Homebrew DS(i) Mode hacking progress thread

[Apache Thunder]

Nintendont patches the DI code from the Dolphin SDK to use a virtual DI register set in memory, which is then handled by the Nintendont kernel running on the ARM CPU. (Same for EXI, i.e. memory cards.)

There's a bunch of other patches to compensate for differences in Wii vs GCN, e.g. ARAM emulation and some differences in texture handling.


Nintendont is *not* virtualization. It works by patching the various subsystems to add disc/card emulation and to compensate for differences in hardware.

Ahh I see so it's not as complicated as I thought it was. It's still a walk in the park compared to how you'd attempt it on a 3DS though.

Nintendo has always used past generation CPU as the security CPU in handhelds. Arm7 was what the GBA used. When the DS came out, it has a new CPU called the Arm9 and retired the arm7 for security/audio/wifi. It reused the arm7 for legacy mode GBA games and in DS mode it's doing mostly security and sound. The 3DS continues this trend. The arm9 is retired for use as the security CPU and for legacy mode for DS games. So the way the system works would make it hard for you to run DS games in CTR mode because arm9 isn't really useable while in CTR mode. Unlike the Wii. If the Wii had a cpu or processor for security, it sure as hell wasn't used to play game cube games in some clunky legacy mode. So you didn't have to do much to run game cube games on a Wii.

 

[GerbilSoft]

If the Wii had a cpu or processor for security, it sure as hell wasn't used to play game cube games in some clunky legacy mode. So you didn't have to do much to run game cube games on a Wii.

Wii and Wii U both have a security processor, an ARM9 (located on the GPU). The ARM9 runs IOS(U).

Normally in GameCube mode on Wii, the ARM9 is completely idle (except for power button handling). DIOS MIOS originally took advantage of this by running its disc drive emulation on the otherwise-idle CPU (and the fact that the SD card slot and USB ports weren't actually disabled in GameCube mode). Nintendont runs in Wii mode, so it runs alongside IOS58 on the ARM9.

(Sidenote: No, the ARM9 isn't used for DS Virtual Console. For one, it runs in big-endian mode on Wii/WiiU, whereas it's little-endian on DS. Two, it's normally not accessible except to the operating system.)

 

[AtlasFontaine]

Ahh I see so it's not as complicated as I thought it was. It's still a walk in the park compared to how you'd attempt it on a 3DS though.

Nintendo has always used past generation CPU as the security CPU in handhelds. Arm7 was what the GBA used. When the DS came out, it has a new CPU called the Arm9 and retired the arm7 for security/audio/wifi. It reused the arm7 for legacy mode GBA games and in DS mode it's doing mostly security and sound. The 3DS continues this trend. The arm9 is retired for use as the security CPU and for legacy mode for DS games. So the way the system works would make it hard for you to run DS games in CTR mode because arm9 isn't really useable while in CTR mode. Unlike the Wii. If the Wii had a cpu or processor for security, it sure as hell wasn't used to play game cube games in some clunky legacy mode. So you didn't have to do much to run game cube games on a Wii.

is there a way to "trigger" the arm9 cpu while using the arm11? something like a hybrid mode, is it feasible?

 

[Apache Thunder]

lol So the Wii had an arm9? Interesting. Yeah Nintendo's handhelds all run their arm cpus in little endian. So yeah that would be a bit issue if you wanted to try running DS games on the wii version of it.

 

[MAXLEMPIRA]

NTR Launcher inching closer to a full release:



Classic DS animation nearly done. But the code that makes it work needs serious reworking. but the boot jingle now plays.

Isn't it posible to run BIOS instead?

 

[Coto]

Wii and Wii U both have a security processor, an ARM9 (located on the GPU). The ARM9 runs IOS(U).

Normally in GameCube mode on Wii, the ARM9 is completely idle (except for power button handling). DIOS MIOS originally took advantage of this by running its disc drive emulation on the otherwise-idle CPU (and the fact that the SD card slot and USB ports weren't actually disabled in GameCube mode). Nintendont runs in Wii mode, so it runs alongside IOS58 on the ARM9.

(Sidenote: No, the ARM9 isn't used for DS Virtual Console. For one, it runs in big-endian mode on Wii/WiiU, whereas it's little-endian on DS. Two, it's normally not accessible except to the operating system.)

well, the ARM9 core has the coprocessor from where you can choose either big-endian or little endian modes (and with that, comes alignment, etc) alongside the MPU, plus it has the armv4 mode (where LDR PC could read bit 0 and perform THUMB/ARM bit) effectively changing THUMB/ARM modes on LDX opcodes.
(like all GBA games do), but ARM v5 does not do this (like all DS games).

