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Acmlm's Board - I3 Archive - General Gaming - Nintendo Announces DS Lite and other goodies! New poll | |
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Alastor
Fearless Moderator Hero








Since: 11-17-05
From: An apartment by DigiPen, Redmond, Washington

Last post: 6313 days
Last view: 6313 days
Posted on 02-18-06 11:30 PM Link | Quote
Originally posted by Ailure
that code could be simple "Write random junk in the BIOS ROM".
I'm pretty sure ROM can't be written to. That's kinda the point, isn't it?
HyperHacker

Star Mario
Finally being paid to code in VB! If only I still enjoyed that. <_<
Wii #7182 6487 4198 1828


 





Since: 11-18-05
From: Canada, w00t!
My computer's specs, if anyone gives a damn.
STOP TRUNCATING THIS >8^(

Last post: 6313 days
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Posted on 02-19-06 05:12 AM Link | Quote
Time for some funfun DS tech facts:
  • The DS has 3 BIOSes; one for ARM7, one for ARM9, and the GBA one. They're ROMs (embedded in the CPU core even) and can't be written to. These provide code that games can use for various things (decompression, math, sound etc) and initiailze the hardware at bootup.
  • The DS also has firmware, which is on some manner of flash ROM and can be written to. This contains the code that launches games and the startup menu and is thus essential for operation. A virus could indeed ruin the system by wiping this out.
  • The firmware chip has a safety feature; without poking something conductive in a hole under the battery cover, the first 64K (or 512 bytes on some units) can't be written to. Standard Nintendo firmware doesn't take advantage of this, but the hacked firmware FlashMe (which provides the ability to run homebrew and removes that crappy health warning) uses it. Code in this sector will immediately execute whatever program resides on the GBA cart without initializing anything if a certain key sequence is held at bootup; this program can then restore working firmware.
  • A DS bricker which overwrites the firmware does exist. However there's no way to just send malicious code to someone's DS, due to the RSA encryption/signing used. There are only two ways to run unsigned code on a DS, both of which exploit the poor design of the games' header 1 to trick the system into booting whatever code is on the GBA cart. (The idea being you put code on a flash cart.) Although you can do this wirelessly on most units (newer ones block it), it still only boots from the GBA cart, so you can't send actual code.2 (In short, the only way to get infected by it is to run it yourself.) Also, interesting fact; the bricker will be picked up by antivirus programs on a PC.


1. The header contains the addresses of the game's startup code. The DS jumps to these addresses once the game is loaded into memory. However, the addresses aren't part of the signed area, so they can be changed (to point to the GBA slot) without breaking the signature. Newer firmware won't allow them to point to the GBA slot; exploits get around this by pointing them to data within the game binary which happens to be the instruction to call an invalid SWI. This results in random data being executed; eventually, it jumps to an area in the GBA cart SRAM, which can contain some unsigned code.
2. Only true of stock DSes. FlashMe removes the RSA signature check in DS Download Play, so you can boot unsigned code without a GBA cart. However, you need such a cart (and to disable the firmware write protection) to install FlashMe anyway. Technically this means someone could broadcast a bricker and have it infect FlashMe users. However, since FlashMe also provides a quick and easy way to restore the firmware, it'd be fairly pointless.
Cynthia

Uh-huh.


 





Since: 11-17-05
From: LaSalle, Quebec, Canada

Last post: 6313 days
Last view: 6313 days
Skype
Posted on 02-19-06 01:58 PM Link | Quote
All 3 BIOSes have been dumped BTW and will be needed for DS emulation. And no, I don't have them or know where they are.

How much room does the firmware chip have? Obviously not much if Opera's going to have to go on its own card...
Ailure

Mr. Shine
I just want peace...








Since: 11-17-05
From: Sweden

Last post: 6313 days
Last view: 6313 days
Posted on 02-19-06 03:26 PM Link | Quote
Ah yes, I kind of confused firmware and BIOS there. It's not really the same thing...

Colin. I heard it was around a megabyte or so. Apart from the inbuilt firmware, the memory is used for saving WIFI preferences apparently and probably will have some other future use.
HyperHacker

Star Mario
Finally being paid to code in VB! If only I still enjoyed that. <_<
Wii #7182 6487 4198 1828


 





Since: 11-18-05
From: Canada, w00t!
My computer's specs, if anyone gives a damn.
STOP TRUNCATING THIS >8^(

Last post: 6313 days
Last view: 6313 days
Posted on 02-19-06 09:05 PM Link | Quote
Most have 256K. The iQue DS sold in China has 512K.
Skydude

Armos Knight








Since: 02-18-06
From: Stanford, CA

Last post: 6586 days
Last view: 6586 days
Posted on 02-21-06 10:15 PM Link | Quote
I'm thinking that I'm probably going to have to get one of these, seeing as it'll fit my pattern of getting every other Nintendo portable released:

Gameboy - yes
Gameboy pocket - no
Gameboy color - yes
Gameboy Advance - no
Gameboy Advance SP - yes
Nintendo DS - no
Nintendo DS Lite - ???

