Step 1: Plug your MicroSD card into the computer and open to the root of the MicroSD card. I will not be covering flash cart compatibility with this emulator here. For any non-game conversion or loading related issues, please make a new topic inquiring about help within the proper section of GBAtemp. As a piece of homebrew, the emulator may or may not work on your firmware. Note: For testing, I am using my Original R4 with the Wood v1.27 firmware. The Metal Slug game used for testing worked well with and without the file being present on the MicroSD card. At this present time, I can't find a use for the side file. One will be your converted ROM that shares the name of the ROM file's zip archive, the other will be a side file made through the conversion. Getting That Game You Just Converted to Work On Your DSĪt this point, you have two new files. Below is an example of what you should see. Of course, the ROM file will vary by name. Upon double clicking it, you should see the Command window pop open going through tons of little processes. Make sure you double click the executable. Note that the neogeo file is still compressed, as is the ROM file. The below picture is what your file list should resemble before a conversion. For the sake of this tutorial, I will be using a Metal Slug file to demonstrate. Once again, a quick Google should yield positive results. I can also not link to the BIOS file here. Without this file, you can not begin the converting process.
The zip file will be labeled neogeo, and the BIOS files will be a list of items that will be of no use to you in an unzipped format. That method is outlined in the readme included with the download, and I will not be explaining it here. The other way requires the use of the command line though. A quick Google should find you a large repository of these games. Any game that works with MAME will work with NeoDS after conversion.
There are two things that should be known prior to trying to convert.