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Nintendo DS modding wiki

Explore Nintendo DS modding, repairs, homebrew, hardware upgrades, and technical references. Find a guide for your console and follow the steps.

Nintendo DS Logo.svg Nintendo DS Lite logo.svg Nintendo DSi logo.svg Nintendo DSi XL logo.svg

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The Nintendo DS ("Dual Screen" or "Developers' System") is a handheld game console from the seventh generation of video game consoles. The console was launched in North America on November 21st, 2004 followed by Japan (December 2nd, 2004) and Europe (March 11th, 2005). The DS introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tandem (the bottom one being a touchscreen) in a clamshell design, a built-in microphone, and support for wireless connectivity between DS' and to the now-defunct Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. The DS also supported backwards compatibility via a second cart slot for Game Boy Advance (but not the original Game Boy or Game Boy Color).

Three model revisions of the DS were released: the DS Lite — a slimmer and lighter model with a brighter screen and better battery; the DSi — a model that lacks backwards compatibility but has with two built in cameras, an SD card slot, access to the Nintendo DSi Shop; and the DSi XL — a larger version of the DSi.

See this GitHub repo for a decent listing of development-focused resources.

All guides

16 tutorials
Nintendo DSNDS:Connector PinoutsCartridge Slot-1 Pin Name Description 1 GND 2 CLK 3 N/C 4 CS1 5 RES 6 CS2 7 IRQ 8 3.3v 9 D0 10 D1 11 D2 12 D3 13 D4 14 D5 15 D6 Double…Updated Oct 9, 2026Nintendo DSNDS:Creating Game & Save BackupsNintendo DS/Lite Over the network Configure your DS to connect to the same network as a device with a FTP client. Download and run Woo…Updated Oct 9, 2026Nintendo DSNDS:DS Flashcard IdentificationThis is a list of flashcards to identify an unknown card. This list is incomplete and may be subject to change. If you have a flashcar…Updated Oct 9, 2026Nintendo DSNDS:Flash CardsFlashcards are small devices consisting of flash memory that enable the use of unlicensed software (i.e., homebrew) or game ROMs. The …Updated Oct 9, 2026Nintendo DSNDS:FlashMeLoopy (Olimar)'s FlashMe is the best known of the custom firmwares for the DS. The current version, v8a, fully supports the DS Lite - …Updated Oct 9, 2026Nintendo DSNDS:General TroubleshootingIf your DS is having issues, check the below general troubleshooting information for help. Nothing Displayed on Screen, Power Light St…Updated Oct 9, 2026Nintendo DSNDS:Identifying Firmware Version with PictoChatIt is possible to identify the revision of your Nintendo DS/DS Lite firmware by purposely crashing PictoChat by removing a DS/GBA cart…Updated Oct 9, 2026Nintendo DSNDS:LCD ScreenReplacement screens are available for the DS family of handhelds. These can be used if yours is cracked or damaged, or if you just wan…Updated Oct 9, 2026Nintendo DSNDS:Memory Expansion PakThe DS had two different versions of the Memory Expansion Pak[1]. They are different form factors designed to better fit the DS and DS…Updated Oct 9, 2026Nintendo DSNDS:N-CardDSGBA was a Chinese OEM distributor that specialized in producing DS and GBA flashcards. The DS cartridges were available in a variety…Updated Oct 9, 2026Nintendo DSNDS:Nintendo DS Model DifferencesPage content & researching collaboratively taken from io55.net's Nintendo DS page with permission. There are four Nintendo DS models. …Updated Oct 9, 2026Nintendo DSNDS:Original DS Screen Brightness Firmware ModAs most owners of the original DS know, its backlight can be switched on or off, while the DS Lite and its successors replaced the fea…Updated Oct 9, 2026Nintendo DSNDS:Playing Game BackupsYou can play game backups by either using a flashcard or by using TWiLight Menu++. Flash Cards Format your SD card to FAT32 with a clu…Updated Oct 9, 2026Nintendo DSNDS:Region InformationGood news first: The DS is fully region free, and in fact is almost the same world wide - except in China and Korea, where Japanese an…Updated Oct 9, 2026Nintendo DSNDS:Repair ToolsWarning: JIS IS NOT PHILLIPS! A Phillips driver will work on JIS screws but be cautious of applying too much force as this will result…Updated Oct 9, 2026Nintendo DSNDS:Screen ReplacementNTR 001 Screen replacement This is a guide for replacing the screens on an original NTR 001 (fat) Nintendo DS. The top and bottom scre…Updated Oct 9, 2026