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The BIOS files emulators need, put in the right folder and checked.
-BIOS and firmware files for AmberELEC, Batocera, BizHawk, EmuDeck, EmuELEC, KNULLI, Lakka, MiSTer FPGA, MinUI, MyMinUI, NextUI, ROCKNIX, Recalbox, RetroArch, RetroBat, RetroDECK, RetroPie, and RomM. +Website · Get the files · A game does not start · Questions
-A pack holds the files its emulators read, as their source code names them, and leaves out what the emulators install themselves. +Some consoles need a small program, the **BIOS**, to start their games: PlayStation 1 and 2, Saturn, Neo Geo, Dreamcast and more. RetroBIOS installs the BIOS and firmware files for AmberELEC, Batocera, BizHawk, EmuDeck, EmuELEC, KNULLI, Lakka, MiSTer FPGA, MinUI, MyMinUI, NextUI, ROCKNIX, Recalbox, RetroArch, RetroBat, RetroDECK, RetroPie, and RomM, checked the way each one checks them. -## Quick install +## Install in one line -Copy one command into your terminal: +**Windows**: open the Start menu, type **PowerShell** and open it. Paste this line (right-click in the window) and press Enter. + +```powershell +irm https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/i.ps1 | iex +``` + +**Linux, macOS, Steam Deck, Android (Termux)**: open a terminal, paste this line and press Enter. ```bash -# Linux / macOS / Steam Deck curl -fsSL https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/i | sh - -# Windows (PowerShell) -irm https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/i.ps1 | iex - -# Android (Termux: it installs Python and asks for storage access) -curl -fsSL https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/i | sh - -# SD card mounted on a PC: a muOS, KNULLI, ROCKNIX, Lakka, MiSTer, Onion, spruceOS or MinUI card -# is found by itself. For another card, --dest is its BIOS folder -# (RetroArch on Switch: retroarch/cores/system, on Android: RetroArch/system) -curl -fsSL https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/i | sh -s -- --platform retroarch --dest /path/to/sdcard/retroarch/cores/system - -# Options in PowerShell: anything after | iex goes to iex, so the script runs as a block -&([scriptblock]::Create((irm https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/i.ps1))) --check ``` +**A handheld, an SD card, or not sure?** [Pick the device](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/which-pack/): its page gives the folder and the command. A muOS, Onion, spruceOS, MinUI, KNULLI, ROCKNIX, Lakka or MiSTer SD card plugged into the computer is found by itself. +  -The script opens a full-screen installer, driven with the arrow keys and Enter, or with a controller on a handheld. It finds your setup and its BIOS folder, downloads only the missing files and checks each one. It can also copy the BIOS files from your old SD card. -Every option, and what the installer detects and writes, is on the [installer page](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/wiki/installer/#passing-options). +The installer finds the setup and its BIOS folder, installs the files it needs (only what the games need when it finds them on the card) and checks each one. Its screen installs everything, or fewer under **Choose systems**. Arrow keys and Enter drive it, or a controller on a handheld. It sends nothing back ([what is counted](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/wiki/privacy/)). Options go after the line in the form the [installer page](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/wiki/installer/#passing-options) gives. -First time? Follow the [first install, step by step](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/wiki/first-install/). A game does not start: [what to check](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/wiki/troubleshooting/). Other questions: the [FAQ](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/wiki/faq/). +First time? [The first install, step by step](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/wiki/first-install/). A game does not start: [what to check](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/wiki/troubleshooting/). Other questions: [FAQ](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/wiki/faq/). -## Download BIOS packs +## Or download a ZIP -A pack holds its platform's own BIOS list plus the files its emulator cores load. What no pack carries yet is in