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(What compilers are supported for building DeSmuME from source?)
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=== What compilers are supported for building DeSmuME from source? ===
* Visual C++ 2010 may work, and we may support it, but there are known issues with it. Tell it to build desmume lots of times until it finally works, and beware that there may be other subtle bugs. You might also have to go into the windows > libs folder in the project tree and manually compile the .7z files.
* For Linux, any recent version of GCC and toolchain should work.

Revision as of 21:45, 1 October 2010


This FAQ holds a list of many commonly asked questions about DeSmuME, circa release 0.9.6


If you really must use an old version of the emulator, check the Faq_094 or Faq_095 ; check these also if you have been playing a game in one of those versions and are trying to upgrade your DeSmuME version, as there may still be some useful advice in there for you.

Much of the advice in this document will implicitly assume that you are running Windows. Users of other operating systems should try to apply the advice as best they can, but beware that it may not make any sense for their particular platform, since the DeSmuMEs for operating systems other than Windows tend to be crippled in comparison.


Pokemon questions


How to get to the menu in pokemon

Press X instead of start. Don't you feel dumb now? For extra credit, contemplate why this might have changed.

The main game graphics are missing! The screen is black!


Why can't I play Pokemon HeartGold / SoulSilver / Black / White ? Why aren't they supported ?

We are not going to support these games. Don't waste time asking, it will only make us angry. We can't cope with the huge flood of noobs which we know is coming. If you can't make it work, then give up and go buy the cart.

To work around freezing, save often and reload when need arises. Alternatively, patch your game with Rudolph's Child's Play Patch.

If you create new threads in the forum about these games, don't be surprised if they get closed or deleted depending on how obnoxious they are.

Big Questions

I am having some problem, any problem whatsoever, using windows Vista or Windows 7, or even windows XP for that matter, or .dsv files aren't getting created. What should I try first?

First try deleting your ini file. Then run desmume out of a folder in your documents directory, and put all roms etc. in there as well. This is only necessary for individuals who lack the technical ability to wrestle with windows' security system. Don't run it out of the archive, don't run it from program files.

My game does not boot, or it freezes, or the emulator crashes or freezes

DeSmuME is not perfect yet. Sometimes nothing will work and you are just out of luck. Here are some things you can try:

  • Reboot.
  • Go to desmume.org and make sure you are using the latest version. The latest version is 0.9.6. Hint: DeSmuME 0.8 and 0.3.4 are very old, being numbers smaller than the latest version. Older versions will not be supported, under any circumstances.
  • Turn off your virus scanner
  • Delete your .ini file which may have options which are smashing your DeSmuME
  • Using cheat codes modifies the game and can make it crash/freeze if it comes to an unexpected situation, or for some reason even freeze the emulator. It just depends on the code you use and what it's used for in the game. Find the .dct file in your emulator's folder that matches the game's filename, and then delete it.

If it really doesn't boot up no matter what you try, you can submit a bug report for the game on the sourceforge bugtracker. You might also find ways to patch the games to work better on emulators by searching on the internet, but that is not something you should seek help with on the DeSmuME forums.


  • Try switching between OpenGL Renderer and Software Rasterizer.


Manipulate the View menu to change the things that are in View. Get it? No? Pick the HUD submenu.

DeSmuME runs too slow!


I will be frank: DeSmuME focuses more on compatibility and perks than on speed. Our philosophy is, you can always mow some extra lawns or babysit some more rugrats to buy upgrades for your computer; but theres nothing you can do to fix compatibility and perks. We take care of our side of things, so you should take care of yours.


  • Don't use external BIOS images.
  • In the Sound Settings, set interpolation to none.
  • Don't use the NOSSE2 build.
  • Don't use a netbook.
  • Your graphics card is irrelevant. Upgrade your CPU.

For Linux/OSX users:

  • We need a programmer to fix the posix multicore code. Right now there is no multicore support!

Savegames and Savestates

Every time I run desmume, my save files are gone and I have to start over

see #Every_time_I_run_the_program_my_settings_are_gone.21_I_have_to_keep_entering_them_over_and_over.21

Oh no, my savefile saved games are gone when I upgraded!

In 0.9.5, the default location for .dsv files changed. Older versions would use the rom directory; and now in windows it is the directory that the emulator runs from; and in osx/linux it is ~/.config/desmume. In windows. use the path configuration to point to wherever your .dsv files are, or otherwise copy them to the new spot. If you have been running into problems with this you can probably verify it by searching for *.dsv on your hard disk and finding duplicates. Be very careful when copying files around that you do not overwrite the old (good) ones with the new ones.

OSX users will have problems because finder won't show you the ~/.config/desmume directory and spotlight may not search them. You're going to have to learn how to use finder to access a folder directly, or use a console.



Why does this game fail to save? / I get the error "Data could not be accessed. Turn off the power and reinsert the DS card." or "Unable to write data. Please turn off the power and reinsert the game card."





Can I use my save states across versions?




