Changes

|type = [[:Category:ConsolesHandheld consoles|Handheld game console]]

|successor = [[Nintendo 3DS DSi emulators|Nintendo 3DSDSi]]

 {{for|other emulators that run on NDS hardware|Emulators on DS}}  The '''[[gametechwikipedia:Nintendo DS|Nintendo DS]]''' (NDS) is a handheld console produced by Nintendo in on November 21, 2004/2005, and had 2 ARM CPUs (ARM9 and ARM7) with 4 MBs of RAM. The main selling point was the use of dual screens for gameplay, with one being a touchscreen. It is the only console to have come close to the [[PlayStation 2 emulators|PlayStation 2]] in lifetime sales(154.02 million units), as a result of attracting a large amount number of casual players, and even non-gamers, into the gaming community.

! scope="col"|Operating SystemPlatform(s)

! scope="col"|<abbr title="The Nintendo DS is backward compatible with Game Boy Advance (GBA) cartridges. On top of that inserting a GBA cartridge in the Slot-2 of the Nintendo DS while a game is running can unlock various gameplay features for several DS games, GBA/DS connectivity section for more information about this.">[https://emulation.gametechwiki.com/index.php/Game_Boy_Advance_emulators GBA]</abbr>! scope="col"|NDS[[Nintendo DSi emulators|DSi]]! scope="col"|DSi[[#DS/Wii connectivity|DS<br/>to<br/>Wii]]! scope="col"|[[#Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection|Wi-Fi/WFC]]! scope="col"|[[#DS Download Play|Download<br/>Play]]! scope="col"|[[libretro#Local wireless communication|Local]]! scope="col"|<small>[https://retroachievements.org/gameList.php?c=18 Retro<br/>Achievements]</small>! scope="col"|[[Libretro Core]]! scope="col"|[[Texture_packs#Texture_Replacement (3D)|<small>Texture<br/>Replacement</small>]]</abbr>! scope="col"|<abbr title="Free/Libre and Open-Source Software">FLOSS</abbr>

!colspan="916"|PC/ x86|-|[[melonDS]]|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}|[http://melonds.kuribo64.net/downloads.php {{MelonDSVer}}] [https://github.com/Arisotura/melonDS/actions <br/>Dev Builds]<br/>[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core]<ref group=N name=melonDSRA>melonDS libretro core two versions out of date (still on 0.9.3), and the generation 5 Pokemons are broken. If you turn on C-Gear, after a few minutes you'll be unable to save. [https://github.com/libretro/melonDS/issues/179#issuecomment-1407488464 '''You also can't use any wifi features'''] or do in game trades either or the game will freeze.</ref>|{{~}}<ref group=N name=noGBAbutsupportsconnection>[https://melonds.kuribo64.net/board/thread.php?id=1229 melonDS] and DeSmuME are not support backwards compatibility but supports [[#GBA/DS connectivity|GBA to DS connectivity]].</ref> ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}[https://github.com/melonDS-emu/melonDS/issues/1000 *] ||{{✓}}<ref group=N name=WFCAlt>Possible with [https://wiimmfi.de/ Wimmfi], [https://kaeru.world/projects/wfc Kaeru] or [https://github.com/barronwaffles/dwc_network_server_emulator/wiki AltWFC/DWC].<br /> [https://melonds.kuribo64.net/board/thread.php?id=285 Tutorial: How to Connect to WFC in MelonDS]</ref> ||{{~}} ||{{~}} ||{{~}}<ref group=N name=lrRA>Only possible with libretro core. [https://github.com/melonDS-emu/melonDS/issues/1146 Github Issue page for standalone version].</ref> ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}([https://melonds.kuribo64.net/comments.php?id=182 WIP]) ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}

|Multialign=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|Web}}|[https://desmume.org/download/ {{DeSmuMEVer}}]<br/>[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core]|{{~}}<ref group=N name=noGBAbutsupportsconnection></ref> ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}<ref group=N name=WFCAlt></ref> ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}}<ref group=N name=lrRA></ref> ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}|-platform|[[BizHawk]]<br/><small>(melonDS 0.9.5)</small>|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}|[https://gitlab.com/TASVideos/BizHawk/-/pipelines Dev builds]<br/>[http://desmumetasvideos.org/downloadBizHawk/ SVNReleaseHistory.html {{BizHawkVer}}]|{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||?<ref group=N name=WFCAlt></ref> ||? ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}

