fixmylife/Mods/Nintendo DS · R4 card

Mod guide · Nintendo DS Lite

Your DS Lite R4 card

R4 card + TWiLight Menu++ + nds-bootstrap + GBARunner2

The R4 is a game card that holds a microSD card instead of one game. Put it in the DS, turn it on, and a menu with cover art opens with all your games sorted into folders. This page explains how it works and how to set one up. No games are provided here.

A black Nintendo DS Lite with its stylus

Just want to play?

If the card is already set up, this is all you need.

  1. 1

    Put the R4 card in the top slot and turn on the DS

    The label faces the back of the DS. Tap the Nintendo DS card on the start screen if it doesn't open by itself.

  2. 2

    Pick a folder

    TWiLight Menu++ opens with the cover art. Use the D-Pad to move, A to open a folder and B to go back.

  3. 3

    Press A on a game to play

    To quit a game, turn the DS off. Your progress is kept in the game's save, so save in the game first.

On this page

What's insideHow it startsThe SD cardAdd DS gamesGame Boy AdvanceThe designsSet up a new cardTroubleshootingOfficial links

01 · The parts

What makes it work

A few free programs work together on the card. You don't need to understand them to play, but it helps when something goes wrong.

The cartridge

R4 card

Looks like a DS game but has a microSD slot. This one is an Ace3DS+ / R4i-style clone that says “R4 Revolution for DS”. Many R4 cards look the same but need different files, which matters when you set up a new card.

Game menu

TWiLight Menu++

The menu you see after turning on. It shows cover art, lets you browse folders and starts DS, Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games.

Official project

Runs DS games

nds-bootstrap

Comes with TWiLight Menu++. It loads DS games from the card and keeps each game's save file next to the game.

Official project

Runs Game Boy Advance games

GBARunner2

Also comes with TWiLight Menu++. It plays .gba games on the DS screen. It needs a GBA BIOS file and folder names in English letters.

Official project

Our design

Washi theme

A calm Japanese paper-style theme made for this card's original Wood R4 menu, with a big clock and calendar. See The designs.

02 · Boot process

What happens when you press Power

  1. Power on
  2. R4 card
    reads _DSMENU.DAT
  3. Autoboot file
    starts BOOT.NDS
  4. TWiLight Menu++
    folders + covers
  5. Your games
    DS, GB & GBA

The card itself always starts a file called _DSMENU.DAT. Normally that is the card's own menu. Here it's replaced with a small autoboot file from TWiLight Menu++, so the DS goes straight into TWiLight Menu++ instead.

Game typeWhat plays itFile ending
Nintendo DSnds-bootstrap.nds
Game Boy AdvanceGBARunner2.gba
Game Boy / ColorBuilt-in emulator (Virtual Console add-on).gb .gbc

A DS Lite also has a Game Boy Advance slot at the bottom. This setup ignores it on purpose: GBA games on the microSD card open in GBARunner2 automatically.

03 · Storage

What's on the microSD card

Turn the DS off first

Never take the R4 card or the microSD card out while the DS is on.

  1. 1

    Turn off the DS and pull the R4 card out of the top slot.

  2. 2

    Push the microSD card gently into the R4 card. It pops out a little; pull it out.

  3. 3

    Put it into your computer with a microSD card reader.

MICROSD CARD
├── _DSMENU.DAT← autoboot file, starts TWiLight
├── _DS_MENU.DAT← autoboot file, starts TWiLight
├── BOOT.NDS← TWiLight Menu++
├── _nds/← TWiLight's files and cover art
├── _gba/
│ └── bios.bin← GBA BIOS (you add it)
├── 01 英語の勉強/← English learning (DS and Game Boy)
│ ├── DS/
│ └── ゲームボーイ/
├── 02 脳トレ・勉強/← brain training and study
├── 03 将棋・麻雀・パズル/← shogi, mahjong, puzzles
├── 04 くらし・趣味/← daily life and hobbies
├── 05 RPG・冒険・推理/← RPG, adventure, mystery
├── 06 アクション・スポーツ/← action and sports
├── 07 かわいい・こども/← cute and kids' games
├── 08 GAME BOY/← Game Boy games, English names only
│ ├── GB GBC/
│ ├── GBA/
│ └── GBA English/
├── 09 ツール/← apps and tools
└── 10 MOTHER/← a single series in its own folder
This card's layout. Folders starting with “_” are TWiLight's own files and are hidden.

