Homebrew I'm planning to make a programming language for a DSi

[kijetesantakalu042]

Why not use BlocksDS and devKitPro to compile apps for the DSi? At least you've learned something new.

It's a programming language made with devKitPro. Can't tell you about the dev progress so far; I'm not on the team anymore.

 

[NitroShell]

Hey everyone,

I’m Ben, a passionate developer and fan of the homebrew community. I’ve always admired the creativity and ingenuity of this community, and I’m excited to share an idea I’ve been working on: Bread, a programming language specifically designed for the Nintendo DSi!

The goal of Bread is to provide an accessible yet powerful tool for creating homebrew applications, games, and experiments directly for the DSi. I want to make it easier for developers (new and experienced) to tap into the unique capabilities of the console.

Why Bread?

Simple Syntax: Bread will be designed with ease of use in mind, making it approachable for beginners.

DSi-Centric Features: It will include libraries and commands tailored to the DSi’s hardware, such as the touchscreen, microphone, and cameras.

Community-Oriented: Bread is meant to be open and collaborative. I’d love feedback, ideas, and even contributors to help shape the language.


Current Status

Right now, I’m in the planning stages, designing the syntax and figuring out how best to interface with the DSi’s hardware. I’ll be documenting the process as I go and sharing updates with the community.

How You Can Help

Feedback: What features would you like to see in a DSi programming language?

Suggestions: Are there existing tools or frameworks that could inspire Bread?

Collaboration: If you’re interested in helping build or test Bread, let’s connect!


I believe the DSi still has so much untapped potential, and I hope Bread can help unlock more of it. Feel free to share your thoughts—I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to building something great together!

Cheers,
Ben

Feel free to also join my Discord server to chat 24/7 about some ideas for our upcoming programming language, Bread!
https://discord.gg/6Nn5YcQP

Thanks so much, I do have one question though, will it include libraries that support nintendos files like the ds SDK if not could we just privide the library folders and readily link them with bread code thats easy to use and understand?

 

[kijetesantakalu042]

Thanks so much, I do have one question though, will it include libraries that support nintendos files like the ds SDK if not could we just privide the library folders and readily link them with bread code thats easy to use and understand?

What is a "nintendo file'?

 

[NitroShell]

Hey, thanks so much for your interest and feedback!

I’m still in the early stages of planning the Bread syntax, but here’s the general idea I have so far:

Bread is designed to be simple and DSi-centric. Here’s an example of what a basic program might look like:

// Display "Hello, DSi!" on the top screen
screen.top.display("Hello, DSi!");

// Detect a tap on the touchscreen
touch.onTap((x, y) => {
screen.bottom.draw.circle(x, y, 10, "blue");
});

// Play a sound when a button is pressed
button.A.onPress(() => {
sound.play("beep");
});

But I am still on the works.
The goal is to make it feel intuitive, with commands that directly interact with the DSi’s hardware features like the touchscreen, buttons, and cameras.

On the other hand,
I absolutely love this idea! A visual programming interface on the DSi itself could make homebrew development accessible to even more people. Pairing that with sprite and music creation tools is brilliant—it would turn the DSi into a full-fledged development station.

It’s a bit ambitious, but definitely something I’d like to explore in the future. Maybe we could start with a Bread IDE for the DSi that supports basic code writing and debugging, and then evolve it into a visual system.

If you’re interested in helping shape Bread or have more ideas, let me know I’d love to collaborate or hear more about what you'd like to see!

Thanks again for the encouragement and great suggestion!

Looks a lot like python but just with end line syntax, I like it.

Post automatically merged: Jan 9, 2025

What is a "nintendo file'?

Like nintendo file formats that were exclusively made for their SDK, models, music sounds, images excetera.

 

[kijetesantakalu042]

Looks a lot like python but just with end line syntax, I like it.

Post automatically merged: Jan 9, 2025

Like nintendo file formats that were exclusively made for their SDK, models, music sounds, images excetera.

I'm pretty sure they're developing it with DevKitPro, not the official SDK. (That's at least what I heard before I left the project)

 

[NitroShell]

im aware but if im not mistaken if you have devkitpro and the DS SDK installed you can use them together so im just saying will there ever be plans to if you have the DS SDK installed you can access more bread commands that are for libraries in the official DS SDK.

 

[kijetesantakalu042]

I can't really answer that. sorry.

 

[zachdotnet]

Sounds like a cool idea