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Main forum => Off Topic => Topic started by: spacefractal on 2022-Jul-15

Title: Glbasic to Nintendo Switch?
Post by: spacefractal on 2022-Jul-15
Micheal Ware has just got approvede Nintendo Switch devkit portal access and im also getting a DevKit as well.

Im wonder if im can get Glbasic run on a Nintendo Switch? Could been cool. Long time im used glbasic (as my focus has and is still with Spectrum Next and other none computer stuff).
Title: Re: Glbasic to Nintendo Switch?
Post by: Ian Price on 2022-Jul-17
That really would be awesome :)

If anyone can, I'm sure you could :)
Title: Re: Glbasic to Nintendo Switch?
Post by: bigsofty on 2022-Jul-18
Yup, if it's possible... what an addition!  :happy:
Title: Re: Glbasic to Nintendo Switch?
Post by: spacefractal on 2022-Jul-18
There is a lots of NDA behind Nintendo lines. First at all, its will take some time im get mine (its a special DevKit Switch with more ram, which is not needed for glbasic projects), a devkit im do can show to public (there is some you are not allowered, but not needed for cartridge games). Im dont now how switch uses c++, but there is a middleware support and not sure which system its really run it.

The plan behind this is howover porting two Spectrum Next games to Unity. But could been fun if Greedy Mouse could been ported to it. Im have no idea yet.

Title: Re: Glbasic to Nintendo Switch?
Post by: Kitty Hello on 2022-Jul-19
Sounds cool, but might be hard, becausd usually even a filesystem is missing.
Title: Re: Glbasic to Nintendo Switch?
Post by: dreamerman on 2022-Jul-20
It's great idea but I doubt that NDA/license will allow you to publish some sources and info from their repository in 'limited open source' project as GLB. For example RayLib unofficially supports Switch, but it requires to cooperate with someone (don't remember know who atm, most likely author of RayLib- RaySun). Maybe this would be better option (than Unity) for your Spectrum Next projects.
From what I know Switch uses proprietary Nvidia API similar/based on OpenGL/Vulkan - called NVN, most likely it comes with it's own license, there are some reverse engineered open source projects that gives some idea how it works. But due the nature of the device itself, as it's a console, it will be more targeted to certain things.
On other hand there is a port of SDL for Switch, but I'm not sure if it could be used for commercial games, if so, that would be easier way for GLB to support that platform.
Title: Re: Glbasic to Nintendo Switch?
Post by: Marmor on 2022-Jul-26
smilebasic for the switch costs 29 korutzen. cant test ist because no switch  :noggin:
Title: Re: Glbasic to Nintendo Switch?
Post by: erico on 2022-Jul-29
There is always that nintendo switch emulator... for research purpose only of course! ;)
It is an interesting path, probably better than those always-changing-api that sucks to maintain.
Title: Re: Glbasic to Nintendo Switch?
Post by: spacefractal on 2022-Aug-04
in this case its was granted to Rusty Pixels where as im is a part of and also have order a devkit to me as well. Im have still not got it, but im do just have seen the Unity port of Baggers in Space running on it (game far from finished, its done from scrath).

Yes there is a lots of NDA behind the lines, howover the devkit im will get im do can show it to the public (not all you can do that).

For Micheal its took some time to get the Unity build working and got it compiled. Its look like its based on c++ libraries with the required NDi SDK. Howover to even been granted a devkit from Nintendo you need to get the game liked first... They dont grant to anyone at all. Etc one thing for sure: its not a platform you can do clones of other games. They will reject it.

Title: Re: Glbasic to Nintendo Switch?
Post by: dreamerman on 2022-Aug-08
SmileBasic looks like something interpreted, and from what I see it can't produce standalone apps, only launched from app player. I'm more curious what's the current state of HTML5/JS development on Switch, either pure canvas or WebGL / WebAssembly based, as JS is sufficient for most 2d games. Yes Nintendo has more closed platform than others, and surely game needs to be accepted by big N, for example on Xbox Series there is an 'dev mode' on normal consoles that you can use to port some games, and most likely they don't have such rules/requirements for games.
Of course it would be great to have Switch as additional platform on GLBasic, but this would be surely a lot of work, and NDA implies some restrictions for all such tools.
Title: Re: Glbasic to Nintendo Switch?
Post by: spacefractal on 2022-Aug-09
btw its does look like Switch seens to uses standard libraries, so its acutuelly looks possible (there is documentation on OpenGL as well Clang). Im have just got the devkit today (the devkit im do can show public), so its will take some time.

Glbasic is not that one im will try, but more to get a Rusty Pixel unity game working first.

Yes there is various NDA, but if im could get it working, its should been possible for me to release it really or a least could send it private. One example of that with Unity. You does NOT need the switch to get it build for the switch, but you do need to been inrooled throught as its require the NDi (as im cant take much about that software).

but its one thing Nintendo dont like me to show, its the DevMenu.... that one hackers also uses for mod thiers consoles. So im dont gonna to show it here.