|[[DeSmuME#Graphical_EnhancementNo$|DeSmuME X432RNo$GBA]]|Multi-platformalign=left|{{Icon|Windows|DOS}}|[http://shikaver01.webcrowproblemkaputt.jp/desmume_x432rde/indexgba.html 2015-04-19htm {{No$GBAVer}}]|{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}

|[[MelonDSGBE+]]|align=left|{{Icon|Windows, |Linux|macOS}}|[httphttps://melondsgithub.kuribo64.netcom/shonumi/gbe-plus/downloads.php 0.6breleases {{GBEVer}}]|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} <small>(WIP)</small>

|[[mGBA|MedusaNooDS]]|align=left|{{Icon|Windows, |Linux|macOS}}|[https://mgbagithub.iocom/Hydr8gon/downloads.html alpha 2NooDS/releases git]|{{✓}} ||{{✓✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || {{✗}}<ref name="medusa suspended"/>||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} <small>(WIP)</small>

|[[GBE+mGBA#medusa|mGBA/medusa]]|align=left|{{Icon|Windows, |Linux|macOS}}|[https://githubmgba.com/shonumi/gbe-plusio/releases 1downloads.html#medusa alpha 2]|{{✓}} ||{{✓✗}}[https://mgba.io/timeline.html#IN+THE+FUTURE *] ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} || {{~}}<ref name="medusa suspended"/>||{{✗}} <small>(WIP)</small>

|align=left|{{Icon|Windows, |Linux|macOS}}|[https://github.com/PSI-Rockin/CorgiDS/releases 0.1git]<br />[http://www.emucr.com/search/label/CorgiDS SVN]|{{✗}} ||{{✓✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}<ref>https://corgids.wordpress.com/2018/02/12/extended-break/</ref> ||{{✗}}

|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}|[https://github.com/rasky/ndsemu Gitgit]|{{✗}} ||{{✓✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}

|[[No$|No$GBA]https://web.archive.org/web/20110225190819/http://neonds.com/ NeonDS]|align=left|{{Icon|Windows, DOS}}|[https://web.archive.org/web/20100925152735/http://problemkaputtneonds.decom/gbasystem/files/NeonDS_0.2.1.zip 0.htm 2.91]|{{✓✗}} ||{{✓✗}} ||{{✓✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}

|align=left|{{Icon|Windows, |Linux}}|[https://github.com/Cydrak/dasShiny Gitgit]|{{✗}} ||{{✓✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}

|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}|[http://www.emulator-zone.com/download.php/emulators/nds/duos/DuoS.zip 8/25/2012 Beta]|{{✗}} ||{{✓✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}

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

|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}|-|[https://web.archive.org/web/20111130005614/http://ideasemu.biz/ iDeaS]|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}|[http://www.emulator-zone.com/files/emulators/nds/ideas/ideas1040.7z 1.0.4.0]|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}

!colspan="16"|[https://www.gamulator.com/emulators/nintendo-ds/windowsMobile /ideas iDeaS]|Windows, Linux|[https://web.archive.org/web/20150221150649/http://ciacin.site90.com/ajx/resolve_link.php?link=ideas1040.7z 1.0.4.0]|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}ARM

!colspan|<small>[https://docs.libretro.com/library/desmume/ DeSmuME_libretro]</small>|align=left|{{Icon|Android|iOS}}|[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core]|{{~}}<ref group=N name=noGBAbutsupportsconnection></ref> ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}<ref group=N name="9"WFCAlt></ref> ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||Mobile{{✓}}

|align=left|{{Icon|Android, |Pandora|Pyra}}|[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dsemu.drastic r2.5&hl=en_US&gl=US {{DraSticVer}}]<br>[https://pyra-handheld.com/repo/apps/32 0.3a1 Pyra]|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}|-|[[melonDS]]<small> (unofficial)</small><br/><small>[https://docs.libretro.com/library/melonds/ melonds_libretro]</small>|align=left|{{Icon|Android|iOS}}|[https://github.com/rafaelvcaetano/melonDS-android git]<br/>[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=me.magnum.melonds 1.8.0]<br/>[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core]<ref group=N name=melonDSRA></ref>|{{~}}<ref group=N name=noGBAbutsupportsconnection></ref> ||{{~}} ||{{✗}} || ? ||? ||? ||{{~}}<ref group=N>Only possible with libretro core but [https://github.com/rafaelvcaetano/melonDS-android/discussions/1117 work-in-progress for standalone version].</ref> ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}||{{~}} <small>(WIP)</small>

