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{{for|other emulators that run on NDS hardware|Emulators on DS}}  The '''[[wikipedia:Nintendo DS|Nintendo DS]]''' (NDS) is a handheld console produced by Nintendo on November 21, 2004 , and had 2 ARM CPUs (ARM9 and ARM7) with 4MB 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"|[[<abbr title="The Nintendo DS is backward compatible with Game Boy Advance emulators|(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"|[[libretro#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"|[[#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"|[[Recommended Emulatorsemulators|Recommended]]

!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melonDS libretro core two versions out of date (still on 0.9.3), and the generation 5 Pokemons are broken.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]) ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}

|align=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> ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}

|[[melonDSBizHawk]]<br/><small>(melonDS 0.9.5)</small>|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}|[httphttps://melondsgitlab.kuribo64.netcom/TASVideos/BizHawk/-/downloads.php {{MelonDSVer}}pipelines Dev builds] <br/>[httpshttp://githubtasvideos.comorg/ArisoturaBizHawk/melonDS/actions <br/>Dev BuildsReleaseHistory.html {{BizHawkVer}}]|{{✗}} ||{{~✓}} ||{{✗}} ||?<ref group=N name=WFCAlt></ref> ||? ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓~}}

|[[DeSmuME#Graphical_EnhancementNo$|DeSmuME X432RNo$GBA]]|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSDDOS}}|[http://web.archiveproblemkaputt.org/web/20150920170430im_/http:de//shikaver01gba.webcrow.jp/desmume_x432r/index.html 2015-04-19htm {{No$GBAVer}}]|{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||? {{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}

|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} <small>(WIP)</small>

|[[mGBA#medusa|medusaNooDS]]

|[https://github.com/Hydr8gon/NooDS/releases git]|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} <small>(WIP)</small>|-|[[mGBA#medusa|mGBA/medusa]]|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}|[https://mgba.io/downloads.html #medusa alpha 2]|{{✓}} ||{{✗}}[https://mgba.io/timeline.html#IN+THE+FUTURE *] ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} || {{✗~}}<ref name="medusa suspended"/>||{{✗}}<small>(WIP)</small>

|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}<ref>https://corgids.wordpress.com/2018/02/12/extended-break/</ref> ||{{✗}}

|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}|-|[[No$|No$GBA]]|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|DOS✗}}|[http://problemkaputt.de/gba.htm {{No$GBAVer}}]|{{✓✗}} ||{{~✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗✓}} ||{{✓✗}} ||{{✗}}

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|[https://github.com/Hydr8gon/NooDS NooDS]|align!colspan=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}"16"|[https://github.com/Hydr8gonMobile /NooDS git]|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}ARM

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

|align=left|{{Icon|Android|Pandora|Pyra}}|[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dsemu.drastic &hl=en_US&gl=US {{DraSticVer}}]<br>[https://pyra-handheld.com/repo/apps/32 0.1 Pyra]|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}

|[[melonDS]]<small> (Unofficialunofficial)</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 1.68.0]<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>|-|[[Delta]]|align=left|{{Icon|iOS}}|[https://github.com/rileytestut/Delta git]|{{✗}} ||{{~}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}

|[https://inds.nerd.net/ iNDS]<br/><small>(nds4ios -derived)</small><br/><small>(DeSmuME -based)</small>

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|[http://jeffq.com/blog/nds4droid/ nds4droid]<br/><small>(DeSmuME based)</small>DeeS

|[https://github.com/jquesnelleDeeSEmu/nds4droid gitDeeS 1.0.8]|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}

|[https://github.com/Hydr8gon/NooDS [NooDS]]

|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}<small>(WIP)</small>

!colspan="9"|Console|[http://jeffq.com/blog/nds4droid/ nds4droid]<br/><small>(DeSmuME-|DeSmuME PSPbased)</small>|align=left|{{Icon|PSPAndroid}}|[https://cdn.discordappgithub.com/attachmentsjquesnelle/590011753849421846/870274164748079104/desmume_psp_4.zip V4nds4droid git]|{{✓✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}

|DesmumeX|align!colspan=left|{{Icon|Xbox}}|[https://www.1emulation.com/forums/topic/35774-desmumex-v087-new-update 0.87]|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✗}} |"16"|{{✓}}Console

|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}|-|TWL_FIRM|align=left|{{Icon|3DS}}|N/A|{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}

|<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> ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}} <small>(WIP)</small>|-|[[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>|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}} <small>(WIP)</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.]|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}

|[https://github.com/Hydr8gon/NooDS NooDS]DesmumeX|align=left|{{Icon|SwitchXbox}}|[https://githubwww.1emulation.com/Hydr8gonforums/NooDS gittopic/35774-desmumex-v087-new-update 0.87]|{{✓✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✓✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}}

|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || ? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✗}}<small> (POC)</small> ||{{✗}}

