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melonds-emu/melonds

★ 4,715C++Audience · generalComplexity · 2/5Setup · moderate

TLDR

An accurate, open-source Nintendo DS emulator for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Play DS games on your computer with features like save states, Wi-Fi simulation, and graphics filters, no original hardware needed.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((melonDS))
    What it does
      Runs DS games on PC
      Dual screen emulation
      Wi-Fi simulation
      Save states
    Tech stack
      C++ codebase
      JIT compilation
      Cross-platform
    Platforms
      Windows
      macOS
      Linux
    Audience
      Gamers
      Retro enthusiasts
      Emulation hobbyists
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Code map

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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Play your legally owned Nintendo DS game collection on a Windows, Mac, or Linux computer.

USE CASE 2

Use save states to bookmark your progress in a DS game and resume from any point instantly.

USE CASE 3

Simulate local wireless multiplayer between multiple instances of the emulator on one computer.

USE CASE 4

Apply graphics filters to make classic DS pixel art look sharper on modern high-resolution screens.

Tech stack

C++JIT CompilationWindows/macOS/Linux

Getting it running

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Download a pre-built binary from the releases page. You must supply your own Nintendo DS BIOS files and legally obtained game ROMs, these are not included. Configure BIOS paths in Settings before loading a game.

Open-source emulator, license not specified in detail in the explanation.

In plain English

melonDS is an open-source emulator for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. An emulator is software that lets a computer run programs designed for a different device. In this case, you can use melonDS to play Nintendo DS game cartridge backups on a Windows, Linux, macOS, or BSD computer. The developer's stated goal is accuracy and speed. The README is informal and casual in tone, the description is simply "DS emulator, sorta." That relaxed approach carries through the whole document, which lists planned features as a TODO list and credits testers for "reporting issues, suggesting shit, etc." To run games with a full firmware boot (the same startup sequence the real hardware uses), you need a BIOS and firmware dump from a physical DS or DS Lite. These are files you extract from your own hardware. Firmware files dumped from a DSi or 3DS can be used for configuration data but cannot boot the firmware itself, because they lack the required boot code. For direct boot (skipping the DS startup screen), no BIOS dump is needed. The TODO list in the README gives a sense of what is still in progress: improved DSi emulation, better OpenGL-based rendering, netplay (playing over a network with others), and support for certain hardware addons. These are features the developer acknowledges are not yet finished or not yet started. melonDS is released under the GNU General Public License v3, which means you can use, modify, and share the code freely, as long as any modifications you distribute also carry the same license. Build instructions are kept in a separate file in the repository.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
I want to set up melonDS to play Nintendo DS games on my Mac. Walk me through downloading, configuring the BIOS files, and loading a ROM.
Prompt 2
How do I create and load save states in melonDS so I can bookmark my progress mid-game?
Prompt 3
Explain how to set up local Wi-Fi multiplayer between two instances of melonDS on the same computer.
Prompt 4
What graphics filter options does melonDS offer and how do I enable them to make DS games look better on a 1080p monitor?
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