|Dsoid[[Delta]]|Androidalign=left|{{Icon|iOS}}|[httphttps://www.emucrgithub.com/searchrileytestut/label/Dsoid?&max-results=12 SVNDelta git]|{{✗}} ||{{✓~}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}

|nds4droid[https://inds.nerd.net/ iNDS]<br/><small>(nds4ios-derived)</small><br/><small>(DeSmuME-based)</small>|Androidalign=left|{{Icon|iOS}}|[https://github.com/jquesnelleiNDS-Team/nds4droid GitiNDS/releases git]|{{✗}} ||{{✓✗}} ||{{✗}} || ? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}}

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

|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}}|-|DeeS|align=left|{{Icon|Android}}|[https://github.com/DeeSEmu/DeeS 1.0.8]|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}|-|[[NooDS]]|align=left|{{Icon|Android}}|[https://github.com/Hydr8gon/NooDS git]|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} <small>(WIP)</small>|-|[http://jeffq.com/blog/nds4droid/ nds4droid]<br/><small>(DeSmuME-based)</small>|align=left|{{Icon|Android}}|[https://github.com/jquesnelle/nds4droid git]|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || ? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}|-!colspan="16"|Console|-|[[Virtual Console]]|align=left|{{Icon|WiiU}}||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}|-|<small>[https://docs.libretro.com/library/desmume/ DeSmuME_libretro]</small>|align=left|{{Icon|Switch|PS4}}<br/>{{Icon|Vita}}|[https://www.retroarch.com/ 0.9.13]|{{~}}<ref group=N name=noGBAbutsupportsconnection></ref> ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}|-|[[melonDS]]<br/><small>[https://docs.libretro.com/library/melonds/ melonds_libretro]</small>|align=left|{{Icon|Switch|Vita}}<br/>{{Icon|PS2}}|[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core]<ref group=N name=melonDSRA></ref><br/>[https://github.com/rsduck/melonDS/releases git]<small> (Switch)</small><br/>[https://github.com/Rinnegatamante/melonDS-Vita git]<small>(Vita Port)</small><br/>[https://github.com/DanielSant0s/melonDS-PS2 git]<small> (PS2 Port)</small><br/>|{{~}}<ref group=N name=noGBAbutsupportsconnection></ref> ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} || ? || ? || ? ||{{~}}<ref group=N name=lrRA></ref> ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}|-|[[NooDS]]|align=left|{{Icon|Switch|Vita}}<br/>{{Icon|PSP}}|[https://github.com/Hydr8gon/NooDS git]<small> (Switch/Vita)</small><br/>[https://github.com/Xiro28/NooDS_PSP git] <small>(PSP port)</small>|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}|-|[[DeSmuME PSP]]|align=left|{{Icon|PSP}}|[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/590011753849421846/870274164748079104/desmume_psp_4.zip V4][https://github.com/Xiro28/DeSmuME-PSP git][https://github.com/Xiro28/desmume_psp_experimental Exp.]|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || ? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}|-|DesmumeX|align=left|{{Icon|Xbox}}|[https://www.1emulation.com/forums/topic/35774-desmumex-v087-new-update 0.87]|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || ? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}}|-|[[DeSmuME PSP|DSonPSP]]|align=left|{{Icon|PSP}}|[https://wololo.net/downloads/index.php/download/1235 0.7]|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || ? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✗}} <small>(POC)</small> ||{{✗}}

