Tag: Homebrew
Review Glory Hunters (Game Boy) - A Glorious 8-Bit Throwback With Some Rough Edges
Achievement Unlocked: Wait, wrong console
With such a wealth of homebrew and aftermarket games releasing for old Nintendo hardware, we thought we'd check out one of the most promising examples in this neo-retro Game Boy review. To reiterate, Glory Hunters isn't available on Switch, though we'll be sure to let you know if that situation ever changes...
News Homebrew Games Summer Showcase 2024 - Celebrating 120 Titles Across 15 Platforms
NES, SNES, Game Boy and Virtual Boy titles featured
Although the game industry is all about moving forward, there are still many talented individuals and teams out there developing titles for past-generation systems. That's where the 'Homebrew Games Summer Showcase' comes in - celebrating new games on retro consoles and classic handheld devices...
Feature Meet The Virtual Boy Fan Making New Tech And Games For Nintendo's Console Curio
"I thought, 'Hey, I can probably do that'"
As the reputed black sheep of the Nintendo console family, one might think 1995’s Virtual Boy to be the last piece of hardware capable of garnering an enthusiast following today. Discontinued after less than a year on the market and never released in Europe, the elusive red-and-black headset is remembered...
Video PlayStation Vita Apps Are Up And Running On Switch, Here's A Look
MVG investigates this "proof-of-concept"
The PlayStation Vita turned 10 years old last December, and while Sony is mostly done with the system, its legacy lives on. It stretches a bit further than you might expect as well - with the Nintendo Switch and PS Vita homebrew scenes making a new breakthrough (credit - xerpi) that allows PlayStation Vita...
Rumour Revised Switch Units With Homebrew Bug Fix Are Now Appearing At Retail
Nintendo is fighting back
As you may well be aware if you regularly read these pages, the Switch has been subject to a number of concerning hacking attempts that could not only harm Nintendo itself thanks to emulation software, but - in some cases - have also been harming other users. It would appear that Nintendo may have taken one crucial step in...
Video Retro Emulation Finally Comes To Switch Following Homebrew Hacking Efforts
NES, SNES and Jaguar emulators shown in action
Just before 2018 arrived hackers declared that a custom launcher would be made available for Switch that would allow users to run homebrew apps on their systems. We're now seeing the first fruits of this development, and unsurprisingly a host of emulators have appeared, covering platforms such as the...
News Switch Hackers Declare That a Homebrew Launcher Will Be Available 'Soon'
Detail given on how the hack was discovered
In November it became clear that homebrew was going to be a reality on the Switch, with a breakthrough declared for those most determined to use it. That process appears to be continually moving forward, with a Homebrew Launcher apparently coming 'soon'. This was confirmed by hackers Plutoo, Derrek and...
News Naughty Hackers Have Homebrew Running On Switch Now
But your mileage may vary
It's not like the Switch has any shortage of amazing quality games, but that never stops homebrew enthusiasts from trying to get experimental with Nintendo hardware. After all, the Wii U and 3DS were eventually opened up to play homebrew, so it was only a matter of time before an exploit was found on the Switch. Over on...
News The Nintendo Virtual Boy Could Be Getting New Software
Virtual insanity?
The Nintendo Virtual Boy may have gone down in history as the company's grandest folly, but it's clear that there are many fans out there who feel it didn't get a fair crack of the whip. Team VUEngine is a group of Virtual Boy enthusastis who want to resurrect the failed console with a series of new homebrew titles. A...
News Game Boy Color Title 'µCity' Brings Sim City To Your Pocket
Homebrew release proves 8-bit portable city managment was feasable
The homebrew community strikes again with a rather surprising fully featured release! µCity (read "Microm City") for the Game Boy Color is the result of dedication by homebrew coder AntonioND, who released version 1.0 of the game a couple of months ago. It flew under our radar until...