  1. Convert the save file using http://www.uniquegeeks.net/g/index/saves/SaveConverter.aspx
    1. (if that site does not support your flash cart's format, try http://shunyweb.info/convert.php ; the target format should be "Acekard RPG | EZFlash V | RAW Format [Autodetection] (.sav)"
  2. Load the game. Let it get to the main menu
  4. Use File > Import Backup Memory and pick the converted save file
  5. Reset the game



  1. Use File > Export Backup Memory
  2. Name the save file
  3. Import the battery into the emulator you are using.

Troubleshooting and Errors


Quit running desmume from the zip file you received it in. Extract it to your desktop and run it from there. This advice applies to every program in the world that exhibits this same problem and is considered part of general fundamentals of computing. If you are running windows >= you might need to run it as administrator, because this enables you to bypass the convoluted filesystem security measures which Microsoft has inflicted upon you but which technically you can work within the confines of if you are a genius.

Help! My desmume window disappeared! Maybe I can hear sound and it is in the taskbar but I can't see the window


Window Size=0
Window width=0
Window height=0

Delete the -32000 items


It's a bug. It is not a high priority since nobody yet has proven that they actually need the external firmware. If there was a way around it, I wouldve just told you. You may observe this error as incorrect touch screen coordinates, or totally failing touch screen.

I have a gameplay related question


Why doesn't OpenGL 3D work in Linux?

Blame NVIDIA and ATI for putting out shoddy and/or closed source drivers. Then switch to software rasterizer.

Why doesn't OpenGL 3D work in windows?

Just give up and use software rasterizer. You are probably using an ATI video card. ATI driver support of OpenGL is known to be poor. NVIDIA cards have a much more robust support of OpenGL, so getting one of those will help.

Does DeSmuME make use of multiple CPU's or multiple cores?

The Windows port has two particular multicore optimizations: first, the display logic runs in its own thread independent from the emulator. This is used to make the OSD run frame-rate independent from emulation. This thread performs color conversion, filtering, and directdraw presentation. The net result is a speedup by a few FPS. This codepath is disabled on single core systems, and may be disabled forcefully by the user with the --num-cores=1 command line argument. Second, the software rasterizer will run in a SLI mode using as many cores as you have specified (or have been detected) up to four. Still, DeSmuMe benefits MUCH more from a single CPU with a higher GHz than from multiple cores or from multiple CPUs.


The first is your actual FPS which is how fast the emu is running on your system. If it is less than 60 then you need speed hacks or more a more powerful CPU. The second is the 3d FPS, which is a rough gauge of how fast the game is supposed to be running. If you are seeing 60/15 then the game will feel slow because it is sloppily coded but theres NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT short of turning off speed throttling and playing at 100fps. The final number is the ARM9 load average, and for your purposes, it is the same as the second number. Don't start bragging about how your desmume runs at 99% or you will be laughed at.

Using The Emulator

What are the minimum hardware requirements for DeSmuME ?

From a purely technical viewpoint, there are no real minimum requirements. However, for bearable speeds in most games (with a few exceptions), you would need at least the following:

  • Windows OS: Windows XP or newer
  • 2 GHz Processor Core2 processor or equivalent
  • 512 MB Available RAM
  • Available Hard Drive Space: A few MB for the emulator
  • Reasonably modern 3D Acceleration (Nvidia GeForce 6800 or better), ATI cards are not recommended.
  • Optional: Sound Card, if you want sound support
  • Optional: Microphone, if you wish to make use the Microphone feature
  • Required: a brain

What are the recommended hardware requirements for DeSmuME?


  • Windows OS: Windows XP or newer
  • 3 GHz Core2 Duo processor or better
  • 512 MB Available RAM
  • Available Hard Drive Space: A few MB for DeSmuME, 100MB or so for a bunch of savestates and savefiles.
  • Sound Card.
  • Microphone.

In general, the better a CPU, the better the performance. The faster the memory, the better. DeSmuME benefits a little but from multiple cores but not as much as it does individual cores being faster. DeSmuME is slower than no$gba, and is likely always to be.

What is this NOSSE2 and dev stuff? / Which EXE do I use?

Use dev if you are a developer and want the gdb stub. desmume.exe uses some SSE2 optimizations which have been disabled in desmume_nosse2.exe ; any modern Intel CPU (AMD or intel) will support SSE2. Note however that most of the really good optimizations use SSE which is enabled regardless.

It is hard to zoom in on a widescreen display due to the unusual aspect ratio of the DS

In fact it is hard to zoom in on a 4:3 screen, too. In the Windows DeSmuME , you can configure the screens to be side-by-side, so maybe this will make you happy. Additionally you can choose to display only one screen. I don't think anyone wants to add tear-apart windows, though.

But will you please add screen splitting / window tearing apart / fullscreen modes?

You think youre the first person to have thought of this? The answer is no. Of all the things in the world to code, we hate this the most.

My window is blurry or filtered (or not blurry, or not filtered) and I want it to be different

Change config > display method

How do I enter 'cheat codes' in DeSmuME?


Does DeSmuME support the microphone?

Yes, but not in OSX. You do need to have an actual microphone attached to your PC, though. Linux support requires libasound.

