DeSmuME vs DSVita

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.

DSVita is a free Nintendo DS emulator for PlayStation Vita, with an experimental Android port and a documented ARM Linux build. The maker says most games run, although some emulation features are incomplete. Two-dimensional rendering is mostly complete, while three-dimensional rendering is mostly implemented; missing effects and games using 3D on both screens can cause slowdowns or stutters. When ARM7 HLE fails, SoundHle or AccurateLle may be more compatible but slower. Release 0.9.4 lists savestates, Action Replay and libretro cheats, touchscreen controls and customizable control profiles. The rear touchpad can map to the DS touchscreen, and the right stick can control it. ROM files must use the .nds extension and be placed in ux0:data/dsvita. Vita installation requires libshacccg.suprx and kubridge.skprx 0.3.1 or later. Automatic frame skipping is always used, with no scanline rendering. The project recommends overclocking the Vita to 500MHz.