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DSiWare

Running DSiWare on Flashcarts

Setup Guide:

DSiWare Compatibility

Running 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, some titles will run with no audio playback and/or outright crash later on, with a few that will occasionally run with slowdown. A Memory Expansion Pak may also be required to run some DSiWare in NDS mode. For example, Dragon Quest Wars 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.

  1. 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/dsi 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/dsi

  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 Pokémon: 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/dsi 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.

DSiWare Compatibility

Running 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, some titles will run with no audio playback and/or outright crash later on, with a few that will occasionally run with slowdown. A Memory Expansion Pak may also be required to run some DSiWare in NDS mode. For example, Dragon Quest Wars 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.

  1. Download NDSForwarder-DSi to the flashcart's SD card root.

  2. Download the nds-bootstrap forwarder pack.

  3. Extract the forwarder pack .7z file you downloaded using 7-Zip, then go into the extracted files.

  4. Copy the contents of the for SD Card root folder to the root of your flashcart's SD card.

  5. After setting up the nds-bootstrap forwarder pack, you will need to place your DSiWare (with .nds extension) in /roms/dsi 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 both NDSForwarder-DSi and the flashcart kernel to pick it up.

    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/dsi

  6. 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.

    • DSi-Enhanced games, such as Pokémon: Black Version are usually built with SDK5.x, which makes them a good candidate for usage as a donor ROM.

Setting a Donor ROM

  1. Launch NDSForwarder.nds.

  2. Press A on Install.

  3. Navigate to the donor game's location, press A, and select Install.

  4. In the flashcart kernel, head to /forwarders and choose the donor game to launch.

  5. Hold the Y button to open a menu where you can then set the game as a donor ROM.

Adding a DSiWare title

  1. Launch NDSForwarder.nds.

  2. Press A on Install.

  3. Navigate to the DSiWare's location, press A, and select Install.

  4. You are now ready to play DSiWare! Head to /forwarders in the flashcart kernel and choose a game to launch.

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

Console Compatibility

This only works if your DSpico is running on a DSi or 3DS system. It will not load DSiWare on the Original NDS or DS Lite, since those consoles are missing the upgraded DSi hardware for running DSi-mode apps.

  1. Download the DSpico BIOS and NAND dumper utility.

  2. Place pico_file_dump.nds on your DSpico's SD card root.

  3. Create a DSiWare folder on your SD card root, and place any DSiWare ROMs you'd like to play inside.

    DSiWare File Types

    If your DSiWare dump is a file with no file extension, you can change the filename and add .nds to the end to get Pico-Launcher to pick it up.

  4. Eject the SD card, insert it back into your DSpico, then boot into the cart.

  5. In the menu, navigate to and launch pico_file_dump.nds. Dumping will begin.

  6. Once all files have been dumped, press the power button to turn off the system.

  7. DSiWare and encrypted DS ROMs can now be played! Navigate to the DSiWare folder and launch a game to play.

Optional Filesystem Cleanup

If you don't like the folder clutter caused by copying all the NAND files to the DSpico SD card, you can hide them from the menu by setting the hidden attribute on any files or folders you want hidden.

Windows-only

The following instructions assume Windows is used. Linux/Mac instructions will be added later, but it is possible to hide files and folders on those operating systems as well, with different steps.

  1. Navigate to the SD card root on your PC's file explorer.

  2. While holding the CTRL (Control) key, click on any folders you would like to hide from Pico-Launcher's file list. The following files and folders are recommended to be hidden:

    • photo folder
    • shared1 folder
    • shared2 folder
    • sys folder
    • _picoboot.nds

  3. After selecting the last file, release the CTRL key, then right click on one of the selected files. In the right click menu, select Properties.

  4. A properties window will open. Under the Attributes section, check the Hidden box, then press OK.

  5. A pop-up window will appear asking to confirm changes. Choose "Apply changes to the selected items, subfolders, and files", then press OK.

  6. The selected files should disappear from the file manager. This is normal. You can view them again by enabling "Show hidden files" in File Explorer's "Folder Options" menu.

    • Folder Options

  7. Since the BIOS and NAND files have already been dumped, pico_file_dump.nds is no longer necessary and can be deleted from the SD card root.

  8. Insert the SD card back into your DSpico and boot into the menu. The hidden files should no longer show up in the menu list, but DSiWare will still work!

Console Compatibility

This only works if your DSpico with AKMenu-Next is running on a DSi or 3DS system. It will not load DSiWare on the Original NDS or DS Lite, since those consoles are missing the upgraded DSi hardware for running DSi-mode apps.

  1. Download the DSpico BIOS and NAND dumper utility.

  2. Place pico_file_dump.nds on your DSpico's SD card root.

  3. Create a DSiWare folder on your SD card root, and place any DSiWare ROMs you'd like to play inside.

    DSiWare File Types

    If your DSiWare dump is a file with no file extension, you can change the filename and add .nds to the end to get AKMenu-Next to pick it up.

  4. Eject the SD card, insert it back into your DSpico, then boot into the cart.

  5. In the menu, navigate to and launch pico_file_dump.nds. Dumping will begin.

  6. Once all files have been dumped, press the power button to turn off the system.

  7. Boot up AKMenu-Next and ensure that Game Loader in settings is set to Pico-Loader.

  8. DSiWare and encrypted DS ROMs can now be played! Navigate to the DSiWare folder and launch a game to play.

Optional Filesystem Cleanup

If you don't like the folder clutter caused by copying all the NAND files to the DSpico SD card, you can hide them from the menu by setting the hidden attribute on any files or folders you want hidden.

Windows-only

The following instructions assume Windows is used. Linux/Mac instructions will be added later, but it is possible to hide files and folders on those operating systems as well, with different steps.

  1. Navigate to the SD card root on your PC's file explorer.

  2. While holding the CTRL (Control) key, click on any folders you would like to hide from AKMenu-Next's file list. The following files and folders are recommended to be hidden:

    • _pico folder
    • photo folder
    • shared1 folder
    • shared2 folder
    • sys folder
    • _picoboot.nds
    • boot.nds

  3. After selecting the last file, release the CTRL key, then right click on one of the selected files. In the right click menu, select Properties.

  4. A properties window will open. Under the Attributes section, check the Hidden box, then press OK.

  5. A pop-up window will appear asking to confirm changes. Choose "Apply changes to the selected items, subfolders, and files", then press OK.

  6. The selected files should disappear from the file manager. This is normal. You can view them again by enabling "Show hidden files" in File Explorer's "Folder Options" menu.

    • Folder Options

  7. Since the BIOS and NAND files have already been dumped, pico_file_dump.nds is no longer necessary and can be deleted from the SD card root.

  8. Insert the SD card back into your DSpico and boot into the menu. The hidden files should no longer show up in the menu list, but DSiWare will still work!