Hmm. It seems my R4 shipped on Sunday via the Hong Kong Post. However, the order tracking number given to me by dealextreme is around 4 characters to long to even fit in the order tracking box. (Basically, I can't seem to track my order.) Is it time to start a panic, or is there still a chance I'm not being ripped off? Has this been happening to everyone else in this thread who ordered the R4?
I got my R4 through dealextreme. Don't know about tracking, I didn't bother trying. Took about a fortnight to ship to the UK.
I know a bunch of people who've ordered an R4 from them without any problems, if it helps.
Hmm. It seems my R4 shipped on Sunday via the Hong Kong Post. However, the order tracking number given to me by dealextreme is around 4 characters to long to even fit in the order tracking box. (Basically, I can't seem to track my order.) Is it time to start a panic, or is there still a chance I'm not being ripped off? Has this been happening to everyone else in this thread who ordered the R4?
I got my R4 through dealextreme. Don't know about tracking, I didn't bother trying. Took about a fortnight to ship to the UK.
I know a bunch of people who've ordered an R4 from them without any problems, if it helps.
That's cool. It just seemed a tad fishy when the order tracking number didn't even fit in the box, much less work. I'm a touch paranoid that it's coming out of Hong Kong to begin with, nevermind my experience with eBay and Phoenix Wright. I just want some homebrew love.
Thanks for the tips. I wasn't clear on the DLDI "procedure". I guess I'll just keep a backup copy of everything and patch it up as needed. How about video converters? What does everyone else use to downscale their stuff? (Keeping in mind that the videos are encoded in a multitude of formats...)
How about video converters? What does everyone else use to downscale their stuff? (Keeping in mind that the videos are encoded in a multitude of formats...)
I'm also interested in this, any idea what formats moonshell supports, and what video resoultions run smoothly on the DS?
How about video converters? What does everyone else use to downscale their stuff? (Keeping in mind that the videos are encoded in a multitude of formats...)
I'm also interested in this, any idea what formats moonshell supports, and what video resoultions run smoothly on the DS?
DPG files.
Unfortunately, support really isn't that crash hot at the moment.
Moonshell I believe comes with a DPG encoder which will convert all your avi files etc.
I haven't used it for a while because I just watch videos on my Zune now.
How about video converters? What does everyone else use to downscale their stuff? (Keeping in mind that the videos are encoded in a multitude of formats...)
I'm also interested in this, any idea what formats moonshell supports, and what video resoultions run smoothly on the DS?
DPG files.
Unfortunately, support really isn't that crash hot at the moment.
Moonshell I believe comes with a DPG encoder which will convert all your avi files etc.
I haven't used it for a while because I just watch videos on my Zune now.
Does it automatically adjust resolution and all that jazz? Also, out of curiousity, if the video had subtitles, is there any hope of them being readable on the DS? I'm not sure how well text would translate to the small screen.
At any rate, thanks.
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mntorankusuI'm not sure how to use this thing....Registered Userregular
How about video converters? What does everyone else use to downscale their stuff? (Keeping in mind that the videos are encoded in a multitude of formats...)
I'm also interested in this, any idea what formats moonshell supports, and what video resoultions run smoothly on the DS?
DPG files.
Unfortunately, support really isn't that crash hot at the moment.
Moonshell I believe comes with a DPG encoder which will convert all your avi files etc.
I haven't used it for a while because I just watch videos on my Zune now.
Does it automatically adjust resolution and all that jazz? Also, out of curiousity, if the video had subtitles, is there any hope of them being readable on the DS? I'm not sure how well text would translate to the small screen.
At any rate, thanks.
Oh, subtitles are absolutely readable on the DS screen. I use my PSP now, but before I got that I used to watch subtitled anime on my DS all the time.
Edit: Though it does depend on the font, colors and content and all that.
If you don't mind the mild dithering then videos are perfectly functional on the DS, including subtitles as long as you're not farsighted.
You can disable inter-frame dithering in the MoonShell configuration. Newer versions of MoonShell in particular don't even need it, as performance has improved enough that most videos can play at full frame rate.
That's all good to hear then. I was kind of thinking it might be relegated to a novelty in terms of video playback, but it's sounding like I might be able to get some mileage out of that feature. I assume the MP3 playback is good? Do you suggest headphones, or do the DS speakers perform alright?
I'm afraid having all the new functions on my DS is going to make me pine after a DS Lite again. After all, what on my list wouldn't benefit from brighter screens, longer battery life and/or more portability?
