Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Configuring Extra Features
There are some extra features on the Broadcom chip that can be used out of the box
or activated using extra licenses that can be purchased.
Many of these features are undocumented and are found by developers or hobbyists
working on various projects for the Pi.
In this chapter, we will learn how to keep the Pi up to date and how to use the extra
features of the GPU.
Updating the Raspberry Pi
The Pi essentially has three software layers: the closed source GPU boot process; the
boot loader, also known as the firmware; and the operating system. As of writing this
topic, we cannot update the GPU code. But maybe one day, Broadcom or hardware
hackers will tell us how to do this.
This leaves us with the firmware and operating system packages. Broadcom
releases regular updates for the firmware as precompiled binaries to the Raspberry Pi
foundation, who then release it to the public. The foundation and other community
members work on Raspbian and release updates via the aptitude repository; this is
where we get all our wonderful applications from.
In this early stage of development, it is essential to keep both the firmware and
packages up to date so that you can benefit from bug fixes and new or improved
functionality from the Broadcom chip.
