Is there an interest in a high-end tracker for the Nintendo Switch? To me, it seems like an opportunity. The M8 looks like it’s a lot of fun, but it’s hard to come by, like most other hardware. I’d gladly spend $99 on just the software if it ran nicely on the Switch. Pretty much the identical ergonomics, less environmental waste (for those who have a Switch already), and for Dirtywave, a lot better unit economics and a much broader addressable market.
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I pre-ordered the m8, but it would be great if the m8 software would be available in the e-shop.
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I am not sure, if its that easy. As far as I know, you need a Development-Kit (Special Hardware) to develop on the Switch. That costs hell a lot of money. Dunno, if he really sees it as advantage, to do all that to have a “semi good” experience device.
Then the Switch does not have any connectivity for MIDI and Audio In, so that takes the Sample-Part out of the device, as well as using external synths, that you feed back into the M8 FX. On top of that, a way bigger device. Ah, and he won’t be able to reuse the code, as the systems are completely different.
Me Personaly: I had luck finding a second hand M8 for a very reasonable price, but I would rather wait a few month to get a replacement, if it breaks, than switch to the switch.
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All great points @Uija, especially the lack of midi is potentially sad. But as a self-contained music making app/groovebox on the Switch, it would still be a nice gateway drug, maybe. Obviously some things wouldn’t work like sampling (but it should be able to pull up samples from the SD card). So yeah, not quite the M8, but still a way better tracker than LSDJ.
Regarding the dev kit, those are one-time investment costs, so it wouldn’t affect the unit economics, though of course everything does depending on market size. As someone who has been part of building hardware, I’m pretty sure that the upfront costs for the M8 supply chain is higher still.
LGPT runs on PSP and anything that can emulate it. Not as powerful as M8 but a very capable tracker that is also based on LSDjs workflow.
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Does anyone know if u can run the headless m8s with a raspberry pi or anything that doesn’t involve me powering it or operating it with a computer?
funny I was thinking something similar but for the Steam Deck…
mine should arrive this Monday (perhaps Tuesday)… bit busy with Superbooth prep,
but after Superbooth, Im considering having a think about what I could develop for it. (*)
the Steam deck’s main advantage is its going to be really easy to distribute software.
(also personally, I’ve a lot of linux experience, so it plays to that strength)
but I need to think, what would actually make sense, in this kind of format - and it does feel that trackers are an interesting idea - as you don’t need external gear to make them fun.
(*) I know theres a plethora of things I can run on it out of the box, things like Reno’s, Bitwig, Sunvox… and I’ll try these, but Im thinking something more tailored to the ‘portable’ experience, and a modern take … like the M8 
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You can run m8c (and maybe rm8) on the pi, which you could run your teensy off of.
Other folks on the discord have gotten m8 to stream to Switch through some software + jailbreak (I don’t know this method though!)
m8c: https://github.com/laamaa/m8c
rm8: https://github.com/booss/rm8
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I found that Korg Gadget is really fun and I wish it could have some samples capabilities. I’d love to have some koala sampler / Korg gadget mix.
But has said before it is better to build something out of a teemsy, a rapberry pi + gamehat/piboy and m8c to get more i/o capabilities.
I wish there were some support for gamepads on renoise and other DAWS.
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mine should arrive this Monday (perhaps Tuesday)… bit busy with Superbooth prep,
but after Superbooth, Im considering having a think about what I could develop for it. (*)but I need to think, what would actually make sense, in this kind of format - and it does feel that trackers are an interesting idea - as you don’t need external gear to make them fun.
@thetechnobear As someone who has a Steam Deck and is completely smitten with it - I’d be very excited about you actively developing music software for it! I think you’ve identified an absence here - stuff like Bitwig and VCV Rack are not made for Steam Deck and its controls. They’re usable, but it’s more like you’re fighting with the softwares’ design intentions for its target desktop/laptop audiences rather than having it fit like a glove for this device. I haven’t even tried Renoise yet, since I almost think there’s no point unless you’re willing to break out a physical keyboard.
LittleGPTracker looks interesting as a Linux-native controller-friendly tracker implementing the LSDJ interface, but it hasn’t been updated since 2006 (!)
Something similar to M8 Tracker would be incredible, but keep in mind it’s been truly a labor of love, emphasis on labor, for Tim to develop that software. I don’t think it would be an especially easy project to come anywhere close, though I’d be all over it if you tried.