;[[DeSmuMEmelonDS]]<small class="plainlinks" style="font-weight: One of the most developed emulators for regular DS games, but works best with higher end computers. This emulator aims for accuracy over speed but you can tinker with the vast amount of setting to get some extra FPS normal;">(see [[Common Problems and Solutionshttps://wiimmfi.de/stat?m=25 servers]] for tips). If you're still having a hard time running anything without the output playing like syrup try No$GBA, or DraStic emulated through BlueStacks. </small>:Unlike DeSmuME is generally recommended regardless of your PC power. However, it's not perfect and is still very unoptimized. The official developers have taken major disdain for melonDS can use Wi-Fi features (outside of an online play fork) and has some DSi featuressupport. Because In terms of this unique development philosophybeing user-friendly, you'll have to look for alternatives options in those casesmelonDS are more simplified.;[[DraStic]]: A closed-source payware emulator for Android devices that Has similar DS game compatibility as DeSmuME. Both can run games at decent speed even on potato phones. Some unsubstantiated rumors have spread around that the developers deliberately put in issues to mess with pirated copies, though at the very least, don't expect any support from exophase a higher internal resolution (sharper 3D objects) and company if you get your hands on can open ROMs inside a pirated copy. It's on par or better than DeSmuMecompressed archive (ZIP, RAR, and emulating it through BlueStacks on PC may actually be a viable and fast alternative aside from a slight input delay7Z etc. Available for free on Raspberry Pi and Odroid via RetroPie).;[[No$GBA]]: Focuses on speed, and has major compatibility issues and glitches as a result. But because it was originally a GBA emulator, Both can display the DS's 3D features are still very poorly handled. However, it might be an option for a very low end machine but don't expect two screens in a lot variety of games to run perfectly, or at all. A fan program, No$Zoomer, was released for version 2.6 which increases compatibility and optionsways, as well as the titular zooming abilities. The biggest addition is noise cancellation which clears up static that No$GBA makes with its 3D rendering. No$Zoomer hasn't rebased yet but does add options for window resizingmelonDS has a hybrid mode. There hasn't been any noticeable changes with regards to accuracy however[https://i. As of v2imgur.8, No$GBA supports DSi games, and is currently the only emulator that doescom/S73Eb4m. Only use No$GBA in the cases of DSi games, debugging jpg (if you've taken up romhacking for DS gamesExample), if you value speed above everything, or just as a last resort.;[[melonDS]]: Probably the only emulator that's provided any signs of hope for competition in the PC space. StapleButter's goal is to make an emulator that's better optimized and includes features that others lack, either intentionally or not. While the developers of No$GBA had documented the Wi-Fi capabilities first, melonDS is the first and only emulator that's gotten as far as it has , and it has 's been found to work reasonably well with a handful of games. It could surpass DeSmuME when it covers more features and supports more games, but it's unclear whether DSi games will be supported or not.;Medusa: [[mGBA]] developer endrift is also creating a DS emulator, but it's very much a work-Switching to OpenGL in-progress and isn't nearly as far as melonDS in terms of the capabilities its 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's 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's not very usable or compatible but it can run core options may give a few gamesperformance boost.

;[[DeSmuME]] <small class="plainlinks" style="font-weight:normal;">([https://wiimmfi.de/stat?m=25 servers])</small>:DeSmuME has had significant improvements since 2018; new features include less CPU/GPU resource usage and high-resolution 3D rendering, though Wi-Fi capability remains neither emulated nor supported. v0.9.13 from May 2022 is the first "Stable" build in over 7 years and is highly recommended over all previous builds (though dev builds are also generally very usable). [[OpenEmu]] uses a shallow fork of the v0.9.11 build and should be avoided as well.;[[DraStic]]:A payware, closed-source emulator for [[Android emulators|Android]] devices that can run games at a decent speed even on potato phones. It's on par with (or in some cases better than) DeSmuME, and emulating it through BlueStacks on PC may actually be a viable and fast alternative aside from a slight input delay. Some rumors have spread around that the developers deliberately put in issues to mess with pirated copies, though this is considered unsubstantiated. At the very least, you shouldn't expect any support from Exophase and company if you use a pirated copy, though it is available for free on the Raspberry Pi and Odroid via RetroPie, and runs relatively well there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=715kg1-hmxA ;[[No$|No$GBA]]: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's a good option for low-end machines, but don't expect a lot of games to run perfectly'''. A fan program, No$Zoomer, was released for version 2.6, which increases compatibility and options, as well as the titular zooming and resizing abilities. The biggest addition is noise cancellation which clears up static that No$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. ;[[Delta]]:An open-source application 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 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. ;[[mGBA#medusa|mGBA/medusa]]:[[mGBA]] developer endrift is also creating a DS emulator, but it's 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's 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's not very usable or compatible, but it can run a few games. '''Comparisons of several Nintendo DS emulators:'''* [https://emucross.com/the-next-generation-of-ds-emulators/ Looking Toward the Next Generation of DS Emulators] (By [[Dolphin]] tester, [https://dolphin-emu.org/blog/authors/JMC47/ JMC47], AKA Justin M. Chadwick. 5 June 2017. Tested emulators: melonDS (0.2 and 0.3), medusa (Alpha 2) & GBE+ (1.1) compared to the mature DeSmuME.) ===High Resolutionresolution===;[[melonDS]]:Has an OpenGL renderer with upscaling as of version 0.8.<ref name="melondsopengl">http://melonds.kuribo64.net/comments.php?id=90</ref> 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 many more graphical enhancement 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. Check out [http://www.geocities.jp/gponys/desmume_aa.html this site] to see what you're missing out on. ;[[DeSmuME ]] <small>([[libretro]])</small>:Also has an the option to increase internal resolution since the [https://github.com/libretro/desmume/commit/5e430dfbc22f9d54c77f291304a38352ee1e5a63 August 8, 2015 /8/15 git commit]. It requires a very high-end CPU to run at a reasonable framerate.