 

[SnakeOil992]

Isn't it posible to run BIOS instead?

Something tells me it would have been tried first, but I am definitely no expert.

 

[Apache Thunder]

There's a DS Firmware SRL floating around filetrip and the internet. It shows the boot animation. But always shows the settings lost screen instead of doing anything useful like showing the main menu. It's possible I could get it to see and launch a slot-1 game if I card reset before starting it.

But it's not able to read something in the DS Profile settings. (refer to gbatek on how that works). Maybe it can be forced to ignore what ever it can't read. It's still able to read some data like date and time and is able to write changes too. I can change my username and birthday/system color. But RTC data like date and time it's unable to change for some reason. Might be related.

Someone has to RE how it does this and fix it. Right now it's pretty useless on a 3DS because it will always exit after the initial setup screen. I think I've asked @Normmatt to look into it once, but I guess he's not interested.

 

[JollyOlStNicolas]

Hey would you mind linking me to that firmware SRL if you have it? I wanna have a look at it but I can't find it.

 

[smileyhead]

Hey would you mind linking me to that firmware SRL if you have it? I wanna have a look at it but I can't find it.

I'm pretty sure it's copyrighted which is illegal and against the rules to share here.

 

[JollyOlStNicolas]

I'm pretty sure it's copyrighted which is illegal and against the rules to share here.

Ah okay, my bad

 

[the assaf]

Hey would you mind linking me to that firmware SRL if you have it? I wanna have a look at it but I can't find it.

Search on YouTube DS Fat firmware on DSi (using pictochat)

 

[Dracari]

while this isnt meaningfull contrubution at all , i just check back every day to every other day to see whats new as i like seeing whats posted to get a lil better understanding how DS/DSiMode works. granted it kinda goes over my head. (im more the kind that like sto understand how things work.) so some big <3 to the devs working on this.

though one question about how some games Anti Piracy is being triggered by teh patches, i cant fin dmy Chrono Trigger DS Cart (its somewhere in teh mess i call my wire Cluster-Fu**ed room[ about 6 PCs running in here of various age.]) but does this Trigger the "Infinite Portal traveling" Anti-Piracy check? (CT DS had it if it was running on an outdated emulator/Flashcard that when you entered any time period's Portal. that animation of going thru the portal would continue on till you turned off the DS/closed the emulator)

 

[Nintendo4DSXL]

Hello is it possible to make an M3i Zero Unbricker?
It only needs to be detected from the updater...
With NTR Launcher it doesnt boot

 

[hacksn5s4]

Ahh I see so it's not as complicated as I thought it was. It's still a walk in the park compared to how you'd attempt it on a 3DS though.

Nintendo has always used past generation CPU as the security CPU in handhelds. Arm7 was what the GBA used. When the DS came out, it has a new CPU called the Arm9 and retired the arm7 for security/audio/wifi. It reused the arm7 for legacy mode GBA games and in DS mode it's doing mostly security and sound. The 3DS continues this trend. The arm9 is retired for use as the security CPU and for legacy mode for DS games. So the way the system works would make it hard for you to run DS games in CTR mode because arm9 isn't really useable while in CTR mode. Unlike the Wii. If the Wii had a cpu or processor for security, it sure as hell wasn't used to play game cube games in some clunky legacy mode. So you didn't have to do much to run game cube games on a Wii.

Still sd acess in ntr mode

 

[Billy Acuña]

Still sd acess in ntr mode

SD access on NTR is just that, SD access, you still need to deal with rom patching and redirection.

 

[Apache Thunder]

Hello is it possible to make an M3i Zero Unbricker?
It only needs to be detected from the updater...
With NTR Launcher it doesnt boot

Run the unbricker rom from ntr mode hbmenu. If that doesn't work, making a stage 2 or 3 launcher of it won't help you.

 

[hacksn5s4]

r

SD access on NTR is just that, SD access, you still need to deal with rom patching and redirection.

redirection was done for game cube isos on the wii so it reads the iso off the sd instead of disc drive

 

[undergroundmonorail]

redirection was done for game cube isos on the wii so it reads the iso off the sd instead of disc drive

yes, dawg. you got it.

now they're doing it for 3ds

 

[hacksn5s4]

well once this happens flash cards will be obsolete like how 3ds flash cards are