That's all good to hear then. I was kind of thinking it might be relegated to a novelty in terms of video playback, but it's sounding like I might be able to get some mileage out of that feature. I assume the MP3 playback is good? Do you suggest headphones, or do the DS speakers perform alright?
I'm afraid having all the new functions on my DS is going to make me pine after a DS Lite again. After all, what on my list wouldn't benefit from brighter screens, longer battery life and/or more portability?
The speakers are awful for music, of course, but headphones seem to work pretty well. I'm not getting a very good bass response but I think that's because of my cheap Wal*Mart headphones.
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mntorankusuI'm not sure how to use this thing....Registered Userregular
edited April 2007
MP3 playback is pretty good. The sound output quality isn't as good as it could be (the DS's sound output is only 32768 Hz, and most MP3s are encoded at 44100 or 48000 Hz), but it should be fine if you're not an audiophile.
You'll get better quality if you (re)encode your music at 32768 Hz, since MoonShell has to resample in real-time, and it isn't the best quality.
Alright, here's another question, since I forgot to ask it sooner.
It seems projects like Doom, Hexen, Quake and Duke Nukem DS all use the original retail versions of the game. Is there any reliable source for games this old? (eBay is not very reliable.)
I mean, I have Quake, but I'm kind of at a loss for the rest.
Wow, they're still charging $20 for Doom. Suddenly, I am aware of my lack of monies.
Hmm... I was just browsing around and found a supercard lite which claims to include a 32MB RAM expansion. It cost about $20 more than the R4 and I don't have a Lite anyway, but how useful is the added RAM? I would imagine it would open a few doors, to say the least.
I may have to look into a slot-2 option down the line, depending on how much I enjoy the R4. I'm kinda curious to see where homebrew goes from here anyway.
EDIT: Ah, they also have Doom collectors edition on the other page. That's Ultimate, II and Final Doom for $25. Not quite so bad. Interesting.
So has anyone got ScummVM and DSDoom working on the R4? I seem to be struggling a bit
What sort of problem are you having with ScummVM? Elaborate and maybe I can help.
Did you patch it using DLDI? Are you using the newest version? Are you trying to run an unsupported SCUMM game (Full Throttle, The Dig, Curse of Monkey Island)?
Does anyone have experience with the Micro SD USB reader that comes with the R4DS? I'll be picking up my package from the post office tomorrow and I'm hoping to dive right in if that reader works well enough. If not, then I have no idea what I need. Kingston's TravelLite reader doesn't seem to be listed at any of the brick & mortar stores in my area.
Well, I went and razed the DS Scene downloads area and I must say, my outlook on homebrew has become much more positive. I have an enormous backlog of things to try once I manage to get the swing of things and get everything in proper working order. I suspect I will throw many fits due to incompatibility and just plain "it don't work" situations, but such is the nature of the beast.
The best part is, I'm sure I've seen more than they're offering at DS Scene, despite their very comprehensive download section, so even after this massive initial run, I've got a lot to find and try. I think I'm going to like this homebrew stuff.
Of course, first I will be needing my R4. How long can 4-14 days be?
not nearly enough homebrew software talk going on in here, so i'll start posting what i've come across lately. this one's a gba title that merits your attention:
Developer DHG Games poured its heart into completing Motocross Challenge. The small studio built the GBA title from the ground up, hoping to one day see the game on store shelves. Despite months of negotiation, however, Motocross Challenge's planned publisher backed out of the project, citing declining GBA software sales. After having invested three years into creating Motocross Challenge, DHG found itself with a finished game and no way to commercially release it.
Not wanting to see its hard work go to waste, DHG has made Motocross Challenge available to the public, offering the GBA ROM for FREE to anyone who will play it. We've already put a couple of hours into the racing game, and it plays a lot like an updated Excite Bike or Motocross Maniacs. There's a slight learning curve with figuring out how to land, managing your boosts, and memorizing the tracks, but it's all worth it when you start hitting ramps at full speed and racking up points with mid-air stunts.
The fact that Motocross Challenge's publisher dropped the game says nothing about its quality. If you are a fan of motocross titles and want to support independent developers who slave over a project for the sake of making a great game, it won't cost you anything but a few minutes to try this one out.
Holy Crap the R4 is worth it just for wordup alone. I just wish I could play GBA homebrews, the motocross games and the lumines games look awesome.