I don't really count virtual boy...and I think there may have been another mini something somewhere, so I don't know how true this is...

But it does look cool.
Cynthia

Uh-huh.


 





Since: 11-17-05
From: LaSalle, Quebec, Canada

Last post: 6313 days
Last view: 6313 days
Skype
Posted on 02-24-06 12:21 AM Link | Quote
It's hard to get info about the iQue DS... do they actually sell carts for that one or is it the same flash system as the regular iQue?
HyperHacker

Star Mario
Finally being paid to code in VB! If only I still enjoyed that. <_<
Wii #7182 6487 4198 1828


 





Since: 11-18-05
From: Canada, w00t!
My computer's specs, if anyone gives a damn.
STOP TRUNCATING THIS >8^(

Last post: 6313 days
Last view: 6313 days
Posted on 02-24-06 03:27 AM Link | Quote
Not sure, but I did find out something interesting. Recent DSes use a different flash chip to store the firmware. The write-protection on this chip protects everything except the part that stores settings. So any DS units with this chip are effectively unbrickable, unless you permenantly disable the write protection which would be pretty damn stupid.
Originally posted by Skydude
I think there may have been another mini something somewhere

Pokémon Mini.
Adamant

Buzz Blob
Staff
Wii have Wii








Since: 11-17-05
From: Norway

Last post: 6313 days
Last view: 6313 days
Posted on 03-02-06 09:25 PM Link | Quote
I'll just bump this to tell you that I tried the DS Lite today. Contacts who can get you into locked press conferences is something we all should have.

Anyway, the DS Lite is pretty sweet. It's very compact, the two parts it's made of fit much better together, it fits great in your average pocket, the shoulder buttons are a lot more "clicky" than on the regular DS (this is a good thing), and the backlight... oh God, the backlight. It's totally awesome. We got to test a regular DS at the same time, and the difference is just... three times the brightness of the original, or so. Holding the two models up against each other, the regular DS barely looks like it's emitting any light at all. It's great.

...still won't buy one, though. It's too expensive to warrant a buy when it's this similiar to the original. I could understand people buying a GBA SP, as the original GBA had an annoyingly dark screen, but this upgrade seems a lot less nessecary.

It's still really frickin' sweet, though.

(edited by Adamant on 03-02-06 08:26 PM)
(edited by Adamant on 03-02-06 08:55 PM)
Clockworkz

Birdon


 





Since: 11-18-05

Last post: 6313 days
Last view: 6313 days
Posted on 03-02-06 09:35 PM Link | Quote
I'm sorry if this was asked, but is there a set release date yet? I may be interested in this, since I kinda lost my DS (officers forum for those who care), and this may actually serve some purpose now.
fabio

Ameboid








Since: 11-17-05
From: Texas

Last post: 6313 days
Last view: 6313 days
Posted on 03-02-06 11:09 PM Link | Quote
Originally posted by Clockworkz
I'm sorry if this was asked, but is there a set release date yet? I may be interested in this, since I kinda lost my DS (officers forum for those who care), and this may actually serve some purpose now.


All I know is that there is only a release date for Japan only, not for anywhere else. Sorry.
Cynthia

Uh-huh.


 





Since: 11-17-05
From: LaSalle, Quebec, Canada

Last post: 6313 days
Last view: 6313 days
Skype
Posted on 03-03-06 12:00 AM Link | Quote
Lucky bastard. XD

Came out in Japan today and looks to have sold out. Me thinks Sony might have lost the war in Japan based on the past few months and overall demand. :\
PrincessPeach

Buzzy Beetle








Since: 11-18-05
From: Rüti ZH

Last post: 6320 days
Last view: 6320 days
Skype
Posted on 03-03-06 10:29 AM Link | Quote
Originally posted by Colin
Lucky bastard. XD

Came out in Japan today and looks to have sold out. Me thinks Sony might have lost the war in Japan based on the past few months and overall demand. :\


Did you see the pics of queues over at IGN? elderly couples, students, girls, buisnessman, not just freaks and fanboys.

And I need a new DS in the next few months, my old wont last any longer...
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Acmlm's Board - I3 Archive - General Gaming - Nintendo Announces DS Lite and other goodies! |


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