The folders are numbered so they always show in the same order, and the names are in Japanese with big, clear categories. That makes it easy for anyone to find a game without reading tiny file names.

04 · Nintendo DS

Add DS games

Use backups of games you legally own. This page doesn't provide or link to any games.

  1. 1

    Take the microSD card out and put it in your computer.

    See What's on the microSD card.

  2. 2

    Open the folder that fits the game, for example 02 脳トレ・勉強.

  3. 3

    Copy the .nds file into it.

    If you have a save file for it, put the .sav with the exact same name in the same folder.

  4. 4

    Safely eject the card.

    Windows: right-click the card → Eject. Mac: click ⏏ next to it in Finder.

  5. 5

    Put the microSD card back in the R4, the R4 back in the DS, and turn it on.

MICROSD CARD
└── 02 脳トレ・勉強/
├── My Game.nds
└── My Game.sav← save file, same name

Saves live next to the game

TWiLight Menu++ is set to keep each save in the game's folder. If you move a game to another folder, move its .sav with it, or the game starts from the beginning.

Add cover art

Covers are small pictures in _nds/TWiLightMenu/boxart, named after the game's 4-letter code. The setup files include a small script that finds the code of every game on the card and downloads the cover from GameTDB.

  1. 1

    Install Python on your computer.

  2. 2

    Open a terminal and install the image library:

    pip install pillow

  3. 3

    Run the script with the card's drive letter, for example E:

    python get_covers.py E:\ — it skips covers you already have and lists any games it couldn't find.

MICROSD CARD
└── _nds/
└── TWiLightMenu/
└── boxart/
├── ABCJ.png← DS game, 128 × 115
└── My Game.gba.png← GBA game, file name + .png

05 · Game Boy Advance

Play Game Boy Advance games

GBA games open with GBARunner2 straight from the menu. Two things must be right for that to work.

1 · Folder names in English letters only

GBARunner2 can't read Japanese folder names. If a .gba game is inside a Japanese-named folder, GBARunner2 shows its own file list instead of starting the game. That's why the Game Boy folder is 08 GAME BOY.

2 · A GBA BIOS file

GBARunner2 needs bios.bin (16 KB) in the _gba folder. It's Nintendo's code, so it isn't included here. Make it from your own Game Boy Advance.

MICROSD CARD
├── _gba/
│ └── bios.bin← must be named exactly this
└── 08 GAME BOY/
└── GBA/
├── My Game.gba
└── My Game.sav← save file
  1. 1

    Copy the .gba file into 08 GAME BOY/GBA (or another folder with an English name).

  2. 2

    Turn on the DS, open the folder and press A on the game.

Big games, like 32 MB ones, may slow down or stutter a little on a DS Lite. That's normal for GBARunner2.

06 · Look and feel

The designs

This card was set up for an older Japanese player, so everything is designed to be calm, high-contrast and easy to read.

The Washi theme on both DS screens: clock, calendar and Mount Fuji above, a game list below
Washi theme for the Wood R4 menu: navy and cream like Japanese paper, a big clock, a calendar with Sunday in red and Saturday in blue, and Mount Fuji.
Washi top screen
Top screen: clock, year, month and calendar.
Washi bottom screen
Bottom screen: large list rows and a seigaiha wave pattern.

Design choices

ChoiceWhy
Big categories in JapaneseEasy to understand at a glance, no tiny file names.
Numbered folders 01–10Always in the same order, so muscle memory works.
English learning firstThe main reason for this card is learning English.
Cover art for every gameEasier to recognise a game by its box than by its name.
Saves next to gamesCopying a folder copies the progress too.

The Washi theme is for the card's original Wood R4 menu. TWiLight Menu++ uses its own themes; change them in its settings.

07 · Setup files

Set up a new card

R4 setup filesThe Washi theme, TWiLight Menu++ settings, the empty category folders and the cover script. No games, no BIOS, no cover images.r4-setup-files.zip · 37 KBDownload

Back up first

Copy everything on the microSD card to your computer before changing anything, especially .sav files.

