[Save disk space for ISOs|Streamable compression format]]||{{Ya}}||{{Ya}}||{{Ya}}

| rowspan="6" |[https://tasvideos.org/Emulatorresources/Features TAS features]

|Fast forward/Turbo speed||{{Ya}}||{{Ya}}||{{Ya}}

|{{Enhancements/TAS features/Frame step}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|Macros/Scripts/[https://tasvideos.org/LuaScripting Lua]||{{WIP-Box|link=https://github.com/melonDS-emu/melonDS/pull/1671}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Ya}}

|[https://tasvideos.org/Movies Movie recording/playback]||{{Na|link=https://github.com/melonDS-emu/melonDS/issues/463}}||{{Na}}||{{Ya}}

|Rewind||{{Na|link=https://melonds.kuribo64.net/board/thread.php?pid=5060}}||{{Ya}}||{{Ya}}

|Save states||{{Ya}}||{{~}}<br><small>Save states not available for Nintendo DSi(Ware) titles in MelonDS DS.</small>||{{Ya}}

| rowspan="10" |Misc.

|{{Enhancements/Misc./Audio filters and presets}}

| colspan="3" |Exclusive to [https://github.com/RetroCrisis/Retro-Crisis-Audio-Filters libretro cores] at the moment.

|Debug features||{{Na|link=https://github.com/melonDS-emu/melonDS/issues/249}}||{{Na}}||{{Ya}}

|[[Virtual reality#VR game room simulations|EmuVR support]]

| colspan="3" |Exclusive to [https://www.emuvr.net/wiki/Installation_Guide#Downloads libretro cores] at the moment.

|{{Enhancements/Misc./File browser}}||{{Na}}||{{Na}}||{{Na}}

|{{Enhancements/Misc./Free Look}}||{{Na}}||{{Na}}||{{WIP-Box}}<ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/9lwy0r/desmume_begins_to_implement_a_freelook_feature/<br>https://windwakr.github.io/miscstuff.html</ref>

|Multiple screens||{{Ya}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|[[Netplay#Other|Netplay]]||{{Na}}||{{Ya}}||{{~}}<ref name="lrRA" group="note" />

|[[RetroAchievements]]||{{~}}<br><small>Nintendo DS RetroAchievements is exclusive in libretro cores and the unofficial melonDS Android port. DSi games aren't supported in these emulators/cores for RetroAchievements.</small>||{{Ya}}<br><small>DSi RetroAchievements is supported in [https://twitter.com/RetroCheevos/status/1647525064667955201?cxt=HHwWgoCw4afUl90tAAAA BizHawk's MelonDS core] and the MelonDS DS libretro core.</small>||{{~}}<ref name="lrRA" group="note" />

|{{Enhancements/Misc./Rich Presence}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|{{Enhancements/Misc./Screen translator}}

| colspan="3" |You can use [https://docs.libretro.com/guides/ai-service/ RetroArch's AI Service] or the standalone offline [https://github.com/bquenin/interpreter bquenin's Interpreter].

== Hardware features and peripherals ==

{| {{Basic table}}

!melonDS

!melonDS DS

!DeSmuME

!GBE+

| rowspan="6" |[[Nintendo DS emulators#Connectivity|Connectivity]]

| colspan="2" |[[Nintendo DS emulators#Infrared Cartridge|Infrared cartridge]]||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

| rowspan="5" |[[Nintendo DS emulators#Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection|Wi-Fi]]

|3DS connectivity||{{Na}}||{{Na}}||{{Na}}||{{Na}}

|[[Nintendo DS emulators#Local wireless communication|Multi-Card]]||{{Ya}}||{{Na}}||{{Na}}||{{Na}}

|[[Nintendo DS emulators#Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection|Online]]||{{Ya}}||{{Ya}}||{{~}}||{{Dunno}}

|[[Nintendo DS emulators#DS Download Play|Single-Card (DS Download Play)]]||{{Ya}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Na}}||{{Dunno}}

|[[Nintendo DS emulators#DS/Wii connectivity|Wii connectivity]]||{{Na|link=https://github.com/melonDS-emu/melonDS/issues/1000}}||{{Na}}||{{Na}}||{{Na}}

| rowspan="3" |[[Nintendo DS emulators#DSi Game formats|Game formats]]

|DSi-enhanced||{{Ya}}||{{Ya}}||{{Na}}||{{Dunno}}

|DSi-exclusive||{{Ya}}||{{Ya}}||{{Na}}||{{Dunno}}

|DSiWare||{{Ya}}||{{Ya}}||{{Na}}||{{Dunno}}

| colspan="2" |Outer and inner cameras||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

| colspan="2" |SD card||{{Ya}}||{{Ya}}||{{Na}}||{{Dunno}}

| colspan="2" |System BIOS||{{Ya}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

| colspan="3" |[[Nintendo DS emulators#Backwards compatibility for Game Boy Advance.2FGBA Mode|Game Boy Advance backwards compatibility]]||{{Na|link=https://melonds.kuribo64.net/board/thread.php?id=1229}}||{{Na}}||{{Na}}||{{Dunno}}

| colspan="2" |[[List of games that support microphone|Microphone]]||{{Ya}}<ref name="DSmic" group="note">melonDS and melonDS DS support microphone in external microphone, blow, noise, and (for melonDS) WAV file; additionally, melonDS now has microphone support for DSi games for feature parity. Unknown if melon DS DS supports mic for DSi titles.</ref>||{{Dunno}}<ref name="DSmic" group="note" />||{{Na}}||{{Dunno}}

| colspan="2" |[[List of games that support Pressure-Sensitive Face Buttons#Nintendo DS Emulation|Pressure-sensitive touchscreen]]||{{Na}}||{{Na}}||{{Na}}||{{Dunno}}

| colspan="3" |iQue DS region lock||{{~}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Ya}}||{{Dunno}}

| colspan="3" |Sleep mode||{{Ya}}||{{Ya}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

| colspan="3" |System BIOS||{{Ya}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

| colspan="3" |DS camera||{{Ya}}<br><small>melonDS supports outer and inner cameras in Physical Camera mode and as Image File.</small>||{{~}}<br><small>DS camera is supported but DSi camera is not yet supported in melonDS DS.</small>||{{Na}}||{{Dunno}}

| rowspan="5" |Fitness

| colspan="2" |Bayer DIDGIT||{{Na}}||{{Na}}||{{Na}}||{{Ya}}

| rowspan="4" |Pedometer

|[https://miiwiki.org/wiki/Activity_Meter_(character) Activity Meter]||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Na}}

|[https://dmitry.gr/?r=05.Projects&proj=28.%20pokewalker Pokéwalker]||{{Na}}||{{Na}}||{{Na}}||{{Na}}

|[https://vpets.thefrugalgamer.net/2023/07/19/teku-teku-angel/ ''Teku Teku Angel'']||{{Na}}||{{Na}}||{{Na}}||{{Na}}

|Ubisoft Thrustmaster pedometer||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Ya}}

| colspan="3" |Nintendo Wireless Keyboard||{{Na}}||{{Na}}||{{~}}||{{Na}}

| rowspan="16" |Slot 2

| colspan="2" |Beypoint Reader & Beypointer Option Pak||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Na}}

| colspan="2" |[https://www.siliconera.com/ds-directional-sensing-card-used-for-stargazing/ Directional Sensing Card]||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Na}}

| colspan="2" |Expansion Pak||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}||{{Ya}}