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https://github.com/melonDS-emu/melonDS

DS emulator, sorta
https://github.com/melonDS-emu/melonDS

dsi emulator nds

Last synced: 4 months ago
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DS emulator, sorta

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melonDS

























DS emulator, sorta



The goal is to do things right and fast, akin to blargSNES (but hopefully better). But also to, you know, have a fun challenge :)




## How to use



Firmware boot (not direct boot) requires a BIOS/firmware dump from an original DS or DS Lite.

DS firmwares dumped from a DSi or 3DS aren't bootable and only contain configuration data, thus they are only suitable when booting games directly.



### Possible firmware sizes



 * 128KB: DSi/3DS DS-mode firmware (reduced size due to lacking bootcode)

 * 256KB: regular DS firmware

 * 512KB: iQue DS firmware



DS BIOS dumps from a DSi or 3DS can be used with no compatibility issues. DSi BIOS dumps (in DSi mode) are not compatible. Or maybe they are. I don't know.



As for the rest, the interface should be pretty straightforward. If you have a question, don't hesitate to ask, though!



## How to build



### Linux

1. Install dependencies:

   * Ubuntu 22.04: `sudo apt install cmake extra-cmake-modules libcurl4-gnutls-dev libpcap0.8-dev libsdl2-dev qtbase5-dev qtbase5-private-dev qtmultimedia5-dev libslirp-dev libarchive-dev libzstd-dev`

   * Older Ubuntu: `sudo apt install cmake extra-cmake-modules libcurl4-gnutls-dev libpcap0.8-dev libsdl2-dev qt5-default qtbase5-private-dev qtmultimedia5-dev libslirp-dev libarchive-dev libzstd-dev`

   * Arch Linux: `sudo pacman -S base-devel cmake extra-cmake-modules git libpcap sdl2 qt5-base qt5-multimedia libslirp libarchive zstd`

3. Download the melonDS repository and prepare:

   ```bash

   git clone https://github.com/melonDS-emu/melonDS

   cd melonDS

   ```



3. Compile:

   ```bash

   cmake -B build

   cmake --build build -j$(nproc --all)

   ```



### Windows

1. Install [MSYS2](https://www.msys2.org/)

2. Open the **MSYS2 MinGW 64-bit** terminal

3. Update the packages using `pacman -Syu` and reopen the terminal if it asks you to

4. Install git to clone the repository

   ```bash

   pacman -S git

   ```

5. Download the melonDS repository and prepare:

   ```bash

   git clone https://github.com/melonDS-emu/melonDS

   cd melonDS

   ```

#### Dynamic builds (with DLLs)

5. Install dependencies: `pacman -S mingw-w64-x86_64-{cmake,SDL2,toolchain,qt5-base,qt5-svg,qt5-multimedia,qt5-tools,libslirp,libarchive,zstd}`

6. Compile:

   ```bash

   cmake -B build

   cmake --build build

   cd build

   ../tools/msys-dist.sh

   ```

If everything went well, melonDS and the libraries it needs should now be in the `dist` folder.



#### Static builds (without DLLs, standalone executable)

5. Install dependencies: `pacman -S mingw-w64-x86_64-{cmake,SDL2,toolchain,qt5-static,libslirp,libarchive,zstd}`

6. Compile:

   ```bash

   cmake -B build -DBUILD_STATIC=ON -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=/mingw64/qt5-static

   cmake --build build

   ```

If everything went well, melonDS should now be in the `build` folder.



### macOS

1. Install the [Homebrew Package Manager](https://brew.sh)

2. Install dependencies: `brew install git pkg-config cmake sdl2 qt@6 libslirp libarchive zstd`

3. Download the melonDS repository and prepare:

   ```zsh

   git clone https://github.com/melonDS-emu/melonDS

   cd melonDS

   ```

4. Compile:

   ```zsh

   cmake -B build -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="$(brew --prefix qt@6);$(brew --prefix libarchive)" -DUSE_QT6=ON

   cmake --build build -j$(sysctl -n hw.logicalcpu)

   ```

If everything went well, melonDS.app should now be in the `build` directory.



#### Self-contained app bundle

If you want an app bundle that can be distributed to other computers without needing to install dependencies through Homebrew, you can additionally run `

../tools/mac-bundle.rb melonDS.app` after the build is completed, or add `-DMACOS_BUNDLE_LIBS=ON` to the first CMake command.



## TODO LIST



 * better DSi emulation

 * better OpenGL rendering

 * netplay

 * the impossible quest of pixel-perfect 3D graphics

 * support for rendering screens to separate windows

 * emulating some fancy addons

 * other non-core shit (debugger, graphics viewers, etc)



### TODO LIST FOR LATER (low priority)



 * big-endian compatibility (Wii, etc)

 * LCD refresh time (used by some games for blending effects)

 * any feature you can eventually ask for that isn't outright stupid



## Credits



 * Martin for GBAtek, a good piece of documentation

 * Cydrak for the extra 3D GPU research

 * limittox for the icon

 * All of you comrades who have been testing melonDS, reporting issues, suggesting shit, etc



## Licenses



[![GNU GPLv3 Image](https://www.gnu.org/graphics/gplv3-127x51.png)](http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.en.html)



melonDS is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify

it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by

the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or

(at your option) any later version.



### External

* Images used in the Input Config Dialog - see `src/frontend/qt_sdl/InputConfig/resources/LICENSE.md`