Homebrew ZXDS via SD Card on DSi (via TWL++ or Similar)?

[wavemotion]

So I've done my research before reaching out here... and I suspect I already know the answer which is that nobody has really gotten ZXDS to run from the DSi SD card. I've seen some Reddit posts and pretty much everyone has given up. One bloke got it running on the 3DS via some convoluted method that I can't even begin to follow.

The emulator is superb. Full speed on the DS via FlashCart and a 3DS version which is still in "active" development (last released in late 2020). It has features that a full-featured Windows/Linux emulator would have - you can see the love the developer put into this. But, sadly, it will not load files from the SD card (though it will run). Whatever auto-patching goes on with nds-boostrap doesn't seem to work for this emulator.

Has anyone gotten the fantastic ZXDS to run on an SD card on the DSi?

@Indy13 ?

 

[Indy13]

Has anyone gotten the fantastic ZXDS to run on an SD card on the DSi?

@Indy13 ?

Hi @wavemotion !

Unfortunately, I don't own a DSi but just DS Lite, so I couldn't do this test. When I do tests, all my tests are done with the following hardware configuration: DS Lite + R4 SDHC Gold Pro 2016 / DSTwo Plus + EZ Flash 3in1

 

[Nikokaro]

The emulator seems not to find the roms, because it looks for them in the wrong place (slot1).

The emulator is superb. Full speed on the DS via FlashCart

Excuse me for asking a question. Since it runs at full speed via flashcart (thus using the weaker processor), what need do you have to use it via SD slot? These days DS flashcarts are very cheap and highly compatible. Don't tell me you have all those DSi XLs and no flashcart? A true DS enthusiast like you must have at least one.
Just kidding...don't hate me; I contribute in my own way to liven up the atmosphere.

Hi @Indy13, how I miss the good old days of cheretic betatesting [sigh].

 

[wavemotion]

Ha! Yeah, for sure I have 2 flashcarts which both work great...

But I have one dedicated DSi XL for all the console games - and it's just a matter of convenience to have all the consoles properly emulated and running from the built-in SD card.

But yeah - it's really not a big deal...

 

[banjo2]

The nds-bootstrap compatibility list says that ZXDS 1.3.3 requires a RAM disk

 

[wavemotion]

The nds-bootstrap compatibility list says that ZXDS 1.3.3 requires a RAM disk

Sounds like it might be more complicated than I want to deal with... I've never setup a RAM disk before with my setup.

 

[Indy13]

Hi @Indy13, how I miss the good old days of cheretic betatesting [sigh].

Hi @Nikokaro ! I still haven't found the time to take all the full testing of heretic mods again, my summer is a lot busy than I expected but I'm still thinking of resuming these test sessions!

 

[Nikokaro]

I still haven't found the time to take all the full testing of heretic mods

I think the time for testing is over now...hehehe. The author said that this is the final version.
I'm continuing to play the megawads and I'm enjoying them fully.
Some maps, the most complex and with large areas, are flawed and lack textures and walls; but they are rare, so I pretend not to have seen them...
The developer has done a miracle in bringing it to that level of perfection, given the poor technical features of the console. Playing Heretic there is a unique and priceless feeling...

I hope the OP doesn't get mad because I went off topic...

 

[Olivil]

Sounds like it might be more complicated than I want to deal with... I've never setup a RAM disk before with my setup.

As far as I know you just need to enable it in TwilightMenu's settings, and if I remember correctly it can even be set in the game settings/on a game per game basis.

 

[djleviticus]

I have set it up on my DSi with ramdisk, but the game file names need to be in capitals and no more than 7 characters as the emulator will crash Eg. BOMJACK

there is also a limit to the amount of games you can put in the folder as well, ill see if i can find out

https://wiki.ds-homebrew.com/twilightmenu/creating-ram-disks.html

i think this is where i started from

 

[djleviticus]

would be great to get this emulator running like the other emulators in twilight

 

[wavemotion]

would be great to get this emulator running like the other emulators in twilight

Yeah, it's a shame. ZXDS is really amazing - the more I use it the more love and care the author put into it. It's as full featured as any emulator I've seen - lots of extras... it parallels the best emulators on a PC in terms of features. Given that it also has the exact same screen resolution as the DS/DSi - it's pixel perfect on the system.

And for a DS emulator that was last updated in 2017, it's disappointing that it won't run well under TWL++. But I guess not everything can be compatible in the world of homebrews! I wonder what makes this thing unique - it runs fine on both cheap flashcarts I own.


I also finally got a chance to try the two (2) Amstrad CPC emulators but neither was very good with compatibility of newer homebrews. The older titles worked okay... I saw the code floating around for one of these - something I could probably improve but honestly I've no real love for the CPC.

 

[Indy13]

I think the time for testing is over now...hehehe. The author said that this is the final version.

Yes, you're right but I was talking about mods compatibility, lots of mods for lots of tests !

I also finally got a chance to try the two (2) Amstrad CPC emulators but neither was very good with compatibility of newer homebrews. The older titles worked okay... I saw the code floating around for one of these - something I could probably improve but honestly I've no real love for the CPC.

