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 :)

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How to use

melonDS requires BIOS/firmware copies from a DS. Files required:

• bios7.bin, 16KB: ARM7 BIOS
• bios9.bin, 4KB: ARM9 BIOS
• firmware.bin, 128/256/512KB: firmware

Firmware boot requires a 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: sudo apt install cmake libcurl4-gnutls-dev libpcap0.8-dev libsdl2-dev qt5-default libslirp-dev libarchive-dev libepoxy-dev
2. Download the melonDS repository and prepare:

git clone https://github.com/Arisotura/melonDS
cd melonDS
mkdir build && cd build

3. Compile:

cmake ..
make -j$(nproc --all)

Windows:

1. Install MSYS2
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. Download the melonDS repository and prepare:

git clone https://github.com/Arisotura/melonDS
cd melonDS
mkdir build && cd build

Dynamic builds (with DLLs)

5. Install dependencies: pacman -S git make mingw-w64-x86_64-{cmake,mesa,SDL2,toolchain,qt5,libslirp,libarchive,libepoxy}
6. Compile:

   cmake .. -G "MSYS Makefiles"
   make -j$(nproc --all)
   ../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 git make mingw-w64-x86_64-{cmake,mesa,SDL2,toolchain,qt5-static,libslirp,libarchive,libepoxy}
6. Compile:

   cmake .. -G 'MSYS Makefiles' -DBUILD_STATIC=ON -DQT5_STATIC_DIR=/mingw64/qt5-static
   make -j$(nproc --all)
   mkdir dist && cp melonDS.exe dist
   

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

macOS:

1. Install the Homebrew Package Manager
2. Install dependencies: brew install git pkg-config cmake sdl2 qt@6 libslirp libarchive libepoxy
3. Download the melonDS repository and prepare:

git clone https://github.com/Arisotura/melonDS
cd melonDS
mkdir build && cd build

4. Compile:

   cmake .. -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="$(brew --prefix qt@6);$(brew --prefix libarchive)" -DUSE_QT6=ON -DMACOS_BUNDLE_LIBS=ON
   make -j$(sysctl -n hw.logicalcpu)
   

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

TODO LIST

• DSi emulation
• the impossible quest of pixel-perfect 3D graphics
• improve libui and the emulator UI
• support for rendering screens to separate windows
• emulating some fancy addons
• other non-core shit (debugger, graphics viewers, cheat crapo, etc)

TODO LIST FOR LATER

• better wifi
• maybe emulate flashcarts or other fancy hardware
• 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

License

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.