Welcome to Modojo, 
Modojo Special Report: The State of DS Homebrew
Written by Cody Musser on Friday, August 11, 2006
We take an in-depth look at what's hot in Nintendo DS emulators, indie games, and custom applications...
When I purchased a Nintendo DS my first thought was that I needed to play New Super Mario Bros. Then I knew I had to experience Kirby Canvas Curse and Brain Age, because I really wanted to explore some games that were dependent on the touch screen. I tried to play all the games I could to see all the functionality the DS offered. It's impressive to see the amount of different and creative uses many developers are putting into their DS titles, but even some of those games are being shadowed by the creativity in the growing homebrew scene for the Nintendo DS.
My initial reaction to homebrew was little more than a shrug. I summed up the entire idea very simply with: Why? Why waste time on exploring less than impressive independent titles and old emulators when there is already so much new and interesting content for the DS? Luckily, at that time I couldn't have imagined the amazing world of homebrew I was denying myself, but I can understand why I felt that way. Homebrew, as it stands, is a difficult and inclusive world to simply walk into, and many gamers could be easily swayed from doing so. Making the leap into exploring the homebrew development scene for the DS requires a little effort, and a little learning for most gamers.
That's why we at Modojo are bringing some light to the shady back-alleys of the homebrew scene for the Nintendo DS, and there's no better way to start than with the basics. If homebrew development is going to be embraced, then it needs to be understood. Before venturing deep into the scene, make sure to become familiar with the following terminology:
Homebrew: Homebrew is the term given to games developed independently, but it also includes emulators, and many applications outside of games.
Firmware: Playing homebrew games or applications on the Nintendo DS requires some knowledge of firmware, or the software embedded within the DS. Discovering what firmware version your Nintendo DS is using can be done here.
PassMe: PassMe is a tool that is required to run homebrew games and applications on any early generation DS. The device plugs into the DS slot and requires that any official DS game be plugged into it for certification. Also, any homebrew applications need to be installed on a GBA flash cart to be used.
PassMe2: Later generation DS systems were given a firmware update and are therefore incompatible with PassMe. PassMe2 was developed for this reason.
FlashMe: FlashMe is similar to PassMe however it requires no hardware after installation, and carries more risk than other methods. FlashMe replaces the DS firmware with a new version that allows homebrew applications, but installing infected firmware can potentially "brick" the DS, ruining the system.
NoPass: Another method of running homebrew on the DS that requires a PassMe-like device, but no GBA flash cart.
GBA Flash Cart: These cartridges fit into the GBA slot on the Nintendo DS and hold flash memory, used to store homebrew games and applications.
The terms listed above serve as an entry point into DS homebrew, and understanding them can help anyone interested in the homebrew scene get their footing. Researching what method of running homebrew is right for you is very important, and certain applications may be incompatible with different GBA flash cartridges.
The entire method of using these many pieces of hardware makes entering the DS homebrew scene a bit of work, but getting past the initial difficulty is a rewarding task. Luckily, many more methods of preparing your DS for homebrew are being developed all the time and they seem to become less difficult with each generation.
posted August 12, 2006