Can You Play Game Boy / Game Boy Advance Games on a Nintendo DSi? No

No. The Nintendo DSi **removed the Game Boy Advance (GBA) cartridge slot** present on the DS Lite and original DS. It cannot physically accept Game Boy, Game Boy Color, or GBA cartridges.

Why?

• Hardware Change: DSi slimmed down; removed the 32-bit ARM7 CPU that handled GBA/GB backward compatibility.
• Software: DSi firmware lacks the BIOS/boot ROMs required to boot GB/GBA software.

Workarounds

1. ScummVM / Emulators via Homebrew: If you have a **homebrew-enabled DSi** (via Memory Pit, Flipnote Lenny, etc.), you can run:
   • GBE+ (Game Boy / Color)
   • mgba (GBA) — performance varies; many games run full speed with frameskip.
   Requires owning original game carts (dump ROMs yourself) for legality.
2. Nintendo 3DS Family (Better Option): 3DS/2DS/New 3DS **natively support DS games** and, with custom firmware (CFW), run **Virtual Console injects** of GB/GBA games perfectly. Also plays 3DS games.
3. Original Hardware: Game Boy Micro, GBA SP (AGS-101 backlit), or DS Lite (plays GBA + DS) are affordable and authentic.

Bottom line: Stock DSi = DS games only. For GB/GBA, use a DS Lite, 3DS with CFW, or original hardware.