Somebody's working on getting the nice cheap EZFlash Expansion Cart to work with non-Ezflash slot-1 cards. I'd link you to the relevant forum but it's covered in warez talk. In any case, it's possible.
Also, downloading this Motocross now.
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mntorankusuI'm not sure how to use this thing....Registered Userregular
Holy Crap the R4 is worth it just for wordup alone. I just wish I could play GBA homebrews, the motocross games and the lumines games look awesome.
Somebody's working on getting the nice cheap EZFlash Expansion Cart to work with non-Ezflash slot-1 cards. I'd link you to the relevant forum but it's covered in warez talk. In any case, it's possible.
Also, downloading this Motocross now.
There's already at least one app (DLDI-based, I think, so compatible with any Slot-1 card) that copies a GBA file to the EZ4 RAM cart and executes it. Last I checked, though, it didn't have a file selector, and therefore only worked if the file was named a certain way.
Edit: It does have a file selector now. Neat. It's called "copyTest" but it seems to be pretty full-featured.
Holy Crap the R4 is worth it just for wordup alone. I just wish I could play GBA homebrews, the motocross games and the lumines games look awesome.
Somebody's working on getting the nice cheap EZFlash Expansion Cart to work with non-Ezflash slot-1 cards. I'd link you to the relevant forum but it's covered in warez talk. In any case, it's possible.
Also, downloading this Motocross now.
There's already at least one app (DLDI-based, I think, so compatible with any Slot-1 card) that copies a GBA file to the EZ4 RAM cart and executes it. Last I checked, though, it didn't have a file selector, and therefore only worked if the file was named a certain way.
The one I've seen had a file list and everything, but every screenshot I have has the list full of commercial roms, so really, can't post any real information.
Ok, so I recently bought a DSL, and I already have a 1gig microsd card. What's the best way to go about doing this?
Seems like the R4 is the way to go, especially if you already have micro sd card(s). Its what I decided to pick up, but I'm still waiting for it to come in the mail.
For those of you who've done development for the DS homebrew scene, how are you going about it? Are you writing software that runs on top of the linux port, or are you writing software directly for the DS? If I write something and decide to compile it to run straight on the DS, what kind of architecture is it? (ARM I'd imagine, but you never know) And finally, is there a handy guide that answers all of these questions and more?
Ok, so I recently bought a DSL, and I already have a 1gig microsd card. What's the best way to go about doing this?
If you don't care about GBA homebrew, the R4 is cheap and quite compatable.
If you do care, either get the EZFlash IV Deluxe (with the NoPass in the bundle) or the EZFlash V with Expansion Pak. There are other options, but these are more expensive.
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mntorankusuI'm not sure how to use this thing....Registered Userregular
Ok, so I recently bought a DSL, and I already have a 1gig microsd card. What's the best way to go about doing this?
Seems like the R4 is the way to go, especially if you already have micro sd card(s). Its what I decided to pick up, but I'm still waiting for it to come in the mail.
For those of you who've done development for the DS homebrew scene, how are you going about it? Are you writing software that runs on top of the linux port, or are you writing software directly for the DS? If I write something and decide to compile it to run straight on the DS, what kind of architecture is it? (ARM I'd imagine, but you never know) And finally, is there a handy guide that answers all of these questions and more?
I'm not exactly programmer of the year (the most complicated thing I've made for the DS is a program that prints an insult on the screen when you close the hinge), so I'm probably not the best person to answer this, but most software is written for the DS hardware in C++ using DevkitPro/DevkitARM. If you write software for DSLinux, you won't have a very large userbase due to how complicated DSLinux is for most people.
There's also a library called PALib (for use with DevkitARM) that makes everything simpler, but I don't have much experience with it. A lot of good homebrew games are made using it though, so it must be pretty good.
I wish I had an attention span so I could learn to program for the DS properly.
Ok, so I recently bought a DSL, and I already have a 1gig microsd card. What's the best way to go about doing this?
Seems like the R4 is the way to go, especially if you already have micro sd card(s). Its what I decided to pick up, but I'm still waiting for it to come in the mail.
For those of you who've done development for the DS homebrew scene, how are you going about it? Are you writing software that runs on top of the linux port, or are you writing software directly for the DS? If I write something and decide to compile it to run straight on the DS, what kind of architecture is it? (ARM I'd imagine, but you never know) And finally, is there a handy guide that answers all of these questions and more?
