ParlorNintendo 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.
Do DS games need BIOS files?
No. Parlor supplies the system software for DS games.
Import an .nds file that you own.
3DS is a separate system available on iPhone and iPad.
Some 3DS files need keys from your own console.
No BIOS or firmware files
Parlor includes a free replacement BIOS and firmware. There is nothing to supply or configure.
The touchscreen
| Platform | How you touch |
|---|---|
| iPhone, iPad | Touch the drawn bottom screen directly |
| Mac | The mouse is the stylus: point and click |
| Apple TV | Right stick moves a stylus cursor; the left trigger taps |
| iPhone as controller for a TV | The 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.
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 native Apple TV and Mac versions do not include the core. Touch, screen layouts and the analog circle pad work as for DS.