#42627 - Darkwind_776 - Fri May 13, 2005 5:34 pm
Hey, I'm new, and just starting to get into the whole DS dev, so please be gentle
Ok, my main question is that when trying to upload a app through WiFiMe, is the only way to get a .nds running on the DS is if you update the DS's Firmware? or is there something I'm totally missing?
#42634 - Kyoufu Kawa - Fri May 13, 2005 6:25 pm
Even though I haven't tried anything yet myself, there are at least two methods.
1 - Put your game on a GBA cart and run WifiMe to load it.
2 - Use a hacked firmware and run your game from WifiMe
#42643 - FourScience - Fri May 13, 2005 7:14 pm
| Quote: |
| 1 - Put your game on a GBA cart |
Yes, if you didn't already know, you can run either .nds.gba or .nds files that are either homebrew or wirelessly shared demos (Polarium and Meteos). I don't know if you were thinking commercial .nds files, but FYI, commercial ROMs are taboo here.
I think you're asking if you can upload and run code without ever using a GBA cart though. To directly answer your question, I'm pretty sure the answer is yes, you need to install the new firmware to upload and run a .nds using wmb.exe. I tried uploading and running DarkStar.nds (found here: http://ds.darkain.com/hack/) before doing the firmware patch, and it didn't work. After running the firmware update, it worked.
The reason, I think, is that the new firmware patch removes the check for RSA signatures on DS Download Play apps (and GBA-cart apps?). None of our homebrew apps have this RSA signature which would require approval by Nintendo, so pre-firmware patch, homebrew .nds ROMs will not work over wireless multi-boot.
Pre-firmware update, I think you can try the Polarium or Meteos demos (found here: http://users.belgacom.net/bn967347/download.htm), upload and run them with wmb.exe, as they might have the required RSA signature. I think I did this and it worked, but I'm curious if that's the case so let me know if you try it.
Do you have a GBA flash cart to develop with? It seems that one is necessary in order to remove the need to have one. You need it to install the new firmware, which you need to wireless multiboot without a GBA cart.
If you do have one, then you can always run .nds.gba files off the cart, using WiFiMe or PassMe. You could also patch the firmware so you can wireless multiboot in the future.
Even though I've seen WiFiMe and wireless multiboot used synonymously, I find it helpful to consider them different processes. WiFiMe is where you use the wmb.exe program to execute "pass-through", allowing the NDS to load a .nds.gba off the GBA cart. Wireless multiboot is where you use the wmb.exe program to broadcast multiple ROMs for download & play, but I see how it can be used to refer to the WiFiMe process anyway.
Hope I've been helpful!
Last edited by FourScience on Fri May 13, 2005 7:24 pm; edited 2 times in total
#42644 - mtg101 - Fri May 13, 2005 7:20 pm
My understanding is as follows:
You need a flash cart. A GBA flash cart. That's where you put your code.
Then you need to fool your DS into running that code instead of what it's meant to be doing. There are a few ways to do this.
Firstly you can use a PassMe. It's a hardware thingy. But even a software-type like myself has managed to use it. It's a little gadget that plugs into your DS, and a DS game plugs into it, and through some magic you can boot the stuff on your GBA flash cart. You can find where to but one on this forum with a quick search.
Secondly you can use WiFiMe. It fools the DS in a different magic way to boot the code from your GBA flash cart. You can find what WiFi card you need to do this with a different quick search on this forum.
If you've got one of these ways of fooling your DS, you can reflash your DS so it doesn't need one of these tricks to get the DS to boot your code from the GBA flash cart. It involves putting a paper-clip (or similar) into your DS while running some magic code, but I managed it and I'm not an expert with paper-clips. And guess what... a quick search on this forum will find you the info on how to get your DS reflashed.
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#42645 - mtg101 - Fri May 13, 2005 7:23 pm
Oh yeah.... FourScience is quite right. There is a new hack that allows you to WiFi code over without the GBA flash cart. But it involves flashing the DS, thus you need a PassMe or WiFiMe with a GBA flash cart to do the flashing in the first place...
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Speaker for the Dead
#42646 - FourScience - Fri May 13, 2005 7:27 pm
| mtg101 wrote: |
| Oh yeah.... FourScience is quite right. There is a new hack that allows you to WiFi code over without the GBA flash cart. But it involves flashing the DS, thus you need a PassMe or WiFiMe with a GBA flash cart to do the flashing in the first place... |
Yeah, quite the catch-22! I think a lot of people will want to use wireless multiboot (with no GBA cart) in the future; otherwise you need to drop at least $65 USD for your own GBA cart. Is there a post for developer locations for us to meet-up and share our PassMe's/GBA carts? If not I'll start one (or someone else do so).
Oh, and I just realized that this topic should be in the DS Flash Equipment board, not DS Development. Stuff about FlashMe, WiFiMe, PassMe, and related equipment goes there.
This moderator agreed.
#42669 - Darkwind_776 - Fri May 13, 2005 10:11 pm
Thank you so much FourScience. That was exactly the awnser I was looking for!