Why No Gba Emulator?

[christo930]

I'm sorry if this comes off as a nubie question, but I just do not understand why our beloved machine can emulate multi-cpu machines with no problen like the genny, whose z80 and 68k core are so different from the arm 9 processor in our gp32. A GBA has a 16mhz arm9 compatable cpu which should take a large load off the emulation since it has a compatable cpu. I also understand the gba has less ram as well. I don't know how much difference there is in the video hardware or the sound hardware, but then I figure how much differenc is in the Genesis or snes video/sound hardware. It just seems that the gp32 can emulate more powerfull systems with bigger hardware differences, than the GBA, but falls short on the gba. i think I can attribute some of it to a lack of knowledge about the GBA, although there are other gba emulators out there that work great. Maybe someone more technical than me could help me understand?

 

[PinkSpider]

Look up GPAdvance.

 

[davey g]

First thing you should know, the GBA is more powerful that any console currently emulated by the GP32. You are right about the hardware differences though and GPAdvance is basically trying to do what you are saying. It's still a very difficult task though.

Hence no almost perfect GBA emulator.

 

[craigix]

You are right about the CPU being almost the same, and it is possible to run the code directly on the GP32 CPU, however the GP32 only has 8M of ram making it unable to run most GBA games without a complex and slow paging system, which to be any use would have to be unique for each game.

See GPadvance for a tech demo of running code in this way.

-Craig

www.gbax.com

 

[tekt5]

The GBA has MANY special chips that are hard to emulate.. like the amiga

 

[look]

My advice to anyone who wants to play GBA games is to get a DS or a GBA a supercard and a compact flash memory card.

I got a supercard for my DS and GBA games look fantastic on the backlit screens.

No disrespect to the GP32 which can do LOTS of things a DS will never be capable of.

 

[WhizzBang]

My advice to anyone who wants to play GBA games is to get a DS or a GBA a supercard and a compact flash memory card.

I got a supercard for my DS and GBA games look fantastic on the backlit screens.

No disrespect to the GP32 which can do LOTS of things a DS will never be capable of.

​

I am interested in getting one of those for my girlfriend. How is the save handling? I found saves with a Flash Cart a real pain until I got into using Pogoshell.

 

[look]

My advice to anyone who wants to play GBA games is to get a DS or a GBA a supercard and a compact flash memory card.

I got a supercard for my DS and GBA games look fantastic on the backlit screens.

No disrespect to the GP32 which can do LOTS of things a DS will never be capable of.

​

I am interested in getting one of those for my girlfriend. How is the save handling? I found saves with a Flash Cart a real pain until I got into using Pogoshell.

​

Its generally great.

There are some slowdown problems if you patch games for real time saving but just deselct that option when patching.

I got mine from http://www.hopebuy.com/ worked out about £35 inclusive of shipping from hong kong.

with a 256mb CF card and no compression you can get 30+ games on it

They also support nes games which can be dumped straight onto the CF card

quite suprised gbax don't do them.

 

[Zorn]

The EZIII is also a very nice and comfortable flash card.
No save problems!!
and you can have 2 saves per game and quick saves...

 

[saintdragon]

can the flash carts hold movies, pic, music and real gba games ect?

forget this i looked on the link that "LOOK" left and all the info's there sorry. there server is realy slow!

 

[loz_the_guru]

I have a EZFII and its also prety cool if not a little small.

 

[Jarska333]

You are right about the CPU being almost the same, and it is possible to run the code directly on the GP32 CPU, however the GP32 only has 8M of ram making it unable to run most GBA games without a complex and slow paging system, which to be any use would have to be unique for each game.

See GPadvance for a tech demo of running code in this way.

-Craig

www.gbax.com

​

Ah, here we have a good incentive to do the 32 MB memory mod.

 

[look]

The EZIII is also a very nice and comfortable flash card.
No save problems!!
and you can have 2 saves per game and quick saves...

​

the supercard differs from other flashcards

256 EZFIII is 256Mbit not 256Mbyte

also flashing those things takes ages compared to dumping roms on a CF card or SMC in the GP32s case

 

[shinneri]

That Super Card is very interesting, look. Thanks for pointing it out to me.

 

[look]

That Super Card is very interesting, look. Thanks for pointing it out to me.

​

No problem

I've had my SC for about a month now and there are regular updates and patches released.

For more info check out

The supercard home page (very slow)
http://www.supercard.cn/eng/

and

Support forum with faster links to SC patch D/Ls
http://supercard.mine.nu/forums/index.php?...b50b2f5ba4fb063

 

[mattmagoo]

bit late but wrht it anyway

Why no GBA emulator?

because you touch yourself at night

 

[saintdragon]

bit late but wrht it anyway

Why no GBA emulator?

because you touch yourself at night

​

you bloody phycic... how did you know i like to touch my arm at night? :lol:

 

[fdave]

The GBA has MANY special chips that are hard to emulate.. like the amiga

​

This is one of those posts which makes me go... hmmmm.... twice

The first hmmmm is because surely the GBA is one of the nicest systems, I imagine would be quite nice to emu. But I don't know for sure. I can think of lots of systems which are much worse though I reckon. So... hmmmmmm

 

[Goity]

The GBA has MANY special chips that are hard to emulate..  like the amiga

​

This is one of those posts which makes me go... hmmmm.... twice

The first hmmmm is because surely the GBA is one of the nicest systems, I imagine would be quite nice to emu. But I don't know for sure. I can think of lots of systems which are much worse though I reckon. So... hmmmmmm

​

yes, Hmm.... Actually, the GBA only has a graphics chip, something like 512kb I believe, not Doris and Norman and all that shite they put in the amiga.

 

[tekt5]

The GBA has MANY special chips that are hard to emulate.. like the amiga

​

This is one of those posts which makes me go... hmmmm.... twice

The first hmmmm is because surely the GBA is one of the nicest systems, I imagine would be quite nice to emu. But I don't know for sure. I can think of lots of systems which are much worse though I reckon. So... hmmmmmm

​

yes, Hmm.... Actually, the GBA only has a graphics chip, something like 512kb I believe, not Doris and Norman and all that shite they put in the amiga.

​

Well I really don't know all that techinical stuff..
I just know that in other posts asking for amiga/gba emu's its been answered that there's too many/complicated? custom chips involved