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OffTopic > How do gb(c) games run on gba?

#128998 - silent_code - Thu May 17, 2007 1:09 pm

hi!
i was just curious about how old gb games are run on the gba? anything pre gba used a z80, is that right? so does the gba emulate a z80?
thanks in advance for any answer!
greetings!

[Subject Line Fairy was here]

#129004 - Joe_Sextus - Thu May 17, 2007 1:54 pm

If I remember correctly, the GBA actually contains the hardware of a GBC as well. When you put a GB/C cartridge in the GBA it pushes a switch in the slot that changes it from GBA to GBC mode.

#129010 - silent_code - Thu May 17, 2007 4:19 pm

a-ha. thanks! so it's more like the ps2 having the ps1 processor (as an i/o processor) that runs the games in ps1 mode. (ps3 is rumored to have a "whole" ps2 inside, because the emulation software has not been ready when the hardware was being finalized.)
:^) duh! i just checked and it really contains a z80! boy! now that's why the nds (as well as the gba micro!) won't run pre-gba games (although it could emulate them!) - it abandoned the z80.

@moderator: topic can be closed.

#129011 - Lynx - Thu May 17, 2007 4:52 pm

I guess they really like that model for backwords compatibility.. kinda like the DS having the ARM7 for GBA mode.
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