One of the most beloved tools in Nintendo DS homebrew has become free software, under the GPL v3. Talk about restrictive platforms – the DS requires special hardware just to get this app to run. But even with a couple of people involved in development, that could mean better, more frequent updates. I also wonder if we might see this largely-native code ported or adapted to another platform. (It’d work especially well with hardware that’s got a stylus.)
The code release is not for everyone, as indicated by the phrases that mark the site:
Do you write VBlank handlers instead of main loops?
Do you like your REG_MASTER_VOLUME set to 0x7F?
Geeky as they wanna be. (Seriously, having had a look at the code, it’s pretty friendly. And because it runs on ARM platforms, it could be a candidate for Android or even new hardware like the ARM-powered BeagleBoard – if someone is savvy and patient, unlike me.)
http://code.google.com/p/nitrotracker/
http://nitrotracker.tobw.net/
Creator TobW has done a terrific job of documenting development for the DS as well as creating some lovely wireless MIDI tools for DS and iPhone.
Thanks for the news, andars!
And lest you think this is only for cheery chiptunes, here’s a track and video made with the tool that takes a different direction: