- The CPU (Jul 2010)
- In the first of this series of articles, I'll look at how a CPU can be emulated through JS, and start building an emulation core for the GameBoy console.
- Memory (Aug 2010)
- Continuing a series examining system emulation in JavaScript, this article examines how the GameBoy memories are mapped onto the CPU's address bus, and how such a mapping can be emulated. Also covered is the dynamic loading of program ROM images after initialisation, through asynchronous file requests.
- GPU Timings (Aug 2010)
- In the third part of a series regarding system emulation in JavaScript, the GameBoy as an example of a raster graphics system is looked at, and the timings established for passing of control between CPU and graphics. Also examined is the issue of where the emulated graphics code will be rendering its output, and the HTML5 canvas is introduced as a solution.
- Graphics (Aug 2010)
- The exploration of system emulation in JavaScript continues, with a detailed look at the GameBoy graphics system, and how graphics are rendered by the GameBoy hardware; a simulation of the process is then put in place for use by the wider graphics engine.
- Integration (Sep 2010)
- In the fifth part of the series, the graphics subsystem of the GameBoy emulator is tied to the memory handler, and a rudimentary interface provided for the activation of the emulator. This part includes a working demo of the emulator so far, as will subsequent parts.
- Input (Sep 2010)
- Part six of the series examines the issue of how a player interacts with the GameBoy, taking a look at the hardware layout of the keypad, and how the layout can be implemented as part of an emulator. The particular issues thrown up by a JavaScript emulation are looked at, including basic event handling and how events can be passed to the keypad handler.
- Sprites (Oct 2010)
- The basis of most games is the movement of objects over a background landscape. In this part of the series on emulation development, I take a look at how the GameBoy produces movable objects, and how the process can be emulated in JavaScript.
- Interrupts (Nov 2010)
- Game consoles, like all computers, offer the facility to break off execution of a program and handle events or triggers. The GameBoy is no exception, and most games utilise the vertical blanking interrupt as one of their primary tools for keeping time and refreshing the screen. In part 8 of the series on emulator development, I look at the concepts behind, and the implementation of interrupts.
- Memory Banking (Dec 2010)
- Continuing a series on the implementation of a GameBoy emulator, this part looks at how the basic memory map of the GameBoy can be expanded, to accommodate games that are larger than 32kB. The GameBoy uses a system of virtual memory banking to perform this expansion; the concepts of the banking controller are looked at, and an implementation offered.
- Timers (Feb 2011)
- Like most computer and console systems, the GameBoy offers a hardware timer for use by games, if they wish to keep time more accurately than at the rate of vertical blanking refresh. In addition to a controllable timer, the GameBoy provides a facility for directly examining a fixed divisor of the system clock; in this article, both aspects of the timer are investigated, and the use of the timer for generating random numbers is also looked at, using the example of Tetris.