docs: rewrite readme for clarity and discoverability

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Abdessamad Derraz
2026-03-25 17:17:38 +01:00
parent 82ed2c5e62
commit c61d40d8ef
2 changed files with 117 additions and 49 deletions

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# RetroBIOS
Source-verified BIOS and firmware packs for retrogaming platforms.
Complete BIOS and firmware packs for RetroArch, Batocera, Recalbox, Lakka, RetroPie, EmuDeck, RetroBat, and RetroDECK.
Documentation and metadata can drift from what emulators actually load at runtime.
To keep packs accurate, each file here is checked against the emulator's source code:
what the code opens, what hashes it expects, what happens when a file is missing.
306 emulators profiled, 8 platforms cross-referenced,
6,733 files verified.
**6,733** verified files across **294** systems, ready to extract into your emulator's BIOS directory.
### How it works
## Download BIOS packs
1. **Read emulator source code** - identify every file the code loads, its expected hash and size
2. **Cross-reference with platforms** - match against what RetroArch, Batocera, Recalbox and others declare
3. **Build packs** - for each platform, include its baseline files plus what its cores need
4. **Verify** - run each platform's native checks (MD5, existence) and emulator-level validation (CRC32, size)
Pick your platform, download the ZIP, extract to the BIOS path.
When a platform and an emulator disagree on a file, the discrepancy is reported.
When a variant in the repo satisfies both, it is preferred automatically.
| Platform | BIOS files | Extract to | Download |
|----------|-----------|-----------|----------|
| Batocera | 359 | `/userdata/bios/` | [Download](../../releases/latest) |
| EmuDeck | 161 | `Emulation/bios/` | [Download](../../releases/latest) |
| Lakka | 448 | `system/` | [Download](../../releases/latest) |
| Recalbox | 346 | `/recalbox/share/bios/` | [Download](../../releases/latest) |
| RetroArch | 448 | `system/` | [Download](../../releases/latest) |
| RetroBat | 331 | `bios/` | [Download](../../releases/latest) |
| RetroDECK | 2007 | `~/retrodeck/bios/` | [Download](../../releases/latest) |
| RetroPie | 448 | `BIOS/` | [Download](../../releases/latest) |
> **6,733** files | **5043.6 MB** | **8** platforms | **306** emulator profiles
## What's included
## Download
BIOS, firmware, and system files for consoles from Atari to PlayStation 3.
Each file is checked against the emulator's source code to match what the code actually loads at runtime.
| Platform | Files | Verification | Pack |
|----------|-------|-------------|------|
| Batocera | 359 | md5 | [Download](../../releases/latest) |
| EmuDeck | 161 | md5 | [Download](../../releases/latest) |
| Lakka | 448 | existence | [Download](../../releases/latest) |
| Recalbox | 346 | md5 | [Download](../../releases/latest) |
| RetroArch | 448 | existence | [Download](../../releases/latest) |
| RetroBat | 331 | md5 | [Download](../../releases/latest) |
| RetroDECK | 2007 | md5 | [Download](../../releases/latest) |
| RetroPie | 448 | existence | [Download](../../releases/latest) |
- **8 platforms** supported with platform-specific verification
- **306 emulators** profiled from source (RetroArch cores + standalone)
- **294 systems** covered (NES, SNES, PlayStation, Saturn, Dreamcast, ...)
- **6,733 files** verified with MD5, SHA1, CRC32 checksums
- **5044 MB** total collection size
## Supported systems
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), and 260+ more.
Full list with per-file details: **[https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/)**
## Coverage
@@ -46,9 +49,19 @@ When a variant in the repo satisfies both, it is preferred automatically.
| RetroDECK | 2007/2007 (100.0%) | 2001 | 6 | 0 |
| RetroPie | 448/448 (100.0%) | 440 | 8 | 0 |
## How it works
Documentation and metadata can drift from what emulators actually load.
To keep packs accurate, each file is checked against the emulator's source code.
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
## Documentation
Full file listings, platform coverage, emulator profiles, and gap analysis: **[https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/)**
Per-file hashes, emulator profiles, gap analysis, cross-reference: **[https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/](https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/)**
## Contributors
@@ -63,4 +76,4 @@ See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for guidelines.
This repository provides BIOS files for personal backup and archival purposes.
*Auto-generated on 2026-03-25T15:42:07Z*
*Auto-generated on 2026-03-25T16:17:06Z*