DeSmuME vs melonDS

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.

melonDS is a free, open-source emulator focused on Nintendo DS emulation, with builds listed for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Its feature list includes a nearly complete CPU, video, and audio core, a JIT recompiler, an OpenGL renderer with 3D upscaling, joystick support, savestates, RTC, microphone, and lid controls. The project also lists DLDI support. Wi-Fi features include local multiplayer and online connectivity, but are a work in progress and may not work with all games. DSi emulation and GBA slot add-ons are also in progress. DS emulation requires configured BIOS and firmware files; DSi emulation additionally needs a DSi NAND image. melonDS uses raw save files and can import saves from DeSmuME, DraStic, or a flashcard, but does not support the special save memory type used by WarioWare DIY and Jam with the Band. Direct online connectivity requires libpcap or WinPcap, Ethernet, and administrator or superuser privileges; indirect mode does not require Ethernet or those privileges. The software renderer is more accurate but more CPU intensive, while OpenGL may be faster but less accurate.