Nintendo DS

DS games work like every other system in Parlor: add an .nds file and play. There are a few things that only a two-screen console needs.

No BIOS or firmware files

Parlor includes a free replacement BIOS and firmware. There is nothing to supply or configure.

The touchscreen

PlatformHow you touch
iPhone, iPadTouch the drawn bottom screen directly
MacThe mouse is the stylus: point and click
Apple TVRight stick moves a stylus cursor; the left trigger taps
iPhone as controller for a TVThe phone shows the bottom screen live as a touchpad

Screen layouts

Tap the layout pill in the HUD: Stacked, Side by side, Corner (picture-in-picture) or One screen, with size, gap and position controls. Two-finger double-tap swaps the screens. Layouts are remembered per game, device kind and orientation, and sync. Full detail in Video filters and screen layouts.

On a TV

Settings → Nintendo DS on TV chooses what the big screen shows: Top screen only (default), Both screens, or Both, side by side. The iPhone keeps the touchscreen live. See iPad and external displays.

Save states

DS save states are larger and tied to the core version. Prefer the game's own save for anything you'd hate to lose; see the note in Saves and save states.

DS titles use their own wireless protocols, which Parlor doesn't carry. The link cable is for Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance games.

Nintendo 3DS on iPhone and iPad

Parlor for iPhone and iPad also plays 3DS game files in .3ds, .cci, .cxi, or .cia form through a GPU-rendered core. Some titles need the keys from the console they came from; add your own console's keys.txt to the Parlor folder and they play. 3DS files are imported loose (not from archives), and the core isn't available on Apple TV or the Mac. Touch, screen layouts and the analog circle pad work as for DS.