emulator: "DSperate"
type: standalone
core_classification: other
source: "https://github.com/beebono/DSperate"
profiled_date: "2026-11-09"
source_commit: "ddf2910e6d80220c6b22b4df61f0786ac9879cda"
pin_frozen: "ROCKNIX 20261101 ships the v3.0.5 release binaries, built by CI from the v3.0.5 tag at this commit."
pin_build:
  - platform: rocknix
    repo: "https://github.com/ROCKNIX/distribution"
    revision: "20261101"
    path: "projects/ROCKNIX/packages/emulators/standalone/dsperate-sa/package.mk"
    variable: PKG_VERSION
    value: "3.0.5"
core_version: "v3.0.5"
version_basis:
  kind: tag
  tag: "v3.0.5"
  distance: 0
display_name: "Nintendo - DS / DSi (DSperate)"
cores:
  - "dsperate"
  - "dsperate-sa"
found_by: content
systems:
  - nintendo-ds
  - nintendo-dsi

data_root:
  linux:
    path: "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/dsperate"
    source_ref: "src/frontend/sdl/config.cpp:39-49"
    note: "~/.config/dsperate when XDG_CONFIG_HOME is unset. System files are read wherever the [paths] keys of the ini point."

notes: |
  Nintendo DS emulator for ARM handhelds with a DSi mode. ROCKNIX installs the
  release tarball for its architecture and runs it with --config pointing at
  /storage/.config/dsperate/dsperate.ini.

  No file name is built in: every system file is a [paths] key of the ini (or
  the matching command-line flag), and a key that is unset or names no file
  counts as absent. The names below are labels for the dumps. ROCKNIX's
  dsperate.ini gives the same ones, all in /storage/roms/bios/.
  ref: src/frontend/sdl/config.cpp:177-217, src/frontend/sdl/main.cpp:1175-1181

  DS BIOS: both halves or neither, the ARM9 image 4 KB and the ARM7 image 16 KB
  exactly. Without them the built-in FreeBIOS runs games by direct boot. The
  firmware may be any non-empty file. Without one a firmware is generated from
  the [user] settings. Booting the DS menu needs both BIOS dumps and a real
  firmware. No hash is checked: an FNV-1a of the loaded regions only tags save
  states.
  ref: src/core/nds.cpp:114-145, src/core/mem/bus.h:137-138,
       src/frontend/sdl/main.cpp:1268-1274, src/frontend/sdl/main.cpp:1291-1299

  DSi: DSiWare and --dsi-mode need the DSi BIOS pair, 64 KB each, and the DS
  BIOS dumps as well. FreeBIOS cannot run a DSi session. dsi_firmware replaces
  firmware for a DSi session when no --firmware is given. The NAND is needed by
  --dsi-mode and by NAND title shortcuts only, and it must carry the nocash footer
  (at the end, or at 0x000FF800). DSiWare without a NAND runs on a generated
  console whose system font is DSperate's own unless dsi_font names a
  TWLFontTable.dat.
  ref: src/frontend/sdl/main.cpp:1153-1186, src/frontend/sdl/main.cpp:1301-1303,
       src/core/nds_dsi.cpp:88-104, src/core/nds_dsi.cpp:112-118,
       src/core/io/dsi_sd.cpp:105-138, src/core/nds_dsi.cpp:310-327,
       src/frontend/sdl/main.cpp:1774-1778

  Cheats come from usrcheat.dat: the [paths] cheats entry, else beside the ROM,
  else the config directory.
  ref: src/frontend/sdl/main.cpp:635-657

files:
  - name: "bios9.bin"
    system: nintendo-ds
    required: false
    hle_fallback: true
    size: 4096
    validation: [size]
    config_key: "paths.bios9"
    description: "DS ARM9 BIOS"
    note: "Loaded only together with bios7.bin. Absent, FreeBIOS runs games by direct boot. Needed to boot the DS menu and for any DSi session."
    source_ref: "src/core/nds.cpp:119-121, src/core/mem/bus.h:137, src/frontend/sdl/main.cpp:1268-1274, src/frontend/sdl/main.cpp:1291-1303"

  - name: "bios7.bin"
    system: nintendo-ds
    required: false
    hle_fallback: true
    size: 16384
    validation: [size]
    config_key: "paths.bios7"
    description: "DS ARM7 BIOS"
    note: "Loaded only together with bios9.bin. Absent, FreeBIOS runs games by direct boot. Needed to boot the DS menu and for any DSi session."
    source_ref: "src/core/nds.cpp:119-120, src/core/nds.cpp:122, src/core/mem/bus.h:138, src/frontend/sdl/main.cpp:1268-1274, src/frontend/sdl/main.cpp:1291-1303"

  - name: "firmware.bin"
    system: nintendo-ds
    required: false
    hle_fallback: true
    config_key: "paths.firmware"
    description: "DS firmware"
    note: "Any non-empty file is accepted. Absent, a firmware is generated from [user]. Needed to boot the DS menu."
    source_ref: "src/core/nds.cpp:123, src/core/nds.cpp:133-134, src/frontend/sdl/main.cpp:1178, src/frontend/sdl/main.cpp:1292-1299"