When in windows, if it seems that the microphone is not working, bear in mind that it has no idea what kind of how many microphones you have. You will need to use the windows control panel to specify the correct microphone as the default audio input device, and then make sure in the recording level properties (volume control) that it is selected and at an appropriate volume. This is sort of standard for Windows apps, so learn to love it.

Hold down the microphone hotkey, for a good long blowing simulation; don't just tap it.





This can be done using the 'lid' command or BACKSPACE key (this can be changed in the control configuration). But as usual this may only work in windows.


You can use your mouse to emulate the stylus. Move the mouse cursor to the desired position, and then press the left mouse button in order to 'touch' the screen at the position the mouse cursor is located. Yes, we have really been asked this question before.


No. A real NDS uses WIFI for multiplayer, and that isnt emulated in desmume yet. Also, look at the questions on WIFI Support



Wi-Fi and WFC

Does DeSmuME support WiFi?

Wifi is not supported. It isn't finished yet, it is experimental, and you're better off not wasting your time trying to use it. Don't bug us on the forums when you discover that it doesnt work; thats what "not supported" means.

What is WFC / Nintendo WiFi Connection?

See the article Nintendo wifi config utility for more information.

General Questions

What does DeSmuME emulate and on what systems?

DeSmuME attempts to emulate, as faithfully as possible, the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS Lite handheld game consoles (NDS). It currently runs on Windows, Linux, and mac OSX. DSi is not supported.

What does DeSmuME mean?




How is the name DeSmuME pronounced?


Under what license is DeSmuME distributed ?


Can I freely copy DeSmuME ?


Where can I report bugs?




What is 'TAS' ?

TAS lets you record the gameplay in TAS format, see http://tasvideos.org for details on TAS (tool-assisted speedruns).

What hardware features are emulated?





Does the GDB stub still work?

It is present in the dev+ build.

How do I enable the GDB stub on the Windows port ?


Where/what is IRC?

IRC is an on-line communication system.

data you need:

  • server: irc.freenode.net
  • port: 6667
  • channel: #desmume

what to use:

  • mIRC - Windows
  • ChatZilla - FireFox add-on
  • xchat - X
  • plenty other, see wikipedia



Where is the manual?

A manual for DeSmuME is over at http://wiki.desmume.org/index.php?title=Manual. It may not have the information that other entries in this FAQ promised that it would.

What is DLDI?






gap = 64
#color = $aaaaaa
#color = $000000
color = $ffffff
A = A.crop(0,0,256,192)
B = B.crop(0,192,256,192)
D = overlay(C,A)
D = overlay(D,B,0,192+gap)
return AudioDub(D,A)



#aviysnth script for cropping a ds avi down to one screen
#if you want the top screen, uncomment this
#A = A.crop(0,0,256,192)
#if you want the bottom screen, uncomment this
#A = A.crop(0,192,256,192)
return A


A = A.crop(0,0,256,192)
B = B.crop(0,192,256,192)
D = overlay(C,A)
D = overlay(D,B,256,0)
return AudioDub(D,A)





What are the origins of DeSmuME?



Yopyop said:


The latest statement heard from yopyop was:

DeSmuME project is over.
Sorry for the home brew programmers.
Thus I will not do something of useless and illegal.
good week end



That can be translated to



SVN and Compiling

Where do I get svn builds?

Go to emucr.com and download at your own risk. We don't make those builds; we don't know anything about them; and we don't support them.

Why doesn't the DeSmuME team release pre-build SVN binaries ?



Please check out the instructions related to your platform, over at Installing DeSmuME from source

What is 'SVN' ?

svn is a developers tool. It's used to let multiple developers work on the same codebase without conflicts. If youre an end-user, don't worry about it. And if you're a developer, see the question on how to get the latest svn code and build DeSmuME yourself. See wikipedia for more info

What compilers are supported for building DeSmuME from source?




Homebrew, Development, and Technical Questions

I have a patch, modification or other code addition






What is this Lua stuff I see?


How do I easily capture the ASM code for troubleshooting purposes?




How can I do a printf to the emulator console?


Tell me about nitroFS or libFAT or compact flash emulation



Mac Users

I have OSX 10.4.x and I can't use DeSmuME 0.9.5

Yeah, looks like it doesn't work in 10.4.x. Sorry.

Why does DeSmuME 0.9.5 and 0.9.6 look and act different than old osx releases?

By different, you mean better, hopefully It is a build of the GTK port, which has been chosen since the cocoa port is abandoned by mac programmers who are all busy making $1 iPhone turds nowadays.

Why can't I find a Mac binary?

Maybe we haven't made it yet. There aren't a lot of people willing to compile Mac software. Just to be sure, go to https://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=164579&package_id=186413

Why does my Mac binary say something about being unsupported?

You have probably downloaded the i386 version of DeSmuME for MAC, and are running on the PPC platform (or the other way around). Please verify if you're running on Intel (i386) hardware, or on PPC (G4, G5) hardware, and download the appropriate binary. For 0.9.5 there is only an i386 binary, and PPC won't be supported unless someone makes a cocoa build which will suck.



Linux Users



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