"Gamecube Hacking"

“Gamecube Hacking”1. Gamecube Hardware - what you can read everywhere2. Gamecube Hardware - a bit more details3. Homebrew - how to get your code to the cube4. The boot process (and how to hack it)5. Working around the encryption...6. The ROM emulation hardware7. Homebrew stuff8. Linux27th December 2004Gamecube HackingPage 11 – Gamecube Hardware–Gamecube Hardware• Codenamed “Dolphin”• Release: Japan: 2001-09-14, USA: 2002-03-03• Marketing guys say: “128-bit console” • Initial price: $199, now as cheap as9927th December 2004Gamecube HackingPage 21 – Gamecube Hardware–• Built around “Gekko”-CPU (PowerPC) at 486MHz• External CPU bus: 64bit @ 162MHz, gives 1.3GB/s to the marketing guys• 32kB instruction cache, 32kB 8-way data cache• 256kB 2-way second level cache27th December 2004Gamecube HackingPage 31 – Gamecube Hardware–• Custom GPU called “Flipper”, made by ArtX Inc. (now ATi)• 2.1MB embedded framebuffer memory• 1MB high-speed texture cache• GPU supports the usual 3D features27th December 2004Gamecube HackingPage 41 – Gamecube Hardware–• Storage Medium: proprietary 7.5cm (mini-)DVD-based discs• Of course copy protected ;)• 1.2GB per disc27th December 2004Gamecube HackingPage 51 – Gamecube Hardware–• External interfaces are proprietary:• 4 “serial” controllers (N64-compatible)• 2 memory card slots, 2 “serial” ports (SPI-like) (EXI BUS)27th December 2004Gamecube HackingPage 62 – Hardware - More Details–Hardware - More Details486 MHzPowerPCGekkoPowerPC−styledBoot ROM / RTCbus interface162MHz 64bitBroadband AdapterSPI−like27MHz max.FlipperMemory CardsController InterfaceEXIserial...proprietary3D enginegame controller(geometry and pixel processing)interface8bit proprietary bus12341MB embeddedDVD2.5MB texture cacheframebuffermemorySDRAM8bitVideo Output81MHzdigitalDSP16MB ARAMpixeldataoutputGameBoyPlayer64bit324MHz24 MB 1T−SRAM27th December 2004Gamecube HackingPage 72 – Hardware - More Details– “Gekko”“Gekko”• Very close relative to the PowerPC 750CXe (“G3”)• 486MHz clock rate• PowerPC bus interface• All memory access through Flipper (but fast!)• Full features MMU (Linux!)• No real debugging interface known :(• Not cache coherent - take care of the cache, cache, cache!• Special features: DMA-controller to locked cache, write gather pipe, “pairedsingles”27th December 2004Gamecube HackingPage 82 – Hardware - More Details– “Gekko”writer-gather pipe• Write any-size words to a fixed location• CPU will “gather” the writes into whole cachlines• maximum bus utilization for streaming (thus non-cachable) data• used for 3D geometry data27th December 2004Gamecube HackingPage 92 – Hardware - More Details– “Gekko”Paired Singles• SIMD extension• not compatible to AltiVec (G4)• 2x 32bit float operations per cycle• speed increase over (very fast) FPU• used for local lighting and other CPU geometry processing27th December 2004Gamecube HackingPage 10