WatermelonDS 0.8.0.rc3 is here!!!
This release brings a large collection of game compatibility and graphics fixes, more flexible controls, audio improvements, and easier management of save states and DSi configurations.
Highlights include optional Vulkan low-latency mode, independent A/B/X/Y touch controls, DSi profiles, improved save-state access, and the new WatermelonDS icon!
Controls and Gameplay
Optional Vulkan low-latency mode
A new optional Vulkan mode improves touch responsiveness, including in affected gameplay scenarios in The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.
This can make touch-driven gameplay feel more responsive, but enabling it may reduce smoothness in demanding games.
It is disabled by default.
Multitouch fixes
Holding one virtual button while pressing another now works correctly.
This fixes combinations such as holding Y to run while pressing B to jump.
Related issue: #132.
Better controller behavior
- Fixed controllers becoming unresponsive after returning from per-game settings or rewind.
- Fixed a white overlay appearing when clicking a stick without an assigned action.
Independent A/B/X/Y touch controls
The A, B, X, and Y buttons can now be positioned, resized, and shown independently.
Each button supports pressed-state highlighting and Normal, Toggle, and Turbo modes.
Existing layouts are preserved.
Related: #158, #191, Discussion #178.
More flexible shortcuts
New shortcut options let you:
- Cycle between layouts you have selected.
- Exit the current game.
- Assign combinations of two physical controller buttons.
Note: The first button in a combination can also trigger its individual action.
Related: Discussion #175, Discussion #161.
Virtual Slot-2 analog stick
A virtual Slot-2 stick provides analog input for games or mods that support the corresponding accessory.
This does not add analog controls to every Nintendo DS game.
Related: Discussion #167.
Rotation, pause, and resume fixes
Fixed image distortion when rotating the screen with Vulkan, and an OpenGL crash that could occur when pausing or resuming.
Audio Improvements
Audio output delay has been reduced in affected situations.
Fast-forward now preserves the original audio pitch, and the option to mute audio during fast-forward remains available.
Vulkan Graphics Fixes
This release fixes rendering problems across many games, including missing objects, corrupted textures, incorrect effects, and loss of detail at higher internal resolutions.
The fixes below address the specific scenes and symptoms described. They do not mean every graphical issue in each game has been resolved.
| Game | What changed |
|---|---|
| Pokémon HeartGold | Fixed corruption and changing levels of detail during affected dialogue scenes, including Elm's dialogue. |
| Rune Factory 2 | Environments now retain the expected extra detail when increasing internal resolution. |
| Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs | Fixed HUD elements and textures turning white, along with unwanted lines in the logo and title-screen rainbow. |
| Metroid Prime Hunters | Removed unwanted lines in the lighting during the introduction. |
| Tales of Innocence | Characters and portraits remain complete over captured backgrounds. Fixed detail loss when advancing the affected dialogue sequence, including rapid A presses. |
| Solatorobo: Red the Hunter | Restored a missing bridge and removed a blue flash during the affected fade. The map remains visible while the world darkens correctly. These corrections cover the affected scene in DS mode. |
| Super Mario 64 DS | Restored the Goomba and structure that Vulkan omitted in the reported scene. |
| Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2007 | Cards and both characters remain visible during the affected attack animation. |
| Pokémon Platinum and Zelda: Spirit Tracks | Removed the triangular mesh visible in Platinum's forest fog and Spirit Tracks' mountains. Other cases in the report remain separate. |
| Advance Wars: Days of Ruin | Fixed seams in the map, including the affected close-up view. |
| Pokémon Black 2 | Fixed the solid block in Virbank's water and blocks appearing during Fly in the affected DS-mode scenes. |
| The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road | Fixed the ground disappearing on alternating frames in the affected scene. |
| Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 Professional | Corrected brightness fades and a white flash when loading |
| Bleach | Removed the unwanted line in Stage 08. |
| My Frogger Toy Trials | Removed the line on the bottom screen during the affected dialogue. |
| Zelda: Phantom Hourglass | Removed the mesh over islands that appeared in RC2. |
Compatibility, DSi, and Library Improvements
Pokémon HeartGold in DSi mode
Fixed the black screen when starting or continuing the affected game session in DSi mode.