the [gap analysis](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/gaps/). Pick your platform, download the ZIP, extract to the BIOS path. Each Download link is a page that keeps its address from one release to the next. The installer above does the same file by file: its screen installs everything, or fewer under **Choose systems**, and `--system`, `--core`, `--region` and `--target` make the same choice without questions. For a bare minimum, build your own pack below. +The Files column counts what a pack holds once unzipped. -A pack over 2 GB comes in several parts (`Pack.part1of2.zip`, `Pack.part2of2.zip`), and every part is needed. Each part is an ordinary ZIP: extract them all into the same folder. - -Every release ships `SHA256SUMS.txt` and a detached signature of it, checkable against `allowed_signers` in this repository: [verifying a release](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/wiki/release-process/#verifying-a-release). - -The Files column counts what a pack holds once extracted, the figure a file manager shows for the folder. It differs from one platform to the next because a pack carries only what that platform's emulators load. The size is what the files occupy once extracted, and the ZIP itself downloads smaller. - -| Platform | Files | Extracted size | Extract to | Download | -|----------|------:|---------------:|-----------|----------| -| AmberELEC | - | - | `/storage/roms/` | [Use the command](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/get/amberelec/) | +| Setup | Files | Size | Unzip into | Download | +|-------|------:|-----:|------------|----------| | Batocera | 12,810 | 7.5 GB | `/userdata/bios/` | [Download](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/get/batocera/) | -| BizHawk | - | - | `Firmware/` | [Use the command](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/get/bizhawk/) | | EmuDeck | 620 | 3.2 GB | `~/Emulation/bios/` | [Download](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/get/emudeck/) | -| EmuELEC | - | - | `/storage/roms/` | [Use the command](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/get/emuelec/) | -| KNULLI | - | - | `/userdata/bios/` | [Use the command](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/get/knulli/) | -| Lakka | - | - | `/storage/system/` | [Use the command](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/get/lakka/) | | MiSTer FPGA | 83 | 29 MB | `/media/fat/games/` | [Download](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/get/misterfpga/) | -| MinUI | - | - | `',
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The BIOS files emulators need, put in the right folder and checked.
', + "", + '' + f'Website · ' + f'Get the files · ' + f'A game does not start · ' + f'Questions' "
", "", - f"BIOS and firmware files for {_names_list(coverages)}.", + "Some consoles need a small program, the **BIOS**, to start their games: PlayStation 1" + " and 2, Saturn, Neo Geo, Dreamcast and more. RetroBIOS installs the BIOS and firmware" + f" files for {_names_list(coverages)}, checked the way each one checks them.", "", - "A pack holds the files its emulators read, as their source code names" - " them, and leaves out what the emulators install themselves.", + "## Install in one line", "", - "## Quick install", + "**Windows**: open the Start menu, type **PowerShell** and open it. Paste this line" + " (right-click in the window) and press Enter.", "", - "Copy one command into your terminal:", + "```powershell", + install_command("powershell"), + "```", + "", + "**Linux, macOS, Steam Deck, Android (Termux)**: open a terminal, paste this line" + " and press Enter.", "", "```bash", - "# Linux / macOS / Steam Deck", install_command("sh"), - "", - "# Windows (PowerShell)", - install_command("powershell"), - "", - "# Android (Termux: it installs Python and asks for storage access)", - install_command("sh"), - "", - "# SD card mounted on a PC: a muOS, KNULLI, ROCKNIX, Lakka, MiSTer, Onion, spruceOS or MinUI card", - "# is found by itself. For another card, --dest is its BIOS folder", - "# (RetroArch on Switch: retroarch/cores/system, on Android: RetroArch/system)", - install_command("sh", "--platform retroarch --dest /path/to/sdcard/retroarch/cores/system"), - "", - "# Options in PowerShell: anything after | iex goes to iex, so the script runs as a block", - install_command("powershell", "--check"), "```", "", + f"**A handheld, an SD card, or not sure?