VBA-Next - RetroBIOS¶
| Type | libretro |
| Classification | frozen_snapshot |
| Source | https://github.com/libretro/vba-next |
| Upstream | https://github.com/visualboyadvance-m/visualboyadvance-m |
| Version | SVN |
| Profiled | 2026-03-25 |
| Cores | vba_next |
| Systems | nintendo-gba |
Technical notes
Frozen snapshot of VBA-M circa 2011, optimized for libretro by Squarepusher.
Built-in HLE BIOS (myROM array, src/gba.cpp:8423) handles all standard SWI calls. No external BIOS file needed for most games.
BIOS loading gated by HAVE_HLE_BIOS (build/Makefile.common:3) and core option vbanext_bios (default: enabled). When enabled, retro_init resolves gba_bios.bin in system_dir (libretro/libretro.cpp:198-202). CPUInit loads via utilLoad(), validates size == 0x4000, sets useBios = true (src/gba.cpp:12430-12438). On failure, myROM is memcpy'd as HLE fallback (src/gba.cpp:12443).
With real BIOS, execution starts at 0x00000000 (BIOS entry point). Without, jumps to 0x08000000 (ROM entry), skipping boot animation (src/gba.cpp:12657-12675).
CPUIsGBABios accepts extensions: .gba, .agb, .bin, .bios, .rom (src/gba.cpp:8851-8873).
Upstream VBA-M CPUInit (src/core/gba/gba.cpp:3674-3702) is functionally identical. No divergences in BIOS handling.
1 files | 0 required, 1 optional | 1 in repo, 0 missing | 1 with HLE fallback
gba_bios.bin -optional, HLE available
: GBA BIOS
- System: nintendo-gba
- Size: 16.0 KB
- Validation: size
- Source:
libretro/libretro.cpp:198-202, src/gba.cpp:12430-12438 - Platforms: batocera, lakka, recalbox, retroarch, retrobat, retrodeck, retropie
- Optional. HLE replacement handles all standard SWI calls. Real BIOS adds startup logo and may improve edge-case accuracy.
Generated on 2026-03-25T14:56:43Z