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README.md
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# melonds-ds
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An enhanced remake of the melonDS core for libretro that prioritizes upstream compatibility.
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# melonDS DS
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An enhanced remake of the [melonDS][melonds-libretro] core for [libretro][libretro] that prioritizes upstream compatibility.
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# Getting melonDS DS
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At the moment, melonDS DS does not have a stable release.
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Once it attains feature parity with the original core,
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I will set up a process for stable releases
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and submit it for inclusion in the official RetroArch distribution.
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In the meantime, I suggest [building melonDS DS from source](#building).
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# Installation
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Installation instructions may vary depending on your chosen libretro frontend.
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## RetroArch
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Here's how you can install melonDS DS in [RetroArch][retroarch]:
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1. Place `melondsds_libretro.dll` (or `.so` or `.dylib`, depending on the platform) in RetroArch's `cores` directory.
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2. Place `melondsds_libretro.info` in the same directory as the other `.info` files,
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which is usually `cores` or `info` depending on the platform.
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# Using melonDS DS
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Usage instructions may vary depending on your chosen libretro frontend.
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## RetroArch
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### Playing Nintendo DS Games
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1. Start RetroArch.
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2. Scan your Nintendo DS game library with the <kbd>Import Content</kbd> menu to build a playlist if you haven't already.
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If you have ROM hacks or homebrew,
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you may need to manually add them to the playlist
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with the <kbd>Manual Scan</kbd> submenu.
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3. Load a Nintendo DS game from the playlist.
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If you have the existing melonDS core installed,
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you may need to select melonDS DS explicitly.
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### Installing Nintendo DS BIOS
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melonDS includes a high-level BIOS replacement that works with most games.
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However, some functionality requires original Nintendo DS or DSi BIOS:
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- Game Boy Advance connectivity requires native Nintendo DS BIOS and firmware.
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- DSi mode requires native Nintendo DSi BIOS, firmware, and NAND files.
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You can place your BIOS files in RetroArch's `system` directory, named as follows:
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- Nintendo DS ARM7 BIOS: `bios7.bin`
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- Nintendo DS ARM9 BIOS: `bios9.bin`
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- Nintendo DS Firmware: `firmware.bin`
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- Nintendo DSi ARM7 BIOS: `dsi_bios7.bin`
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- Nintendo DSi ARM9 BIOS: `dsi_bios9.bin`
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- Nintendo DSi Firmware: `dsi_firmware.bin`
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- Nintendo DSi System NAND: `dsi_nand.bin`
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### Game Boy Advance Connectivity
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**NOTE:** melonDS and melonDS DS do not support emulating Game Boy Advance games.
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They _do_ support loading Game Boy Advance ROMs
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and save data from most major emulators.
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If you want to load a Game Boy Advance ROM,
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the steps are a little more involved.
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melonDS (and therefore melonDS DS) only supports Game Boy Advance connectivity
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with a native Nintendo DS BIOS.
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1. Install the Nintendo DS BIOS and firmware as described above.
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2. Load the melonDS DS core using the <kbd>Load Core</kbd> menu.
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3. Enter the <kbd>Subsystems</kbd> menu and select <kbd>Load Slot 1 & 2 Boot</kbd>.
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4. Select a Nintendo DS ROM, a Game Boy Advance ROM, and optionally a Game Boy Advance save file (in that order).
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5. Start the game.
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This combination of ROMs will appear in your History playlist,
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so you won't have to repeat this process every time you want to play.
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# New Features
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Enhancements over the original [melonDS][melonds-libretro] core include:
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## Upstream Parity
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melonDS DS is not a fork of an existing code base;
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instead, it uses standalone melonDS DS as a statically-linked dependency.
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This means melonDS DS is less sensitive to large changes and merge conflicts;
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as a result, it can take advantage of improvements to standalone melonDS
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almost as quickly as they're released!
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This project does not fork melonDS; instead, it uses it as a dependency (with all necessary changes being contributed upstream).
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As a result, melonDS DS is _much_ easier for the maintainer to upgrade.
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# Missing Features
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The following features from melonDS or the original core have not been implemented:
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- **Wi-fi:** melonDS fully supports Wi-fi emulation,
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including Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection services for supported Nintendo DS games
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via [Wiimmfi][wiimfi].
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However, I haven't implemented support for it in melonDS DS yet.
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It's on th
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- libretro-styled cheats. the original cheat engine is supported
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- some lesser-known platforms are not yet available.
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- Lua scripting, this is only in the frontend
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## Missing Features
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These features have not yet been implemented in standalone [melonDS][melonds],
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or they're not feasible to port to melonDS DS.
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If you want to see them, you should contribute to the upstream project!
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- **Local Wireless:**
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Upstream melonDS supports emulating local wireless multiplayer
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(e.g. Multi-Card Play, Download Play) across multiple instances of melonDS on the same computer.
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However, melonDS DS does not support this functionality due to libretro limitations;
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this feature is unlikely to be supported unless
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melonDS's local wireless support is refactored to work in a single process.
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melonDS does not currently support emulating local wireless multiplayer over the Internet.
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- **Homebrew Savestates:**
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melonDS has limited support for taking savestates of homebrew games,
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as the (virtual) SD card is not included in savestate data.
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- **DSi Savestates:**
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Nintendo DSi mode does not support savestates.
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This implies that rewinding is not supported in DSi mode.
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- **DSi Direct Boot:**
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Direct Boot does not support DSiWare games at this time.
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They must be installed on a NAND image,
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and they must be started from the DSi menu.