** [Pick the device]({SITE_URL}which-pack/):" + " its page gives the folder and the command. A muOS, Onion, spruceOS, MinUI, KNULLI," + " ROCKNIX, Lakka or MiSTer SD card plugged into the computer is found by itself.", + "", f"", "", - "The script opens a full-screen installer, driven with the arrow keys and Enter, or with a" - " controller on a handheld. It finds your setup and its BIOS folder, downloads only the missing" - " files and checks each one. It can also copy the BIOS files from your old SD card.", - f"Every option, and what the installer detects and writes, is on the [installer page]({SITE_URL}wiki/installer/#passing-options).", + "The installer finds the setup and its BIOS folder, installs the files it needs (only" + " what the games need when it finds them on the card) and checks each one. Its screen" + " installs everything, or fewer under **" + _installer_words().TUI_SYSTEMS_ROW + "**." + " Arrow keys and Enter drive it, or a controller on a handheld. It sends nothing back" + f" ([what is counted]({SITE_URL}wiki/privacy/)). Options go after the line in the" + f" form the [installer page]({SITE_URL}wiki/installer/#passing-options) gives.", "", - f"First time? Follow the [first install, step by step]({SITE_URL}wiki/first-install/)." + f"First time? [The first install, step by step]({SITE_URL}wiki/first-install/)." f" A game does not start: [what to check]({SITE_URL}wiki/troubleshooting/)." - f" Other questions: the [FAQ]({SITE_URL}wiki/faq/).", + f" Other questions: [FAQ]({SITE_URL}wiki/faq/).", "", - "## Download BIOS packs", + "## Or download a ZIP", "", - f"A pack holds its platform's own BIOS list plus the files its emulator cores load. What no pack carries yet is in the [gap analysis]({SITE_URL}gaps/). Pick your platform, download the ZIP, extract to the BIOS path. Each Download link is a page that keeps its address from one release to the next. The installer above does the same file by file: its screen installs everything, or fewer under **" + _installer_words().TUI_SYSTEMS_ROW + "**, and `--system`, `--core`, `--region` and `--target` make the same choice without questions. For a bare minimum, build your own pack below.", - "", - "A pack over 2 GB comes in several parts (`Pack.part1of2.zip`," - " `Pack.part2of2.zip`), and every part is needed. Each part is an" - " ordinary ZIP: extract them all into the same folder.", - "", - "Every release ships `SHA256SUMS.txt` and a detached signature of it," - " checkable against `allowed_signers` in this repository:" - " [verifying a release]" - "(https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/wiki/release-process/" - "#verifying-a-release).", - "", - "The Files column counts what a pack holds once extracted, the figure a" - " file manager shows for the folder. It differs from one platform to" - " the next because a pack carries only what that platform's emulators" - " load. The size is what the files occupy once extracted, and the ZIP" - " itself downloads smaller.", + "The Files column counts what a pack holds once unzipped.", "", + "| Setup | Files | Size | Unzip into | Download |", + "|-------|------:|-----:|------------|----------|", ] - - # Where the pack itself is extracted, which is not always the BIOS folder: - # a pack whose entries already carry their own root (RetroDECK) extracts - # one level above it. - extract_paths = _extract_cells(platforms_dir) - - lines.extend( - download_table( - coverages, extract_paths, - release_record.load_advertised(platforms_dir=platforms_dir), - ) - ) - lines.extend(["", no_pack_line()]) - - lines.extend(_paragraphs(extract_notes(platforms_dir, released_only=True))) - - lines.extend( - [ - "", - "## What's included", - "", - "BIOS, firmware, and system files for consoles from Atari to PlayStation 3.", - "These are the files an emulator loads from disk instead of" - " carrying inside itself. Some are required to boot a system," - " others improve accuracy or unlock a feature, and the packs carry" - " both.", - "", - "Each file is checked the way your platform checks it. Most compare" - " a checksum, the fingerprint of a file's contents, which catches a" - " corrupt or unexpected copy. RetroArch, Lakka and RetroPie check" - " that the file is present under its name without reading its" - " contents (`path_is_valid` in RetroArch's `core_info.c`), and" - " MinUI, NextUI and MyMinUI hand each core its folder without" - " opening a file in it: the" - " Coverage table says which applies to you. Independently of that," - " the collection records five fingerprints per file, and wherever" - " an emulator's code states an expected size or hash, that value is" - " read from its source and rechecked here.", - "", - ( - f"- **{acquirable_total:,} files** the platforms' emulators load" - f" are still to be found, and {unsourceable_total:,} more the" - f" collection does not hold and does not serve by name (retail" - f" data, per-user keys, user-filled slots), each with its reason." - f" Both are named in the" - f" [gap analysis]({SITE_URL}gaps/)" - if missing_total - else "- **Nothing missing**: every file the platforms'" - " emulators load is in the collection" - ), - f"- **{len(coverages)} platforms** supported with platform-specific verification", - f"- **{emulator_count} emulators** profiled from source (RetroArch cores + standalone)", - f"- **{len(system_ids)} systems** handled by those emulators (NES, SNES, PlayStation, Saturn, Dreamcast, ...)", - collection_line(total_files, comp), - *_catalog_matched_line(db), - f"- **{format_size(total_size)}** for the whole collection", - "", - "## Supported systems", - "", - ] - ) - - # Show well-known systems for SEO, link to full list - well_known = [ - "NES", - "SNES", - "Nintendo 64", - "GameCube", - "Wii", - "Game Boy", - "Game Boy Advance", - "Nintendo DS", - "Nintendo 3DS", - "Switch", - "PlayStation", - "PlayStation 2", - "PlayStation 3", - "PSP", - "PS Vita", - "Mega Drive", - "Saturn", - "Dreamcast", - "Game Gear", - "Master System", - "Neo Geo", - "Atari 2600", - "Atari 7800", - "Atari Lynx", - "Atari ST", - "MSX", - "PC Engine", - "TurboGrafx-16", - "ColecoVision", - "Intellivision", - "Commodore 64", - "Amiga", - "ZX Spectrum", - "Arcade (MAME)", - ] - lines.extend( - [ - ", ".join(well_known) + f", and {len(system_ids) - len(well_known)}+ more.", - "", - f"Full list with per-file details: **[{SITE_URL}]({SITE_URL})**", - "", - "## Coverage", - "", - "| Platform | On its BIOS list | Files its emulators load | Checked by |", - "|----------|-----------------:|-------------------------:|------------|", - ] - ) - - for name, cov in sorted(coverages.items(), key=lambda x: x[1]["platform"]): - display = cov["platform"] - checked = check_label(cov["mode"], cov["config"].get("hash_rule")) - core_total = ( - cov["core_present"] + cov["core_missing"] + cov["core_unsourceable"] - ) - core_cell = f"{cov['core_present']:,}/{core_total:,}" if core_total else "-" + for name in released: + files, size = release_totals(name, record) + display = coverages[name]["platform"] lines.append( - f"| {display} | {cov['present']:,}/{cov['total']:,} |" - f" {core_cell} | {checked} |" + f"| {display} | {files:,} | {format_size(size) if size else '-'} |" + f" {extract_paths.get(display, '')} |" + f" {download_links(name, record, 'Download', site=SITE_URL)} |" ) - - lines.extend( - [ - "", - "Each fraction is what the pack has over what is needed, counting" - " required and optional files alike since both ship. The first" - " column is the BIOS list the platform publishes. The second counts" - " files its emulators load that this list never mentions, found by" - " reading their source code, and it is routinely several times" - " larger. A short fraction means files are still missing, and they" - " are named in the" - f" [gap analysis]({SITE_URL}gaps/).", - "That second number is a floor, not a ceiling: an emulator that" - " accepts any file handed to it names none in its code, so nothing" - " there can be counted.", - "Checked by is the test your platform runs on its own, replicated" - " here from its source code, so the result matches what you would" - f" see in the frontend ([how each one works]({SITE_URL}wiki/verification-modes/)).", - "", - "## Build your own pack", - "", - clone_line(db), - "", - "```bash", - "# The pack of a platform, as released", - "python scripts/generate_pack.py --platform retroarch --output-dir dist/", - "python scripts/generate_pack.py --platform batocera --output-dir dist/", - "", - "# Single emulator or system", - "python scripts/generate_pack.py --emulator dolphin", - "python scripts/generate_pack.py --system sony-playstation-2", - "", - "# One region, best first, one file per system and