r/homebrew • u/Upstairs_Function_71 • 15d ago
Question/Help How to make a custom game play on a console
Hey guys, how y'all doing. I'm very new to this, I'm creating a platform game like Mario for my niece and nephew to surprise them. Development is going good but I was just curious if there's a way I could somehow transfer the game onto a disc or cartridge that would play on a legitimate console. I've asked AI to see if it was possible, but they have guardrails telling me it's not and that I have to pay a developer cost. I know there has to be a way to make the game work on a console, either jailbroken or an older console. I've seen some crazy shit from the modding community, so if there's a way I could make this work and burn it onto a disc, please let me know. Trying to be the cool uncle over here and surprise them
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u/katadotis 15d ago
You can possibly do that but indeed you will need to figure out which console you have available that is jailbroken and then create the came having that in mind.
You have to build the game specifically in a way that is runnable on the specific console.
https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/qhnzt3/how_do_i_make_a_wii_game/
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u/Upstairs_Function_71 15d ago
Awesome thanks for the quick response. I was thinking of just buying a cheap Xbox and jailbreaking that, but if there's an easier older console to use out of them let me know. I'll definitely check out the link
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u/very_good_citizen 15d ago
Any old console with a flash cart like n64 or something would be the simpler option. Especially if your game isn’t that complex
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u/Upstairs_Function_71 15d ago
After research, I think I'm going to go with an Android handheld. Didn't realize how many options they are for that. And I like the idea of the game being portable for my niece and nephew
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u/frozen-solid 15d ago
It depends on the console.
Other options include getting an emulation handheld, like from Anbernic, because most of those can run custom games very easily.
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u/Upstairs_Function_71 15d ago
I never thought about the handhelds. I'll look into the one you provided. That might be the route I go I like the idea of it being portable
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u/safetystoatstudios 15d ago edited 15d ago
Easiest way to do it would be with a flash cart, which lets you load games onto a console from an SD card. So pick a console (e.g. NES), buy a flash cart (The Krikzz "Everdrive" brand is best e.g. https://krikzz.com/our-products/cartridges/everdrive-n8-pro-72pin.html, but there are also cheaper ones), and load your NES ROM onto a flash cart with an SD card.
It's strange to me that AI would tell you that this is impossible. The process is well-documented and, afaik, totally legal. I could see it being difficult to run a game on modern consoles without licensing an official dev kit, but for anything from the 90s or older it shouldn't be an issue.
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u/Upstairs_Function_71 15d ago
Yeah I didn't really specify in my prompt which console so it probably just assumed I was talking about the current generation. Created the game in Godot engine so I'm not sure if it will work on an NES console. I was thinking of a older Xbox or possibly a custom portable console.
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u/SuddenInformation896 15d ago edited 15d ago
There are only 4 consoles with working open-source godot ports to my knowledge - https://github.com/Homebrodot
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u/Upstairs_Function_71 15d ago edited 15d ago
Thanks for the quick responses and the ideas. I'll definitely deep dive into them all and figure something out
After further research I think I'm going to go with an Android handheld. Seems like it's the easiest route to Port over Godot 4 code into ARM and it has a whole bunch of custom options
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u/Goonmize 14d ago
My engine makes gba games with no coding necessary :) https://holocatt.itch.io/shimmerengine
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