After overcoming some real-time saving bugs, Team Cyclops has released a new firmware update for CycloDS Evolution. If this beta 3 version proves to be bug-free, they're going to be release it as the final v1.4. So... Just in case it does happen to be free of errors, you might want to download it now for an early treat.

Download: CycloDS Evoution firmware v1.4 BETA 3

Heads up, intrepid emulation lovers out there. We've picked up word that Archeide has released a new version of SNEmulDS, the handy-dandy SNES emulator for the DS. Now on version 0.6, this new build of SNEmulDS is currently in alpha stage, but one big change this version has from the previous iterations of SNEmulDS is the addition of support for multiple languages.

Here are the basic list of changes for SNEmulDS v0.6:

• New GUI using framebuffer for sub screen
• Better human interface, improved file selector (alphabetically sorted), buttons, check boxes, multi choose zones, etc.
• New GUI supports joypad (joypad is not supported when emulator is running however).
• Multi language support (more than 10 supported, including katakana Japanese!)
• Memory pak support (Opera RAM, Slot 2 card reader, etc. using libram) with paging or with large ROM mapping
• Scaling with pseudo bi-linear filtering and sprites squishing : full screen scaling (like snezzids), half scaling (half scaled and without sprites squishing), and no scaling (classic snemulds mode)
• Automatic SRAM saving when needed
• Some other bugfixes and improvements in GUI

Note that to get the new language settings to work, you'll first have to edit the config file that comes with SNEmulDS v0.6. In any case, Archeide has a more in-depth explanation on his blog as to how that works. In the meantime, make sure you check the readme file that comes with the package so you can better understand how the emulator works.

Download: SNEmulDS v0.6 alpha

The latest version of archeide's awesome SNES emulator for the Nintendo DS has finally seen the light of day. This latest version of SNEmulDS, version 0.4 final, contains a series of bug fixes that should help improve game compatibility and stability. Archeide's also added a few new features such as options saved in save states, background Layer selector, and hinge support.

Here's the changelog for this release:

• Fixed ROM paging, this should improve stability of large ROMs (especially DKC2)
• Some CPU instructions were bugged because of the way SNEmulDS write in I/O ports, this should also improve stability (ie Crash before first boss in Zelda)
• Fixed a bug that made Chrono Trigger freeze during battles
• Changed the way emulator detect blank screen (Street Fighter Turbo, RTYPE3, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest now works)
• Fixed some bugs with SRAM memory, which unlock most ROM protections (Uniracer, Bust-a-move, … now boot)
• Now sound core doesn’t randomly crash when using line by line engine
• Better reset of sound core, some games now run correctly when they are launched after another game (ie Super Bomberman >2)
• Save states also save options
• Added background layer selector. You can again enable/disable backgrounds.
• Added hinge support. If you close you DS, emulation is stopped and SRAM is saved.
• SRAM is now automatically saved before loading another ROM

Click on the download link below to get SNEmulDS 0.4 final. Please read the included readme file carefully for installation and usage instructions.

Download: SNEmulDS 0.4 final

It hasn't even been a week since Archeide rolled out SNEmulDS v0.4 Alpha, and yet he's back once again to bring us the v0.4 Beta release for his SNES emulator for the DS, SNEmulDS.

As you know, you're gonna need to patch this release with DLDI drivers because SNES games are loaded from SNES directory. And as with Archeide's other SNEmulDS releases, this version also packs in tons of changes and fixes, the full list of which you can check out below.

Changelog:

• Fixed the broken BREAK and COP instructions
• Fixed the ROM write protection by using the protection unit of the ARM9 (thanks to bubble2k for pointing me that)
• Fixed the Emulation flag at startup (problem with DKC3)
• Stupid again, SNES’s RAM was not in the cached memory, speed up games (10-20%)
• Reduced memory consumption, now ROM memory is static (no more malloced), should remove ROM overflow and RAM overwritten problems
• Added an experimental “line by line” engine (buggy, slow, unstable, uncomplete… maybe useful for a few games)
• Added a manual background priority selector (can be chosen in options or with START+LEFT+RIGHT+UP or START+LEFT+RIGHT+DOWN for automatic)
• Added another speed hack option : “Interrupt speed hacks” that should be better than “Full speed hacks” for some games. “Middle speed hacks” is now “Cycles speed hacks”

Installation and usage instructions are in the all-important readme file, so if this is your first time to try out SNEmulDS, we highly recommend you check it out.

