/melonDS-android-lib

Android port of melonDS

Primary LanguageC++GNU General Public License v3.0GPL-3.0

melonDS Android

Android port of the DS emulator, melonDS.

This is just the core library with the appropriate changes required to make melonDS build for Android. An example of a working frontend can be found in the melonDS Android repository.

melonDS

DS emulator, sorta

The goal is to do things right and fast, akin to blargSNES (but hopefully better). But also to, you know, have a fun challenge :)

How to use

melonDS requires BIOS/firmware copies from a DS. Files required:

  • bios7.bin, 16KB: ARM7 BIOS
  • bios9.bin, 4KB: ARM9 BIOS
  • firmware.bin, 128/256/512KB: firmware

Firmware boot requires a firmware dump from an original DS or DS Lite. DS firmwares dumped from a DSi or 3DS aren't bootable and only contain configuration data, thus they are only suitable when booting games directly.

Possible firmware sizes

  • 128KB: DSi/3DS DS-mode firmware (reduced size due to lacking bootcode)
  • 256KB: regular DS firmware
  • 512KB: iQue DS firmware

DS BIOS dumps from a DSi or 3DS can be used with no compatibility issues. DSi BIOS dumps (in DSi mode) are not compatible. Or maybe they are. I don't know.

As for the rest, the interface should be pretty straightforward. If you have a question, don't hesitate to ask, though!

How to build

Linux:

  1. Install dependencies: sudo apt install cmake libcurl4-gnutls-dev libpcap0.8-dev libsdl2-dev qt5-default libslirp-dev libarchive-dev libepoxy-dev
  2. Download the melonDS repository and prepare:
git clone https://github.com/Arisotura/melonDS
cd melonDS
mkdir build && cd build
  1. Compile:
mkdir -p build
cd build
cmake ..
make -j$(nproc --all)

Windows:

  1. Install MSYS2
  2. Open the MSYS2 MinGW 64-bit terminal
  3. Update the packages using pacman -Syu and reopen the terminal if it asks you to
  4. Download the melonDS repository and prepare:
git clone https://github.com/Arisotura/melonDS
cd melonDS
mkdir build && cd build

Dynamic builds (with DLLs)

  1. Install dependencies: pacman -S git make mingw-w64-x86_64-{cmake,mesa,SDL2,toolchain,qt5,libslirp,libarchive,libepoxy}
  2. Compile: 
    cmake .. -G "MSYS Makefiles"
make -j$(nproc --all)
../msys-dist.sh

If everything went well, melonDS and the libraries it needs should now be in the dist folder.

Static builds (without DLLs, standalone executable)

  1. Install dependencies: pacman -S git make mingw-w64-x86_64-{cmake,mesa,SDL2,toolchain,qt5-static,libslirp,libarchive,libepoxy}
  2. Compile: 
    cmake .. -G 'MSYS Makefiles' -DBUILD_STATIC=ON -DQT5_STATIC_DIR=/mingw64/qt5-static
make -j$(nproc --all)
mkdir dist && cp melonDS.exe dist

If everything went well, melonDS should now be in the dist folder.

macOS:

  1. Install the Homebrew Package Manager
  2. Install dependencies: brew install git pkg-config cmake sdl2 qt@5 libslirp libarchive libepoxy
  3. Download the melonDS repository and prepare:
git clone https://github.com/Arisotura/melonDS
cd melonDS
mkdir build && cd build
  1. Compile: 
    export PKG_CONFIG_PATH="$(brew --prefix libarchive)/lib/pkgconfig"
cmake .. -DQt5_DIR=$(brew --prefix qt5)/lib/cmake/Qt5
make -j$(sysctl -n hw.ncpu)
mkdir dist && cp -r melonDS.app dist

If everything went well, melonDS.app should now be in the dist folder.

TODO LIST

  • DSi emulation
  • the impossible quest of pixel-perfect 3D graphics
  • improve libui and the emulator UI
  • support for rendering screens to separate windows
  • emulating some fancy addons
  • other non-core shit (debugger, graphics viewers, cheat crapo, etc)

TODO LIST FOR LATER

  • better wifi
  • maybe emulate flashcarts or other fancy hardware
  • big-endian compatibility (Wii, etc)
  • LCD refresh time (used by some games for blending effects)
  • any feature you can eventually ask for that isn't outright stupid

Credits

  • Martin for GBAtek, a good piece of documentation
  • Cydrak for the extra 3D GPU research
  • limittox for the icon
  • All of you comrades who have been testing melonDS, reporting issues, suggesting shit, etc

License

GNU GPLv3 Image

melonDS is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.