emulator: "NanoBoyAdvance"
type: standalone
core_classification: other
source: "https://github.com/nba-emu/NanoBoyAdvance"
profiled_date: "2026-10-17"
source_commit: "3bb6f478f977dbfd3106508536e5fbce90d1898b"
pin_frozen: "ROCKNIX 20261001 builds this revision of the SDL2 frontend (v1.6 plus four commits). Later upstream work is not part of that build."
core_version: "1.6"
display_name: "Nintendo - Game Boy Advance (NanoBoyAdvance)"
cores:
  - "nanoboyadvance"
  - "nanoboyadvance-sa"
systems:
  - nintendo-gba

notes: |
  Game Boy Advance emulator. ROCKNIX builds the SDL2 frontend only
  (PLATFORM_SDL2=ON, PLATFORM_QT=OFF).

  The SDL2 frontend changes the working directory to the executable's
  directory, then reads config.toml there. The BIOS path is the general.bios_path
  key of that file, default "bios.bin", overridden by --bios on the command line.
  ref: src/platform/sdl/main.cpp:288-293, src/platform/core/src/config.cpp:36,
       src/platform/core/include/platform/config.hpp:17, src/platform/sdl/main.cpp:98-102

  The BIOS is required. BIOSLoader refuses a missing path, a directory, and any
  size other than 16 KB; the frontend prints the reason and exits. There is no
  built-in replacement. bios_skip only jumps past the boot screen after the BIOS
  is loaded.
  ref: src/platform/core/src/loader/bios.cpp:17-48, src/platform/sdl/main.cpp:177-192,
       src/nba/src/core.cpp:42-44

  ROCKNIX patches config.toml and keymap.toml to /storage/.config/nanoboyadvance/
  and its config.toml sets bios_path = /storage/roms/bios/gba_bios.bin.

files:
  - name: "bios.bin"
    path: "bios.bin"
    aliases: ["gba_bios.bin"]
    system: nintendo-gba
    required: true
    size: 16384
    validation: [size]
    config_key: "general.bios_path"
    description: "Game Boy Advance BIOS"
    note: "Any file name through general.bios_path or --bios; bios.bin beside the executable when neither is set. ROCKNIX points the key at gba_bios.bin in its BIOS directory."
    source_ref: "src/platform/core/src/loader/bios.cpp:17-48, src/platform/core/src/config.cpp:36, src/platform/sdl/main.cpp:177-192"