Homebrew on Consoles Detailed 143
Yoshi writes "DCEmu have released an article detailing the current State of the Homebrew Scene on all consoles from the PSP to GBA and even to the Next Gen Nintendo Wii, the article explains whats needed to run emulators and games and if its worth bothering for each console."
DS Lite? (Score:3, Interesting)
It's always nice to be able to expand the uses of hardware in ways the developers never intended.
Re:DS Lite? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:DS Lite? (Score:4, Informative)
The only minor drawbacks are the new start and select buttons are itty bitty, and require a bit more effort to push accurately.
It was definitely worth the upgrade.
Re:DS Lite? (Score:1)
Based the Amazon.co.jp sales ranking, popular color types are as follows.
(No1.) Crystal White
(No2.) Enamel Navy
(No3.) Ice Blue
Yes I think so (Score:4, Informative)
So it is not entirely true as in the article that Nintendo doesn't care about the homebrew scene. Not suprisingly, PSP commercial games often don't fit on its memory stick but most Nintendo handheld games can fit a dozen to a flash card.
This makes it a lot easier to pirate GBA/DS games then PSP games.
The DS had a revision that forced a new key but I am just not sure wether that revision happened to be the DS Lite. For sure the DS Lite is of the new version however so the answer is still yes. If you check the sites you will find some advice on checking wich firmware you got with your DS. Color background in pictochat if I remember correctly.
Re:Yes I think so (Score:4, Informative)
The DS Lite has the same firmware as the newer regular DS's, so buy the PassKey 2 either way.
Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)
Re:DS Lite? (Score:1)
Re:DS Lite? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:DS Lite? (Score:2)
Oy! (Score:5, Funny)
Of course, it's possible this challenge has been met already. Not being a Hebrew-speaker, I never looked into it.
Horrible Article (Score:5, Insightful)
For example, under Nintendo Gamecube it says that you can't run homebrew software without a mod chip. Which is weird, because I've got a port of SNES 9x running on my GC to play old SNES games. No mod chip required. All I have is the Nintendo SD Adapter Card and an Action Replay to boot the contents of the SD card. Not to mention you can alternatively use the broadband adapter with Phantasy Star Online to boot from across the network. This has been commonly known about for some time.
I can't speak for the other consoles but if they're coverage is anything like his GameCube coverage, this article is worthless. Judging by the lack of options for the other consoles I think it's fair to assume that this is the case.
Re:Horrible Article (Score:3, Interesting)
My keyboard is all screwy, and it took me a long time to type this. sigh. All i wanted to do today wa
Re:Horrible Article (Score:1, Redundant)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Horrible Article (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Horrible Article (Score:3, Informative)
I've got a couple dozen emus on my Xbox, with rom sets thanks to a hard drive upgrade. The hardest part is figuring out a button layout that's comfortable on the Xbox controller, once that's set up it's smooth sailing.
Yes (Score:2)
Horrible indeed (Score:4, Insightful)
If accepted submissions had to pass an editor karma check, this article would have been posted anonymously.
Re:Horrible indeed (Score:2, Insightful)
No it can't. The author's lack of spelling and grammar knowledge undermines any other work he may have put into the article. You could have the most well-researched and accurate article ever, but if every "paragraph" is a run-on sentence you're still going to look like an idiot. For crap's sake, at least load the article into a word processor and fix what it complains about (run-on sentences, dammi
Re:Horrible indeed (Score:2)
Nothing I can do but disagree. I should emphasise that's on principle, not related to this particular article which had no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
While the odds are stacked firmly against a poorly written article containing any worthwhile insight, they do come along every now and then. I try not to judge an article solely on its phrasing and grammar, though I'll readily admit i
Re:Horrible Article (Score:1)
Like anyone here is going to read it anyways?
