DeSmuME vs DS Anywhere

DeSmuME is a free emulator that attempts to reproduce the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS Lite handheld consoles. It runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS, and supports the D-pad, buttons, and touch screen, along with a Lid control for changing the emulated system's folded state. Graphics options include a software SoftRasterizer and an OpenGL-based renderer. Audio samples can use linear or cosine interpolation, or no interpolation; microphone input can come from hardware audio or software-generated samples. The Windows port can capture screenshots, AVI video, and WAV audio, as well as record TAS gameplay movies. Users can save and load game states, though the Windows manual warns that states may break between emulator versions. Cheat search and editing are available, and Action Replay codes are supported in post-0.9.2 development builds. Wi-Fi support is experimental and unsupported, and the project discourages end users from using it. The software is distributed under the GNU General Public License. DSi emulation is not supported.

DS Anywhere is a free, open-source Nintendo DS emulator that runs in a web browser. To launch software, select or drag an .nds ROM file onto the site; the maker says those files remain on your computer rather than being uploaded. BIOS files can be added in Settings for a firmware boot into the Nintendo DS main menu. Available settings cover controls, personalization, controller input, firmware, and save data. The project uses a melonDS fork compiled to WebAssembly, with a TypeScript bridge and Preact/Vite frontend. Its maker describes the project as a work in progress with unstable or incomplete features and warns about unintended behavior or lost saved data. Browser storage may evict saves, and backup or restoration is not implemented. Controller input works, but changing bindings in the interface is still planned. Cheat codes and multiplayer are future goals; reliable multiplayer may be affected by latency.