News Nintendo Starts Paying Out to Switch and 3DS Hack Tipsters
The never-ending battle
Late last year we told you about Nintendo's rather intriguing "Bug Bounty" programme, which was offering monetary rewards for tip-offs to security vulnerabilities on 3DS; when the Switch launched the official website was updated to include the new system, too. The programme seems to have sprung to life, and it's an...
News Homebrew App Allows Smartphones To Imitate The Wii U GamePad
Early days, but impressive nonetheless
Nintendo never did get around to releasing Wii U GamePads which could be purchased separately, but that might not matter all that much now that progress has been made on a homebrew app which allows a smartphone to replicate the performance of the much-maligned controller. Created by Rolando Islas, this drc-sim...
News Nintendo Slams 3DS Homebrew App Which Enables Piracy With Takedown Notice
Shiver my timbers
For those of you who don't know, Freeshop is homebrew software tool which is designed to allow you to download 3DS games you already own. However, as you might expect many people are abusing this tool by downloading games they don't own - and that's something Nintendo is naturally unhappy about. So unhappy in fact that the company...
Weirdness Homebrew Programmer Emulates a Macintosh Plus on 3DS
Because they can...
While we've bemoaned aspects of the 3DS homebrew and modding community, namely hacks that cause eShop games to get taken down, some of the work done by intrepid programmers is downright fascinating. For example, do you remember when someone got Windows 95 working on a 3DS? There's another cool example now doing the rounds, with...
News SmileBASIC is Back on the North American 3DS eShop After a One Month Absence
Previously removed after Homebrew exploit in July
In July we reported that SmileBASIC had been taken off the 3DS eShop as a result of a Homebrew exploit targeting the app. As has been the case with multiple games, once Nintendo became aware of an exploit using the app it removed it promptly, leaving Smileboom with the task of producing an update to...
News SmileBASIC Gets Taken Down from the 3DS eShop Due to A Homebrew Exploit
FrownBASIC
This year has seen multiple game takedowns on the 3DS eShop, all following the same pattern. A hacker creates an exploit using a game, Nintendo spots this, the game is taken off the eShop mere hours after the exploit is posted online. Games that have gone offline in recent weeks and months include VVVVVV, Citizens of Earth and the...
News Someone Has Actually Made A Game Which Works On The SNES PlayStation
Yes, you read that correctly
There are some news one never expects to write and this is one such case. A new Super Nintendo and SNES Playstation CD video game has been released! Super Boss Gaiden is the product of German duo Chrono Moogle and Dieter Lazer. If you like 16-bit retro platformers with tight controls, humorous dialogue and challenging...
Freakyforms Deluxe joins VVVVVV and Citizens of Earth in eShop abyss
Homebrew is an interesting part of the gaming scene. On the one hand it can be used by fans with coding skill to do intriguing things with hardware, but it also violates terms of use in the act of tampering with the system. Nintendo often moves - rather effectively - to shut...
News Meet The Edgy And Mature Fan-Made Pokémon Game That Aims To "Fix" The Series
Pokémon Apex has "adult dialogue, themes and minor horror elements"
Pokémon may be child-friendly, but it isn't just played by kids - the series remains massively popular with players of all ages, even those who grew up with the Game Boy debut. However, a fan-made version of the game is attempting to offer something a little more in tune with the...
News Citizens Of Earth Pulled From 3DS eShop Following Exploit Discovery
As expected
Update: Atlus has issued a brief statement on the game's withdrawal from sale: Due to unforeseen circumstances, we had to immediately remove Citizens of Earth from the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo 3DS. Both ATLUS and Nintendo are working together to get Citizens of Earth back up on the eShop. We apologize for the inconvenience to...
News Homebrew Vulnerability Discovered In 3DS Version Of Citizens Of Earth
Dubbed "Humblehax" thanks to Humble Friends of Nintendo Bundle
Another homebrew vulnerability has been discovered on 3DS, this time related to the eShop title Citizens of Earth. Christened "Humblehax" due to the game's inclusion in the recent Humble Friends of Nintendo Bundle, this exploit allows you to run unsigned code on your 3DS console but...
