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DS Player – Nintendo DS Emulator that runs on your iPhone Safari browser

nintendo ds and nintendo ds lite jilaxzone.com

Nintendo DS & Nintendo DS Lite. Image courtesy of Nintendo.

No installation required, no sideloaded needed. Open and just play!

While there are many emulators these days that run Nintendo DS game such as Delta Emulator and RetroArch using MelonDS core, but mostly are requiring apps to be sideloaded into your iPhone and need to be refreshed every 7 days or so. So far I have only met this website which can run Nintendo DS games natively on the browser and that’s the main reason I’m writing this article – to share with you my finding, so you too can try it out.


Prerequisites to get Nintendo DS games running on your iPhone

Before able to play Nintendo DS games on your iPhone, here are some prerequisites you have to meet.


1) Get the Nintendo DS games / ROMs ready

Well, due to legal reasons, you have to ensure you are dumping your own Nintendo DS games. You may want to start googling with this keyword: https://www.google.com/search?q=dumping+nintendo+ds+games.

I have to remind you this: 

Please DO RESPECT the Console Maker, Game makers, Developers, Publishers by always buying and playing the originals on their original systems. Without you supporting them, there won’t be any good and great systems and games in the coming future.

2) Transfer the Nintendo DS games to your iPhone

If you are using iOS 13 and up, the iPhone Safari browser has capability to download any kinds of files, including Nintendo DS games files / ROMs. Refer to this article to know more how to transfer/download files using Safari: Download using Safari at JILAXZONE.

Now you can download any kinds of files directly from mobile Safari on iPhone and iOS devices

Once you managed to transfer your Nintendo DS games into your iPhone, do take note on where you place the Nintendo DS games / ROMs on your iPhone (my recommendation is to store the Nintendo DS games under “On My iPhone” > “Downloads”), since on the later steps you’ll need it.


Here’s how to play Nintendo DS games on iPhone Safari browser

Ensure you have checked the prerequisites above before doing these steps here.

Using DS Player, no sideloading of apps is required to play Nintendo DS games. How awesome is that?

1) Open Safari. On your iPhone, open Safari browser. While it’s also working on other browser, but my recommendation is to use iOS native browser – Safari.

2) Key in DS Player website address. Enter https://ds.44670.org/ into Safari address bar. Once opened, bookmark the DS Player and add it into your home screen. Check out the detail steps here: Bookmarking on Safari and how to add website into iPhone Home screen at JILAXZONE.

Add “DS Player” to iOS Home screen using the “Add to Home Screen” menu.

3) Choose the game. Once opened, tap on “Choose File”, then (again) tap on “Choose File”. It will open the directory inside Files app.

4) Locate the game. Navigate to where you have put your Nintendo DS games / ROM. Then tap on the Nintendo DS game you would like to play.

Once you have tapped the game, it will start on the screen. Enjoy!


Don’t forget to export your save games after you play the game! Here’s how to do export game saves.

Since DS Player is running on browser, then better be safe rather than sorry later. Always export your game saves once you have done playing the games.

1) While you are still playing the Nintendo DS game using DS Player, tap “Menu”.

2) Under Save Data, tap “Export”. A pop-up screen will appear.

3) On the pop-up screen, tap on the “Arrow up with square” icon at the bottom screen to open the sub-menu. Choose “Save to Files”.

4) Navigate to where you want to save the game saves. My recommendation is to save it under “On My iPhone” > “Downloads”.

For your information, DS Player has the capability to save your game progress, however in the case the website is down / crashed, you’ll likely lose your game progress as well as game saves, hence I would recommend you to export the game saves once done playing.


Pros and Cons using DS Player – Nintendo DS Emulator on iPhone Safari Browser

Before further committing to use DS Player on day to day basis, you may want to consider the Pros and Cons of using DS Player as your Nintendo DS Emulator.

ProsCons
+ Play anytime you like, anywhere you like (as long as you have access to Internet connection)

+ No computer needed to setup DS Player (unlike Delta Emulator and RetroArch where computer is required during sideloading)

+ No hassle to install / sideload emulator

+ Therefore, no need to refresh the app every 7 days (this is happening if you are using Delta emulator / RetroArch to play retro games on iPhone)
– Slower speed since it’s run on browser

– You need an active Internet connection to play the games

– The DS Player website may go down (worst forever) due to various reasons and circumstances (so better to always export your game save once done playing)

Controller Recommendation

Playing retro games is always better with controller!

While you can always use the touchscreen of the iPhone to play the games, but for greater fun and enjoyment, I would recommend you to play the games with the Controller using physical buttons – so the experience is (almost) the same like the original. Just in case you need recommendation, here they are. I am personally using Nimbus and DualShock 4 to play the games.