Download: [SNEmulDS v0.4 Beta]

Yeah, yeah, we know it's been quite a while since Archeide last updated his SNES emulator for the DS, SNEmulDS. But as the old adage goes, good things come to those who wait. And with the alpha release of v0.4, avid users will find nothing but good things indeed!

But before we get to that, let us remind you that you'll have to patch this v0.4 Alpha release with your DLDI driver because SNES games are loaded from SNES directory. Alrighty then, what can you look forward to in this release? Well, the major change is really just the integration of the CPU engine of SnezziDS, but v0.4 Alpha also includes tons of other updates and additions which you can see in the...

Changelog:

• Implemented MODE 7
• Partial line by line engine for MODE 7 games
• Implemented MODE 3,4 (256 colors)
• Now SNEmulDS uses devkitpro 20 and libfat library from chishm with DLDI support, for better compatibility
• Improved ROM paging, reducing bugs for Large ROMs (> 3 Mo)
• Fixed memory leaks (And consequently, fixed famous “Unsupported Large LoRom” bug)
• Three level of speed hacks : no speed hacks, medium speed hacks, full speed hacks. Each level give various compatibility and speed enhancements.
• Fixed various bugs
• Now SNEmulDS sources are under GNU license, to be compatible with SnezziDS
  

If this is your first time to encounter and use this app, we highly suggest you check out the readme file included in the download. It includes all the info you'll need to know to put you up to speed, and more importantly, how to run this thing on your handhelds.

Download: [SNEmulDS v0.4 Alpha]

A few months after our last report, SNEmulDS roars to life! Although it is still in version 0.3, it now has DLDI support. Just to give you a quick background as to what in heaven's name are we talking about, SNEmulDS is a Super Nintendo Nes emulator for the Nintendo DS. It is partially based on SNEmul, a SNES emulator for DOS and Linux, which was the brainchild of archeide & v0x.

Now back to 0.3 with Dynamically Linked Device Interface (DLDI). The recent release is now compatible with a wide array of devices such as:

• DSLink (microSD Card)
• Ewin2 (SD Card)
• EZ Flash 4 (SD Card)
• EZ Flash 5 (SD Card)
• G6 Flash (version 0.15)
• M3 Adapter (Compact Flash)
• M3 Adapter (SD card)
• Max Media Dock (Compact Flash)
• GBA Movie Player (Compact Flash)
• GBA Movie Player (SD Card)
• NEO Flash MK2 & MK3 (SD Card)
• NEO2 (SD Card)
• Ninja DS (SD Card)
• R4(DS)- Revolution for DS, M3 Simply compatible
• SuperCard (Compact Flash)
• SuperCard DS (Slot-1)
• SuperCard (SD Card)

The developer also added that "you can patch SNEmulDS.nds to support others devices as long as those device have been made compatible with the DLDI system. So you should visit this site regularly for updates, if your device is not supported by SNEmulDS yet!" If you're having problems with it, don't hesitate to tell what's wrong in the comments section, the dev would appreciate that.

Download: [SNEmulDS 0.3 with DLDI]

Shaunj66 of GBATemp had the honor of being the first person to publish a review of the DS-Xtreme. The DS-Xtreme is redefining the flashcart world with all of its user-friendly features, interface and design. This device will eliminate all mention of NDS homebrew being "hard to figure out", and will become the easiest way to run homebrew! We have already been lucky enough to receive our DS-X and will be posting up a full QJ.net review of the product tomorrow! Meanwhile, you can look at the homebrew compatibility list provided by Shaunj66 on the DS-Xtreme -

• BeUp - PASS
• DS Doom - PASS
• DS Organize - PASS
• Moonshell - PASS
• NDS Mail - PASS
• NESDS - PASS
• PicoDrive DS - PASS
• ScummVM DS - PASS
• SNEmulDS - PASS
• Snezzi DS - FAIL

