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Super Mario Bros. on Nintendo DSi? Not Officially (Legal Options)

You cannot download Super Mario Bros. (NES) on Nintendo DSi. The DSi Shop (closed 2017) never offered NES Virtual Console – only DSiWare (native DSi apps).

Legal Ways to Play SMB on DSi/3DS Family

Method	Device	Legality	Quality
NES Classic Edition	HDMI dongle (separate)	✅ Official	Perfect, save states
Nintendo 3DS / 2DS / New 3DS – Virtual Console	3DS Family	✅ Official (eShop closed 2023 – only if purchased before)	Perfect, sleep mode, restore points
Super Mario Bros. 35 / Mario 35th Anniversary	Switch (NSO)	✅ Official (NSO sub)	Online battle royale / NES app
Nintendo Switch Online NES App	Switch	✅ Official (NSO sub)	Save states, rewind, online
Homebrew / CFW (DSi/3DS) + Emulator	DSi / 3DS	⚠️ Gray (Own cart = legal)	Good (nesDS, VirtuaNES, RetroArch)
Flashcart (R4, Ace3DS, Supercard DSTWO)	DS / DSi / 3DS	⚠️ Gray (Own ROM = legal)	Varies

Why Not DSi Shop?

DSiWare = DSi-native games (touch, camera, larger RAM)
NES VC requires emulation layer – only 3DS had power + Nintendo's emulator
DSi CPU (133 MHz ARM9) can emulate NES (nesDS homebrew proves it), but Nintendo never released the emulator

Best Path Today

Own a Switch? Nintendo Switch Online ($20/yr) → NES App → Super Mario Bros. + 50+ NES games. Best experience.
Own 3DS/2DS with CFW? Install Virtual Console Inject (custom VC CIA) of SMB – plays natively in 3DS menu. Requires GodMode9 + FBI
Only DSi? Install Unlaunch + TWiLight Menu++ → Run nesDS or RetroArch (NES core). Plays from SD card. Legal if you dump your own cart.

Warning: Downloading Super Mario Bros. ROM from internet = copyright infringement. Dump your own NES cart (Kazoom, INL-Retro, or 3DS + GodMode9).

Nintendo DS