How to Use Game Boy Color Games on the DS

Emulate Game Boy Color games on the go with Nintendo DS.

The Nintendo DS allows players access to hundreds of games from the system's own library and the Nintendo Game Boy Advance back catalog. The biggest sacrifice made for this functionality is the loss of Game Boy compatibility: The system cannot play Game Boy or Game Boy Color games from either cartridge slot. However, if you have a homebrew cartridge such as M3 DS Real or CycloDS Evolution, a workaround can allow you to play Game Boy and Game Boy Color games on DS.

Things You'll Need

• Computer with Internet access
• Homebrew cartridge for Nintendo DS with SD card
• SD card reader

Instructions

1. Download Lameboy, a Game Boy Color emulator for Nintendo DS. This software allows you to expand your Nintendo DS to run Game Boy games. Save it to your desktop and double-click it to unzip.

2. Download Game Boy Color ROMs, the data files that mimic a Game Boy Color cartridge within the emulator program. Save these files to the "Lameboy" directory created on your desktop in Step 1.

3. Insert the SD card you use for your Nintendo DS homebrew cartridge to your SD card reader or the SD card slot of your computer.

4. Copy the "Lameboy" directory to the root directory of your SD card, then eject and remove the card.

5. Insert your SD card to your homebrew cartridge's SD card slot and connect the cartridge to your Nintendo DS. Turn the system on.

6. Select "Lameboy" from your homebrew cartridge's system menu to start the emulator. Use the D-pad to scroll through your downloaded ROM files at the game's launch screen and press "A" to start the game. Controls are "A," "B," "Start" and "Select" together with the D-pad, exactly as in the games' original Game Boy incarnations.

Tips & Warnings

• Some Game Boy ROM files are protected by the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) and are illegal to download or run if you do not own the original game. The games in the "Resources" section are Public Domain and freely available but do not download ROM files for commercially available games unless you own the original cartridge or you are downloading from an ESA-compliant website. To check whether a site is ESA-compliant, visit the site's "About Us," "Policy" or "Contact" sections.

References

• Racket Boy: The Best Gameboy/GBColor Emulator for Nintendo DS: Lameboy
• "Help File: Lameboy"; Nutki Team; Not dated
• "User Manual: CycloDS Evolution"; Team CycloDS; Not dated

Resources

• Nutki: Lameboy DS 0.12
• PD ROMs: Game Boy Archive