Video Game Emulation Wiki

DeSmuME is a Nintendo DS emulator. It is also available as a libretro core for RetroArch.

Download[]

DeSmuME Dev Builds

Review[]

DeSmuMe is currently the best Nintendo DS emulator out there. It is far better than No$GBA when it comes to accuracy.

Troubleshooting[]

If the game is slow.

  • Enable the dynamic recompiler in Emulation Settings.
  • If it's still slow, you must be running on a toaster. It can't be helped. But try tinkering with things for the fastest settings you can find.
  • Use frameskip as the absolute last resort.

If the sound is distorted.

  • Synchronous mode is far less buggy. Method Z seems to work the best in most cases.

If the video is hideous.

  • DeSmuME's OpenGL 3D mode supports Multisampling Anti-Aliasing(MSAA). Turning it on helps the serrated edges of ultra low-res DS polygons and lines smooth out, appear to wobble less during movement, and retain their shape better when viewed from distance.
  • The only other real thing you can do is filter it. Make sure OpenGL and Filter are checked under Display Method.
  • Yes, filter it. Whether that is simple Nearest 2x or some pixel art scaling filter like HQx or xBRZ is up to you.
  • OSX version of Desmume also has support for multi-pass post-processing shaders and filters which Windows version currently doesn't have.
  • Leaving it native and aligning it to a CRT (Set to a 384 high resolution) is also an option, if you feel like going through the effort.

If the 3D is messed up.

  • Set it to OpenGL 3.2. Old OpenGL had problems with 3D itself, while Softrasterizer had alignment issues with 2D. But 3.2 seems to fix most of both.

Internal Resolution[]

Internal Resolution and NDS Emulators:
http://6bit.net/shonumi/2013/02/25/true-internal-resolution-in-nintendo-ds-emulators/

tl;dr: Not currently possible in mainline Desmume. Use filters (e.g. bilinear) if you can't live with jaggies.


DeSmuME X432R is DeSmuME fork with option to increase internal resolution:

http://shikaver01.webcrow.jp

Win x64 build

Mac OS build

Guides and Info

DeSmuMe Wiki