SNEmulDS, an SNES emulator for DOS and linux partially based on SNEmul, has been updated by its developer to v0.3 alpha. According to Archeide this is only a preview release (and not the real release) although it has several very real, new features:

• Sound support using PocketSPC engine (thanks to gladius). The sound is not very good yet because of bad synchronising
• Improved stylus support
• Max Media support (use SNEmulDS_maxmedia)
• SPC jukebox lets you listen to your favorite music while playing another game with better sound quality than with the real sound emulation

To install and use SNEmulDS v0.3 alpha requires a card reader (like M3, Supercard, G6, etc.) and a passkey/passcard:

• Create a SNES directory in the root directory of your card
• Put all your SNES ROMs in this directory
• Launch the SNEmulDS.ds in your ROM launcher
• A list should appear displaying all the SNES ROMs
• Tap on the desired game and press START to launch the game

The download file includes a readme file which you should always read before installing any application, homebrew or otherwise.

Download: [SNEmulDS v0.3 alpha]

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UPDATE: Archeide has returned with a beta update for the preview SNEmulDS v0.3. What's important is that, while alpha's save feature wasn't working properly, archeide was able to restore a simpler save function in beta thatshould work for all devices that support saving. Other changes he implemented are larger items in all file selections and a back button in the Select ROM selection.

Download: [SNEmulDS v0.3 beta]

Previously on DS homebrews, we posted SNEmulDS v0.1 alpha, an SNES emulator developed by archeide. This SNES emulator offers gamers the chance to experience old titles made the Super NES on the DS.

Oh, yeah? Like what?

Funny you should ask that question because we have here a list of the games tested and proven playable on your DS via SNEmulDS v.0.1 alpha.

Playable:

• Darius Twin [(E).smc GBAMP CF]
• Gradius 3 [(U).smc GBAMP CF]
• Super Aleste [(E).smc GBAMP CF]: Background glitches reported.    
• Super Ghouls 'n' Ghosts [(E).smc GBAMP/CF]    
• Super R-Type [(E).smc GBAMP CF]
• Super Turrican [(E).smc GBAMP CF]: Background glitches reported but gameplay unaffected.       
• Super Turrican 2 [(E).smc GBAMP CF]       
• Wing Commander [(E).smc GBAMP CF]: Very glitchy until in-game reported.
  

Partially playable:

• Act Raiser [(U).smc Supercard CF]:in game works but world map is garbled making it unplayable past the first level.Title screen is black because of Mode 7.
• Axelay [(U).smc Supercard CF]: Backgrounds on vertical levels are completely black because of the lack of Mode 7/ possible HDMA. First level has asteroids in the background that can't be seen and avoided.
  
• Battletoads in Battlemaniacs [(U).smc Supercard CF]: Serious background glitches. Playable but since holes can't be seen, they pose massive threats.
  
• Brain Lord [(U).smc Supercard CF]: Problems with scrolling. Background in the wrong place and doesn't move when the character walks.
• Equinox [(U).smc Supercard CF]: Mode 7 issues on world map although dungeons/enemies can still be seen, Scrolling issues during action scenes. Slow.    
• E.V.O Search for Eden [(U).smc Supercard CF]: Background is jacked up, world map shows only water. Slow.
• Might and Magic 3 [(U).smc GBAMP CF]: Glitchy

Remember archeide? He developed the SNEmulDS, an SNES emulator for the DS that we featured a few days ago. archeide now updates us on how he's been able to go along with his testing and development. Here's what he said:

This emulator has buggy support for ROMs with size > 2Mo. I know it's buggy so i just wanted to see how many roms where working. I succeeded to play some part of terranigma, ff3, dkc (but not chronotrigger). But I just have a small amount of roms, so i need testers with other roms.

Hear that, guys? He's calling out for testers and people with vast databases of SNES ROMs that can help in this project. Anyways, he's also posted a source code for his emu for all of you guys who wish to help him update it. The download link is below.

See, in the homebrewing community, it's always going to be a win-win situation. And surely there will always be people that will lend a helping hand.

Download: [SNEmulDS v0.1 source]