A note from the human

Hello reader. This is the only section of this project written by a real human. Isn't that kind of neat? Well, I guess it depends on how you feel about all of these changes in our lives. In this section, I'll quickly detail my thoughts on this 100% AI generated port, its reflection on the direction of software development, and my own experience in using Claude Code to create it.

Awhile back I saw Chris Lewis make a post about using Claude to assist in the Snowboard Kids 2 decompilation. It got me thinking: what a perfect use-case for a coding agent. It's a long running, tedious, endeavor of classification and definition.

I realized that one day I'd like to port F-Zero X to 3DS using a coding agent when it was decompiled/ported. So when G-Diffuser port was released based on the Inspectredc Decompilation, I gave it a shot. I pulled a bunch of adjacent repositories & documentation together, fed it to Claude using deep research, read the master plan and gave it the OK to spin up a bunch of subagents. For 3 weeks, I babysat and assumed a role somewhere between a Product Owner and a QA tester.

1. Claude suggests an implementation strategy to either fix a bug or improve performance.
2. I approve the suggestion, push back, or do research/implore research if we seem to hit a dead end.
3. Claude works and validates in Azahar emulator.
4. Claude provides a build and I test on 3DS.
5. I report back and provide debug logs. Loop continues.

This continued until it was 'done'. It still totally blows my mind that after 24 days I can play F-Zero X in 3D at a near solid 60fps.

Since my first experience using ChatGPT in 2022, I was filled with total existential dread. I saw my livelihood threatened, as this skill I had dedicated my life to became immediately devalued. Since then, I've used LLM chatbots & coding tools extensively and I've oscillated between feelings of fascination, fear, humility, intrigue, reward, and emptiness.

This project revealed to me how much things have changed. The complexity of this project cannot be overstated: this is a marvel. This is nothing short of a miracle. And it was done by a machine, with no human intervention on the code. I never read a line. I never made a true technical decision.

I learned how to program 15 years ago with the dream of contributing projects like this, and since then I've come to a stark realization: while I COULD plausibly port F-Zero X to the 3DS by hand, the time in my life IS finite, and when weighed against other life pursuits such as making an original game, it would not serve me well. I'm sure the journey would make me a better programmer. I'm sure I would learn so much about graphics rendering, address-space heuristics, the 3DS architecture, edge device profiling, etc. And I wholeheartedly thank & admire everyone whose work this is built off of, many of you are nameless but overwhelmingly appreciated.

The (terrifying) fact is: this would've taken me a few thousand hours of my life. For professionals, this might've cost nearly 80x to make (actually, even more, because Claude is currently subsidized).

So to any naysayers, feel free to not play. I understand. The ethics of LLMs are muddy and their incoming impact on society is understated. This project, in my opinion, serves as proof of the latter. However, to anyone who has ever dreamed of F-Zero X 3DS, enjoy.

Update, 2026-10-27:

Hello again, reader. Since I published this about 2 months ago, it has taken on a bit of a life of its own and been a catalyst for discussion around Agentic development. There's been plenty of drive-by dismissals, some appreciation, some curiosity, and, best of all, some folks who walked away a bit more enlightened by the nuance.

This project has continued to be fun, and I'm still shocked how the boundaries can be pushed. I now consider this project 'feature complete' aside from some bug fixes.

All of this is still keeping me up at night. This project was a great learning experience for me, and has furthered my ability to use Claude far better than I could before. My high level understanding is more concrete now, but when I'm pressed on edge cases in problems, I'm clueless, because I'm not engaging enough with implementation details. I have severe fatigue from the massive amounts of code churned out and my ability to comprehend it all just by reading carefully. It's a practice that is tiring but it's my new job, I suppose.

To anyone who has enjoyed the project, thank you. The support kept me going. I think it came along really well and I hope to race some of you online.

Thanks especially to my girlfriend, Stace, who had to hear the Mute City theme way too many times and sat beside me while I toiled away, surrounded on the bed by many gadgets.

And thanks to TuxSH, a veteran in the 3DS scene, and jonhohle, a contributing member to the decomp scene. They challenged the integrity of the project on Hacker News. I understand a project stands on their shoulders, and so I respect their advice and principles greatly, even if we disagree on this project. I am humbled that they even took a look, and I mean no disrespect.