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> What is mind-boggling to me is that it includes an actual, physical, hardware Gameboy Advance CPU in it for when it's playing Gameboy Advanced games. The re
by DCKing 3y ago
> What is mind-boggling to me is that it includes an actual, physical, hardware Gameboy Advance CPU in it for when it's playing Gameboy Advanced games.
The reasoning why as pointed out by the article makes it even more mind-boggling to me. It includes the GBA CPU almost by accident, because Nintendo took a Matroshka doll approach to backwards compatibility.
The Nintendo 3DS contains the entire system architecture of the Nintendo DSi for backwards compatibility (the DSi CPU also functions as a supervisor CPU of the system), which is mostly an overclocked variety of the original Nintendo DS architecture. The first two Nintendo DS models contained a GBA slot for backwards compatibility and therefore also contain the GBA's original ARM7TDMI. The Nintendo DS also used this as an auxiliary processor for various things. The reason the GBA hardware is there is because Nintendo kept shipping their previous gen hardware in the new generation twice over.
As part of the that Ambassador Program you mention, Nintendo released a boot firmware for the 3DS called "AGB_FIRM" to boot into Game Boy Advance mode (another being "TWL_FIRM" to boot into Nintendo DS mode). If you hack your 3DS today it can be made to load other Game Boy Advance software and essentially achieves perfect backwards compatibility and runs GBA games with perfect accuracy, modulo any GBA peripherals that were popular.
- Sakos 3y agoThis wasn't that unusual though? The PS2 contains the PS1's CPU and uses it for I/O when it isn't being used for backwards compatibility with PS1 games. The PS3 contained the CPU/GPU of the PS2 in early versions for PS2 BC (https://www.psdevwiki.com/ps3/PS2_Compatibility https://www.psdevwiki.com/ps3/PS2_Compatibility). It's only with later PS3 iterations that the PS2 hardware was removed in favour of software emulation for BC.
- rollcat 3y agoI wonder how far down exactly the 3DS matrioshka goes. GBA also had a full GB on board, but not only for backwards compat: it actually served as a sound co-processor for contemporary GBA games.
- Macha 3y agoThe DS dropped support for GB/GBC games and consequently the eshop versions of game boy colour games on 3ds are emulated, so there's your break
- nicole_express 3y agoThe Game Boy ran at 5V logic and the GBA 3.3V; my understanding is that there were some technical hurdles to supporting both on the GBA which Nintendo was happy to be rid of-- the Game Boy Micro, the last model in the Game Boy line, also only supported GBA games for that reason.
- piyh 3y agoAlso because the micro would look even more ridiculous with a full-size cartridge sticking out the top
- Wowfunhappy 3y ago> ridiculous We have very different tastes. The Gameboy Micro is the most adorable piece of hardware I have ever seen.