Re: Newcomers to

[Natasha Kerensikova <lithiumcat@instinctive.eu>]

On 2014-10-10, Björn Lundin <b.f.lundin@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 2014-10-10 11:07, Mark Carroll wrote:
>> Natasha Kerensikova <lithiumcat@instinctive.eu> writes:
>> 
>>> I'm also trying to build a cross-compiler for Nintendo DS, it's a bit
>>> less smooth but I haven't spent much time on it yet. Is it also doomed?
>> 
>> Now that would be cool. My children each have a Nintendo DS, so such a
>> compiler might help to get them into programming!
>> 
>
> And it will make me, and my children looking into
> embedded programming with graphics.
> It would be really nice

I don't want to ruin your enthusiasm, but be aware that the compiler is
only part of the story: once you have properly formatted bytecode, you
still need to somehow load it in the device itself, and that part
becomes trickier and trickier.

It usually involves a special flashcart where images are loaded, but
since copyrighted game images can be loaded too, they are looked
suspiciously and might even be illegal in some areas. And even when the
hardware is fine, its firmware might be source of trouble, since it
often contains parts of vulnerable copyrighted games to trick the device
into running unsigned code.

Moreover, Nintendo is currently playing cat-and-mouse with flashcart
makers, so you might have to stick with older firmware versions (and
not use newer retail games) or replace the flashcart when newer firmware
bans the previous one (with often a period without working flashcart
until they come up with a solution).

The original (big gray) Nintendo DS and the DSlite have it easy, since
they were designed to be offline and they have a wide range of available
flashcarts. I think DSi is mostly fine, but 3DS and 2DS all have the
cat-and-mouse firmware dynamics.

Also the newer features are not available either, since the flashcart
works by pretending to be a DS game (or maybe they worked up to DSi
level), newer consoles go into compatibility mode and disable features
like 3D, wider upper screen, etc.

Having said that, I believe it still allows fun things to be done,
otherwise I wouldn't be trying to add the Ada fronted to their patched
gcc.

I wonder why the DS homebrew community is so small (even before the
cat-and-mouse began to be troublesome), compared to GBA homebrew back in
the days.


Natasha