Nintendo DS games launch through DraStic Nano, the DS emulator built right into GammaOS. The controls are refreshingly simple: your DS buttons map straight across, and everything else runs off the Back button.
Playing a DS game
The DS buttons map one-to-one to your handheld's face buttons, D-Pad, shoulders, and Start/Select: Up, Down, Left, Right, A, B, X, Y, L, R, Start, and Select.
The DS bottom (touch) screen is driven by your touch panel, so you can tap and drag with a finger like a stylus. On devices without a touch panel, or when you prefer buttons, a virtual touch cursor lets the D-Pad or left stick move a pointer over the bottom screen, with A tapping or holding the stylus.
In-game shortcuts
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| Back (short press) | Open or close the in-game overlay menu (the game pauses while it is open) |
| Back (long hold, about 1.5 seconds) | Exit the game and return to the Nano home |
| Power (long hold) | Raise the Nano in-game overlay over the game (opens on the Quick Menu); press B or hold Power again to resume |
| Touch panel | Acts as the DS stylus on the bottom screen |
| Virtual touch cursor | D-Pad or left stick moves a cursor over the bottom screen; A taps or holds the stylus |
A short tap of Back opens the overlay menu (and pauses the game); a long hold of Back exits to the home. Same button, two lengths of press.
If you power the device off from the overlay's Quick Menu while a game is running, Quick Resume saves your spot first, so you will not lose progress.
The overlay menu
A short Back press opens the in-game overlay, which pauses the game and gives you save states, video and audio options, control rebinding, cheats, and achievements. There is a lot in there, so it has its own page.
For every setting in the overlay (screen layout, shaders, save states, cheats, achievements, firmware user data, and more), see the full DraStic Nano page.
Two different overlays, two different buttons: a short Back press opens DraStic's own in-game menu (save states, video, cheats), while holding Power raises the wider Nano overlay (Quick Menu, brightness, switch games) over the top. See the in-game overlay.
Where to go next
- Full DraStic Nano settings and features: DraStic Nano
- Pick up exactly where you left off after a reboot: Quick Resume
- System-wide shortcuts (brightness, sleep, emergency restart): Controls