How to Mod the DS Lite

Modding the DS Lite is not the easiest feat to accomplish, but if you manage to do it right, you can enjoy NES, SNES and other games via emulator on the device. However, this practice is generally frowned upon by Nintendo. If you do own the games, you are allowed to backup copies via ROMs in the legal world. If playing them on the DS is what you are out to accomplish, this is a brief guide on how to do that. 

The first thing you need to invest in to play ROMs on your DS Lite is a flash cart. This can be purchased at a variety of web sites online. Most modders go with what is called a R4 flash cart. There are many types out there, but this is the most commonly associated with modding the DS Lite. Once you have your hands on one, you can begin formatting it to play NDS files. In addition to the R4 card, you will also need a MicroSD card you can get online or at a local retail store. Generally, 2 GB to 4 GB are the most you want to use.

In order to format the R4 to play ROMs, you must download the right software. A simple search on Google will yield the latest version. You want to format the MicroSD card to a FAT file system. If you card is over 2 GB, use FAT32; if it is under, use FAT16. Next up is extracting the software download and dragging that folder into the SD card. You want to leave this is the main folder of the card. Then, create a folder to store your ROMs. Finally, eject the MicroSD card from your computer, insert it into the R4 unit and plug it into your DS Lite like you would any game for it.

At this point, turn on your DS Lite and you should see a Games link on the bottom screen. Click on that and a list of the games in the game folder should appear. You can click on the game you want to play. The screen will tell you it cannot find the SAV file, just click okay to create one and then the game will load but it will not save. So keep that in mind as you enjoy those ROMs on your DS Lite.