Game controllers – which side are you on? Image courtesy of Final Weapon (https://finalweapon.net)
8BitDo M30The Bluetooth controller that looks like the 6-button SEGA Genesis / Mega Drive controller. This is the best experience you can get on iPhone when playing SEGA Genesis / Mega Drive games.

Get 8BitDo M30 on Amazon
Get 8BitDo M30 on AliExpress
Get 8BitDo M30 iPhone Clipper on AliExpress
Razer KishiBest telescopic controller for iPhone. It comes with Lightning connector for passthrough charging as well as better low-latency gaming.

In case you need it:
Get Razer Kishi for iPhone on Amazon
Get Razer Kishi for iPhone on AliExpress
SteelSeries Nimbus+For playing iOS games. I like it because it’s MFi certified – Made for iOS, any controller-compatible games will for sure run with this controller.

In case you need it:
Get SteelSeries Nimbus+ on Amazon
Get Nimbus iPhone clipper on AliExpress.
Xbox Series X|S Wireless ControllerGreat controller from Xbox compatible with your Xbox (of course!) as well as Windows PC, Android and iOS, recommended for those with big hands.

Read here for pairing Xbox Series X|S Controller with your iPhone at JILAXZONE.

In case you need it:
Get Xbox Series X|S Wireless Controller on Amazon
Get Xbox Series X|S iPhone Clipper on AliExpress
PS5 DualSenseAwesome controller from PlayStation compatible with your PS5 (of course!) as well as Android and iOS, recommended for those with smaller hands.

Read here for pairing PS5 DualSense Controller with your iPhone at JILAXZONE.

In case you need it:
Get PS5 DualSense on Amazon
Get PS5 DualSense iPhone Clipper on AliExpress
PS4 DualShockWhile DualSense is the latest PlayStation controller, but doesn’t mean DualShock 4 is bad. DualShock 4 is indeed one of the cheaper alternative to get into gaming on your Android and iOS, recommended for those with smaller hands.

In case you need it:
Get PS4 DualShock 4 on Amazon
Get PS4 DualShock 4 on AliExpress
Get PS4 DualShock 4 iPhone Clipper on AliExpress
Xbox One Wireless ControllerThis is the previous generation of Xbox Controller. Although previous generation, it’s still a great controller to use with your Xbox One (of course!) as well as Windows PC, Android and iOS. This controller is recommended for those with big hands. The main controller appeal is the fact that it’s much cheaper than the Xbox Series X|S wireless controller.

In case you need it:
Get Xbox One Controller on Amazon
Get Xbox One Controller on AliExpress
Get Xbox One iPhone Clipper on AliExpress
This is my retro gaming setup. What about you? (In picture: iPhone paired with DualShock 4 controller)

Note: If you buy anything from Amazon / AliExpress using links above, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost charged on your purchases.


Other Retro game emulators available on iPhone (and iPad and iPod Touch)

These are retro game emulators available on the iOS and iPadOS platform, none of them requires jailbreak. Head out to their individual links for detail step by step on how to get them installed on your device.

Do you know that you can play PS2 games now on iPhone? Check the installation guide below. Image courtesy of Evan Amos.
EmulatorDescriptionInstallation guide Link
CEMUNintendo Wii U emulator, workaround for iOSCEMU workaround for iOS at JILAXZONE
DeltaMultiple Nintendo console emulator for iOSDelta for iOS at JILAXZONE
Delta iPacSEGA Genesis / Mega Drive and Nintendo emulator for iOSDelta iPac for iOS at JILAXZONE
DolphiniOSNintendo Wii & Nintendo GameCube emulator for iOSDolphiniOS for iOS at JILAXZONE
eNGEPS1 emulator for iOSeNGE for iOS at JILAXZONE
FlycastSEGA Dreamcast emulator for iOSFlycast for iOS at JILAXZONE
iNDSNDS emulator for iOSiNDS for iOS at JILAXZONE
Play!PS2 emulator for iOSPlay! for iOS at JILAXZONE
PPSSPPPSP emulator for iOSPPSSPP for iOS at JILAXZONE
ProvenanceMultiple game console emulator for iOSProvenance for iOS at JILAXZONE
RetroArchMultiple game console emulator for iOSRetroArch for iOS at JILAXZONE
RetroGameBotMultiple game console emulator runs on Safari for iOSRetroGamesBot for iOS at JILAXZONE
YuzuNintendo Switch emulator, workaround for iOSYuzu workaround for iOS at JILAXZONE

Bring it all together

So that’s pretty much it. If you follow the steps on this tutorial, you should be able to fire that Nintendo DS games of yours on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. Be sure to check the Pros and Cons as well as the Controller Recommendations.

In case you encounter any difficulties and / or have any questions related to the topic, feel free to shout it out on the comment section down below. I’ll be happy to assist. Cheers!


Do you have anything you want me to cover on my next article? Write them down on the comment section down below.

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