melonDS-android v0.6.0: RetroAchievements Offline (Softcore) + Hardcore Reliability
Version 0.6.0 is now available.
Download: https://github.com/SapphireRhodonite/melonDS-android/releases/tag/0.6.0
This update introduces full RetroAchievements offline support for Softcore, plus a much more reliable submission / retry flow for Hardcore unlocks online.
This is implemented entirely client-side and has been aproved by RA Team:
warm-start cache + tamper-evident ledger + smart sync replay.
Feature in this fork (by @SapphireRhodonite):
Offline Achievements (Softcore)
You can now unlock achievements while offline in Softcore mode.
Requirement (first-time online)
To use Softcore offline, you must open the game at least once with internet so melonDS can fetch and cache the achievement set + conditions. After that, you can go offline and achievements will still be evaluated and queued.
What you’ll see in the UI
If you launch a game without internet, melonDS runs as Softcore Offline (Hardcore is disabled if there’s no internet at start).
If you have pending Softcore unlocks, the game launch flow can show a prompt asking if you want to sync.
Achievements queued offline are marked “In ledger” in the achievement UI (ROM details + in-game list).
Syncing offline unlocks (Softcore)
You can sync pending Softcore unlocks in two ways:
Per-game settings → RetroAchievements tab → Sync now
On game launch, melonDS will show a message if it detects pending sync work
Hardcore: Improved Online Retry Logic
Better online Hardcore retries
Hardcore submission now behaves much better under real-world conditions (temporary drops, flaky networks, transient errors). Unlocks are retried more intelligently instead of failing silently.
Hardcore offline (status)
Hardcore offline-from-start is not enabled yet.
It will be evaluated depending on how stability/testing goes with Softcore offline first and other conditions on the RA Team side.
Exit / crash behavior (Hardcore)
If you try to exit a game with pending Hardcore unlocks, melonDS can warn you (continue playing or exit anyway and lose them).
If the app closes unexpectedly with pending Hardcore unlocks, they are discarded on next launch and you’ll get a notification about the loss for that game.
Smart Sync
When syncing, melonDS does this:
ordered replay (relative timing preserved)
validates against the current RA set (skips achievements that changed or no longer exist)
Additional Improvements (by @rafaelvcaetano)
Allow achievement progress to be visualized in the achievements list while emulator is running
Add availability check to DSiCameraSource
Fix RetroAchievements not working for 7z compressed ROMs
Add RetroAchievements multi-set support
Fix occasional crash when RetroAchievements progress updates are submitted very frequently
If you test this version, please let me know how it behaves for you (especially offline sessions + sync). Your reports help a lot.
- Sapphire 💙
Comments (11)
Hi Sapphire, First off — thank you for your work on the dual-screen Android port. It runs incredibly well on devices like the AYN Thor and is easily the best way to play DS on Android with proper dual displays. I wanted to ask about something a bit niche but potentially very impactful for handheld users: There’s an implementation of Slot-2 “Analog Input” support for Super Mario 64 DS that was added to melonDS in issue #2308 (the branch that adds the Slot-2 analog device used by the AM64DS patch). On desktop, this allows true 360° analog movement through a ROM patch — not analog-to-touch emulation, but actual Slot-2 analog input. Since your Android fork already handles dual-screen layouts so well, this would be the ultimate way to play SM64DS on Android handhelds. Right now, true analog is only possible on Windows/Linux builds, and many of us on Android devices have no equivalent solution. Would it be feasible to port or merge the Slot-2 analog device implementation into melonDS-android-lib so it can be used in your Android build? Even a basic implementation that just maps the first two controller axes (like the desktop branch) would be amazing. I’d be happy to help test on Android dual-screen devices and provide feedback. Thanks again for everything you’ve built — your port is genuinely appreciated.
Hey, just wanted to follow up on this! I'd love to make it worth your time - happy to send a $200 one-time donation if you're willing to take it on. No pressure at all, just wanted to put that on the table. How does the implementation look from your end and is it feasible?
So no iisu update
Hi! The iiSU update is coming very soon! It has a lot of new features and enhancements (es-de integration, discord integration, single screen layout, xmb, etc) For Patreons, it will be available earlier. I hope to release it tomorrow morning, Mexico time. The public release will be a few days later.
This is AWESOME, especially if it can be implemented in other emulators relatively simply. Hate having to tether my Thor to my phone for cheevos. How does this work if say, I load the game on my Thor to download the ledger, unlock some stuff, come home and sync it and then unlock more achievements on my PC, then go back to the Thor later. Would the local ledger on the Thor reflect any changes to the achievements earned on PC?
Awesome update for MelonDS! If you ever get around to it I would love to see auto-save state on close rom/emulator, and auto-load state on open rom. Retroarch has this option and I always enable it.
Good idea!
So happy to see more MelonDS love, thank you ❤️ You mentioned awhile back that GitHub issue #13 would be in the next release, is that still on the table 🥺👉👈
Yup!, I will start closing some github issues, this is one of those that I will add/fix and close!
It would be really great to be able to use retroarch's shaders on melonDS in the future, In any case, congratulations for all the work done! You’re doing and amazing job!
That's something I've been really hoping happens eventually. A sharp bilinear filter would be absolutely *wonderful* to help hide pixel shimmering while still keeping the image relatively sharp.