I'm not exactly programmer of the year (the most complicated thing I've made for the DS is a program that prints an insult on the screen when you close the hinge), so I'm probably not the best person to answer this, but most software is written for the DS hardware in C++ using DevkitPro/DevkitARM. If you write software for DSLinux, you won't have a very large userbase due to how complicated DSLinux is for most people.
There's also a library called PALib (for use with DevkitARM) that makes everything simpler, but I don't have much experience with it. A lot of good homebrew games are made using it though, so it must be pretty good.
I wish I had an attention span so I could learn to program for the DS properly.
Seems like a decent guide for getting started on actually programming DS homebrew. Then again, I'm no programmer and I still have not received my R4.
I'm still unclear on what constitutes GBA-specific homebrew and why it is not simply a matter of running GBA applications from the wrong slot. (It simply can't be done?) It's a shame, because I'm sure a few older homebrew games and apps I've picked up will turn out to be GBA only. Not to mention the Motorcross game above, which is GBA-specific. I was under the impression damn near anything could be patched with the DLDI, but it turns out that it's a fairly recent development and requires programming with DLDI patch-ability in mind. (If I'm not mistaken?)
At any rate, whenever an R4 compatible slot-2 expansion pack pops up, I may pick it up just to be sure my homebrew needs are completely covered. (RAM expansions seem like they could be pretty useful. Besides, I've been looking into a rumble pak.)
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mntorankusuI'm not sure how to use this thing....Registered Userregular
edited April 2007
Once in GBA mode, Slot-1, the second screen, 15/16 of the RAM, the ARM9, and about half the megahurtz of the ARM7 disappear, as far as the software is concerned. It might be possible to load something into RAM and then switch to GBA mode, but that would only work with software that is loaded entirely into RAM on startup (multiboot programs).
GBA software can generally be ported easily to the DS, but some things features and abilities of the processor are different between modes, so it can't easily be virtualized or emulated.
GBA software can generally be ported easily to the DS, but some things features and abilities of the processor are different between modes, so it can't easily be virtualized or emulated.
I've heard that the biggest problem with virtualization is lack of a MMU.
Once in GBA mode, Slot-1, the second screen, 15/16 of the RAM, the ARM9, and about half the megahurtz of the ARM7 disappear, as far as the software is concerned. It might be possible to load something into RAM and then switch to GBA mode, but that would only work with software that is loaded entirely into RAM on startup (multiboot programs).
GBA software can generally be ported easily to the DS, but some things features and abilities of the processor are different between modes, so it can't easily be virtualized or emulated.
I assume the GBA cannot be emulated by the DS? I'm kind of surprised theres no way to rig up a "mock-GBA" mode that does all of the necessary things mentioned above, but reroutes to slot-1 instead of slot-2.
As far as porting is concerned, its a shame that it's only possible if the originator of the project hasn't already abandoned it. Maybe some issues regarding GBA/DS homebrew compatibility will clear up in time, but for now, I'm gearing up to be mildly irritated when half the items I downloaded won't run on my R4. (Note that I am only prepared so that I might be pleasantly surprised, rather than crushed and defeated.)
EDIT: MMU? What's that?
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mntorankusuI'm not sure how to use this thing....Registered Userregular
GBA software can generally be ported easily to the DS, but some things features and abilities of the processor are different between modes, so it can't easily be virtualized or emulated.
I've heard that the biggest problem with virtualization is lack of a MMU.
I would have thought memory management and such could be done in software. If you were running GBA software using the ARM7 and it supported all of the same functions as the GBA, you'd have just about all of the ARM9, and maybe a good chunk of the ARM7, available for stuff like that.
I'm not an expert on virtualization though, so I guess I'm probably wrong.
GBA software can generally be ported easily to the DS, but some things features and abilities of the processor are different between modes, so it can't easily be virtualized or emulated.
I've heard that the biggest problem with virtualization is lack of a MMU.
I would have thought memory management and such could be done in software. If you were running GBA software using the ARM7 and it supported all of the same functions as the GBA, you'd have just about all of the ARM9, and maybe a good chunk of the ARM7, available for stuff like that.
I'm not an expert on virtualization though, so I guess I'm probably wrong.
I don't have any firsthand experience (I've been coddled by developing for real computers and haven't messed around with DevKitPro much yet), but according to the DSLinux people, software memory management is slow as hell.
EDIT: MMU? What's that?