  - name: "dsi_bios9.bin"
    system: nintendo-dsi
    required: false
    size: 65536
    validation: [size]
    config_key: "paths.bios9i"
    description: "DSi ARM9 BIOS"
    note: "Loaded only together with dsi_bios7.bin. Without the pair DSiWare and --dsi-mode are refused, while DS games do not use it."
    source_ref: "src/core/nds_dsi.cpp:88-104, src/core/mem/bus.h:128, src/frontend/sdl/main.cpp:1179-1186"

  - name: "dsi_bios7.bin"
    system: nintendo-dsi
    required: false
    size: 65536
    validation: [size]
    config_key: "paths.bios7i"
    description: "DSi ARM7 BIOS"
    note: "Loaded only together with dsi_bios9.bin. Without the pair DSiWare and --dsi-mode are refused, while DS games do not use it."
    source_ref: "src/core/nds_dsi.cpp:88-104, src/core/mem/bus.h:129, src/frontend/sdl/main.cpp:1179-1186"

  - name: "dsi_firmware.bin"
    system: nintendo-dsi
    required: false
    config_key: "paths.dsi_firmware"
    description: "DSi firmware"
    note: "Used instead of firmware.bin for a DSi session when no --firmware is given."
    source_ref: "src/frontend/sdl/main.cpp:1176-1178"

  - name: "dsi_nand.bin"
    system: nintendo-dsi
    required: false
    config_key: "paths.dsi_nand"
    description: "DSi NAND image with nocash footer"
    note: "Read only by --dsi-mode and NAND title shortcuts. DSiWare run from the game list does without it. Opened read-only, rejected without the \"DSi eMMC CID/CPU\" footer."
    source_ref: "src/frontend/sdl/main.cpp:1153-1166, src/frontend/sdl/main.cpp:1331-1337, src/core/nds_dsi.cpp:112-118, src/core/io/dsi_sd.cpp:105-138"

  - name: "TWLFontTable.dat"
    system: nintendo-dsi
    required: false
    hle_fallback: true
    size: 863296
    sha1: "c1101d7c9224acfa0350b5fc62da97d4c6d36141"
    config_key: "paths.dsi_font"
    description: "DSi system font (Japan, Americas, Europe, Australia)"
    note: "Used for DSiWare run without a NAND. Absent, DSperate's own font table is generated. ROCKNIX's ini leaves the key unset. A file under 256 bytes is refused. No hash is checked, only the layout bytes 0x84 and 0x86, and a table whose layout differs from the title's region draws a warning. This is the normal layout (0x84 = 3, 0x86 = 0), read from nand:/sys/TWLFontTable.dat of a retail DSi NAND dump. The FAT16 partition is AES-CTR encrypted with the normal key ROL128((KeyX XOR KeyY) + 0xFFFEFB4E295902582A680F5F1A4F3E79, 42), where KeyX is built from the console ID in the nocash footer and KeyY is 0x0AB9DC76 0xBD4DC4D3 0x202DDD1D 0xE1A00005. The counter is the first 16 bytes of SHA-1 of the footer's eMMC CID, and each 16-byte block is byte-reversed before and after AES. The USA, Europe, Japan and Australia consoles, four different console IDs, give the same bytes."
    source_ref: "src/core/nds_dsi.cpp:310-327, src/core/io/dsi_font.cpp:38-43, src/core/io/dsi_nand_fs.cpp:786-800, src/core/io/dsi_aes.cpp:38-46, src/frontend/sdl/main.cpp:1774-1778"

  - name: "TWLFontTable.dat"
    system: nintendo-dsi
    required: false
    hle_fallback: true
    size: 581664
    sha1: "5170aff7e9766baadbbf2943c41f5634e82aaf2d"
    config_key: "paths.dsi_font"
    description: "DSi system font (China)"
    note: "The Chinese layout (0x84 = 9, 0x86 = 4), which Chinese DSiWare needs to find its fonts. Read from nand:/sys/TWLFontTable.dat of a retail Chinese DSi NAND dump, decrypted as for the normal table."
    source_ref: "src/core/nds_dsi.cpp:313-320, src/core/io/dsi_font.cpp:38-43, src/core/io/dsi_nand_fs.cpp:786-800, src/core/io/dsi_aes.cpp:38-46"

  - name: "TWLFontTable.dat"
    system: nintendo-dsi
    required: false
    hle_fallback: true
    size: 162688
    sha1: "f0a37b073eb0208d3a54c9a6bb94292dbec1192a"
    config_key: "paths.dsi_font"
    description: "DSi system font (Korea)"
    note: "The Korean layout (0x84 = 9, 0x86 = 5), which Korean DSiWare needs to find its fonts. Read from nand:/sys/TWLFontTable.dat of a retail Korean DSi NAND dump, decrypted as for the normal table."
    source_ref: "src/core/nds_dsi.cpp:313-320, src/core/io/dsi_font.cpp:38-43, src/core/io/dsi_nand_fs.cpp:786-800, src/core/io/dsi_aes.cpp:38-46"

  - name: "usrcheat.dat"
    system: nintendo-ds
    required: false
    category: game_data
    config_key: "paths.cheats"
    description: "Action Replay cheat database"
    note: "Looked up by game code and header checksum. Nothing is enabled by its presence."
    source_ref: "src/frontend/sdl/main.cpp:635-657"