Other ideas that come to mind: a Steam Deck-optimized version of ORAC, playing to the strengths and limitations of the controller layout (maybe with an Organelle-like touch keyboard onscreen? Or for that matter, maybe a port of Organelle as a whole)? A Steam Deck-optimized branch of VCV (though Andrew can be rather picky about what he sanctions)? A fancy Bitwig custom controller script for the Deck (if possible)?
Or maybe just something that allows the Deck to be used as a bluetooth MIDI controller, including those nice haptic touchpads as XY controllers, and maybe even some touchOSC-style usage of the touchscreen.
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I’d love LSDJ on the switch. I’ve tried getting some people together to work on a project similar to this, but it was thrown out since no one considered it worth their time, a hassle to deal with Nintendo, and it being too niche.
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Which is bizarre considering the amouny of extremely niche games in the nintendo eshop… dig around, there’s some really odd stuff in there.
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I know there’s a load of absolute crap on the switch. The amount of games for infants is absurd. Lol
The niche part was just what I got as a response from people I reached out to.
yeah, as a developer, Id say my impression is Switch is its niche…
not only for dev purposes, but also its user base.
don’t get me wrong, we are a long way from steam-deck (or similar) becoming ubiquitous…
but. the thing about steam deck is its linux, if I target the steam deck, I can make the same software run on a variety of hardware ( desktops, rPI, Organelle etc)… and frankly, that cross-platform development makes it easier for my development setup. ( due to the way I work)
so it is much more ‘open’, in pretty much all senses of the word.
@vaporlanes my steam deck did arrive yesterday and I’m very impressed with it !
indeed, I’m a great believer in developing for a ‘form factor’ if you want to create musical instrument… play to its strengths, and its limitations.
whilst it is ‘cute’ that the steam deck can run Bitwig, but its not really viable… nor desirable… a cheap laptop will likely perform much better. we are going to see a ton of ‘demos’ of this kind of thing - but they are really nothing more than ‘why? because I can!’. (*)
not sure, how much ‘market’ there is music software on steam-deck, but as I say, Ive already ideas in this area for software that will work on devices other than steam-deck, so really its more an expansion of those ideas rather that a total switch of focus.
(e.g. Im already working on musical projects for Organelle, rPI, Percussa SSP… all linux platforms!)
yeah, I’d not really want to touch VCV rack, frankly Andrew is pretty much ‘hostile’ to these kind of ports/adaptations. I the best approach to that would probably be to just create a distribution for it is ‘as-is’ , but as mentioned above… really its not designed for a small UI.
(*) I tried an older game yesterday which focus on mouse use with quite a bit of text.
sure, impressive it could be used, but it was no fun whatsoever… fiddling around trying to read stuff, or hit stuff with the mouse points - arghh…
but you could add a display’… sure, but why?
use a laptop, which is more powerful/portable has a builtin display/keyboard/mouse… and much longer battery life.
the beauty of the steam-deck is when its used alone, on the go… multi use!
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Don’t give up yet! I think the touchpads are really quite good as a mouse analog. Adjusting the sensitivity might help. I like to set up the right trigger as my “left mouse click” in the control configurations, it feels pretty satisfying. But also there might just be a period of getting used to it required. I had a Steam Controller before this, so I was already used to the whole “mouse in a gamepad” thing.
a cheap laptop will likely perform much better. we are going to see a ton of ‘demos’ of this kind of thing - but they are really nothing more than ‘why? because I can!’.
I’m a “to each their own” sort of person, but in my specific case, I just… don’t… use the laptop for music. And I’ve tried. I even have one of those fancy hybrid laptop/tablet devices that can really run Bitwig well with touch and everything, but turns out I don’t use the tablet form for music either. If I’m at a desk I’m much more likely to break out the eurorack, and laptop will just be a very fancy recorder.
What’s invigorated my music making is the form factor of the M8 Tracker. I’ve made more tracks over the past half year with that device than I’ve made in the 2 years prior. And Steam Deck happens to be in the same-ish sort of handheld form factor (though unquestionably bigger and bulkier and less focused by nature of the device). So while I’m not totally sold on the Steam Deck as a gamechanger, it’s at least intriguing for me and I’m giving it a try. I just wish there could be good music software specifically designed with the Deck in mind, because that could really be cool.
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Has anyone used renoise on the steam deck (sorry if this is wrong, but chat seemed to be deviating to SD chat).
It’s now on Linux, so would seem like a no brained. My deck doesn’t arrive until later in the year sadly.
Has anyone got M8 headless to work on the Steam Deck?
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