===Local Multiplayer, Wi-Fi Connection, and Wii/The DS Connection===offers five types of connections:* '''Local Multiplayer is not supported by any emulator. No$GBA can emulate it but the connection fails somewhere during establishing the actual connection wireless communications''' - ''(despite the names from the other DS showing just fineMultiple cartridges).''* '''DS Download Play isn't supported by any emulator so far, though NDS'' -bootstrap homebrew on the Nintendo 3DS can boot some of them.''(Single cartridge)''* Nintendo WFC '''Wi-Fi Connection''' - ''(Online Multiplayer) was successfully emulated with third-party DeSmuME forks, but has quite a bit of requirements (Ethernet cable, though this can be circumvented with external software). After service shutdown, there was a version compatible with the fan servers (restoring all DLC data but sadly most multiplayer games had their content lost forever).''* '''DS/Wii connection isnconnectivity't emulated in any capacity. ''Pokémon Battle Revolution* '''GBA/DS connectivity' playability '' The major challenge with emulating multiplayer functionalities is timing inaccuracies, which have made many projects, such as DeSmuME, not want to implement them. So far, the only emulator to actually make any progress is melonDS, but even that is very limited this waystill under development.

These features are not supported by the mainline DeSmuME project in particular due to timing inaccuracies and ''creative differences'', and it's highly unlikely they will ever be included in the future. If you're interested in these features, follow other projects and refrain from contacting the developers about them as per their wishes in their {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:middle;"official stance|- style=" on Wifont-Fi features in general.weight:bold;"! Name! melonDS! DeSmuME! No$GBA

===|-| [[#GBA/DS connectivity|GBA/DS Connectivity===connectivity]]Inserting GBA cartridges in Slot| {{✓}}| {{✓}}| {{~}}|-| [[#Nintendo Wi-2 of the Fi Connection|Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection]]| {{✓}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-| [[#Local wireless communication|Local wireless communication]]| {{~}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-| [[#DS while a game is running can unlock various gameplay features in some Download Play|DS games. It's unknown if NO$GBA supports this, but it can be done in DeSmuME by going to Config > Slot 2 (GBA Slot) and selecting GBA Cartridge. Select the GBA ROM file, and make sure its sav file is in the same folder. You may need to reset the game for it to take effect. However, DeSmuME does not support features like the solar sensor from GBA Boktai cartridges used in Boktai Download Play]]| {{~}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-| [[#DS/Wii connectivity|DS (Lunar Knight)./Wii connectivity]]| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|}

==DSi=Local wireless communication===Nintendo released the DSi in 2009, doing away with Slot-2 (used by GBA cartridges and Guitar Hero games) but also adding new lighting effects, Players who have a camera, more RAM, and downloadable titles called DSiWare though those were capped to 16MB because they were installed to copy of the very small internal NAND memory. DSiWare releases were also region locked, and same game can link together using the system language couldnDS't be changed. The Nintendo 3DS is also compatible with those games and s wireless signals (given that the game offers a way to back them up to an SD cardthis feature).

===Game Formats===TheremelonDS supports wireless communication with several games, including ''New Super Mario Bros.'' and the ''Pokémon''s three types of games using DSi hardware enhancements:, but you need to have either multiple instances opened, which can slow down overall performance, or connect multiple computers via LAN. No$GBA can connect but fails before the actual connection is finished.

