GBA DS 1.5: Dual-Screen GBA Emulator for Handhelds

What if the Game Boy Advance had a second screen? That is the question behind GBA DS, a free emulator that turns GBA classics into proper dual-screen games on handhelds like the Anbernic RG DS Plus. Version 1.5 has just landed, and it now supports more than 50 games.

The idea is simple and brilliant. The game plays on one screen, and its own map, HUD or status page sits on the other, kept up to date as you play. No more pausing every two minutes to check the map in Metroid Fusion.

How it works

GBA DS is built on mGBA‘s core, but it does something clever with it. Alongside the game you are playing, it runs a second, silent copy of the emulator. About once a second, and after every room change, it copies your game’s state into that silent copy, opens the map there, and grabs the picture for your second screen. The game you are actually playing is never paused or touched.

It double-checks the result before showing it, so title screens, cutscenes and menus never end up on your map screen, and it even records a short loop of frames so blinking player markers still blink. Developer kyannon says the whole thing was inspired by playing through the DS Castlevania games and not wanting to give up that second screen when going back to the GBA ones.

Metroid Fusion in GBA DS with the game on top and its map on the bottom screen — Metroid Fusion with its live map on the second screen (Picture: kyannon / GBA DS)

More than just maps

Games without a map get their own tricks:

Mario Kart: Super Circuit is drawn twice: once without the HUD for the main screen, and once with only the HUD for the second screen, with the course map twice as big.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 keeps the goal sheet for your run on the second screen while you skate.
V-Rally 3, new in 1.5, moves the timer, splits and course map down below, while the rev counter stays up top.
MOTHER 3 and Mario vs. Donkey Kong arrived in the 1.5.1 update just after.

The supported list reads like a GBA greatest hits: the Castlevanias, both Metroids, Golden Sun, Fire Emblem, Advance Wars, the Super Mario Advance games, the Sonic Advance trilogy, Zelda: A Link to the Past and Four Swords, and plenty more. Any other GBA game still runs, just on one screen. Version 1.5 also adds custom bezels, hotkeys and per-game patches for romhacks.

What you need

A dual-screen handheld. It is built for the Anbernic RG DS Plus, and there are builds for Android (with GammaOS) and for ROCKNIX on Linux handhelds. Retro Dodo notes a browser version is in beta too.
Your own games. GBA DS comes with no games at all, so bring your own legally dumped cartridges.

It is free and open source under the GPL 3.0 licence, and you can grab it from the GBA DS releases page on GitHub. The project’s wiki has the full game list and setup guides.

Our take

This is one of those ideas that makes you wonder why nobody did it sooner. Dual-screen handhelds are having a real moment, and GBA DS gives that second screen a proper job for one of the best handheld libraries ever made. If you have an RG DS Plus or a Retroid Pocket Duo, this is well worth a go. Check out our Anbernic handhelds section for more.

Which GBA game would you play first with a map on the bottom screen? Ours is Aria of Sorrow, obviously.