Colors! It's, like, Paint on the DS, homebrew style

January 13, 2008 1:37 PM

A gallery of images created using Colors! A Nintendo DS homebrew app that makes use of the machines little-known pressure sensitive capabilities.
posted by nthdegx (22 comments total)

That's pretty cool.
posted by grouse at 1:43 PM on January 13, 2008

I would love a copy of this for my DS Lite but after reading the Wikipedia entry I think it will be hard to find a G4 card here in Vancouver, let alone download Colors onto my DS
posted by seawallrunner at 1:51 PM on January 13, 2008

I had no idea this existed. Thanks!
posted by iconomy at 1:54 PM on January 13, 2008

I hear you can find some crazy things in weird little Tokyo-esque shops in Richmond, seawallrunner. But I just moved here, so I would love for someone who knows to chime in. (I kind of really really really want the Japanese "Final Fantasy IV" for DS, I've been doing some research.)
posted by blacklite at 2:09 PM on January 13, 2008

I got a 'Datel Games 'n Music' at a Best Buy of all places (in L.A.). Haven't seen them there in the last year or so, though.
posted by blenderfish at 2:27 PM on January 13, 2008

Wow. How freaking cool are those images? And here I was thinking the 'evil Mario' icon I painted for Mario Kart DS was pretty cool.

Like iconomy, I had no idea this existed either, so not only did I get to gawk at some awesome images, I also learnt something about my favorite handheld. Thanks nthdegx! Awesome post.
posted by Effigy2000 at 2:32 PM on January 13, 2008

Very nice. I've got a "homebrew-enabled" DS Lite, and a killer painting app would be welcome on my memory stick*

*You know, where all of my "backups" reside
posted by porn in the woods at 2:58 PM on January 13, 2008

seawallrunner: I see a bunch of R4DS's and a few M3's on eBay.com. Do you really need a shop?
posted by Freaky at 3:49 PM on January 13, 2008

Just when I thought my DS couldn't get any cooler. *sigh*
posted by RokkitNite at 3:49 PM on January 13, 2008

Man, that's awesome. I might just have to buy a DS. This almost turns a $150 toy into a $200 Wacom tablet, but in a pocketable form as well. Granted, I'm not very artistic, but I want the games and this shows it's got a good homebrew scene.
posted by mccarty.tim at 4:11 PM on January 13, 2008

Seawallrunner,

Interestingly enough, many of the better online purveyors of DS flash cards are based in Canada.

I've not used them, but I've heard very good things about Kick Gaming.

Feel free to MeFiMail me if you have any questions. I just got into the DS Homebrew thing a few weeks ago, and I know how overwhelming it can seem.

For the record, I have an M3DS Real, and love it.
posted by SpiffyRob at 4:24 PM on January 13, 2008

this looks pretty damned awesome.
I, for one, wasn't aware of this at all.
thanks!
posted by Busithoth at 4:39 PM on January 13, 2008

I'm not as into video games as I used to be, but the idea of homebrew apps sounds really cool to me. Plus, this reminds me of fond Paint memories.
posted by Corduroy at 4:49 PM on January 13, 2008

I've used this before. It's pretty cool, although the interface is a little oversimplified. Another good DS homebrew is Phidas, which is a little closer to a PC art program. Both programs have their strong points.
posted by JHarris at 5:17 PM on January 13, 2008

What we have here isn't just a Wacom tablet, we have a pocket Wacom Cintiq

$130 for DS Lite
$78 for R4 Revolution cart and 2 GB MicroSD card for the R4
$0 for Colors

$208 portable Cintiq

I am so doing this.
posted by Scoo at 6:28 PM on January 13, 2008

I got a DS Lite a while ago along with a R4 card from dealextreme for about 55 bucks shipped. I've just been using the SNES emulator to play Streetfighter and Super Mario World. But this is fantastic!!! Thanks.
posted by reformedjerk at 6:31 PM on January 13, 2008

Nintendo DS - you teach me French and Japanese, you let me express myself through art, you give me a military education - how I love you, Nintendo DS - don't ever stop being you.
posted by thedaniel at 7:25 PM on January 13, 2008

This is great. Might be the application that finally convinces the wife that the DS was worth the $$$. ;)
posted by purephase at 7:35 PM on January 13, 2008

Vastly improved from the Gizmondo original.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:51 PM on January 13, 2008

seawallrunner: I second the recommendation for Canadian company Kick Games, where I got my homebrew cart.
posted by JDHarper at 9:41 PM on January 13, 2008

I got my m3 adapter from divineo. While their site looks kind of dodgy and it took a while for my order to arrive they do have a pretty decent selection and prices are okay, i think. (they also have a canadian store)
Too bad someone stole my DS out of my pocket while i was fast asleep on the subway on christmas night.. Only used it for the neat homebrew apps, the SNES emulator and Tetris DS and loved it.
With open wifi networks in places like San Francisco i would also recommend to check out SvSIP, a VoIP client for placing and receiving phone calls via the built-in mic.

The alleged pressure-sensitivity in colors is more of a hack and of course doesn't come close to anything like a wacom. The harder you press the stylus the more pixels you hit on the touchscreen is how it works. Still very impressive and exactly the kind of ingenuity that makes it so much cooler than any expensive store-bought tablet.
posted by morizky at 8:59 AM on January 14, 2008

I have this. It is astounding how well written this app is. The homebrew scene for the Nintendo DS is pretty awesome but I consider this it's crowning jewel. Well maybe this and NitroTracker (google it).
posted by shanevsevil at 10:23 AM on January 14, 2008