GBA Movie Player
Encyclopedia
The GBA Movie Player, abbreviated GBAMP, is a device that reads CompactFlash
or Secure Digital
cards to upload data onto the Game Boy Advance
. It is compatible with the Game Boy Micro
, Game Boy Advance SP
, Game Boy Advance
, and Nintendo DS
as well. With this device, a user can play NES games through the PocketNES
emulator, play "multiboot" GBA games up to a size of 256 KB, watch video, listen to specially converted music files, and read .txt files (referred to as e-book
s). With the addition of the Game Boy
emulator, Goomba, it can also play original Game Boy or dual-mode Game Boy Color
games. The firmware
update E19 adds a built in launcher for Game Boy files from the menu system, whereas in previous firmware versions it was necessary to build Goomba compilations beforehand.
technology to convert videos to the GBA Movie Player's format. It is also possible to install the conversion software's DirectShow filters and then use low-level DirectShow tools such as GraphEdit
to convert files, rather than using the official conversion tool.
As shipped, the card's slot is wide enough for CompactFlash Type I memory. By cutting into the card's chassis using a rotary tool
, some users have been able to widen the slot to accept thicker Type II memory such as CF hard drives.http://forum.gbadev.org/viewtopic.php?t=9194
Max Media Dock. This was possible because the Datel product is based on the GBA Movie Player. This program allows for the use of commercial Nintendo DS
ROM images on a GBA Movie Player in conjunction with a PassMe variant. A proof of concept
loader similar to the cracked Max Overload was made before this, but it was locked to individual Nintendo DS MAC address
es, which are not easily changeable.
techniques, bypassing all size limitations of the usual built-in software but creating slowdown on some of the larger games. The special versions were created independently of the company which makes the movie player, using information discovered through reverse engineering.
. The NES screen is bigger than the GBA screen. PocketNES can display the NES game's graphics in a window that the player can scroll up and down, or it can scale the graphics to fit the smaller screen.
The official PassMe variant for the M3 adapter is known as the PassKey. An update to the original PassKey, known as the PassKey2, allows for the running of DS code on DS consoles that have a newer firmware (version 3 or above). PassCard 3, an even newer kind of passthrough (actually now a misnomer because no "passing" is done) contains encrypted Nintendo DS
game code and therefore runs normally without exploiting bugs in the firmware (PassMe) or BIOS
(PassMe2).
The added 256 Mbit (32 MiB
) of RAM also allows for all GBA games to run at full speed with no slowdown because all the game data is loaded into the RAM. DS games 32MB or smaller can also be loaded into RAM, but if they are over 32 MiB, they must be directly booted from the CompactFlash
or Secure Digital
card. Games loaded from the CF/SD card rarely exhibit slowdown, as compatibility with DS games is very high on the M3 adapter.
.
The M3 Simply uses the same exact board as the R4DS, with the exception of two points being soldered together. The interfaces are the same except for different graphics, and the cards have different labels. R4 is the direct manufacturer of the devices.
CompactFlash
CompactFlash is a mass storage device format used in portable electronic devices. Most CompactFlash devices contain flash memory in a standardized enclosure. The format was first specified and produced by SanDisk in 1994...
or Secure Digital
Secure Digital
Secure Digital is a non-volatile memory card format developed by the SD Card Association for use in portable devices. The SD technology is used by more than 400 brands across dozens of product categories and more than 8,000 models, and is considered the de-facto industry standard.Secure Digital...
cards to upload data onto the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
. It is compatible with the Game Boy Micro
Game Boy Micro
is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in September 2005 in the market. The system is the last console of the Game Boy line...
, Game Boy Advance SP
Game Boy Advance SP
The , released in February 2003, is an upgraded version of Nintendo's Game Boy Advance. The "SP" in Game Boy Advance SP stands for Special. The SP was marketed at US$99.99 at launch. In September 2004, Nintendo lowered the price to US$79.99...
, Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
, and Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
as well. With this device, a user can play NES games through the PocketNES
PocketNES
PocketNES is an NES emulator which runs on the Game Boy Advance, written by Neal Tew and Fredrik Olsson . It can run on a GBA through use of flash cartridges, or with the GBA Movie Player...
emulator, play "multiboot" GBA games up to a size of 256 KB, watch video, listen to specially converted music files, and read .txt files (referred to as e-book
E-book
An electronic book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital...
s). With the addition of the Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
emulator, Goomba, it can also play original Game Boy or dual-mode Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
games. The firmware
Firmware
In electronic systems and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices...
update E19 adds a built in launcher for Game Boy files from the menu system, whereas in previous firmware versions it was necessary to build Goomba compilations beforehand.
Conversion software
The PC-side software uses DirectShowDirectShow
DirectShow , codename Quartz, is a multimedia framework and API produced by Microsoft for software developers to perform various operations with media files or streams. It is the replacement for Microsoft's earlier Video for Windows technology...
technology to convert videos to the GBA Movie Player's format. It is also possible to install the conversion software's DirectShow filters and then use low-level DirectShow tools such as GraphEdit
GraphEdit
GraphEdit is a utility which is part of the Microsoft DirectShow SDK. It is a visual tool for building and testing filter graphs for DirectShow. Filters are displayed as boxes, with a text caption showing the name of the filter. Pins appear as small squares along the edge of the filter...
to convert files, rather than using the official conversion tool.
As shipped, the card's slot is wide enough for CompactFlash Type I memory. By cutting into the card's chassis using a rotary tool
Rotary tool
A rotary tool is a hand held power tool with a variety of rotating accessory bits and attachments that can be used for cutting, carving, sanding, polishing and many other applications....
