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Hacking R4 !!

[WIP/Release] ds_mangaman - Turning the Nintendo DS into the Ultimate Vertical Book-Style Manga Reader!

Hwongfish · 2026-06-09T00:33:11+00:00

Hi everyone! I’ve always felt that the Nintendo DS is criminally underrated when it comes to being a dedicated manga-reader. Think about it: it has two screens built right into the form factor, one of them has a precise (not quite most of the time though) touchscreen, and when you rotate the console 90 degrees counter-clockwise, it perfectly mimics the ergonomics of holding a real physical tankobon (manga volume). When held vertically, the D-pad sits perfectly on the bottom, and the shoulder keys (L/R) are in the ideal position for switching chapters. Plus, the touchscreen can be used to magnify for reading the text or inspecting details. Such interactions are the ultimate form factors that modern smartphones just can't match. To prove this, I built ds_mangaman — an open-source, highly optimized homebrew manga viewer for the NDS/NDSL. Download and learn how to build in Github release: :teach::teach::teach: GitHub Repository: https://github.com/hwfish-error408/ds-mangaman :grog::grog::grog: Looking for Contributors! The compiler engine and core state machine are now fully functional and running smoothly on real hardware and emulators (like melonDS). However, I want to take this project further and could really use the community's help! I’m looking for developers, testers, and retro-enthusiasts to help with: A, Implementing a cleaner UI/Main Menu. B, Adding Bookmark support (saving states to SRAM/FAT .sav). C, Further optimizing the DMA memory copy speeds during page and chapter transitions. Feel free to download the source, check out the build pipeline, test it on your flashcarts, and open Issues or Pull Requests on the GitHub repo! Let's make the NDS the ultimate retro manga machine.

Thread starter oaktree
Start date Dec 26, 2006
Views 3,177
Replies 7

Status: Not open for further replies.

oaktree

New Member

Newbie

Level 1

Dec 26, 2006

I got my R4 eventurlly!!!!
I took some photos to share.~~~~

BoneMonkey

The cheese stash is a lie.

Banned

Level 4

Dec 26, 2006

post more pics ! lol

xpestilencex

Active Member

Newcomer

Level 1

Dec 26, 2006

yes please do

Madrigal

Well-Known Member

Member

Level 2

Dec 26, 2006

Also some rom tests would be great too.

-EX-

Racer

Banned

Level 1

Dec 26, 2006

This guy is from R4 team/promotion team. He spammed like 4 or more advertisement topics before. Take it all with a grain of salt from him.

DShunter

Well-Known Member

Newcomer

Level 3

Dec 26, 2006

I heard there are some compatibility problems with the R4 from a few chinese forums, however I don't see any solid review on it. It will be good if some detailed specification and features for it be released.

Opium

PogoShell it to me ™

Former Staff

Level 8

Dec 26, 2006

QUOTE(-EX- @ Dec 26 2006 said:
This guy is from R4 team/promotion team. He spammed like 4 or more advertisement topics before. Take it all with a grain of salt from him.

Ahh, the joys of viral marketing.

A GBAtemp review of the R4 is coming, so for an unbiased look at the cart check that out when it's finished.