Memory Management Unit. Translates virtual memory addresses to real memory addresses. Every goddamn computer ever has one, as without it you really can't do multitasking (at least not without great difficulty). The DS doesn't have one because multitasking isn't particularly important for that platform.
EDIT: Also, apparently the sound chip works completely differently in DS mode than in GBA mode. This discussion came up when somebody was trying to port Goomba (GBC emulator for the GBA) to the DS.
Wait, we're not allowed to talk about this stuff. Shit.
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mntorankusuI'm not sure how to use this thing....Registered Userregular
edited April 2007
Yeah, that was my point before. The ARM7 is practically a different processor in some ways when in DS mode, so some things would have to be emulated outright. The GBA has direct access to the GBC sound hardware, while the DS doesn't. This was probably done so they don't have to include the GBC sound hardware on the next system if it doesn't have GBA support.
Edit: I'd edit out the name of the emulator, if I were you. Discussion of the technical aspects of emulation should be fine here, but mentioning the name of it might fall under the emulation discussion rule, since we're not supposed to talk about where or how to get them.
I notice a lot of the homebrew stuff I've downloaded has a .nds and a .ds.gba file. (I'm assuming these are like executables?) Does this mean the software in question has a way of running from slot-1 (.nds) OR slot-2 (.ds.gba)? I assume these .nds items will still need patching via the DLDI tool to support my specific device?
Am I to also assume that anything marked .ds.gba or .gba exclusively will be useless on the R4, as it is slot-1 only?
Finally, I should be able to omit the .ds.gba files if I'm using the R4, correct? I don't imagine they would be necessary if I can't run them from slot-1.
I notice a lot of the homebrew stuff I've downloaded has a .nds and a .ds.gba file. (I'm assuming these are like executables?) Does this mean the software in question has a way of running from slot-1 (.nds) OR slot-2 (.ds.gba)? I assume these .nds items will still need patching via the DLDI tool to support my specific device?
Am I to also assume that anything marked .ds.gba or .gba exclusively will be useless on the R4, as it is slot-1 only?
Finally, I should be able to omit the .ds.gba files if I'm using the R4, correct? I don't imagine they would be necessary if I can't run them from slot-1.
Some cards use .nds files, some cards use .ds.gba files. Most new ones use .nds files. I know the EZFV does. Not sure about the R4, but I think so. The supercard uses special .sc.nds files.
Anything marked with just .gba is GBA homebrew and won't work with a slot-1-only device.
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mntorankusuI'm not sure how to use this thing....Registered Userregular
edited April 2007
The .nds files are raw DS executable files. They are loaded into memory by the a boot loader or through wireless multiboot, and executed from there. Most Slot-2 and all Slot-1 cards use these.
These days, .ds.gba files are usually just .nds files with a loader for GBA Flash carts prepended. Normally, code from a GBA cartridge is executed directly from the cartridge, and NDS code is usually loaded into and executed from RAM, so this loader tells it to load the code into RAM before executing.
Older .ds.gba files were actually executed from a GBA Flash cart just like GBA code, and before DS-specific devices were available, this was the only way to run DS homebrew. This is why a lot of really old homebrew is only compatible with GBA Flash carts or Slot-2 cards with built-in RAM.
Edit: The .sc.nds files for the Supercard are actually just .ds.gba files renamed, because the Supercard attempts to load anything with a .gba extension in GBA mode. It can't load normal .nds files either, only .ds.gba files renamed to have a .nds extension.
Well, I guess the outlook isn't as bad as I thought. Most of the stuff I downloaded seems to have a .nds file, so I should be alright, barring R4-specific compatibility issues. (Which will hopefully be resolved via DLDI.)
Another question I forgot to ask in my last post. Some of the stuff I grabbed has a bunch of DLDI files included. Those shouldn't be necessary on the R4, correct? They're just there for the sake of patching the .nds file?
I'm not entirely sure how far a 1GB card will go for homebrew, so I'm looking at ways to cut down on space used. If I can cut a lot of unnecessary files, I should be able to cut space used by approximately half. (It could add up, in the end.) Besides, I'll be cutting all kinds of corners to make room for Quake source files and MP3/video files. Depending, I may one day invest in multiple/larger microSD cards.
Posts
I got my R4 through dealextreme. Don't know about tracking, I didn't bother trying. Took about a fortnight to ship to the UK.
I know a bunch of people who've ordered an R4 from them without any problems, if it helps.
