How to build an ESP32 and DS game with Grok Bot
William Morgan paired with Grok Bot to create AGENT RUN for an ESP32 display board and Nintendo DS. Public source and binaries support the build account; the reported DS speed improvement is emulator-tested.
reddit.com
Suggested prompt
Suggested prompt written by Agents In Use, not the source author. Replace bracketed inputs and review tool permissions first.
Help me build an original [game type] for [specific display board] and port it to [target console]. Inspect memory and graphics constraints before choosing a renderer. Produce source, build instructions and testable binaries. Use my flashing and test feedback to debug failures, and distinguish emulator measurements from physical-hardware results. Mark every untested claim explicitly.
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See placements →Evidence at a glance
Sourced account- Source poster / publisher
- u/billsnookcolor
- Original account
- Read the source ↗
- Published
- Source link checked
- Reported result
- Public source and release binaries document an ESP32 game and Nintendo DS port. The author reports real-board ESP32 play and 60 fps for the rewritten DS port in melonDS; post-rewrite physical DS speed and the enclosure print remain unconfirmed.
- Human involvement
- Morgan explicitly handled flashing and testing. The repository distinguishes ESP32 hardware tests from DS emulator results and says the enclosure has not been printed.
A linked account supports attribution. It does not mean we independently reproduced its result.
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How the agent did it
- Morgan paired with Grok Bot to develop an original isometric driving game for an ESP32 display board.
- Grok Bot produced mockups and code with Bluetooth gamepad input, strip-based rendering, sound and music.
- Morgan flashed and tested the hardware while Grok Bot debugged board and launch issues.
William Morgan, posting as billsnookcolor, paired with Grok Bot to build AGENT RUN, an original isometric spy-driving game. The project targets a four-inch ESP32 display board and includes a Nintendo DS homebrew port. Its public repository contains source code, build documentation and links to downloadable binaries.
Grok Bot handled mockups, code, debugging, enclosure design and the write-up. Morgan handled flashing and testing. The ESP32 version uses Bluetooth controller input through Bluepad32 and draws the screen in narrow strips because a full framebuffer would not fit in memory. The repository reports that this version was played on real hardware.
The first DS port used software rendering. Grok Bot rewrote it around the console's background layers, hardware sprites, fixed-point calculations and sound channels. The repository reports 60 fps in melonDS after that rewrite. It also clarifies the Reddit account: the initial roughly 12 fps measurement was in the emulator, with physical hardware slower still. Performance on a real DS after the rewrite remains unconfirmed.
The printable retro television enclosure is also unfinished as a physical test: it was checked against a board model but had not been printed. We did not build or run the game ourselves.
Who it's for: hobbyists using a coding agent for embedded games can inspect the source, platform-specific fixes and clearly documented testing limits.
Prompt
Suggested prompt (written by Agents In Use, not the author's)
Source: Reddit · u/billsnookcolor
Frequently asked questions
Was the Nintendo DS version verified at 60 fps on a real console?
No. The repository reports 60 fps in melonDS and explicitly leaves physical-console speed after the rewrite unconfirmed. It also clarifies that the initial roughly 12 fps figure was an emulator measurement.
What did Morgan do rather than the AI?
Morgan says he handled flashing and testing. Grok Bot handled mockups, code, debugging, enclosure design and the write-up.
Is the enclosure a tested physical print?
No. The repository says it was checked numerically against the board model but had not yet been printed.
More details
Remaining steps
- Grok Bot ported the game to Nintendo DS and rewrote slow rendering around background layers, sprites and fixed-point maths.
- The project published source, downloadable binaries, emulator performance evidence and an unprinted enclosure design.
About this account
Grok Bot produced the game's mockups and code, debugged platform issues, rewrote the DS renderer and designed an enclosure while working with Morgan.
Firsthand account by u/billsnookcolor: https://www.reddit.com/r/GrokBot/comments/1x9cm8d/i_built_an_isometric_spy_hunterstyle_game_for_the/. Public RSS post and returned comments captured on 20 October 2026; RSS coverage is partial. Body eligibility passed at 0.82. Results are author-reported, not independently reproduced. Suggested prompt by Agents In Use, not the author's original prompt. Linked repository README checked: https://github.com/williammorgansgrokbot/agent-run. The README clarifies that the initial roughly 12 fps was in melonDS, not real hardware as the Reddit post says. Post-rewrite physical DS speed and the enclosure print remain unconfirmed. Build-time totals are approximate and are not repeated as verified savings.
Credit: u/billsnookcolor on Reddit
Source published
Added to Agents In Use
Source checked
Tools and topics
Grok Bot · ESP32-32E display board · Bluepad32 · PlatformIO · devkitARM · libnds · melonDS · OpenSCAD
embedded games · ESP32 · Nintendo DS · homebrew · coding agents
Editorial completeness: 100/100. Measures documented fields, not agent performance or verified outcomes.