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Nintendo DSi emulators

464 bytes removed, 23:53, 1 July 2020
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;DSiWare: Downloadable titles only available through the DSi Shop (discontinued as of March 31, 2017). They have a 16MB size limitation due to the small size of the internal NAND and a lot of interesting exclusives for the system released as DSiWare. The Nintendo 3DS eShop also has some DSiWare for purchase (which is the only ''legal'' way of obtaining them now), though it uses a different file packaging format than the DSi. The system itself is also capable of running other DSiWare since the firmware used for backwards-compatibility is the same as the DSi.
All three formats can be converted to <code>.nds</code> format. Compared to regular DS games, DSi games have some additional header information that wasn't even correctly dumped in most early sets. The 2017 set has Recent sets have since updated many of these to the correct format, though it's still severely lacking in DSiWare exclusives. DSiWare dumps can exist in both <code>.nds</code> format and <code>.cia</code> format (for installation on a homebrewed 3DS).
Even though it's possible to convert these titles to <code>.nds</code>, when attempting to run these games on a normal emulator it will either show an error message (when attempting to run a DSi-exclusive title), or will crash on boot-up (when attempting to run DSiWare) due to missing encryption abilities and lack of DSi hardware support. DSi-enhanced games will run as if it was on a regular DS model.
On the DSi/3DS family of handhelds, the first two formats can be played on some select DSi-compatible flashcarts like the discontinued and expensive CycloDS iEvolution flashcart(which won't work on a stock 3DS unless you install custom firmware to whitelist it). As for the third type, some are only available for digital purchase at the 3DS eShop and are installed as apps to the limited TWL NAND. Users with custom firmware can also convert DSiWare to an installable <code>.cia</code> and even dump already installed ones back to <code>.nds</code>. Since the DSi Shop has closed, the only way of obtaining DSiWare on the physical system is by [[Modding Consoles/Flashcarts#Nintendo_DSi|homebrewing]] your DSi and either [https://dsi.cfw.guide/installing-dsiware| installing] it to the system's NAND, or launching the <code>.nds</code> ROM through Unlaunch.
===BIOS Files===
DSi emulation requires a copy of the lower 32K-halves of the ARM7/ARM9 BIOS files (<code>BIOSDSI7.ROM</code> and <code>BIOSDSI9.ROM</code>), which are different from the regular DS BIOS files and needed for the decryption. All melonDS also requires these files along with the regular DS BIOS and the needed files are <code>bios7i.bin</code>, <code>bios9iDSi's firmware.bin</code>, <code>BIOSDSI7.ROM</code>, <code>BIOSDSI9.ROM</code>, <code>BIOSNDS7.ROM</code>, and <code>BIOSNDS9.ROM</code>. These unicorns can be found [http://archive[Emulator_Files#Nintendo_DS_.org/details/DSiFirmwareFiles 2F_DSi|here]].
It's also advised (but still completely '''optional''') to use a NAND dump as well for No$GBA to increase compatibility (though adding games is more complex, and however a soft-modding solution to NAND dump it is still being worked on). Rename it to "DSi-1.mmc" (should be about 250MB). In No$GBA, change ''"Reset/Startup Entrypoint"'' to ''"GBA/NDS BIOS"'' to now boot the emulator and games in DSi mode. Hex editing is required in order to "install" new DSiWare titles. Using a NAND dump fixes a lot of glitches and crashes related to languages and use of the internal DSi fontmelonDS.
==Emulation Tutorial==
===melonDS===
The latest dev builds of melonDS can also boot the DSi Menu, and wifi support is being worked onload most DSiWare.To boot up the DSi Menu, you need specific files which can all be found [[Emulator_Files#Nintendo_DS_.2F_DSi|on this pagehere]].
==Known Issues==
===MelonDS===MelonDS doesn't support DSiWare yet.===NONo$GBA===
Aside from general emulation problems inherited from the older DS emulation project, there are the following issues:
* ''Touch Screen issues related to Screen Calibration'' (DSiWare + TwilightMenu or simple nds loading) The fix is to load the original DSi Home Menu first (holding B when resetting the emulator or loading it), then reset to TwilightMenu (not holding any buttons) before loading the desired game.
* ''Can't Save'' (DSiWare + simple nds loading) This method is hardware inaccurate to begin with. For best results, switch to TwilightMenu or Original NAND methods.
===MelonDS===
MelonDS doesn't support most of the DSi's features such as the cameras, DSP, new wifi, and DSi mode for DSi-enhanced games. It also doesn't appear to support emulating an external SD card like No$GBA can.
==References==
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