;DSi-enhanced retail cartridges: Regular ===DS retail cartridges compatible Download Play===This feature allows players with the older a DS models, but unlocking more RAM and features when used on the DSi, similar only one copy of a game to some late GBC games on the GBAplay together. A couple This way, not everyone needs a copy of dozen games from Japan and US/EUR relied on this methoda game. Those games The player with the physical cartridge will still boot on DS emulators but without host the game while the DSi enhancements.;DSi-exclusive retail cartridges: Retail cartridges relying heavily on other players connect using a "downloaded" version received from the DSi hardware featureshost. A boot Normally they are either simple mini-up error screen will show when attempting to load those on regular DS models (and by extension, emulators for those). Only five games were released this way, either launch games or because they were too big to fit in 16MB.;DSiWare: Downloadable titles downloaded only through stripped-down demos of the DSi eShop (discontinued)main game, or the Nintendo 3DS eShop (though it uses a different file packaging format)limited version of multiplayer. They have a 16MB size limitation and there In most cases, it's lots of interesting exclusives for the system released that waybetter to use multi-cart instead. However, some games, like ''Mario Party DS'', require Download Play to use its multiplayer.

All three formats can be converted to *Download Play is supported by melonDS.nds format. Compared to regular DS gamesLike with local multiplayer, DSi games had some additional header information that wasn't even correctly dumped in it is very hit and miss but unlocking the earlier broken dumpsframerate helps. The 2017 set has updated many of thosemelonDS will often fail during the download process, though it's still severely lacking in DSiWare exclusives. DSiWare dumps exist but some games actually go as far as booting and sometimes in both NDS format, or CIA format (for the ones who want to boot it on their 3DS)-game as well.

On ===Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection=== Nintendo had an online service that was available for the Wii and the old DS or DS Lite modelsthat was free to use. It was shut down on May 20, as well as most Nintendo DS emulators2014, due to the first type will load in regular DS mode without any DSi enhancementscompany GameSpy, the second will show an error messageones who were managing these servers, and the third will crash on boot-up due to missing encryption abilities and DSi hardware supportshutting down its multiplayer services after being bought out. A popular game that used this feature was ''Mario Kart DS''.

On the DSi/3DS family There was a third-party DeSmuME fork that successfully emulated WFC but has quite a bit of handheldsrequirement (Ethernet cable, the first two formats though this can be played on some select DSi-compatible flashcarts like the (discontinued and now expensive) CycloDS iEvolution flashcard (which won't work on a stock 3DS not circumvented with custom firmware to whitelist itexternal software). As for After the third typeservice shutdown, it's available for digital purchase at their respective stores there was a version compatible with the fan servers (DSi Shop for DSirestoring all DLC data, eShop for the 3DSbut sadly, most multiplayer games had their content lost forever) and installed as apps to the limited TWL NAND. In melonDS is one of the 3DS' case, they can also be installed as custom titles in only emulators to offer Wi-Fi capabilities.cia format (like all 3DS applications, but here itIt's also still a container for an .nds rom work-in this case-progress, and converting back and forth is possible)but it works relatively well.

===EmulationDS/Wii connectivity==={| class="wikitable" style="textUses wireless communication on the DS to connect to the Wii. The idea is parallel to the GBA Link Cable for the GameCube, and just like the Link Cable, [https://nintendo.fandom.com/wiki/Wii-to-alignDS_connectivity only a handful of games actually have this feature]. Some notable examples include:center;"|* ''Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time'' -which is essentially the same as the DS port but can connect with other DSes with the game.! scope="col"|Name* ''Pokémon Battle Revolution'' - in which players could transfer their Pokémon from the Generation IV main series games and use the DS as a controller. ! scope="col"|Operating System* ''Animal Crossing: City Folk'' - in which data could be transferred between the DS version (s''Animal Crossing: Wild World'')! scope="col"|Latest Version! scope="col"|DSi , and the ''Nintendo Channel'' on the Wii, where players could download demos of DS games to their console using Download Play (enhancedbasically the same idea as the Download Station kiosk).! scope="col"|DSi (exclusive)! scope="col"|DSi (digital)! scope="col"|[[Recommended emulators|Recommended]]|-|[[No$GBA]]|WindowsSo far, no emulator has been able to emulate this feature, DOS|[http://problemkaputtnor have attempted to.de/gba.htm 2If this were ever going to be emulated, it would require work on both ends.9]|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}|}

