Homebrew Why DSi can't run GBA roms natively but 3DS can?

[Arthur78]

I'm a little puzzled about this... correct me if I'm wrong:

DS and DSLite had GBA hardware built-in to run GBA games.

DSi removed the GBA cart slot but I can't find info on whether the GBA hardware from the DS was removed also. I thought not and was looking for ways to run GBA roms natively on DSi (not emulation) but found none, so I'm assuming it can't be done for whatever reason.

But what's puzzling me more is why does the 3DS have a GBA mode (AGB_FIRM)? I read somewhere that GBA games in AGB_FIRM mode on 3DS run with 100% accuracy as if they're on GBA hardware (I guess minus the dark tint and blur, which can be removed on CFW).

So why would Nintendo go through the trouble of making the 3DS run GBA games but not the DSi, when the latter is much closer to the DS (and by extension GBA) than the 3DS?

 

[evandixon]

I don't know if there's a technical reason, but regardless, they probably thought it was too soon to release GBA VC, since getting rid of they wanted to move away from it by removing the GBA slot.

If there is a technical reason, the 3DS has an additional CPU which would certainly help overcome any sort of ROM redirection limitations of the ARM9.

 

[hobbledehoy899]

It's because Nintendo didn't create a way to load the ROMs natively via software for the DSi like they did for the 3DS.

 

[x65943]

There's a long discussion of this topic here https://gbatemp.net/threads/how-about-running-gba-games-in-ds-mode-instead-of-emulating.332462/

Specifically this thread is concerned with why the DSi can't natively run GBA games from slot-1.

 

[Arthur78]

There's a long discussion of this topic here https://gbatemp.net/threads/how-about-running-gba-games-in-ds-mode-instead-of-emulating.332462/

Specifically this thread is concerned with why the DSi can't natively run GBA games from slot-1.

Reading that thread is illuminating, thanks.