Retro

mGBA and melonDS: Game Boy, Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS

For Nintendo handhelds, two emulators are by far the most popular: mGBA for Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance, and melonDS for the Nintendo DS. Both are free, open source and easy to use.

Installing mGBA

flatpak install flathub io.mgba.mGBA

On Debian and Ubuntu you can also use sudo apt install mgba-qt. Open games via File → Load ROM. A BIOS is not required, but using the one from your own console makes a few games more accurate.

Installing melonDS

flatpak install flathub net.kuribo64.melonDS

For the best compatibility, use the BIOS and firmware files from your own DS. Without them melonDS also works, but less accurately.

Useful tips

  • Two screens: for the DS you can place the screens side by side, one above the other, or large and small. Try the layout that fits your screen.
  • Touchscreen: use your mouse for the bottom screen, or a touchscreen laptop.
  • Sharper: the DS renders 3D at a low resolution. With melonDS’s OpenGL renderer you can set a higher internal resolution.
  • Colors: in mGBA you can choose a filter that makes the colors look like those of the original LCD screen.
  • Cheats and patches: both support cheats, and many games have translations as fan patches.
  • Save files are stored next to your game as .sav. They are compatible with other emulators, so you can easily switch.