Guide: melonDS

melonDS, a Nintendo DS emulator.

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melonDS Links

Resource	Link
melonDS - FAQ	Link
melonDS - Forum	Link
melonDS - Github	Link
melonDS - Webpage	Link
melonDS - Wiki	Link

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Where to put the games

NDS games should be put under the retrodeck/roms/nds/ directory.

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What file formats are supported?

File Format	Description
.app	Nintendo DS application file
.bin	Binary file
.nds	Nintendo DS ROM file (Recommended)

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Does MelonDS require BIOS or Firmware?

MelonDS can run without BIOS or firmware files, but including them improves accuracy and compatibility.

The following files are optional:

Nintendo DS

File Name	Description
bios7.bin	ARM7 BIOS, required for some homebrew and commercial games.
bios9.bin	ARM9 BIOS, essential for proper game execution.
firmware.bin	System firmware, improves compatibility and system calls.

Nintendo DSi

File Name	Description
dsi_bios7.bin	ARM7 BIOS for DSi, required for accurate execution.
dsi_bios9.bin	ARM9 BIOS for DSi, required for accurate execution.
dsi_firmware.bin	DSi system firmware for enhanced compatibility.
dsi_nand.bin	DSi NAND dump, required for certain system-level operations and online functionality.

Where to put the BIOS and Firmware?

Directly into the folder

retrodeck/bios/

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Directory structure

Type	Directory	Comment
BIOS	retrodeck/bios/
Config	~/.var/app/net.retrodeck.retrodeck/config/melonDS/	melonDS.ini
ROMs	retrodeck/roms/nds/
Saves	retrodeck/saves/nds/melonds/
States	retrodeck/states/nds/melonds/

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Configuring Language Settings

Requirements:

• Check if the game has multiple language support over at this link GamesTDB: DS.
• You need to have your bios ion the retrodeck/bios/ folder.

Instructions:

1. Open Configurator → MelonDS
2. Click Config → Emu settings → DS-Mode → Enable Use external BIOS/firmware files
3. Click File → Boot firmware → DS icon (bottom of the screen) → ⚙️ → 🌍 → Set language.

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