DSperate vs GB Enhanced+

DSperate is a free, public-source Nintendo DS and DSi emulator for Linux on AArch64 and ARMhf. Its CPU emulation includes ARM946E-S and ARM7TDMI interpreters, plus ARM-to-AArch64 and ARM-to-ARMv7 recompilers. Graphics include complete 2D engines, a software 3D rasteriser and optional Vulkan GPU rendering. Experimental DSi support covers DSiWare, NAND boot, an SD card folder, microphone, Wi-Fi, PictoChat and Download Play, but the DSi DSP is not emulated and DSi-enhanced cartridges run as DS games in DSi mode. Local multiplayer and Download Play work over a LAN; internet access uses a user-mode TCP/IP stack. It has ten save-state slots and a hidden automatic slot, configurable screen layouts, cheats, and remappable keyboard and controller input with stylus support. Games can run with built-in FreeBIOS and generated firmware; user dumps allow firmware boot and exact timing. It loads .nds files and .zip files containing an .nds, but not zip64, 7z or rar. The project is licensed under GPLv3 and describes its implementation as clean-room work.

GB Enhanced+ is a free, open-source emulator for DMG, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance and Pokémon Mini systems, available on Windows, Linux and macOS. Nintendo DS emulation is described as experimental. The project focuses on emulating peripherals and less common hardware, with support listed for the Wave Scanner, Wantame Card Scanner, Vaus Controller and WorkBoy. It also supports link-cable emulation, real-time clock features, save states and controller input. Configuration options include joystick haptics, accelerometer input for motion controls and netplay settings for linking emulator instances. The emulator can automatically apply an IPS or UPS patch file when it shares a name with a ROM. PDF and ODT manuals cover operation, netplay, rumble support and motion controls. Building it requires SDL 2.0, OpenGL 3.3 or greater, a C++ compiler and CMake; Windows also requires GLEW. Qt for the GUI and SDL2_net for netplay are optional. It is licensed under GPLv2. Save states from version 1.9 and earlier are incompatible with version 1.10.