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RetroBIOS

DeSmuME

DeSmuME emulates Nintendo DS. It reads 3 files, none of them required: it starts games without them.

About this profile
Detail Value
Type libretro
Classification Community fork
Source https://github.com/libretro/desmume
Upstream https://github.com/TASEmulators/desmume
Version 0.9.12, stated in desmume/src/version.cpp
Revision libretro/desmume@95b4d798731c, TASEmulators/desmume@e06d11f6df8c
Profiled 2026-03-23
Profile YAML, JSON
Cores desmume
Systems Nintendo DS
Install this emulator's files

The installer finds your setup and its BIOS folder, then downloads only the files this emulator reads there and checks each one.

Open the Start menu. Type PowerShell and open it. Paste the line. Press Enter.

PowerShell
&([scriptblock]::Create((irm https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/i.ps1))) --emulator desmume
Technical notes

Full HLE of ARM7/ARM9 SWI routines, so BIOS files are optional for most games. External BIOS enables SWI-from-BIOS mode. Firmware boot requires both BIOS files loaded and interpreter mode (JIT incompatible). No DSi support. Core option: desmume_use_external_bios.

Files

Section titled “Files”

3 files: 0 required, 3 optional. 3 have an HLE fallback.

In this collection: 3 in repo and 0 missing.

Optional

Section titled “Optional”

bios7.bin optional in repo HLE fallback

ARM7 BIOS

  • System: Nintendo DS
  • Native file needed for firmware boot and SWI-from-BIOS accuracy
Validation and source

bios9.bin optional in repo HLE fallback

ARM9 BIOS

  • System: Nintendo DS
  • Native file needed for firmware boot and logo comparison (Pal Park)
Validation and source

firmware.bin optional in repo HLE fallback

NDS firmware image

  • System: Nintendo DS
  • Loaded only if both BIOS files present. Needed for boot animation, wifi config, user settings
Source

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”
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Maintained by Abdess on GitHub. Report a problem.

Packs from release v2026.10.10, .

MIT for the tooling and metadata. BIOS and firmware files are third-party system software, preserved for personal backup, archival and interoperability.