News A Wii U Homebrew Channel Opens Up New Possibilities for Some Cheeky Gamers
It's not just on 3DS any more
The homebrew scene on 3DS has been in a constant dance with Nintendo, with regular system updates often forcing those that want to use unofficial apps to run outdated firmware and lose the ability to play games online. As a result it's a very niche area, albeit with some quirky tools such as someone running Windows on a...
News New Handheld Channels The Spirit Of The Game Boy And Can Run Virtual Boy Games
All for $49
Those of you who follow the homebrew coding scene might already be aware of CHIP, a self-contained computer which costs just $9. This super-cheap piece of hardware is now being put inside a portable shell to host "Fantasy Console" platform PICO-8, and the end result is looking fantastic. Created by Next Thing and dubbed PocketCHIP, this...
News VVVVVV Pulled From North American 3DS eShop Following Discovery Of Homebrew Exploit
Haxxor
Super-hard indie platformer VVVVVV has been removed from the North American 3DS eShop following the publication of a homebrew exploit. The vulnerability - exploited by ShinyQuagsire's (v*)hax - is apparently only available in digital version of the game. It requires a "primary" entry point to function - that means another hack in order to...
News Here's A 3D Classics Version Of Zelda You Can Play In Your Web Browser
The stuff of legends
The Legend of Zelda turns 30 this year, and Nintendo has its own plans in place to celebrate this momentous milestone. However, some fans have the same idea, such as "Scott" and "Mike", the mysterious guys behind an amazing browser-based replication of the title that started it all on the Famicom / NES. Visiting...
News Quest Forge: By Order Of Kings Mixes Zelda And Secret Of Mana, But You'll Need A NES To Play It
A brand new old RPG
Homebrew developer Ludocity has just released a new RPG, but there's a catch - you'll have to take a trip up to the loft and dust off your old NES in order to play it. Quest Forge: By Order Of Kings is a top-down role-player which, according to the developer, combines elements of The Legend of Zelda and Secret of Mana. The game...
News 3DS Homebrew Hacker Turns to YouTube App As Latest Workaround for 'Tubehax'
Follows the removal of IRONFALL Invasion from the eShop
Early this month the rather niche 3DS homebrew scene had a key evolution, moving away from requiring a specific retail game - namely Cubic Ninja - and utilising a free download to trigger the workaround. It's a small-scale scene compared to the DS days, but the homebrew launcher efforts of...
News IRONHAX to Use Free-to-Play IRONFALL Invasion to Run 3DS Homebrew and Region-Free Workaround
Sorry, Cubic Ninja scalpers
It's tricky to broach the subject of mods and hacks on Nintendo hardware, as they can prompt diverse and at times feisty debate. This is in part driven by the severe damage that R4 cards did to the DS, with piracy of retail games a major problem that was - unbelievably in hindsight - facilitated and supported by major...
News 3DS Homebrew App Turns 3DS Into PC Remote Desktop, and Naturally Plays World of Warcraft
Slightly pointless, but impressive
Due to Nintendo's repeated firmware updates and security measures, homebrew on the 3DS and Wii U has been stifled a great deal in comparison to the previous generation. It's the preserve of enthusiasts willing to keep their portable offline, but nevertheless there's still a small community that experiments with the...
News Yes, People Are Still Making NES Games In 2015
Just because they can
The NES is one of the most iconic gaming systems of all time, but it hasn't been on Nintendo's radar - at least from a hardware perspective - for quite some time. That hasn't stopped homebrew developers from continuing to support the vintage console, and as a result 2015 will see the release of The Mad Wizard: A Candelabra...
News Finally, Street Fighter II Has Been Ported To The Nintendo Virtual Boy
Because, why not?
Street Fighter II was massive back in the day. After launching on the SNES it would be ported to practically every other games machine on the face of the planet, including the monochrome Game Boy. One format that didn't get it was the ill-fated Virtual Boy - understandable when you consider how much of a commercial bomb it was -...