That's cool. It just seemed a tad fishy when the order tracking number didn't even fit in the box, much less work. I'm a touch paranoid that it's coming out of Hong Kong to begin with, nevermind my experience with eBay and Phoenix Wright. I just want some homebrew love.
Thanks for the tips. I wasn't clear on the DLDI "procedure". I guess I'll just keep a backup copy of everything and patch it up as needed. How about video converters? What does everyone else use to downscale their stuff? (Keeping in mind that the videos are encoded in a multitude of formats...)
DPG files.
Unfortunately, support really isn't that crash hot at the moment.
Moonshell I believe comes with a DPG encoder which will convert all your avi files etc.
I haven't used it for a while because I just watch videos on my Zune now.
Does it automatically adjust resolution and all that jazz? Also, out of curiousity, if the video had subtitles, is there any hope of them being readable on the DS? I'm not sure how well text would translate to the small screen.
At any rate, thanks.
Edit: Though it does depend on the font, colors and content and all that.
I'm afraid having all the new functions on my DS is going to make me pine after a DS Lite again. After all, what on my list wouldn't benefit from brighter screens, longer battery life and/or more portability?
The speakers are awful for music, of course, but headphones seem to work pretty well. I'm not getting a very good bass response but I think that's because of my cheap Wal*Mart headphones.
You'll get better quality if you (re)encode your music at 32768 Hz, since MoonShell has to resample in real-time, and it isn't the best quality.
It seems projects like Doom, Hexen, Quake and Duke Nukem DS all use the original retail versions of the game. Is there any reliable source for games this old? (eBay is not very reliable.)
I mean, I have Quake, but I'm kind of at a loss for the rest.
Wow, they're still charging $20 for Doom. Suddenly, I am aware of my lack of monies.
Hmm... I was just browsing around and found a supercard lite which claims to include a 32MB RAM expansion. It cost about $20 more than the R4 and I don't have a Lite anyway, but how useful is the added RAM? I would imagine it would open a few doors, to say the least.
I may have to look into a slot-2 option down the line, depending on how much I enjoy the R4. I'm kinda curious to see where homebrew goes from here anyway.
EDIT: Ah, they also have Doom collectors edition on the other page. That's Ultimate, II and Final Doom for $25. Not quite so bad. Interesting.
Did you patch it using DLDI? Are you using the newest version? Are you trying to run an unsupported SCUMM game (Full Throttle, The Dig, Curse of Monkey Island)?
The best part is, I'm sure I've seen more than they're offering at DS Scene, despite their very comprehensive download section, so even after this massive initial run, I've got a lot to find and try. I think I'm going to like this homebrew stuff.
Of course, first I will be needing my R4. How long can 4-14 days be?
Somebody's working on getting the nice cheap EZFlash Expansion Cart to work with non-Ezflash slot-1 cards. I'd link you to the relevant forum but it's covered in warez talk. In any case, it's possible.
Also, downloading this Motocross now.
Edit: It does have a file selector now. Neat. It's called "copyTest" but it seems to be pretty full-featured.
The one I've seen had a file list and everything, but every screenshot I have has the list full of commercial roms, so really, can't post any real information.
Seems like the R4 is the way to go, especially if you already have micro sd card(s). Its what I decided to pick up, but I'm still waiting for it to come in the mail.
For those of you who've done development for the DS homebrew scene, how are you going about it? Are you writing software that runs on top of the linux port, or are you writing software directly for the DS? If I write something and decide to compile it to run straight on the DS, what kind of architecture is it? (ARM I'd imagine, but you never know) And finally, is there a handy guide that answers all of these questions and more?
If you don't care about GBA homebrew, the R4 is cheap and quite compatable.
If you do care, either get the EZFlash IV Deluxe (with the NoPass in the bundle) or the EZFlash V with Expansion Pak. There are other options, but these are more expensive.
There's also a library called PALib (for use with DevkitARM) that makes everything simpler, but I don't have much experience with it. A lot of good homebrew games are made using it though, so it must be pretty good.
I wish I had an attention span so I could learn to program for the DS properly.
(Kudos to Warlock for posting this link earlier.)
http://www.dev-scene.com/NDS/Tutorials
Seems like a decent guide for getting started on actually programming DS homebrew. Then again, I'm no programmer and I still have not received my R4.