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- **Game Boy Advance Emulation:**
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melonDS can load Game Boy Advance ROMs and save data for use by compatible Nintendo DS games,
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but it cannot actually emulate the GBA.
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GBA emulation is not within the scope of melonDS;
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use a GBA emulator instead.
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- **Slot-2 Accessories:**
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Except for the [solar sensor][solar-sensor] and
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[Memory Expansion Pak][memory-pak],
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melonDS does not support emulating Slot-2 accessories.
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# Compatibility
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## Games
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melonDS DS is compatible with all games that melonDS supports,
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unless otherwise noted in the Missing Features section.
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If this is not the case, please [report it][issue-tracker].
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## Libretro Frontends
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melonDS DS only specifically targets RetroArch,
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but you may be able to use it with other libretro frontends.
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If you encounter problems with other frontends, please [report them][issue-tracker]!
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Support is not guaranteed, but I'll do the best I can.
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# Roadmap
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The ultimate goal is for melonDS DS to supersede the [existing melonDS core][melonds-libretro].
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This is a rough roadmap for achieving that goal:
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1. Attain feature parity with the [existing libretro core][melonds-libretro].
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2. Implement support for Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
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3. Implement microphone support.
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4. Implement support for migrating configuration from the existing core.
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5. Implement support for the [solar sensor][solar-sensor] using `retro_sensor_interface`.
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6. Get melonDS DS included in the official RetroArch distribution.
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7. Improve screen layout selection (e.g. toggling between multiple layouts, rotation).
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8. Produce builds for platforms other than Windows, macOS, and Linux.
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9. Add support for DSi mode (including DSiWare),
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subject to the limitations described in [the Missing Features section](#missing-features).
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10. Add support for the DSi camera using `retro_camera_callback`.
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# Building
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MelonDS DS is built with CMake.
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## Dependencies
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You will need to install the following beforehand:
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- CMake 3.15 or later
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- Git
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- A C++17 compiler
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### Windows
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1. Install [MSYS2](https://www.msys2.org).
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2. Open the <kbd>MSYS2 MinGW 64-bit</kbd> terminal from the Start Menu.
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3. Install dependencies like so:
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```sh
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pacman -Syu # update the package database
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pacman -S git mingw-w64-x86_64-{cmake,toolchain} # install dependencies
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```
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4. Proceed to [Compilation](#compilation).
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You may need to remain in the MSYS2 terminal.
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### macOS
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1. Install [Homebrew](https://brew.sh).
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2. Install dependencies like so:
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```sh
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brew install cmake git pkg-config cmake
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```
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3. Proceed to [Compilation](#compilation).
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### Linux
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1. Install dependencies like so:
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```sh
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sudo apt install cmake git pkg-config # Ubuntu/Debian
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sudo pacman -S base-devel cmake extra-cmake-modules git # Arch Linux
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```
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2. Proceed to [Compilation](#compilation).
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## Compilation
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Once you've installed the dependencies, the process for building melonDS DS is the same on all platforms:
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```sh
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git clone https://github.com/JesseTG/melonds-ds
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cd melonds-ds
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cmake -B build # Generate the build system
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cmake --build build # Build the project
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```
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## CMake Variables
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The following CMake variables can be used to configure the build:
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| Variable | Description |
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|----------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
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| `MELONDS_REPOSITORY_URL` | The Git repo from which melonDS will be cloned. Set this to use a fork. |
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| `MELONDS_REPOSITORY_TAG` | The melonDS commit to use in the build. |
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| `LIBRETRO_COMMON_REPOSITORY_URL` | The Git repo from which `libretro-common` will be cloned. Set this to use a fork. |
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| `LIBRETRO_COMMON_REPOSITORY_TAG` | The `libretro-common` to use in the build. |
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See [here](https://cmake.org/cmake/help/latest/manual/cmake-variables.7.html) for more information
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about the variables that CMake defines.
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# About the Name
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I see this core as an enhanced remake of the [original libretro core][melonds-libretro].
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Various games received enhanced remakes or ports to the Nintendo DS, including such gems as:
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- [Super Mario 64 DS](https://www.mobygames.com/game/31024/super-mario-64-ds)
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- [Ridge Racer DS](https://www.mobygames.com/game/16054/ridge-racer-ds)
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- [Brothers in Arms DS](https://www.mobygames.com/game/29865/brothers-in-arms-ds)
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- [Mega Man Battle Network 5: Double Team DS](https://www.mobygames.com/game/23356/mega-man-battle-network-5-double-team-ds)
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- [Diddy Kong Racing DS](https://www.mobygames.com/game/26746/diddy-kong-racing-ds)
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What do these games have in common?
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**They're all remakes or enhanced ports with a suffix of "DS"!**
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I figured I'd get in on the fun.
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# Special Thanks
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- The [melonDS team](https://github.com/melonDS-emu) for making a great emulator
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and for being very helpful on Discord.
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- Nintendo, for all the memories.
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# Disclaimers
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This project is not affiliated with, developed by, or endorsed by the melonDS team or by Nintendo.
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[libretro]: https://www.libretro.com
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[retroarch]: https://www.retroarch.com
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[melonds]: https://melonds.kuribo64.net
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[melonds-libretro]: https://github.com/libretro/melonDS
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[issue-tracker]: https://github.com/JesseTG/melonds-ds/issues
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[memory-pak]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nintendo_DS_accessories#Memory_Expansion_Pak
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[solar-sensor]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nintendo_DS_accessories#Solar_Sensors
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