region", - "python scripts/generate_pack.py --platform retroarch --region us,eu,jp", - "python scripts/generate_pack.py --platform retroarch --region us --one-per-slot", - "", - "# Firmware only: the game data a list or a core names is left out, each file named", - "python scripts/generate_pack.py --platform emuelec --no-game-data", - "", - "# The bare minimum: only the files each core needs to start", - "python scripts/generate_pack.py --platform batocera --required-only", - "", - "# List available emulators and systems", - "python scripts/generate_pack.py --list-emulators", - "python scripts/generate_pack.py --list-systems", - "", - "# Coverage of this repository's collection per platform, emulator or system", - "# (it reads database.json and bios/: for your own BIOS folder, run the installer with --check)", - "python scripts/verify.py --all", - "python scripts/verify.py --platform batocera", - "python scripts/verify.py --emulator flycast", - "python scripts/verify.py --platform retroarch --verbose # emulator ground truth", - "```", - "", - "Requires Python 3.9 or newer and `pyyaml`. The one-line installer alone runs on Python 3.8.", - "", - "## Documentation site", - "", - f"The [documentation site]({SITE_URL}) provides:", - "", - "- **Per-platform pages** with file-by-file verification status and hashes", - "- **Per-emulator profiles** with source code references for every file", - "- **Per-system pages** showing which emulators and platforms cover each console", - "- **Gap analysis** identifying missing files and undeclared core requirements", - f"- **Cross-reference** mapping files across {len(coverages)} platforms and {emulator_count} emulators", - "- **Versioned data access** through JSON, CSV and SQLite exports with published SHA-256 checksums", - "", - "## How it works", - "", - "A platform's BIOS list and an emulator's code are maintained" - " separately. Each list is compared with the emulator source code," - " file by file where a profile exists, and where the two differ the" - " code decides.", - "", - "Hashes document what emulator code loads and accepts, not dump" - " provenance. That boundary, and how it relates to preservation" - " catalogs such as No-Intro, is drawn in the" - f" [technical questions]({SITE_URL}wiki/technical-faq/" - "#are-these-files-verified-against-original-hardware-dumps).", - "", - "1. **Read emulator source code**: trace every file the code loads, its expected hash and size", - "2. **Cross-reference with platforms**: match against what each platform declares", - "3. **Build packs**: include baseline files plus what each platform's cores need", - "4. **Verify**: run platform-native checks and emulator-level validation", - "", - ] - ) + others = [name for name in sorted(coverages, key=lambda n: coverages[n]["platform"]) + if name not in released] + lines.extend([ + "", + "ZIPs are made for the setups most people download. The others install with the line" + " above, and each page gives the command: " + + ", ".join(f"[{coverages[name]['platform']}]({SITE_URL}get/{name}/)" for name in others) + + ".", + "", + "Unzip into the BIOS folder, files straight in it. A big pack comes in parts" + " (`Pack.part1of2.zip`): download every part" + f" ([why some setups have no ZIP]({SITE_URL}wiki/faq/#why-is-there-no-zip-for-my-setup))." + " Each release lists its files' SHA-256 with a signature" + f" ([verifying a release]({SITE_URL}wiki/release-process/#verifying-a-release)).", + "", + "## Help", + "", + f"- \"BIOS missing\" or a game does not start: [what to check]({SITE_URL}wiki/troubleshooting/)", + f"- Have a file? [Check it by its hash]({SITE_URL}files/)", + f"- Every console and the files it needs: [systems]({SITE_URL}systems/)", + f"- Asking an AI assistant: it reads the site best from [llms.txt]({SITE_URL}llms.txt)", + "", + "## What makes it different", + "", + f"- **{emulator_count} emulators profiled from their source code**: each file an emulator" + " loads, its hash and the line of code that reads it", + f"- **{len(coverages)} setups**, each checked its own way: MD5 for Batocera and Recalbox," + " the file name for RetroArch, as their own code does", + f"- **{len(system_ids)} systems**, {total_files:,} files in the collection," + f" [what is still missing]({SITE_URL}gaps/) named file by file", + f"- Public data: [JSON, CSV and SQLite]({SITE_URL}data/), MIT licensed", + "", + "