I'm still unclear on what constitutes GBA-specific homebrew and why it is not simply a matter of running GBA applications from the wrong slot. (It simply can't be done?) It's a shame, because I'm sure a few older homebrew games and apps I've picked up will turn out to be GBA only. Not to mention the Motorcross game above, which is GBA-specific. I was under the impression damn near anything could be patched with the DLDI, but it turns out that it's a fairly recent development and requires programming with DLDI patch-ability in mind. (If I'm not mistaken?)
At any rate, whenever an R4 compatible slot-2 expansion pack pops up, I may pick it up just to be sure my homebrew needs are completely covered. (RAM expansions seem like they could be pretty useful. Besides, I've been looking into a rumble pak.)
GBA software can generally be ported easily to the DS, but some things features and abilities of the processor are different between modes, so it can't easily be virtualized or emulated.
I've heard that the biggest problem with virtualization is lack of a MMU.
I assume the GBA cannot be emulated by the DS? I'm kind of surprised theres no way to rig up a "mock-GBA" mode that does all of the necessary things mentioned above, but reroutes to slot-1 instead of slot-2.
As far as porting is concerned, its a shame that it's only possible if the originator of the project hasn't already abandoned it. Maybe some issues regarding GBA/DS homebrew compatibility will clear up in time, but for now, I'm gearing up to be mildly irritated when half the items I downloaded won't run on my R4. (Note that I am only prepared so that I might be pleasantly surprised, rather than crushed and defeated.)
EDIT: MMU? What's that?
I'm not an expert on virtualization though, so I guess I'm probably wrong.
Thanks for the motocross game link.. Lots of fun
I don't have any firsthand experience (I've been coddled by developing for real computers and haven't messed around with DevKitPro much yet), but according to the DSLinux people, software memory management is slow as hell.
Memory Management Unit. Translates virtual memory addresses to real memory addresses. Every goddamn computer ever has one, as without it you really can't do multitasking (at least not without great difficulty). The DS doesn't have one because multitasking isn't particularly important for that platform.
EDIT: Also, apparently the sound chip works completely differently in DS mode than in GBA mode. This discussion came up when somebody was trying to port Goomba (GBC emulator for the GBA) to the DS.
Wait, we're not allowed to talk about this stuff. Shit.
Edit: I'd edit out the name of the emulator, if I were you. Discussion of the technical aspects of emulation should be fine here, but mentioning the name of it might fall under the emulation discussion rule, since we're not supposed to talk about where or how to get them.
I notice a lot of the homebrew stuff I've downloaded has a .nds and a .ds.gba file. (I'm assuming these are like executables?) Does this mean the software in question has a way of running from slot-1 (.nds) OR slot-2 (.ds.gba)? I assume these .nds items will still need patching via the DLDI tool to support my specific device?
Am I to also assume that anything marked .ds.gba or .gba exclusively will be useless on the R4, as it is slot-1 only?
Finally, I should be able to omit the .ds.gba files if I'm using the R4, correct? I don't imagine they would be necessary if I can't run them from slot-1.
Some cards use .nds files, some cards use .ds.gba files. Most new ones use .nds files. I know the EZFV does. Not sure about the R4, but I think so. The supercard uses special .sc.nds files.
Anything marked with just .gba is GBA homebrew and won't work with a slot-1-only device.
These days, .ds.gba files are usually just .nds files with a loader for GBA Flash carts prepended. Normally, code from a GBA cartridge is executed directly from the cartridge, and NDS code is usually loaded into and executed from RAM, so this loader tells it to load the code into RAM before executing.
Older .ds.gba files were actually executed from a GBA Flash cart just like GBA code, and before DS-specific devices were available, this was the only way to run DS homebrew. This is why a lot of really old homebrew is only compatible with GBA Flash carts or Slot-2 cards with built-in RAM.
Edit: The .sc.nds files for the Supercard are actually just .ds.gba files renamed, because the Supercard attempts to load anything with a .gba extension in GBA mode. It can't load normal .nds files either, only .ds.gba files renamed to have a .nds extension.
Another question I forgot to ask in my last post. Some of the stuff I grabbed has a bunch of DLDI files included. Those shouldn't be necessary on the R4, correct? They're just there for the sake of patching the .nds file?
I'm not entirely sure how far a 1GB card will go for homebrew, so I'm looking at ways to cut down on space used. If I can cut a lot of unnecessary files, I should be able to cut space used by approximately half. (It could add up, in the end.) Besides, I'll be cutting all kinds of corners to make room for Quake source files and MP3/video files. Depending, I may one day invest in multiple/larger microSD cards.