You can run macOS on a Nintendo DS, and here’s how to do it
The Nintendo DS holds a special place in many of our hearts, and if you’re lucky enough to have one that might be collecting dust today, we’ve found a fun little project you could try with the popular portable console .
YouTuber Michael MJD specializes in vintage technology and often makes videos using older computers and gaming consoles, running contemporary software on much older, crazier hardware, just for fun.
He recently released a video explaining how to use macOS on a Nintendo DS, which was too fun for me not to share. There are quite a few steps involved, but if you have the time and perseverance, you can even start creating doodles with MacPaint! The video below explains in more detail exactly how to achieve this, and we recommend that you watch it a few times to get an idea of ββwhat everything should look like if you try it yourself.
You have your Nintendo DS, an SD card, a Macintosh Plus emulator and Mini vMac DS. Once you’ve downloaded the Mini vMac DS files, you’ll need to place them on the SD card and install the appropriate version of macOS (Michael is using 6.0.8, as newer versions won’t work). Once that’s done, you can plug that bad boy into the console and wait for macOS to boot up.
In the video you can see that the bottom screen of the Nintendo DS is used as a keyboard and mouse tracker once macOS boots up, with Michael using the stylus to type on the keyboard and move the mouse around the top screen.
Michael MJD also shows how pressing the home button on the DS will switch it between using the touch screen and using the D-pad to manipulate the mouse and select the apps available on the operating system.
The process may seem a little complicated at first, but in the end it’s still quite worth it if you’ve been holding on to your old gaming console and are looking for something to do with it, rather than just letting it sit around to collect dust. You won’t be editing videos or writing the next best-selling novel on your DS, but this is certainly a fun weekend project worth trying if you’re a Nintendo and Apple fan.
If you want to actually use the latest version of macOS, version 14 ‘Sonoma’, you can now check out our list of the best Macs and MacBooks – no tricky installation required!