How To: Play Any Nintendo DS Game on Your Samsung Galaxy S3

If you actually had to look up what "DS" stands for in Nintendo DS, that probably means you weren't a huge fan of the portable game system. To be honest, I never was. It's fairly bulky and has two tiny displays.

Despite my hatred for the DS, Nintendo still delivered in the game department. Mario Kart DS, Pokémon SoulSilver, and New Super Mario Bros. are just a few of them.

In today's softModder guide, I'm going to show you how to get these and other DS games on your Samsung Galaxy S3 or other Android device so you can play them anytime you want—without the bulk.

Step 1: Download a DS Emulator

In order for your to play those swaggy Nintendo DS games on your GS3, you'll need to download nds4droid (by Jeffrey Quesnelle) from the Google Play Store.

There are other Nintendo DS emulators on Google Play, but most of them cost upwards of 7 dollars. Nds4droid is free and still allows you to save games, a feature that almost always comes at a cost.

Step 2: Download a Nintendo DS Game ROM

Now, as with any other console emulator, nds4droid does not come with any preloaded games. That means you've got to convert your own DS games or find ROMs online that have already been converted. Just search the Web for the game ROM you want and download it directly onto your GS3.

Make sure the ROM is an .nds file, or a .zip, .7z, or .rar file with an .nds contained within. Nds4droid will extract them and use the first .nds file in the folder.

Remember, you should already have the rights to a Nintendo DS game ROM (meaning you own a copy of the game) before you go ahead and download it online.

Step 3: Load Your Game

After download your ROM(s), you can head straight to the nds4droid app. Once you open the emulator, it should automatically load your available ROMs. Just select the game you want to play and launch.

Step 4: Play Your DS Games

You can play with vertically or horizontally, just depends on your preference. I always go horizontal. You'll also notice that your games will be split into two screens, thus the "DS" in Nintendo DS. You can tap the small gray button to switch between touchscreen and regular controls.

I did notice some lag when playing Mario Kart DS, but I was still able to finish my Grand Prix comfortably. To make it even smoother, turn off the sound. It helps alleviate some emulation stress so it can concentrate more on the game instead of the game and music.

For more old-school gaming options on your GS3, check out our other gaming guides.

Nintendo DS photo by tiseb