Step 1 · The microSD card

This card uses a 32 GB microSD formatted as FAT32. Many R4 cards don't work with bigger cards or exFAT. On Windows: right-click the card → Format… → File system FAT32.

Step 2 · Install TWiLight Menu++

  1. 1

    Download TWiLightMenu-Flashcard.7z from the official releases page.

    For Game Boy games, also get AddOn-VirtualConsole-DSi-or-Flashcard.7z.

  2. 2

    Extract it with 7-Zip.

  3. 3

    Copy the _nds folder and BOOT.NDS to the main level of the card.

  4. 4

    Open the Autoboot folder, find your card's folder, and copy its files to the main level.

    For this R4 clone it's Ace3DS+ (_DSMENU.DAT and _DS_MENU.DAT). If the DS still opens the old menu, your card needs a different folder; the TWiLight wiki lists them.

Autoboot folder for this card
Autoboot/Ace3DS+

Step 3 · Add the setup files

  1. 1

    Unzip r4-setup-files.zip.

  2. 2

    Copy everything inside it to the main level of the card.

    settings.ini turns on two things: saves next to games (SAVE_LOCATION = 1) and GBA games through GBARunner2 (SHOW_GBA = 2).

  3. 3

    Put your own bios.bin in _gba, and your own games in the folders.

  4. 4

    Optional: run tools/get_covers.py for cover art.

Optional · Use the Washi theme with Wood R4

If you keep the original Wood R4 menu instead of TWiLight, copy __rpg/ui/Washi to the card, then open __rpg/globalsettings.ini and change these two lines:

In __rpg/globalsettings.ini
uiName = Washi
Shows game names in Japanese
viewMode = internal

08 · When something's not right

Troubleshooting

Tap a problem to see what to check, easiest fixes first.

The DS opens the old R4 menu, not TWiLight
  • Check that _DSMENU.DAT and _DS_MENU.DAT from TWiLight's Autoboot folder are on the main level of the card.
  • Your R4 may be a different clone. Try another autoboot folder from the TWiLight wiki list.
  • Keep a copy of the card's original menu files so you can go back.
A GBA game opens a file list instead of starting
  • Move the game to a folder with English letters only, for example 08 GAME BOY/GBA.
  • Check _gba/bios.bin is there and is exactly 16 KB.
My progress is gone
  • Check the .sav is in the same folder as the game, with the same name.
  • If you moved the game, move its .sav too.
A game has no cover
  • Run get_covers.py again. Some games just don't have a cover on GameTDB.
  • You can add your own: a 128 × 115 PNG named after the game's 4-letter code.
A DS game freezes or shows glitches
  • Try another copy of the game. Bad copies are the most common cause.
  • Update TWiLight Menu++; new nds-bootstrap versions fix many games.
The DS says “Can't run” or shows a white screen
  • Take out the microSD card and put it back firmly in the R4.
  • Check the card is FAT32 and not bigger than 32 GB.

09 · Sources

Official project links

Everything used here is free. Always download from these official pages.

  • TWiLight Menu++github.com/DS-Homebrew/TWiLightMenuThe game menu
  • TWiLight Menu++ releasesgithub.com/DS-Homebrew/TWiLightMenu/releases/latest
  • TWiLight Menu++ wikiwiki.ds-homebrew.com/twilightmenu/Install steps and the list of autoboot files per card
  • nds-bootstrapgithub.com/DS-Homebrew/nds-bootstrapRuns DS games (included with TWiLight)
  • GBARunner2github.com/Gericom/GBARunner2Runs GBA games (included with TWiLight)
  • GameTDBwww.gametdb.com/DS/Where the cover script gets its covers
  • Pythonwww.python.org/downloads/Needed only for the cover script
  • 7-Zipwww.7-zip.org/Opens .7z files on Windows

Last checked: 2026-11-03 · TWiLight Menu++ v27.25.1 · nds-bootstrap v2.17.0

This guide only links to official free projects and does not provide games, BIOS files or cover images. Use backups of games you legally own, subject to the laws where you live. Nintendo, Nintendo DS and Game Boy are trademarks of Nintendo. This site is not affiliated with Nintendo, R4 card makers or the projects listed above.

Image credits

  • Nintendo DS Lite with stylus — Evan-Amos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
  • R4 Revolution for DS flashcard + microSD card — ShootingStarMax, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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