Q&A for How to Make Your Own Nintendo DS Games

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  • Question
    Will my games be uploaded to my DS?
    Community Answer
    No, but if you have a flash card, like an R4 cart, then you can copy your game to it and play it.
  • Question
    Can I make any game I want?
    Community Answer
    Yes. As long as you don't use someone else's ideas and then try to sell your game, you're welcome to make any game you want.
  • Question
    Is it free to download this software?
    Community Answer
    Yes, completely free. Just install and get ready to go. Happy Coding!
  • Question
    How much space does an R4 card have for games?
    Community Answer
    An R4 card doesn't have space; it works with a Micro SD card, so it depends on your Micro SD's storage amount.
  • Question
    Does the game I made support multiplayer?
    Community Answer
    Only if you code it in.
  • Question
    Can I make a Mario game?
    Natalie Tellechea
    Top Answerer
    If that is what you want to do, try Super Mario Maker.
  • Question
    Does this work on Mac computers?
    Community Answer
    No, I don't believe it would work unless you could get Windows 7 (at a minimum) onto a Mac with a virtual machine (Eg. VirtualBox). You could then install the software necessary to create your own homebrew games for the Nintendo DS.
  • Question
    Does anybody have advice on how to obtain an empty DS cartridge? Alternatively, is there a way to remove the game data from an existing one?
    Community Answer
    No. You can't. Only Nintendo has the authority to do that.
  • Question
    What language should these games be coded in?
    Community Answer
    C/C++ and Assembly (ARM) is used to make DS games, Although you could just stick to using one or the other.
  • Question
    Will I require any coding knowledge to use the software?
    Community Answer
    The procedure requires intermediate programming skills. Making games in fairly complicated in its own way, so anything between starting and finishing will definitely require coding, polishing and optimization.
  • Question
    Can this method work on a New 3DS XL?
    Community Answer
    All models of the 3DS, including New 3DS, can run NDS games, so yes as long as you have a flashcart.
  • Question
    Could I play my game on an emulator if I don't have an R4 card?
    Community Answer
    Yes, actually. You could also convert it to a 3DS install file and play from one, but it requires a Homebrew setup if you plan to do that, as R4s that support 3DS (especially GateWay) are known to brick your NAND if it is fake or, sometimes, some component fails in the card and bugs it and it executes the NAND bricking code.
  • Question
    How do I make a DS game with JavaScript?
    Community Answer
    Doing so would be futile, as the Nintendo DS doesn't use Java.
  • Question
    I can't use this software normally because it just shows error messages. What do I do?
    Community Answer
    Try searching online for the specific error messages to see if anyone else has experienced them. Another option is to completely uninstall everything mentioned above, and start again.
  • Question
    Is R4 the only way to do this or are there empty DS cartridges that can be used?
    Community Answer
    No, as there are more flash cartridges out there, and if you have a DSi, you can softmod it with only an SD card.
  • Question
    Can you do this for Nintendo Switch?
    Riley Hollingsworth
    Community Answer
    Yes, you can create a Switch game and you can even put it on the eShop if Nintendo allows it. A useful resource is the official developer website by Nintendo.
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