No$===GBA added support /DS connectivity===Inserting a GBA cartridge in the Slot-2 of the Nintendo DS while a game is running can unlock various gameplay features for DSi games of all three formats starting with version 2[https://nintendo.8, although some games wont boot and others have graphical glitchesfandom. You'll need to enable "16MB DSicom/wiki/retail" under the settings. Emulation is very iffy due to a so-so List_of_Nintendo_DS_games_with_GBA_connectivity several DS emulation foundation in NO$GBA, and the camera is just spoofed as a static image but just causes an emulator crash whenever used, meaning games that use it may boot but it won't be very playable].

DSi used an encryption system for It's unknown if No$GBA supports this, but it can be done in DeSmuME by going to Config > Slot 2 (GBA Slot) and selecting GBA Cartridge. Select the GBA ROM file, and make sure its <code>.sav</code> file is in the same folder. You may need to reset the game dumps that went on for it to be enhanced take effect. As of version 0.9, [https://melonds.kuribo64.net/comments.php?id=110 melonDS supports GBA connectivity] and used even added support for the 3DS. This encryption is checked at start-upsolar sensor on GBA Boktai cartridges used in Boktai DS (Lunar Knight), hence why DS emulators don't even manage something DeSmuME has yet to boot DSiWare dumpssupport. It's very unlikely DSi-mode emulation is ever going to be implemented in Desmume in particular due to various ''creative differences'' unique to that project Either drag and drop the GBA ROM onto the program before starting or open the file before loading the NDS file.

===BIOS Files=Nintendo DSi=={{Main|Nintendo DSi emulation requires a copy of the lower 32K-halves of the ARM7/ARM9 BIOSes (BIOSDSI7.ROM and BIOSDSI9.ROM), which are different from the regular DS BIOS files and needed for the decryption. All the needed files are bios7i.bin, bios9i.bin, BIOSDSI7.ROM, BIOSDSI9.ROM, BIOSNDS7.ROM, and BIOSNDS9.ROM. These unicorns can be found [http://archive.org/details/DSiFirmwareFiles here].emulators}}

It's also advised (but still completely '''optional''') to use a NAND dump as well to increase compatibility (though adding games is more complex, and a soft==Special hardware=={| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; vertical-modding solution to dump it is still being worked on). Rename it to align:middle;"DSi|-1.mmcstyle=" (should be about 250MB). Change "Reset/Startup Entrypoint to font-weight:bold;"! Name! DeSmuME! melonDS! No$GBA/NDS BIOS" to now boot the emulator and games in DSi mode. Hex editing required to "install" new DSiWare titles, though loading retail games in DSi mode from the menu is still possible easily. This fixes lots of glitches and crashes related to languages and use of the internal DSi font.

==Special Hardware==|-| Guitar Hero pad| {{✓}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-| Piano for Easy Piano| {{✓}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-| Taito paddle controller| {{✓}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-| Rumble pack| {{✓}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-| Nintendo Wireless Keyboard| {{~}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-| Tilt sensor| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-| Pressure-sensitive touchscreen| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-| Slide controller| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-| DS camera| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-| Bayer DIDGIT| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-| iQue DS region lock| {{✓}}| {{~}}| {{✗}}|};Guitar Hero Padpad: Used in the "Guitar Hero: On Tour" series (required) and Band Hero DS. Supported by DeSmuME (Slot 2).