Re:Horrible Article (Score:4, Informative)
As an amateur Nintend DS developer:
In the "good old days" one could buy a device called a PassMe (a glorified device that performs a JMP into the GBA cartridge's ROM thus executing unencrypted code. They come in several variations such as the PassMe and the SuperPass). Nintendo was not happy with the PassMe and made all the recent DS systems (after and including firmware 4.0) and made the handshaking between the DS and the DS cartridge a bit more complicated and on a game-by-game basis. Now, one needs a device called a PassMe2 which essentially pretends to be a game. Beyond this, there are "NoPass" devices which don't have to do the handshaking with the DS.
As it stands you can't use the rumble addon like the article implies, largely because both slots on the DS are taken up with the current state of homebrew (a GBA cart containing the code you want to run and a PassMe-like device in the DS slot). The DS section of this article is misleading. For more information, I suggest DualScene.net [dualscene.net] and MaxConsole.net [maxconsole.net] for information on homebrew games and programs. One can check DSLinux.org [dslinux.org] for information on, appropriately, DS Linux, and one can check GBADev.org [gbadev.org] for information on DS and GBA development.
The other consoles differ. (Score:3, Informative)
What you lack is a frame of reference.
Read again and compare to the DreamCast entry.
Re:The other consoles differ. (Score:2, Interesting)
in the realm of home console, DreamCast is the only thing that let your run whatever you like.
That's good for gaming in front of a TV. But which handheld system sold in brick-and-mortar retailers in the United States is the same way?
Re:The other consoles differ. (Score:3, Insightful)
Bootable multimedia functions for music CD's. [wikipedia.org]
Personally, I thought the Atari Jaguar's went out in style (unlike the rest of it's lifecycle). At the pushing of several developers who had games in
Re:The other consoles differ. (Score:2)
Expelled? Void your warranty? I doubt either of these are true. I don't really understand what you mean be getting "expelled" anyway. The GC homebrew community has always done everything it could to ensure that what we do is legal fair use of the hardwar
Re:The other consoles differ. (Score:3, Insightful)
On XBox, Microsoft tries to detect non-authorised modification done to a XBox and bans the user. Most people wnating to be able to both play online AND run homebrewed software use a mod-chip with a switch (to switch between XBoxLive compliant BIOS and BIOS for Homebrewed software)
:
Soft-mods don't work because most of them rely on subverting the XBoxLive entry on the menu.
About the mod chip
First they didn't say "only".
Then the action replay is a
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Horrible Article (Score:1)
My God! (Score:4, Funny)
My spelling and grammar are quite bad but the article made me want to gouge my eyes out with a spoon.
Re:My God! (Score:2)
Wii (Score:5, Interesting)
The Wii-equivalent of 'Mount and Blade' would utterly, utterly rock (M&B is a simple down-to-earth fighting game RPG'ish which gets simple fight-dynamics sooo right)
Re:Wii (Score:1)
Whoa... um, sorry, lost my concentration there. Phew. Do go on.
Re:Wii (Score:2, Informative)
However I've found no information anywhere other then stating all game developers require to negotiate with Nintendo to get a licence and pay a sum per game assuming you even get Nintendo's approval to appear on the system.
According to rumours dev-kits for the Wii are expected at a m
Re:Wii (Score:1)
If you're unfamiliar with their stance on indie developers, it's something like, "LOL WTF GTFO NOOB!"
But yeah, it would be really sweet to be able to write code for the Wii. It's a shame they feel the way they do. Once the XNA Framework is done I might have to go with a 360 if I want to
Re:Wii (Score:1, Insightful)
Nintendo is family friendly. What is stopping someone from making a pornographic Wii game? Or even just use the Wii as a vector for pornography of any kind? Is Nintendo responsible if some hack and gore homebrew game is being distributed on their "Connect24" network and played on their consoles? Or what if I write a file sharing application for Wii?
Look at Napster/Kazaa vs MPAA/RIAA. Or look at the rediculous ESRB or Christian censorship groups.
You better believe Nintendo
Emulators for DS (Score:5, Interesting)
The DS benefits because it can also run homebrew that was developed for the GBA, and consoles from the NES and earlier are emulated well. The SNES and Genesis emulators are just in their infancy, however.
Besides the emuilators, there are a lot of good homebrew games and applications, including most of the usual favorites from linux distributions. Congratulations to the coders of the DS homebrew scene for making such progress on a unique system!
