3 ms·
On the original Game Boy, the lockout is enforced by the "Nintendo" logo that you see on bootup. There is a bootup ROM in the hardware, which checks that this
by vikingerik 5y ago
On the original Game Boy, the lockout is enforced by the "Nintendo" logo that you see on bootup. There is a bootup ROM in the hardware, which checks that this image exists in the cartridge ROM before issuing a jump instruction to any cartridge code. The image is copyrighted, so Nintendo's defense is to legally go after anyone who includes that copyrighted image in their ROM. It's a legal protection, not really a hardware protection; the hardware part has no secret and is easily defeated.
"Nintendo doesn't care" is an approximation. They would, but hobbyists are too small for them to bother with legal action, since any recovered damages would be infinitesimal on Nintendo's scale.
- hcs 5y agoI wonder if that would have held up given Sega failing with something similar in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_v._Accolade https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_v._Accolade
- spfzero 5y agoI see. Especially if the games were given away free, or at cost of hardware, there shouldn't be any lost revenue for Nintendo as long as they are no longer making games themselves. But you can loose copyright if you don't defend it right? And the copyright to their logo seems like something they would want to strongly protect.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- dtech 5y ago> you can loose copyright if you don't defend it right No, that's trademarks. The Nintendo name is also trademarked though, so you can't use it without permission.
- gambiting 5y agoThat particular protection has been broken though. Hackers found another combination of bits that successfully allows the Gameboy to boot without being the Nintendo logo.
- userbinator 5y agoBesides Sega vs Accolade mentioned in a sibling comment, there's also this attempt --- which was similarly defeated: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexmark_International,_Inc._v._Static_Control_Components,_Inc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexmark_International,_Inc._v.....