Hey everyone!

About a month ago, I shared a little project here: turning a Nintendo 3DS into a wireless Stream Deck for Windows and macOS.

I honestly didn't expect so much interest! A lot of you asked when it would be available, suggested features, and even helped me come up with a better name. So, first of all, thank you!

Well, I'm happy to say that 3Decks v1.0.0 is finally here! 🎉

For anyone who missed my original post, 3Decks is a free, open-source homebrew app that turns your Nintendo 3DS or 2DS into a customizable control deck for your computer.

The concept is pretty simple: your bottom screen becomes an interactive control panel, while the top screen displays useful information. Everything is customizable through a desktop editor with a live preview.

So, what can you actually do with it?

• Control your computer: launch applications, use keyboard shortcuts, and switch between open windows.
• Manage your music: control playback from apps like Spotify and Apple Music, skip tracks, adjust volume, change audio outputs, and display album artwork or even synchronized lyrics when available.
• Control your streams: interact with OBS and follow Twitch chat directly on the top screen.
• Monitor your PC or Mac: display system statistics on your 3DS.
• Build your own control deck: create pages with customizable buttons, icons, colours, grids, and scrollable lists.
• Extend its capabilities: there's already an extensions API that lets you build custom actions and top-screen displays! It's still very much a work in progress, but the foundation is there for anyone who wants to experiment.

Both the desktop and 3DS apps are available in English and French.

And meet Decky! 🐾

3Decks also has its own little mascot: Decky!

Decky will guide you through the setup process and can even keep you company on your 3DS if you choose to enable the optional screensaver.

Just a little extra touch to give this homebrew project some personality...

How do I install it?

You'll need a homebrew-enabled Nintendo 3DS/2DS and a Windows PC or Mac.

1. Download and install the desktop application.
2. Install 3Decks on your console (.3dsx or .cia).
3. Make sure your 3DS and computer are connected to the same local Wi-Fi network, then launch both apps.
4. Enter the pairing code displayed on your computer, and you're ready to go! Start with the included pages or create your own.

I've also prepared documentation to help you get everything running.

A few things worth mentioning

This is the first public release, so there may still be bugs or platform-specific limitations. Some features depend on your operating system and music player.

The desktop apps aren't Apple-notarized or Windows publisher-signed yet, so you might encounter a security warning during installation. The documentation explains how to proceed.

And yes, the entire project is open source!

Download 3Decks

• GitHub & documentation: https://github.com/RomualdYT/3Decks
• Download v1.0.0: https://github.com/RomualdYT/3Decks/releases
• Discord: https://discord.gg/EmdnneHeus

I'm really excited to finally share this with you. What started as a fun experiment to give my old 3DS a second life has turned into a much bigger project than I originally imagined.

I'd love to hear your feedback, especially if you try it on real hardware. And of course, I'm always interested in new ideas and features you'd like to see in future updates!

A little note on development: This project was developed with AI assistance, with the generated code reviewed by me. I wanted to be transparent about that. I'm very open to pull requests, code reviews, suggestions, and any advice that could help improve this little homebrew project that's finally seeing the light of day!

Thanks again to everyone who encouraged me after the first post. I hope you'll enjoy 3Decks!

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to share a little project I’ve recently finished and see if it’s something people would actually be interested in.

I basically turned the Nintendo 3DS into a Stream Deck for your computer.

The idea is pretty simple: your 3DS connects to your PC or Mac, and the touchscreen becomes a customizable control panel.

Right now, you can do things like:
- Launch applications
- See your currently open windows and switch between them directly from the 3DS
- Control Spotify playback
- Control your computer’s volume
- Switch between audio devices
- See what’s currently playing, including the album artwork
- Create shortcuts and controls for different actions
And a few other things I’ve been experimenting with

The goal is basically to give the 3DS a new life as a little Stream Deck / desktop companion, while making use of both its touchscreen and for… the vintage DIY thing I guess?

It currently works on Windows and macOS.
For now, I’m calling it Deck3DS (I know, very inspired name) 😅

I’m curious if this is something other people would actually use. If there’s enough interest, I’d be happy to clean everything up, release it properly and keep developing it with more integrations and customization options.

I’d also love to hear if you have any ideas, feature requests, or things you’d like to see added!
Would you use something like this?

Getting native Viva Piñata running on Mac has been a lot of fun. Even if the Vulkan → Metal transition is giving me a hard time performance-wise, it’s incredibly satisfying to see it running natively… before bringing it to iPad!
Huge thanks to the TiP Recomp git for the big base, this has been a really fun project to tinker with.