Re:Emulators for DS (Score:2)
Anyone actually using a GP2X? (Score:1)
Re:Anyone actually using a GP2X? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Anyone actually using a GP2X? (Score:2)
Misleading (Score:4, Informative)
Atari 2600? Check.
NES? Check.
Game Boy pre-GBA? Check.
Sega Master System? Check
Sega Genesis? Check.
And there are probably some that I've forgotten as well, but at least I'll admit it.
"Because we are the only dedicated Homebrew Network on the web covering just about all scenes"? STFU and GTFO, you suck.
NES flash cards? (Score:2)
Can the average person just go online and buy rewritable cards for the Atari 2600, NES, 8-bit Game Boy, Sega Master System, and Sega Genesis? Or is it like a lightsaber in the Star Wars universe, where you have to solder one together yourself?
Re:NES flash cards? (Score:1)
(With the exception of the DC)
Re:NES flash cards? (Score:1)
Even with the Dreamcast, you need to go out and buy blank CDs.
Re:NES flash cards? (Score:1)
But I think going to the shop to buy some blank cd's (you can even buy them in the supermarket ffs) is an order of magnitude easier than buying some electronics off a shifty site in Hong-Kong.
Homebrew may not be for you (Score:2)
If you want to be able to play handheld video games without any mail order, using only products and services available in a brick-and-mortar shop throughout the developed world, then homebrew may not be for you. Stick to PDA software.
Re:NES flash cards? (Score:3, Informative)
You can purchase 2600 and 5200 homebrews here:
http://www.atariage.com/store/ [atariage.com]
A 7800/2600 "CuttleCart" (which allows you to play games from a MMC card) can be purchased here:
http://www.schells.com/cc2.shtml [schells.com]
You'll note that the CuttleCart3 will be for the Intellivision. There used to be a cart called the "IntelliCart" that used a serial cable, but it's been unavailable fo
Using which Google keywords? (Score:2)
I don't know much about the NES homebrew scene, but I do know there are a lot of them. Look around and you'll probably be able to find carts for purchase.
I used Google [google.com], AllTheWeb [alltheweb.com], Yahoo! [yahoo.com], and MSN [msn.com]. All the results were for GBA flash carts to which one can write an NES emulator. The only relevant result from the first page of each search engine's results (ars [arstechnica.com], citing source [ameba.lpt.fi]) was disappointing: "While you can buy the circuit boards from this guy he's pretty adamant about not selling the finished product".
Re:Using which Google keywords? (Score:2)
The problem is that it's not for sale (Score:2)
That's the one I already linked to, for which no finished pieces will be made available for sale. Should everybody who wants to develop or even just run a homebrew NES program be forced to learn to solder?
Which also is not for sale.
Re:NES flash cards? (Score:2)
Re:NES flash cards? (Score:2)
I guess this has already been answered.
As a guy who has his own 2600 homebrew released and sold, I'm glad at least someone here was pointing out the oversight.
Misconception #552: "Multiplayer console game means split screen."
Fact: It doesn't.
Ah but the converse "Splits
Re:NES flash cards? (Score:2)
So how do I get my own NES homebrew released and sold?
"Splitscreen"? (not every game is splitscreen, ala Smash Bros, Bomberman) "Couch"? (too general, a lot of singleplayer gaming happens on couches) "Party gaming"? (too specific, now that it's a subgenre ala Mario Party)
Multiplayer console games that are not split-screen (Smash Bros., Gauntlet, Bomberman) are called "shared-view
Re:NES flash cards? (Score:2)
AtariAge and a few other sites have been doing it for the Atari for a long time, including I think 5200. I think they sometimes canibalize old super-commons, as well as take advantage of the way Atari used off the shelf compoments for many things.
I'm still looking for a single word that means "shared-view or splitscreen" games. I guess you could say that the overall word is "multiplayer" and then the three subgenres are "online" "shared-view" and "spl
Re:NES flash cards? (Score:2, Insightful)
GBA link cable multiplayer and DS wireless multiplayer are forms of LAN party networks. (A LAN party is a local-area network restricted to one room.) LAN-party and residence-area networks are local-area networks. LAN and Internet in turn are networks. Thus, simultaneous multiplayer video games are either single-head or network or (in the case of your Halo) both.
