Let’s get you playing.
Email support@ndbsoftware.us with your device, app version, and a short description of the issue.
Bluetooth & retro controllers
- Pair the controller with your iPhone or iPad in the device’s Bluetooth settings.
- Use a pairing mode that exposes a compatible Apple game-controller profile. Different modes on the same controller can behave differently.
- Open the app’s controller settings. Check the available A/B and Start/Select swap preferences if the button layout feels reversed.
- On iPad, use the controller input tester and mapping tools to inspect supported exposed inputs. If input stops, reconnect the controller and reopen the app.
Retro-style Bluetooth controllers can require a specific pairing mode. Opt-in SNES30/iCade and keyboard-gamepad compatibility modes have input limitations. A legacy 8BitDo/SNES30 iPad configuration remained unresolved in the latest product reports, so support for every 8BitDo model or mode is not guaranteed.
A keyboard-emulating controller can send ordinary letters. If a legacy pad interferes with typing, test it separately from the keyboard and include its model and pairing mode when contacting support.
Bluetooth keyboard input
Pair a compatible hardware keyboard through your device’s Bluetooth settings. Direct typing is supported in NES BASIC and Editor. It is not a universal keyboard mode for every cartridge.
In NES BASIC, Enter accepts input, Backspace deletes, Left/Right moves the caret, and Ctrl+C interrupts a running program. Paint and NES Sheets use their own controller-operated tools. If typing does not work, include your app build, active cartridge, keyboard model, and any enabled legacy controller mode in your support email.
Loading compatible NES ROMs
Choose LOAD ROM and select a compatible .nes file or supported ZIP archive through Files. If it lives with a cloud Files provider, let that provider download it first.
Supported ZIP archives use stored or DEFLATE compression. Nested, encrypted, split, and ZIP64 archives are not supported. The documented limits are 32 MiB for a single ROM and 64 MiB compressed and expanded for a ZIP, with up to 64 entries.
The app enables tested cartridge layouts for mappers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 with submapper 0. An unsupported file may be rejected even if another emulator accepts it. This app emulates NES software; it does not load SNES, Game Boy, or other console formats.
Only import ROMs you are legally entitled to use. Commercial NES games are not bundled or offered for download.
Touchscreen controls
The iPhone interface provides a cross D-pad, A/B buttons, Start, Select, and a separate app PAUSE action. Multitouch allows a direction and button to be held together.
On iPad, the optional touch-control dock supports Auto, Always Show, and Always Hide visibility, plus adjustable opacity. The iPad’s MENU action provides access to the running session’s controls.
NES BASIC & saving creative work
Open NDB SOFTWARE, select NES BASIC, and choose PLAY / RESUME. The app includes a 66-page offline programming guide in Help, covering editing, strings, graphics, sprites, sound, input, and saving.
Use SAVE "HELLO" to save a named project, wait for success, and use LOAD "HELLO" then RUN to reopen it. Six named projects are available. Project saves and emulator save states are different features.
BASIC, Paint, Editor, and NES Sheets use explicit save actions. Save your work before resetting or leaving; automatic game resume is disabled for these creative tools. Each title keeps its own files; Paint-to-BASIC import and shared files are not supported.
General troubleshooting
For silent audio, check the device’s silent setting and the app’s sound enable, mute, and volume controls. For controller issues, test touch input first, then reconnect a single controller in a compatible mode.
If a problem persists, contact support with the app version and build, device model, iOS or iPadOS version, active cartridge, and the steps that reproduce it. For input problems, include the controller or keyboard model and pairing mode. Avoid sending private files or commercial ROMs.