Getting started

This section takes you from nothing to your own game running on the VGC Zero. It takes four steps:

1. Install the tools: a C++ compiler, CMake, the 32blit Python tools, and for the console the Arm compiler and the Pico SDK.
2. Create your first game from the ChiliChip game template, and learn what each file in it does.
3. Run it on your computer. The desktop build opens a 128×128 window, the same size as the console's screen, so you can work fast and use a normal debugger.
4. Run it on the console. Build a .blit file, copy it onto the console's USB drive, and play it from the home screen.

What you need

• A computer running Linux, macOS or Windows. Linux, or Windows with WSL, is the smoothest route for console builds.
• Some C++. The SDK uses plain C++17: structs, functions and the standard library. You don't need to know templates or anything advanced.
• For console builds: a VGC Zero with ChiliChip OS and a USB-C data cable. A console that doesn't have the OS yet can be set up with the factory image.

How a game is put together

Every game is one CMake project that links against the SDK. You write three functions:

Function	When it runs	What it's for
init()	once, at start-up	load assets, set the screen mode, set up state
update(time)	100 times a second	read input, move things, game logic
render(time)	once per frame	draw everything to screen

The same source builds for several targets, picked when you run CMake:

Target	Output	Use it for
Desktop (SDL2)	an executable	everyday development and debugging
VGC Zero .blit	game.blit	the normal way to ship: install it from the console's USB drive
VGC Zero standalone	game.uf2	quick hardware tests and debugging over SWD (replaces ChiliChip OS)
Web (Emscripten)	.html + .wasm	playable demos in a browser

Once your game runs, the tutorials show how to use each part of the SDK.