Related issue: #141.
The World Ends With You
The introduction now continues without requiring the lid-closing workaround.
Cartridge read and write-completion issues have also been corrected.
Related issue: #222.
Pokémon White Unova Complete Pokédex 1.23
Fixed the white startup screen when this patched game is launched with a DSi configuration but lacks the required DSi-specific data.
WatermelonDS runs the available DS portion of the game instead.
This does not reconstruct missing DSi data or resolve the separate Honor/Turnip graphics report.
Related issue: #248.
DSi profiles
You can now manage separate sets of BIOS, firmware, and NAND files without replacing your previous configuration.
Profiles can also be selected per game.
DSi save importing and exporting through Android's file picker has also been fixed.
Related issue: #124.
Homebrew library detection
ZXDS and Meteora are detected again in both NDS files and ZIP archives.
This correction covers their appearance in the library, not every gameplay or saving feature.
Related issue: #200.
Global cover-art option
A new global switch lets you use native game icons in the library while preserving explicit per-game choices.
Related issue: #185.
Save States, Screenshots, and System Options
Faster save-state access
Reduced the work required to find save states in folders selected through Android's file picker.
This improves save-state access without changing where your files are stored. The benefit depends on the file provider and folder contents.
Save-state loading fixes
Fixed automatic loading of current save states that previously worked only when loaded manually.
When DS mode is forced for an individual game, WatermelonDS now respects the global BIOS selection. This also addresses the related Advance Wars save-state loading hang.
Related issue: #220.
Pause menu and rewind
The pause menu now closes after saving or loading a state.
The rewind timeline now places the present on the right and the past on the left.
Related issue: #206.
Screenshot shortcut and configurable folder
A new shortcut lets you save PNG screenshots of both DS screens to a configurable folder.
Text and thin lines are also preserved better when generating native-resolution screenshots and thumbnails from higher internal resolutions.
Emulated clock controls
New clock options under System let you adjust the emulated time without changing Android's clock, with synchronization when returning to gameplay.
Hardcore Mode continues to use real time.
Related: Discussion #152, Discussion #184.
WFC settings and MAC address
Added a configurable folder for wfcsettings.bin when using the built-in firmware, along with manual MAC address editing.
This makes the WFC settings file easier to manage with external tools.
It does not add a built-in synchronization service.
Related: Discussion #193, #185.
RetroAchievements and Settings
More accurate icons and trophies
Game icons and trophies now use confirmed achievement metadata.
When a game is confirmed to have no achievements, the global selection falls back to its native icon. Explicit per-game icon choices are preserved.
Related issue: #128.
Remove expired offline entries
Expired offline submissions can now be discarded without clearing the app's data or removing other pending entries.
Expired achievements that were not awarded must be earned again.
Related issue: #208.
RetroAchievements crash fixes
Fixed a startup crash caused by older profile data and a crash when opening RetroAchievements settings after a request-preparation failure.
Freedreno Settings
A new advanced settings page exposes:
FD_DEV_FEATURESTU_DEBUGFD_MESA_DEBUG
These values are empty by default, and changing them requires a full app restart.
This provides additional driver configuration options. It is not a confirmed fix for the original Adreno 740 driver flicker report.
Related issue: #227.
Updated log name
The logging option is now named WatermelonDS Log, and the log file is now:
WatermelonDS.txt
Reporting Issues
When reporting a problem, please include:
- Device: model, Android version, GPU, and driver used.
- Game and configuration: game title, DS or DSi mode, renderer, internal resolution, and whether low-latency mode, DRS, frameskip, or shaders were enabled.
- Relevant features: RetroAchievements, external display, controller setup, and whether the issue followed a save-state load, pause, rotation, or fast-forward.
- Reproduction details: what happened, what you expected, and the steps needed to reproduce it.
- Supporting files: screenshots, video, and
WatermelonDS.txtwhen available, and savefile please!
Thank You
Thank you to everyone reporting issues, sharing videos, and supporting WatermelonDS.
Many of the improvements in this release come directly from community feedback, from missing graphics and controller problems to everyday improvements in saves, audio, and library navigation.
WatermelonDS continues to grow, and every detailed report helps make the experience better.