CHRIST HOMEBREW - APPLICATIONS AND GAMES FOR NINTENDO DS
Last update: May 2009

About CHRIST HOMEBREW

CHRIST HOMEBREW is a simple web site - online since the 1th of October, 2006 - where you can find free softwares (homebrews) I've programmed for the Nintendo DS (NDS).
Visit this website sometimes to check for new softwares or updates.



>> AMAP4DS download page (Map viewer)

>> PYIN-PYANG download page (Pong game)



Tutorials

Nintendo DS homebrews

To run homebrews on your Nintendo DS, you need to buy a special DS cartridge (linker) to plug into your Nintendo DS game port. This cartridge is like a game cartridge except you insert a Flash card (micro SD) into it. First, connect the Flash card to your computer (using a Flash card reader) and copy the homebrew file from the computer to the flash card. Then, get the Flash card and insert it into the special cartridge (linker). Finally, plug this cartridge into your DS. That's all. Switch on your DS and you will see a menu with the name of the homebrew file you've just transfered. Select it to run.

Go to the download page and click on a link to start downloading the ".zip" file. Unzip it. Each ".zip" file contains three DS executable files: a ".ds.gba", a ".nds" and a "sc.nds" files. You need only one of these executable files to be copied to your linker. The choice of the file depends of the linker you have:
- If you have a "SuperCard" linker, copy the file with the ".sc.nds" extension.
- If you have a "M3" linker, copy the file with the ".ds.gba" extension.
- If you have a "R4" or a "CycloDS Evolution" linker, copy the file with the ".nds" extension.
- If you have another linker, go to your linker web site for more informations.

(Sometime ago, you needed to plug two special cartridges into the DS to run homebrews. One into the DS game port (on the top of the console) to allow the DS to run homebrews. Another one into the GameBoy Advance (GBA) port (on the bottom of the console) to load and keep all your files (homebrew games and applications). This second cartridge was also an adapter for Flash memory card allowing you to copy files from your computer to your DS using this Flash card. Now, with the one-cartridge-only-linkers, this procedure seems out of date).

There is a lot of different linkers (DS XTREME, SUPERCARD DS ONE, R4, G6 REAL, CYCLODS EVOLUTION, etc.). Some of these use Flash card, other memory only... To learn more about homebrews and linkers, visit these links:

>> Homebrew definition


Programming your DS

To program by yourself your own applications and games for your DS, you need to write C code, to compil and finally to transfer it to the console. C is a powerful, general purpose, computer language. To program your DS, you can use C and the PA_lib library. A library is a package of new functions written to program specific hardware. The PA_lib library has a lot of very useful functions to program a DS. These functions are clear and powerfull. You can learn more about these free tools here:

>> C language (Tutorial)


Emulators

If you don't have any DS or if you don't have these "special" DS cartridges, you can't run homebrews. However, you can have a taste using a DS emulator on your computer. A DS emulator is a software running on your computer (PC or MAC) simulating a real Nintendo DS console. So, you can load homebrews into the emulator and see applications running on your computer screen. The computer's mouse replaces the DS stylus. One of the best DS emulator is NO$GBA. First, download the emulator. Then download the homebrew. Run the emulator and load the file with the ".sc.nds" extension or the file with the ".ds.gba" extension. (both are working).

>> NO$GBA DS emulator

>> More DS emulators