What is 'low-end' hardware?

[Piglet]

I am happiest programming in pure assembly-language but even hand-held platforms such as DS and mobile phones are now coded in C or higher. Is there anything out there for assembler addicts?
GBC I loved, GBA I loved... still in two minds over the DS.

[andoba]

Atari 2600.

[Aypok]

I share your liking of assembly and I get my fix of it by writing stuff for the Sega Master System (z80 assembly, as you know). I've been considering trying to code some stuff for my recently acquired Commodore C64, since it has been about fifteen years since I last used 6502 assembly (so I can't remember it much). :)

I guess the answer is to stick to the old stuff... But then you don't get the power of the new hardware or the potential market.

Probably a stupid question -- I've not yet tried coding for the DS -- but why can't you write assembly for it? Surely you could hack together/port an assembler and get going, no?

[Dark Seraph91]

Try coding for the TI calculators.

THere are quite a bit of shit for my TI-84 calculator thats I know is all Asm.

[kammedo]

How about all the IP STB? A friend told me you can do lots of nice stuff with them...
And btw, to make you feel better, just think that the whole world relies on ASM ;).

[Piglet]

Assembly language is unstructured and slow to code up stupid things like game logic. Games are getting a lot more complex.

C64, wow, I havn't done 6510 (for it was) for about 18 years. I did C64, Apple and then NES...

I should have been clearer, does anyone know of a platform on which commecial stuff is still 100% assembler?

[Aypok]

C64, wow, I havn't done 6510 (for it was) for about 18 years.

That shows how much I know about the C64. :P

I've only used 6502 on my old BBC Model B - not sure why I thought the C64 used the same CPU. Thanks for the correction. :)

[Calpis]

not sure why I thought the C64 used the same CPU.
It does, the 6510 is a 6502 with built in I/O ports.

I don't think any consoles are predominantly programmed in assembly anymore, I'd guess the last probably were GBC and Neo Geo if that counts.

[TmEE]

I really love MD, 68K assembly is so beautiful, and Z80 is nice piece of challenge aswell.
A ROM image containing my "masterpiece" : http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/4/21/1876835/TMFPLAY.rar
Only meant to run on real hardware or within Kega Fusion. Everything else sounds bad.

[smf]

I should have been clearer, does anyone know of a platform on which commecial stuff is still 100% assembler?

There isn't one. Pixel shaders might be, the vector units on the PS2 were. But thats not 100%.

[devzone]

I had to program the 4004 4 bit cpu as a programmable frequency divider
datasheet can be found here
http://www.datasheets.org.uk/pdf/344297.pdf

now thats low end :D

[TmEE]

1st microprocessor ever :P

[Alchy]

A ROM image containing my "masterpiece" : http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/4/21/1876835/TMFPLAY.rar
Only meant to run on real hardware or within Kega Fusion. Everything else sounds bad.Great stuff! Very nice.

[TmEE]

Around 1 year of work and practicing my music making skills for my upcoming MD game :)

[tomaitheous]

I should have been clearer, does anyone know of a platform on which commecial stuff is still 100% assembler?

Why does it have to be a current commercially viable system? There are plenty of older system in which you could write in assembly for. Sytems that have fans still, and that would more than likely use your product or game. Or am I misunderstanding? (I assuming you're looking for a new system to code on.)

[smf]

assuming you're looking for a new system to code on.)

I was assuming that he's job hunting :-)

[skavenger216]

I was assuming that he's job hunting :-)

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

Seriously though Piglet, If you code a SNES/SFC project, id be happy to test it and give feedback. I love my little grey box, lol.

[madhatter256]

I should have been clearer, does anyone know of a platform on which commercial stuff is still 100% assembler?

I know that the TI-89 is current and uses the 68K CPU, still. You could create some pretty useful programs for it in assembly language.

[Piglet]

I don't especially mean games consoles, just applications that still use assembly language...

[Twimfy]

This is a topic I'm beginning to get quite interested in. I've been thinking of buying an XGS pico or Hydra Gamestation for some time. I'd buy the pico if I thought assembly would help me gain experience for the modern world of computing and programming. Would it?

http://www.xgamestation.com/

[Calpis]

Assembly will help you understand computers better than your average programmer, but will it get you notoriety today? Probably not.

I highly suggest instead of buying a convoluted, overpriced, proprietary, educational microcontroller crap console like XGS, you go for a real commercial console! Your favorite 8 or 16-bit console or handheld would be the best place to start, since tools and emulators are free, and if you want to move to physical hardware, you can build an EPROM cart and buy a programmer to play your game on the real thing.

To further put down XGS, for the price of a XGS Pico, you could buy a FPGA board and not only develop your own game, but develop your own 64-bit console to run it... Sure you get a lot of documentation and support with XGS, but since XGS systems are literally software defined virtual consoles, with software limited constraints, you'd be no worse off developing a game for your PC without any constraints or for a console with many hardware constraints both for free.

[Piglet]

I coded games consoles for 16 years but I just don't enjoy C or C++ (also my C is flaky). I wish I had the Tomb Raider CGB source to put onto the net, I was VERY proud of that - Not a cycle or bus-width wasted. I dumped the entire screen each game-loop to allow the whole image to animate. It goes without saying I dumped the sprites each game loop.

I guess Java is the next step, then...