wasnt really sure where to post this but I had a few questions about DS development and I thought I could find some answers here. First,,, the DS is something I want to make a game for and I know how to design, but from what I keep hearing its a pain to code for. What programming language does the DS use? Ok, I know these are technically illegal, but Ive been reading that the R4 cartridge can be used to store DS titles and play them on the DS. This intrigues me but would it be a safe idea to use it only for prototyping and storage? I mean will certain people involved with nintendo get pissed if I send them a copy of my game in the form of an R4 chip? I mean I realize that a big name publisher isnt going to mass produce my game unless Im an industry heavy weight, which im not by any stretch. But I am very curious and interested to learn what the process is like for getting a game on the DS Ive read that all those games that get put onto an R4 are in flash. So is that the language a game has to be written in? I appreciate any help and advice. Thanks.

Quote: Original post by double O seven
First,,, the DS is something I want to make a game for and I know how to design, but from what I keep hearing its a pain to code for. What programming language does the DS use?

Well, the CPU is an ARM-9 CPU with an ARM-7 co-processor, so anything that can compile to ARM assembly will do (C or C++ is usual).

Quote: Original post by double O seven
I mean will certain people involved with nintendo get pissed if I send them a copy of my game in the form of an R4 chip?

I know some official developers who use R4 cards actually. That's not to say Nintendo won't object of course (And I don't know about the legality of even possessing one).

Quote: Original post by double O seven
But I am very curious and interested to learn what the process is like for getting a game on the DS

The official way is to sign up as an authorised developer, although unless you have an established company and/or funding from a publisher, that's unlikely to happen. There's also the homebrew scene, but I don't really know much about that.

You need to get a development kit from Nintendo. This may be tricky if you aren't an established developer. I strongly discourage you from using R4 cards without authorization. Nintendo has been cracking down on this kind of thing lately.

Games for the DS are programmed in assembly, C, and a somewhat nerfed C++. When I developed for it, we were encouraged to go with straight C.

Other than having to deal with the fixed point arithmetic, and small graphics memory, I thought it was a pretty easy system to program for.

The term you want to google for that may help you is "DS Homebrew".