, some users have been able to widen the slot to accept thicker Type II memory such as CF hard drives.http://forum.gbadev.org/viewtopic.php?t=9194
Lockout feature
A lockout feature was used to try to stop other manufacturers from copying the player's firmware and making knockoff products, but it was ineffective. Unauthorized knockoffs appeared on the market, and attempting to upgrade the firmware on a knockoff causes the product to reboot to the message "Update Failed! This card is a FAKE!! System Crash!!!" every time it is turned on. Moreover, the locking feature frequently prevents the real GBAMP from booting, especially after quickly turning the power off and on.Commercial games
On July 25, 2006, a group known as TriForce cracked a patching program known as Max Overload, which is meant for Datel'sDatel
Datel is a UK-based electronics and game console peripherals manufacturer. The company is best known for producing a wide range of hardware and peripherals for home computers in the 1980s, for example replacement keyboards for the ZX Spectrum, the PlusD disk interface and the Action Replay series...
Max Media Dock. This was possible because the Datel product is based on the GBA Movie Player. This program allows for the use of commercial Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
ROM images on a GBA Movie Player in conjunction with a PassMe variant. A proof of concept
Proof of concept
A proof of concept or a proof of principle is a realization of a certain method or idea to demonstrate its feasibility, or a demonstration in principle, whose purpose is to verify that some concept or theory that has the potential of being used...
loader similar to the cracked Max Overload was made before this, but it was locked to individual Nintendo DS MAC address
MAC address
A Media Access Control address is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on the physical network segment. MAC addresses are used for numerous network technologies and most IEEE 802 network technologies, including Ethernet...
es, which are not easily changeable.
Console emulation
The built-in NES and Game Boy loaders have size limitations; the emulator plus game must fit inside 256 KB of memory. Special versions of PocketNES and Goomba were created to overcome these limitations. One special version of PocketNES, called PocketNES-compy, uses compression to shrink the game before it is loaded. In that version, games are limited to 256k instead of 192k. Another version can load files directly off the CompactFlash card using virtual memoryVirtual memory
In computing, virtual memory is a memory management technique developed for multitasking kernels. This technique virtualizes a computer architecture's various forms of computer data storage , allowing a program to be designed as though there is only one kind of memory, "virtual" memory, which...
techniques, bypassing all size limitations of the usual built-in software but creating slowdown on some of the larger games. The special versions were created independently of the company which makes the movie player, using information discovered through reverse engineering.
NES gameplay
Multiplayer can be done via GBA link cable on GBA, GBA SP, and Game Boy PlayerGame Boy Player
The is a device made by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube which enables Game Boy , Game Boy Color, or Game Boy Advance cartridges to be played on a television. It connects via the high speed parallel port at the bottom of the GameCube and requires use of a boot disc to access the hardware...
. The NES screen is bigger than the GBA screen. PocketNES can display the NES game's graphics in a window that the player can scroll up and down, or it can scale the graphics to fit the smaller screen.
Movie Player Version 3
Since the release of the GBAMP, a newer version, the M3 Perfect adapter, has been released for the Nintendo DS and the DS Lite. The M3 adapter improves on the GBAMP by adding 256Mb (32MB) of RAM and allowing for both Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS ROM images and homebrew applications to be run. Nintendo DS programs must be run in conjunction with a PassMe device.The official PassMe variant for the M3 adapter is known as the PassKey. An update to the original PassKey, known as the PassKey2, allows for the running of DS code on DS consoles that have a newer firmware (version 3 or above). PassCard 3, an even newer kind of passthrough (actually now a misnomer because no "passing" is done) contains encrypted Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
game code and therefore runs normally without exploiting bugs in the firmware (PassMe) or BIOS
BIOS
In IBM PC compatible computers, the basic input/output system , also known as the System BIOS or ROM BIOS , is a de facto standard defining a firmware interface....
(PassMe2).
The added 256 Mbit (32 MiB
Mebibyte
The mebibyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. The binary prefix mebi means 220, therefore 1 mebibyte is . The unit symbol for the mebibyte is MiB. The unit was established by the International Electrotechnical Commission in 2000 and has been accepted for use by all major...
) of RAM also allows for all GBA games to run at full speed with no slowdown because all the game data is loaded into the RAM. DS games 32MB or smaller can also be loaded into RAM, but if they are over 32 MiB, they must be directly booted from the CompactFlash
CompactFlash
CompactFlash is a mass storage device format used in portable electronic devices. Most CompactFlash devices contain flash memory in a standardized enclosure. The format was first specified and produced by SanDisk in 1994...
or Secure Digital
Secure Digital
Secure Digital is a non-volatile memory card format developed by the SD Card Association for use in portable devices. The SD technology is used by more than 400 brands across dozens of product categories and more than 8,000 models, and is considered the de-facto industry standard.Secure Digital...
card. Games loaded from the CF/SD card rarely exhibit slowdown, as compatibility with DS games is very high on the M3 adapter.
M3 DS Simply
The M3 Simply uses microSD cards for storage and uses only Slot-1, meaning the GBA slot is left free. It is the size of an ordinary DS cart, and has a built-in NoPass. It can also be used to flash a DS with FlashMe. The biggest drawback is lack of GBA support, although it has better compatibility with DS games. This is a direct result of not needing to patch the DS ROM dumps (often referred to as "clean ROMs.") It also may handle e-books, music, and movies with the use of MoonshellMoonShell
MoonShell is a homebrew multimedia player for the Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS lite, Nintendo DSi, and Nintendo 3DS. It is a well known, popular piece of Nintendo DS homebrew software,...
.
The M3 Simply uses the same exact board as the R4DS, with the exception of two points being soldered together. The interfaces are the same except for different graphics, and the cards have different labels. R4 is the direct manufacturer of the devices.