;Taito Paddle Controllerpaddle controller: Compatible with Arkanoid, Space Invaders Extreme, Space Invaders Extreme 2 , and Space Bust-a-Move. Supported by DeSmuME (Slot 2).;Tilt Sensorsensor: Used in "Tony Hawk's Motion/Hue's Pixel Painter." No emulators support this add-on yet. (Slot 2);Pressure-sensitive touchscreen: Used in "Harvest Moon DS", "Colors!", "Metroid Prime: Hunters", "Okamiden" and "Rhythm Heaven". No emulators support this feature yet (can work with analog triggers or DualShock 2/3 pressure-sensitive face buttons).;Rumble Packpack: Supported by DeSmuME (Slot 2). Requires compatible Joystick.;Slide Controllercontroller: Required by "Slide Adventure Mag Kid". Yasu made a shoddy [http://home.usay.jp/pc/etc/nds/iDeaS_slide.zip plug-in] for iDeaS (the recommended version was 1.0.2.9.) to try to emulate it. No emulators support this add-on at the moment.;Pokémon Nintendo Wireless Keyboard: Bundled with the "Learn with Pokémon : Typing game Adventure" (JP/UKEU/FRAU). The game refuses to boot without a keyboard, but it can be run on emulators with an anti-piracy fix and another DeSmuME-specific save bug fix. There is also [http://www.mediafirepokemonlog.com/filepokemon-fuligin-download-rom/4ogf746rd7pc1fh/LwP-TA.rar a pre-patched ROM.] While it's playable using the on-screen keyboard on the lower screen, the keyboard isn't actually emulated. There is [https://github.com/AnimeCommander/Learn.With.Pokemon-Typing-Adventure.lua/blob/master/Pok%C3%A9mon%20Typing%20DS%20Keyboard%20Script.lua a Lua script] that permits using the actual keyboard by mapping presses of the actual keyboard to taps of the virtual Touch Screen. However, you are going to 'll need to blank out all the control/hotkey bindings of DeSMuMe DeSmuME if you are going to play this game , because some of the keyboard keys also activate some controls; otherwise, pressing the Q key would also pause the game, given one example. A recomendation recommendation would be to have a separate copy of 32-bit DeSMuMe , which purpose is playing *only* the Pokémon typing gamesthis game. In that copy, place the patched ROM, the Lua script, and a 32-bit version of [https://sourceforge.net/projects/luabinaries/files/5.1.5/Windows%20Libraries/Dynamic/ lua51.dll.] (The platform used in building the <code>.dll </code> should not matter.) Even then, not only is the emulated workaround a little slow, but saving is still broken. Use savestates, instead.;DS Cameracamera: Accessory bundled with the Japan-only Face Training (an a European localization for Christmas 2007 was cancelledcanceled, and it was released as a retail DSi game in 2010 using the internal camera rather than the original accessory). Not to be confused with the built-in DSi camera. No emulators exist for it at all.;Bayer DIDGIT: A glucose meter for diabetic children with a game called ''Knock 'Em Downs: World's Fair'' that rewards them for checking their blood sugar levels regularly. The game has been dumped , but no support for the glucose meter peripheral existexists as of the time of this writing; it may, however, be possible to add reward points through Action Replay codes, not to mention that the game will still function without the glucose meter attachment anyway (albeit with reduced functionality, of course).

===iQue DS Region Lockregion lock===iQue is Nintendo's Chinese subsidiary (previously a partnership between them and Wei Yen until 2013), so when they released the DS with a few localized games, their ROMs had special flags set in them to check if the hardware that ran the cartridge was iQue's or Nintendo's as a sort of region lock. Nintendo's own hardware would fail this check, throwing an "Only for iQue DS" error in white text on a black background. No other DS games have this mechanism; , not even for Korean releases. This region lock is bypassed by the 3DS for these DS games, even though 3DS games have their own region lock. It's weird.

Emulators differ in their behavior to this region lock. No$GBA crashes, while DeSmuME can load them. DeSmuME is accurate to non-However, for melonDS, you need a [[Emulator Files|Firmware Dump]] from an iQue hardwareDS, otherwise, and it will replicate the failureregion lock.

The only way the ROM will accept other hardware (and thus emulators) is with a hack, involving a simple byte change. Use a hex editor to change the byte located at <code>0x1D</code> from value <code>80</code> to <code>00</code>.

Certain games, such as American Girl titles (e.g. , ''Julie Finds a Way'' and ''Kit Mystery Challenge'') , suffer from severe flickering issues which keep those games from being playable on most emulators; so far . [[DraStic]] is was the only first emulator able to run the two games properly, and while Desmume DeSmuME r5043 had an initial fix that worked around the flickering issuesglitch, it was removed in later revisions as it broke compatibility with Pokemon ''Pokémon SoulSilver '', among others; this has since been patched on r5531 once the true nature of the [https://sourceforge.net/p/desmume/bugs/1134/ bug] was better understood. The fix would be later incorporated into other emulators. ''Ultimate Mortal Kombat'' suffers from flickering and slowdown due to the way it loads sprites, though it isn't as serious in DraStic. ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Jedi Alliance'' is an even more egregious example, crashing due to timing differences between actual hardware and an emulated system.