Upset that your DSi can’t play imported DSi-enhanced games like The Idolm@ster Dearly Stars (even though DS Lites run them just fine)? Perhaps this news that you can play GBA games with your system will soothe that sting.

Coder Darkchen has released what many consider to be the “holy grail” of emulation on the DS, a homebrew GBA emulator that makes up for the DSi’s loss of a GBA slot — the program works on older DS models, too.

You’ll need an iPlayer to use the application, though, as it requires the flashcart’s unique chip (originally intended for onboard video decoding) to compensate for the DS CPU’s limitations. Ironically, before this development, the iPlayer went ignored by most pirates, as the cart is designed specifically for playing media and running homebrew, and will not load commercial DS ROMs.

The iPlayer is really becoming a nice complement to the DSi (again, it’s compatible with older DS models, too), first by bringing a hassle-free video-playing solution that outclasses Nintendo’s official and Japan-only DSvision, and now by enabling DSi owners to play (preferably legal, archived) GBA games. It’s an expensive investment just for the ability to play Mother 3 and Ninja 5-O on your DSi, though, running for around $42-44.

See also: iPlayer GBA emulator demonstrated

tags / homebrew / gba / emulator / piracy / darkchen / iplayer / ec