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DSiWare

Running DSiWare on Flashcarts

DSiWare Compatibility

Runnning DSiWare on NDS hardware is not a stable experience. As DSiWare is meant to run in DSi mode with larger RAM and higher clock speeds than NDS, you will sometimes run into slowdown or outright game crashes. A Memory Expansion Pak may also be required to run some DSiWare in NDS mode. For example, Zelda: Four Swords will not launch on a DS unless the pak is inserted.

A list of DS-mode compatible DSiWare can be found in the TWiLight Menu++ GitHub Repository.

Setup Guide:

  1. TWiLight Menu++ and NDS-Bootstrap is required to run DSiWare. As such, first setup TWiLight as either primary or secondary kernel on your flashcart.

  2. After setting up TWiLight Menu++, you will need to place your DSiWare (with .nds extension) in /roms/dsiware on your SD card.

    Note

    If your DSiWare dump is a file with no file extension, you can change the filename and add .nds to the end to get TWiLight Menu++ to pick it up in the menu.

    For example, if you have a DSiWare dump of Zelda: Four Swords with the filename 00000000, you can rename the file to Zelda Four Swords.nds, before placing it inside /roms/dsiware

  3. You will now need to find a DS game built with SDK 5.x to use as a donor ROM for DSiWare. Place the donor ROM in /roms/nds.

    Tip

    SDK5

    DSi-Enhanced games, such as Pokemon - Black Version are usually built with SDK5.x, which makes them a good candidate for usage as a donor ROM. You can check the SDK version of any game by highlighting it in TWiLight and pressing Y.

  4. Highlight the donor game in TWiLight, and press Y to open the ROM info menu. Scroll down to the bottom, and select Set as Donor ROM.

  5. You are now ready to play DSiWare! Head to /roms/dsiware in TWiLight and choose a game to launch.

  6. [Optional] - To improve compatibility, insert a Slot-2 Memory Expansion Pak if you are using a DS Lite or NDS.