WonderSwan Emulator for iPhone & iPad | Retropa

Prepare a .ws file

WonderSwan files end in .ws, and the Color model uses .wsc. The app arrives with no games and no BIOS files, so have your own copy ready and back it up before importing.

• .ws is WonderSwan; .wsc is WonderSwan Color.
• They are separate systems with different capabilities.
• Renaming a file will not turn it into the color version.

The Ares core

Ares is what Retropa uses for WonderSwan and WonderSwan Color, and it handles other handhelds too. It is also the only core listed for these systems, so there is nothing to switch to, even with Retropa Plus. If a title will not boot, check that the image is clean and that the detected system matches the extension before you touch any settings.

Import and first run

Move the file onto local storage, then choose it from the import entry in the Retropa library. Check the picture, the audio and the default controls before adding a skin or a display preset.

A handheld that was meant to be held vertically

The hardware could be held either way, and a good share of the library expects vertical play. Retropa supports portrait layouts, so before you decide the picture looks wrong, check whether the title wants a rotated screen.

• Try portrait as well as landscape.
• Titles do not all agree on orientation.
• Make sure every input is reachable in the orientation you pick.

Display treatment

WonderSwan screens were reflective and monochrome, with a pixel structure of their own. An LCD Grid preset comes closest, while a CRT preset will look heavier than the real thing. Advanced filters scale to the actual output area.

• Judge filters against the original picture.
• Advanced filters require Retropa Plus.

When a WonderSwan game will not start

Begin by checking the extension, then the detected system, then the exact error. Loading a .wsc title as plain WonderSwan, or the reverse, is the mistake that shows up most. Keep the original file untouched while you test.

• Include app version, detected system, core and error.
• Never attach commercial ROMs or BIOS files to a support ticket.