;[[melonDS]]<small class="plainlinks" style="font-weight:normal;">([https://wiimmfi.de/stat?m=25 servers])</small>: Unlike DeSmuME, melonDS can use wifi, Wi-Fi and has some DSi support. However, it does require the DS BIOS. 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 ROMs inside an a compressed archive (zipZIP, rarRAR, 7z7Z 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's gotten as far as it has , and it has 's been found to work reasonably well with a handful of games. melonDS does not have custom file paths yet (all saves will be created where the rom is). Switching to opengl OpenGL in core options may give a performance boost. ;[[DeSmuME]]<small class="plainlinks" style="font-weight: DeSmuME works out of the the boxnormal;The most developed emulators for regular DS games">([https://wiimmfi. de/stat?m=25 servers])</small>:DeSmuME has had significant improvements since 2018, though ; new features are still in development and are only available through either nightly/dev builds. It now uses include less CPU/GPU resourcesresource usage and high-resolution 3D rendering, and though Wi-Fi capability remains neither emulated nor supported. v0.9.13 from May 2022 is also underway. The latest the first "Stable" build in over 7 years and is no longer highly recommended as it's over 5 years old and lacks any new features. If you do run into issues on the all previous builds (though dev builds, then try switching back to the last stable build (see are also generally very usable). [[Common Problems and SolutionsOpenEmu]] for tips)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$GBA]]: Focuses on speed, and has major compatibility issues and glitches as a result. But because Because it was originally initially a GBA emulator, the DS's 3D features are still very poorly handled. However, it might be an '''It's a good option for a very low-end machine machines, but don't expect a lot of games to run perfectly, or at all'''. A fan program, No$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 hasn't never rebased yet but does add options for window resizing. There haven't been any noticeable changes with regards to accuracynewer No$GBA versions, and it looks like it was abandoned, howeverso it likely never will. In v2.8, No$GBA became the first emulator to supports 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 romhacking 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.

;[[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 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. ;[[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.

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 still under development.  {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:middle;"|- style="font-weight:bold;"! Name! melonDS! DeSmuME! No$GBA |-| [[#GBA/DS connectivity|GBA/DS connectivity]]| {{✓}}| {{✓}}| {{~}}

! scope="col"|Name! scope="col"[[#Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection|Platform(s)! scope="col"|Latest Version! scope="col"|LocalNintendo Wi-Fi Connection]]! scope="col"|Download Play{{✓}}! scope="col"|Wi-Fi{{✗}}! scope="col"|GBA/DS{{✗}}

|[[melonDS#Local wireless communication|melonDSLocal wireless communication]]|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux~}}|{{MelonDSVer✗}}|{{~}} ||{{~}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓✗}}

|[[DeSmuME#DS Download Play|DS Download Play]]|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD~}}|{{DeSmuMEVer✗}}|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}} ||{{✓}}

|[[No$#DS/Wii connectivity|No$GBADS/Wii connectivity]]|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|DOS✗}}|[http://problemkaputt.de/gba.htm {{No$GBAVer✗}}]|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}

Players who have a copy of the same game can link together using the DS' s wireless signals (given that the game offers this feature).

melonDS supports wireless communication with several games, including ''New Super Mario Bros.'' and the ''PokemonPokémon''games, but you need to have either multiple instances opened, which can slow down overall performance, or connect multiple computers via LAN. No$GBA is able to can connect, but fails before the actual connection is finished.

This feature allows players with a DS device, and only one copy of a game, to play together. This way, not everyone doesn't need to have needs a copy of the a game. The player with the physical cartridge will host the game while the other players connects connect using a "downloaded" version received from the host. Normally they are either simple mini-games, stripped -down demos of the main game, or a limited version of multiplayer. In most cases , it's better to use multi-cart instead. However, however there are some games, like ''Mario Party DS'', that requires require Download Play in order to use its multiplayer.

Nintendo's had an online service that was available for the Wii and the DS and that was free to use. It was shutdown shut down on May 20, 2014 , due to the company GameSpy, the ones who were managing these servers, shutting down its multiplayer services after being bought out. A popular game that used this feature was ''Mario Kart DS''.

There was a third-party DeSmuME forks fork that successfully emulated WFC but has quite a bit of requirement (Ethernet cable, though this can be circumvented with external software). After the 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). melonDS is one of the only emulators to offer Wi-Fi capabilities. It's still a work-in-progress, but it works relatively well.

Uses the 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-DS_connectivity only a handful of games actually have this feature]. Some notable examples are include: * ''Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time'' - which is essentially the same as the DS port but can connect with other DS' DSes with the game, .* ''Pokemon Pokémon Battle Revolution'' - in which players could transfer their Pokemon to Pokémon from the game Generation IV main series games and use the DS as a controller, . * ''Animal Crossing: City Folk'' - in which data could be transferred between the DS version (''Animal Crossing: Wild World''), and the ''Nintendo Channel'' on the Wii , where players could download demos of DS games to their console using Download Play (basically the same idea as the Download Station kiosk).

So far, no emulator has been able to emulate this feature, nor have attempted to. If this was were ever going to be emulated, it would require work on both ends.

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 for it to take effect. As of version 0.9, [https://melonds.kuribo64.net/comments.php?id=110 melonDS supports GBA connectivity ] and even added support for the solar sensor on GBA Boktai cartridges used in Boktai DS (Lunar Knight), something DeSmuME has yet to support. Either drag-and-drop the GBA ROM onto the program before starting or open the file before loading the NDS file.

;Taito paddle controller: Compatible with Arkanoid, Space Invaders Extreme, Space Invaders Extreme 2 , and Space Bust-a-Move. Supported by DeSmuME (Slot 2).

;Slide controller: 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 keyboardNintendo 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://pokemonlog.com/pokemon-fuligin-download-rom/ 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 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 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.

;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 exists 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 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. However, for melonDS, you need a [[Emulator Files|Firmware Dump]] from an iQue DS, otherwise , it will replicate the region 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. [[DraStic]] was the first emulator able to run the two games properly, and while DeSmuME r5043 had an initial fix that worked around the glitch, 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 in 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.