Information processing device and peripheral devices used therewith

Abstract

An information processing device such as a game machine is selectively connectable to different peripheral devices such as memory devices. The peripheral devices may be provided with characteristics for distinguishing one from another. The information processing device carries out operations based on the peripheral device connected thereto The information processing device may also access memories which store data having different data widths.

Description

[0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09 / 863,866, filed May 23, 2001, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09 / 627,440, filed on Jul. 28, 2000. The contents of application Ser. No. 09 / 627,440 are incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY[0002] The present application describes, among other things, an information processing device which is detachably connectable to different types of peripheral devices.[0003] With reference to FIGS. 21, 22 and 23, a conventional information processing system is described by taking a game system as an example. First, as shown in FIG. 21, a conventional information processing system CGB includes a program source 100 and a game machine 200. The program source 100 stores information such as a program necessary for the game machine 200 to display images and execute a game, and is structured to be engageable to the game machine 200 in a detachable manner.[0004] The program source 100 is preferably...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0030] On the other hand, with the progression of processor technology, processors equipped in information processing devices and game devices, for example, have started to increase in number of bits for data processing (also the number of bits of an address signal). If the number of bits for data processing is increased in the processors (also, with the larger number of bits of the address signal), memories corresponding thereto are also required to be wider in data width. In many cases, however, using memories narrower in data width may be rewarding, for example, cost-wise.

[0037] In one preferable embodiment, in order to clear the above-described first subject, an information processing device comprises a cartridge discriminator, a voltage supplier, and a central processing unit. This structure helps the information processing device execute processing based on data stored in memory whichever provided in a cartridge engaged thereto in a detachable manner. The cartridge is a first cartridge housing first memory driven by a first voltage or a second cartridge housing second memory driven by a second voltage. The first cartridge is provided with a marker to be discriminated from the second cartridge. Based on the marker, the cartridge discriminator discriminates between the first cartridge and the second cartridge. The voltage supplier supplies the first voltage when the cartridge discriminator identifies the engaged cartridge as being the first cartridge, and supplies the second voltage when identifies as being the second cartridge. The central processing unit becomes operational in a first mode when supplied with the first voltage, and in a second mode with the second voltage. As such, by first identifying the engaged cartridge and then selecting the driving voltage for the memory in the cartridge, the voltage supplied to the memory can be always appropriate. Further, the central processing unit determines its operation mode depending on the selected driving voltage.

[0038] In another preferable embodiment, in order to clear the above-described second subject, an information processing device comprises an external bus having a first width, a cartridge discriminator, a central processing unit, a first access controller, a second access controller, and a selector. This structure helps the information processing device execute processing based on data stored in memory whichever provided in a cartridge engaged thereto in a detachable manner via the external bus. The cartridge is a first cartridge housing first memory of a first data width or a second cartridge housing second memory of a second data width. The second cartridge is provided with a marker to be discriminated from the first cartridge. Based on the marker, the cartridge discriminator discriminates between the first cartridge and the second cartridge. The central processing unit accesses the memory whichever housed in the engaged cartridge. The first access controller controls the external bus under a normal bus control method, and causes the central processing unit to access the first memory. The second access controller controls the external bus under a different method from the one for the first access controller, and causes the central processing unit to access the second memory. The selector selects the first access controller when the cartridge discriminator identifies the engaged cartridge as being the first cartridge, and selects said second access controller when identifies as being the second cartridge. As such, by identifying the data width of the memory based on the cartridge housing the memory, the information processing device can access the memory in the bus transfer mode appropriate therefor.

Problems solved by technology

For example, the memory system in the information processing system CGB is driven by 5V, while the new-type information processing system is set to be driven by 3.3 V. Therefore, if a cartridge specifically developed for the information processing device low in driving voltage is used in the conventional device higher in driving voltage, semiconductor memory in the cartridge suffers due to too much voltage applied thereto, resulting in memory corruption.

Therefore, this new-type information processing device cannot utilize such programs supplied to the cartridges 100 which are huge software resources so far developed for the conventional information processing system CGB.

However, if the CPUs in the high- and low-end machines vary in bit specifications and / or number of bits of an address signal, the above technique is not a solution to keep game cartridges compatible with one another.

Therefore, this technique is limited in applicability to the cartridge-type game machine.

Therefore, those are not applicable to memories varied in type each having different number of bits of data signal.

Images