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How to Play NDS ROMs and Homebrews on Your DS
When I got a DS for Christmas, the first thing I wanted to do was find out how to play pirated games on it. Unfortunately, the numerous devices available make the whole thing complicated. Even worse, old tutorials mingle with new and it becomes a puzzle to figure out exactly what you need. Here’s everything you need to know!
(Some may call this “hacking your DS,” a term which I have now just included for search engines, but buying a special cart for your DS doesn’t count as hacking in my book. Hacks could come later, though.)
- Hardware:
- Nintendo DS
- Slot-1 Flash Cart
- MicroSD Card
- EZ-Flash 3-in-1 (Optional)
The Flash Cart:
A Slot-1 flash cart is a cartridge that goes into Slot-1 (the NDS cartridge slot) of your DS. It is loaded like a normal NDS cart and contains firmware which will allow you to play ROMs (game files) and homebrew applications. These ROMs are stored on a microSD card which fits into a slot on the flash cart.
Other methods of loading ROMs exist but this is currently the easiest, most prevalent, and most compatible. Wikipedia has a good overview of older methods if you are interested.
Which Flash Cart to Buy?:
If you want to explore your options GBAtemp has reviews of the many available flash carts. Good flash carts should be “100% compatible” with games and have “DLDI auto-patching” (meaning every ROM doesn’t need to be specially patched for your cart).
I went with the CycloDS Evolution for it’s good reviews, frequent history of firmware updates, compatibility with online play, and some of it’s extra features (such as its in-game text reader). Also, it comes in a shiny tin.
It is likely your flash cart will not come with instructions. Look for them on the maker’s website or search for them with Google. You’ll want to know how to check and update your firmware, as your flash cart will probably not arrive with the latest version installed.
Where to Buy Flash Carts:
GBAtemp has a list of reliable flash cart dealers and many cart makers’ websites list dealer’s they have authorized. I bought my flash cart from Dealwoot.com: shipping was free, took about one week to arrive and came with a free Pokemon charm. I highly recommend them.
The MicroSD Card:
The microSD card is what you will be putting the game and other media files on. It is recommended you buy a card from a well known brand such as Kingston or SanDisk as many people report lagging and crashing when running files from poorly made. To avoid speed problems it is also recommended that the microSD card is Class 4 or faster. GBAtemp’s wiki lists speed tests on many cards.
Not all cards support the microSDHC format cards, the cards that come in capacities higher than 2 GB. Check before you buy.
You will also need an adapter to connect the microSD to your computer, so you can transfer games to it. Most flash carts come with one.
The Ez-Flash 3-in-1:
This is Slot-2 (the GBA slot) cart. It is not necessary for playing NDS ROMs and homebrews, but will add functionality to your flash cart. Running GBA ExpLoader on your flash cart, you can run Game Boy Advanced ROMs on the cart’s temporary memory, or make the cart act like a genuine GBA cartridge – which can be loaded from the DS main screen (this will also let you transfer Pokemon from Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald to Diamond/Pearl/Platinum). Using the 3-in-1, or one of the few other Slot-2 carts that support GBA, is the only way to play GBA ROMs on the DS.
The 3-in-1 also has a Rumble Pak (you will need to see if your flash cart supports the 3-in-1 to use this feature for NDS games), and can serve as the Memory Pak necessary to run the Opera DS Browser (requires a patch, however the CycloDS patches it automatically).
I’ll talk about the 3-in-1, and some of the things you can use it for, in a later post. More information about the 3-in-1 here, in the GBAtemp Wiki.
Note also: The chipset of the 3-in-1 has recently been changed, resulting in the cart no longer being recognized by many flash carts and homebrew applications. This should be fixed in the next update of the firmware or application. GBA ExpLoader, the homebrew for running GBA ROMs has been updated for the new chipset and should run correctly off of any flash card.
Once you’ve got your hardware, you want some files to play with. A few places to find homebrew applications:
Once you’ve gathered everything you need it’s very simple: Put files on your microsSD, put the microSD into the flash cart, put the flash cart in the DS, boot the flash cart like a normal NDS cartridge. Browse through the file menu and load the game or app you want to play with. Ta da!
There are lots of things you can now do with your DS. Not only can you play ROMs but there are many interesting homebrew applications. I’ll be listing some of the clever and useful homebrews I’ve been playing around with, soon. Look forward to it!
More info:
Anything unclear, incorrect, missing, or if you still have a question, please comment.