News Squeeze Begins on NINJHAX Homebrew Exploit in Most Recent 3DS System Update
Not just a theme shuffler
Nintendo's latest 3DS system update introduced a few features, with the ability to shuffle favourite HOME themes and the addition of NFC support — for payment cards and amiibo — on the New Nintendo 3DS in Japan and Australia / New Zealand. As some of the Nintendo Life community pointed out, however, it started to get...
News NINJHAX Exploit Is All About Nintendo 3DS Homebrew And Not Piracy, Says Creator
Hack intended to attract bedroom coders to the 3DS, not stinkin' pirates
Today marks the launch of the much-hyped NINJHAX exploit, which allows 3DS owners a backdoor to run unofficial software on their consoles. The hack is the work of 22-year-old student Jordan Rabet, and is so called because it requires a copy of the obscure puzzle platformer...
News Cubic Ninja Sales Spike Following Announcement of 3DS Homebrew Requirement
Has rapidly moved up the charts on Amazon
In recent times we've provided some coverage of progress on a 3DS Homebrew Channel project, which is apparently all set to be released on 22nd November. It can be a grey area of fierce debate, as the excitement for some to produce apps and games — as was the case on DS and Wii — is countered by those...
News 3DS Homebrew Exploit Set to be Launched on 22nd November
Does not run 3DS ROMS, but open to emulators and apps
Over the past few months we've been reporting on the efforts of 3DS hacker smealum, who's been actively working towards releasing a homebrew exploit and channel for the 3DS. System updates and then the New Nintendo 3DS model delayed progress, but it seems that the exploit is now just days away...
News 3DS Homebrew Hacker Makes Progress on New Nintendo 3DS
Can of worms, re-opening...
In recent months we've been following the efforts of Smealum, a hacker who's been developing a homebrew channel for the 3DS. As it approached its final stages of development it was emphasized that although the channel will not run illegal 3DS ROMS, it will support homebrew games and apps. The fuzzy moral ground comes with...
News New Nintendo 3DS Delays Planned Homebrew Channel
New hardware and upcoming update give pause for thought
Recently we reported that a homebrew channel was cited as being in the final stages of development, leading us towards opening the can of worms that accompanies every Nintendo system. The hacker behind the planned app, smealum, stated that the app will not run illegal 3DS ROMS, but was planned...
News 3DS Homebrew Channel Reportedly in Final Stages of Development
Works in any region and on latest system update
When it comes to console hacks and mods, there are plenty of grey areas and debates over ethical practices. Those aspects may come to the test soon on 3DS, if the coding efforts of Twitter user Smealum deliver as expected — the coder is currently working on the later stages of a functional homebrew...
News High Court Outlaws Flash Carts in UK
Piracy? But that's not all they R4!
The R4 flash cart has been the bane of Nintendo's handheld existence for years now, with the device widely being used to play illegally downloaded DS ROMs. Rampant piracy has made it especially difficult for third-party developers to reach projected sales marks, and is also the reason non-Japanese-speaking gamers...
News Brand New NES Platformer Released
Get 'em while they're...uh gone.
For those who don't know, Sivak Games has released a brand new NES platformer via RetroZone which has completely sold out its initial launch quantity almost immediately after being listed for sale. Rest assured, RetroZone has stated that more carts are being produced and will be available for sale on the site...
News Hackers Expand Wii Storage, Door Now Open To Filthy Pirates
More naughty-type goings on in the world of Wii homebrew
Although the recent ability to run Virtual Console and WiiWare games from your SD card has stopped people moaning about the previously thorny issue of internal storage space, it hasn't stopped industrious hackers taking the concept to the next level by enabling users to hook up a USB hard...
Homebrew scene comes up with another clever use of the DS interface, a MIDI controller!
Joystiq have reported that a small group of homebrew developers (Tobias "0xtob" Weyand and Collin "TheRain" Meyer) in Germany are currently developed a system dubbed "DS Midi WiFi" that allows the DS to exchange MIDI data with a PC. "The exchange works both...