I tried both too (AmeDS & CrocoDS) of course it's personnal but I prefer CrocoDS, unfortunatelly as you said, the classics work fine but not the homebrews, it's sad because the Amstrad CPC is a very good machine but maybe i say this because I'm nostalgic and my first computer of my chilhood was an Amstrad CPC 464

 

[djleviticus]

Yeah, it's a shame. ZXDS is really amazing - the more I use it the more love and care the author put into it. It's as full featured as any emulator I've seen - lots of extras... it parallels the best emulators on a PC in terms of features. Given that it also has the exact same screen resolution as the DS/DSi - it's pixel perfect on the system.

And for a DS emulator that was last updated in 2017, it's disappointing that it won't run well under TWL++. But I guess not everything can be compatible in the world of homebrews! I wonder what makes this thing unique - it runs fine on both cheap flashcarts I own.


I also finally got a chance to try the two (2) Amstrad CPC emulators but neither was very good with compatibility of newer homebrews. The older titles worked okay... I saw the code floating around for one of these - something I could probably improve but honestly I've no real love for the CPC.

I agree Patrik has made a fantastic emulator, i managed to get ZXDS to autoboot when you launch the flash card, but im using the old TTDS and original R4, i would love a better amstrad emulator as much as i would love a better commodore 64 emulator for the DSi.

 

[wavemotion]

Yeah, and I love communities that are still thriving (like Atariage). The ZX Spectrum community is alive and well - and the homebrew scene is sizzling. Looking at ZX Spectrum Indie News (google it) you will see that two or three high-quality new releases are coming out for the system EVERY month... most are free... some are a pittance (a couple bucks or less... often with a demo to try first). As an American, I mostly missed out on the Zed-Ex "Speccy" but am catching up fast

 

[djleviticus]

my fav computer is the spectrum, and i am a founding member on facebook of ZXDS group, World of Spectrum is a great place and Spectrum Computing. Itch.io have good new spectrum releases, i own loads of original spectrum cassette games although i only use emulation, so much quicker and of course so portable. I did some testing for Patrik when he released the 3ds version of ZXDS as i found an issue with the old 2ds running it. Some of the best games are Jetpac, Bomb Jack, Way of the Exploding Fist and Death Chase to name only a few.

 

[ColinA]

Hi All, another happy ZXDS user here! It was the main reason I bought both a 2DSXL and DSi last year after stumbling across ZXDS website. Like most, I have ZXDS working on both consoles using FlashCart but have recently installed Twilight Menu++ on my DSi and have been trying to get ZXDS to work on the SD card. A Google search brought me to this post.

I wonder if dijleviticus can give a few more pointers to how he has managed to get ZXDS working via SD card? So far I have managed to set up a RAM disk (ZXDS.img in ramdisks folder) and set Twilight Menu++ to open ZXDS as DS console with Ram disk option set to 0. However, once ZXDS starts up, it just can't locate the game files. When I try it opens at a location with SystemVolumeSettings and ZXDS.cfg files but nothing else. Following your earlier post, I've tried renaming game files with capitals (and no more than 7 characters) and have placed them everywhere I can think of (i.e. in the ZXDS folder, in the Data file, in the same location as the ZXDS.nds file as well as in the ramdisks folder) but ZXDS can't see them. Do you know where they should be located on the SD card? Can they have the usual file extension (i.e. z80/TAP)? Are you able to provide any tips? That would be a great help if possible. Thanks very much for any further help

Finally, have you managed to get Save slots to work?

 

[banjo2]

Hi All, another happy ZXDS user here! It was the main reason I bought both a 2DSXL and DSi last year after stumbling across ZXDS website. Like most, I have ZXDS working on both consoles using FlashCart but have recently installed Twilight Menu++ on my DSi and have been trying to get ZXDS to work on the SD card. A Google search brought me to this post.

I wonder if dijleviticus can give a few more pointers to how he has managed to get ZXDS working via SD card? So far I have managed to set up a RAM disk (ZXDS.img in ramdisks folder) and set Twilight Menu++ to open ZXDS as DS console with Ram disk option set to 0. However, once ZXDS starts up, it just can't locate the game files. When I try it opens at a location with SystemVolumeSettings and ZXDS.cfg files but nothing else. Following your earlier post, I've tried renaming game files with capitals (and no more than 7 characters) and have placed them everywhere I can think of (i.e. in the ZXDS folder, in the Data file, in the same location as the ZXDS.nds file as well as in the ramdisks folder) but ZXDS can't see them. Do you know where they should be located on the SD card? Can they have the usual file extension (i.e. z80/TAP)? Are you able to provide any tips? That would be a great help if possible. Thanks very much for any further help

Finally, have you managed to get Save slots to work?

As to my knowledge, when using a RAM disk, the SD filesystem is unavailable, so you need to place the game files in the RAM disk. Have you tried that?

 

[ColinA]

Hi banjo2, do you mean in the ramdisks folder on the SD card (where I have placed ZXDS.img), which I have tried without success. Or do you mean as part of the process when building the RAM disk in the first place? Thanks!

 

[banjo2]

Hi banjo2, do you mean in the ramdisks folder on the SD card (where I have placed ZXDS.img), which I have tried without success. Or do you mean as part of the process when building the RAM disk in the first place? Thanks!

As part of building the RAM disk, yeah