NO$GBA

NO$GBA
Developer(s) Martin Korth
Initial release March 13, 2002 (2002-03-13)
Stable release
2.8d / May 26, 2016 (2016-05-26)
Operating system DOS, Microsoft Windows
Type Video game console emulator
License Freeware[1]
Website http://problemkaputt.de/gba.htm

NO$GBA (pronounced "no cash GBA") is a freeware Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance emulator for Microsoft Windows & DOS. It is capable of running commercial and homebrew Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS ROMs, many at full speed. It is the first Nintendo DS emulator running commercial ROMs.[2] However, this claim has been disputed by many in the emulation community.[3] NO$GBA was developed by Martin Korth.

History

As a Game Boy and Game Boy Advance emulator

Emulator developer Martin Korth first created a Game Boy emulator called NO$GMB for DOS in 1997. When the Game Boy Color was released in 1998, the emulator was upgraded to support Game Boy Color ROMs. The emulator was made shareware as for the upgrade, users were charged $10. The Game Boy Color emulation was copied by many other software crackers and released as freeware.

In 2001, Nintendo released the Game Boy Advance. Martin Korth then released No$GBA, for both Windows and DOS operating systems, to emulate commercial Game Boy Advance ROMs. The emulator features Game Boy Advance multiplayer support as it is able to emulate the Game Boy Advance link cable.

As a Nintendo DS emulator

Nintendo released the Nintendo DS in November 2004 and development of DS emulation support for NO$GBA began. The first stable release of NO$GBA, with DS emulation support, was version 2.1 and was released on May 17, 2005. However, commercial and homebrew ROMs were unable to be played on the system. On January 22, 2006, version 2.2 was released. This version allowed for emulation of both commercial and homebrew ROMs.[4] However, DS ROM support was still in its early stages and many ROMs would run with low frame rates and graphical glitches if they ran at all.

Version 2.3 was released on August 4, 2006. This version achieved almost full Nintendo DS emulation support and included 3D rendering. This was followed by version 2.3b which was released on November 4, 2006, and included Nintendo DS sound emulation. Version 2.3d was released on February 23, 2007. 3D rendering capabilities were improved and microphone support was added for games such as Mario Party DS and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.

On June 5, 2007, NO$GBA version 2.4b was released. This allowed for DS Wi-fi emulation. However, despite the program being able to send and receive packets, it was not functional for commercial ROMs. On September 3, 2007, version 2.4c was released. This version included support for Action Replay and Code Breaker codes for DS games.

Version 2.5 was released on October 4, 2007 and improved the frame rate of many ROMs due to CPU and 3D rendering improvements. This was followed by Version 2.5b, released on November 3, 2007, which allowed for 3D frame skipping.

On December 18, 2007, version 2.6 was released. DS ROMs were able to run at a higher framerate due to the inclusion of 3D rendering software, OpenGL. Version 2.6a was released on January 23, 2008, and improved the running speed of DS ROMs due to general optimizations of the program.[5]

On May 23, 2013, version 2.7 was released. The NO$GBA project had been presumed dead for a while prior to this release.

On August 17, 2013, version 2.7a was released. The NO$GBA project is currently active, with the author starting his DSi research.[6]

On November 9, 2014, version 2.7d was released. The emulator is also capable of running Sony Pocketstation games.

On February 2, 2015, version 2.8 was released. DSi support is now mostly implemented.

On May 3, 2015, version 2.8a was released.

NO$GBA Debugger

The NO$GBA Debugger is a development tool for testing and debugging of Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS ROMs, supporting source level debugging. The Debugger is designed for programmers and has been described as "completely useless to gamers" by Martin Korth. It was shareware with a price of $15 for home-use and $750 for a single commercial licence, however, with the 2.7c version released on July 28, 2014, both the emulator and the debug version became freeware.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "NO$GBA and debugger 2.7c released, now both freeware".
  2. ↑ brownlee (August 15, 2006). "First Nintendo DS Emulator Running Commercial ROMs Released! - Ds - Kotaku". Kotaku. Retrieved 2009-09-23.
  3. ↑ Paul Loughrey (August 15, 2006). "No$GBA offers DS emulator News - DS - Eurogamer". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2009-09-23.
  4. ↑ "No$gba Release Notes". Retrieved 2009-09-23.
  5. ↑ "No$gba Gameboy Advance / Nintendo DS Emulator Homepage". Retrieved 2009-09-23.
  6. ↑ "EmuForums official announcement". Retrieved 2013-08-17.
  7. ↑ http://problemkaputt.de/gbanew.htm
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