Re:NES flash cards? (Score:2)
Game Boy (Color): any of the numerous GB Xchanger-type copiers
SMS: Tototek SMS-PRO [tototek.com]
Genesis: Tototek MD-PRO [tototek.com]
As far as I know, the only one of those consoles that doesn't have some sort of flash memory, is the NES. The problem, of course, is mapper support. I do seem to remember someone working on a flashcart with support for the most common mappers, but I haven't heard anything recently. Even then, a common cart containing
Major assembly required (Score:2)
Which are available for sale where?
That was this [arstechnica.com], but unfortunately, "While you can buy the circuit boards from this guy he's pretty adamant about not selling the finished product".
Re:Misleading (Score:2)
Hmm, I'll take "systems that don't support some form of game storage that non-EEs can readily make use of" for $1000, Alex.
Although the fact that people write "new" homebrew NES games may count as an intellectual curiosity, almost nobody runs them on an actual NES.
"Because we are the only dedicated Homebrew Network on the web covering just about all scenes"? STFU and GTFO, you suck.
Wow, bitter much? Which emu group do you belong to?
I'll grant that the FP li
Wii Dev Kit (Score:5, Informative)
It would be interesting to see what kind of legal agreements come with that dev kit. Can a group a homebrew coders get there hands on one and start churning out free games? Will there be an easy way for us to play these games?
Kyle
Re:Wii Dev Kit (Score:1)
Re:Wii Dev Kit (Score:4, Informative)
Writing a business plan? (Score:2)
In the past you have had to present a complete business plan when applying for a license, and I don't think that will change.
Do you, or does anybody else reading this, have tips for writing a business plan for a game studio?
Re:Writing a business plan? (Score:2)
Re:Writing a business plan? (Score:1)
So how do I flesh out the three steps? (Score:2)
OK, so once I have a feature-complete prototype of my game running on a PC under Microsoft Windows, the business plan becomes
Re:So how do I flesh out the three steps? (Score:1)
Re:Wii Dev Kit (Score:4, Informative)
http://www.warioworld.com/apply/wii.html [warioworld.com]
To even get to the point where they send you an NDA seems pretty tough for the average hobbyist at the moment.
in short, no... (Score:3, Insightful)
When selling one of these kits, N is certainly expecting to see some back-end revenue from the license fees when you sell your game. So giving away a game is probably not going to fit into their plan.
Additionally, the legal agreeme
Gamecube Linux (Score:1)
http://www.gc-linux.org/wiki/Main_Page [gc-linux.org]
I just picked up a ds lite and hope to check out linux on that too.
PSO is expensive (Score:1)
The article mentions you have to have a modchip to run home brew on the gamecube. Taking advantage of the way Phantasy Star Online uses internet play
But then you have to 1. buy a vulnerable version of PSO on eBay, and 2. buy a broadband adapter on eBay. Both can get more expensive over time as collectors snap them up, but so can a modchip.
Re:PSO is expensive (Score:1)
Really long URL link directly to Nintendo's Online store [nintendo.com]
PSO on the other hand, is rather hard to get ahold of, although I know that Play-Asia still has brand new copies of the Japanese version of PSO Episode 3 available for purchase,
Re:Gamecube Linux (Score:2)
consoles? (Score:1)
The Ipod is a console?
I must need to get out of my basement more often
I wonder (Score:1)
They forgot the atari 2600! (Score:3, Informative)
Just a random selection of links:
http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/user/print/a/4849 [oreillynet.com]
http://www.atariage.com/2600/programming/ [atariage.com]
http://www.alienbill.com/2600/ [alienbill.com]
Odd that... (Score:3, Informative)
Some Odyssey2 Homebrew stuff (Score:1)
The Zodiac is Palm Based! (Score:2, Informative)
did this guy bother to check anything at all? The Zodiac ran Palm OS. It says so right on their front page
Re:The Zodiac is Palm Based! (Score:2)
Re:The Zodiac is Palm Based! (Score:2)
Re:The Zodiac is Palm Based! (Score:2)
That's DCEmu UK. (Score:1)
Re:Who bothers? (Score:5, Insightful)
I am the author of Dissonance [drunkencoders.com]. Before developing it, I had a tiny bit of NDS programming under my belt, a moderate amount of GBA, and a fair amount of PC. I am not a licensed developer, which means that my work will eventually... as you mentioned, be viewed by a very small number of people. However, it's not always about that.
I wrote Dissonance first and foremost, for myself. I've wanted a portable internet radio client from day 1. As soon as the homebrew scene got to the point that it was realistic to code one, I wrote it. I worked day and night getting it out the door, and it felt GOOD when I got it out the door. I had overcome many obstacles, and had a whole lot of fun coding for such a well made system. In the end, my product didn't do me a whole lot of good (yet), but it made me happy to code it, and I got to code something useful for the NDS. At the end of the day, isn't that why we code things for free? To have some fun, and try to make something that's useful while we're at it? My main interest just doesn't lie with PCs. I prefer handhelds, and I like to have a little more to work with than a cell phone.
Re:Who bothers? (Score:1)
Why spend hundreds of hours making a game that no one can/would use. Seems like alot of work for no gain. Stick to computers for homebrews and cellphones for portables, easier and much bigger audiences.
"Because it's there."
Why spend hours installing a source-based OS distribution when quicker pre-compiled "ready-to-eat" versions are readily available? Why tinker with anything that works well enough and risk breaking it? Because it's fun! Lots of people have hobbies. Whether it's hacking a console
Re:Who bothers? (Score:1)
It'll probably cost me more (in time) in the long run. But at least I'll be able to make it available to people as another option. Will probably write one for mobile phones a
Re:Who bothers? (Score:5, Insightful)
"Seems like alot of work for no gain."
When you do something like that, the gain is mainly personal. It's a bit like gardening : personaly I wouldn't want to waste time to put seeds of vegetables in earth, expecting to get some crop. But some people like that so what ?
Re:Who bothers? (Score:1)
So how do I afford to move? (Score:2)
It's a gain if you're interested AT ALL in getting a job in the videogame programming field.
So how does homebrew help me earn the thousands of dollars that it would cost me to move from Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Greater Seattle, Washington, and live for a few months while I interview at 100 different video game development studios?
Re:So how do I afford to move? (Score:2)
Re:Who bothers? (Score:2)
It's a gain if you're interested AT ALL in getting a job in the videogame programming field. Anything like this would be at least a bit of help, and/or experience, no?
I suppose it is. This *and* the fact that I am about to get a master degree in computer science :). Do anybody think it would be the kind of thing to put on a CV (the PSX little game thingy not the CS master of course) ?
Re:Who bothers? (Score:2)
Actually, my game was called Nibbles :). But I must admit that I did not remember that.
Re:Who bothers? (Score:2)
Note that there is still a very active PS2, PSP homebrew scene. Check PS2Dev [ps2dev.org] for example.
Re:Spelling? (Score:4, Insightful)
Not just for games... (Score:4, Informative)
Make a PC game then consider porting it to Wii (Score:2)
When will I be able to write a game using Nintendo's Game Development SDK (NSDK), publish it on my Nintendo Net home page, and have my friend download and playin on his Nintendo console?
As soon as you have successfully sold the same title on the Microsoft Windows platform first. Use the mouse to prototype how the Wiimote control would work. You can use sales of the PC version of your game as evidence in a business plan to present to Nintendo.
Re:More appropriate title "State of the Warez Scen (Score:2)
Re:More appropriate title "State of the Warez Scen (Score:3, Insightful)
First it is to get the console to do something that people want it to do but, for some reason, it doesn't. The XBox media center is a good example of this. I believe it plays videos, music, and can even download podcasts (I do not own an XBox, so I a
Re:More appropriate title "State of the Warez Scen (Score:2)