emulator: Ardens
type: libretro
core_classification: official_port
source: "https://github.com/tiberiusbrown/ardens"
upstream: "https://github.com/tiberiusbrown/ardens"
profiled_date: "2026-03-23"
source_commit: "e811cc6be72c8a802bd3265a84daf4165c177b93"
core_version: "v0.25.12"
version_basis:
  kind: tag
  tag: "v0.25.12"
  distance: 0
display_name: "Arduboy (Ardens)"
cores:
  - ardens
systems:
  - arduboy

notes: |
  Arduboy FX simulator (ATmega32U4 + SSD1306 + W25Q128). All boot code
  embedded as C arrays: Caterina/Arduboy3K bootloaders for D1/D2/E2
  hardware revisions and flashcart header. EEPROM and flash state handled
  via RETRO_MEMORY_SAVE_RAM. The libretro port never accesses the system
  directory. firmware_count = 0.

files: []

platform_details:
  embedded_bootloaders:
    source_ref: "src/boot/_make.bat, src/absim_arduboy.cpp:127-181"
    variants:
      - name: "arduboy3k-bootloader-game-sda"
        array: "ARDENS_BOOT_GAME_D1"
        size: 8422
        device: "Arduboy FX (SDA)"
      - name: "arduboy3k-bootloader-menu-sda"
        array: "ARDENS_BOOT_MENU_D1"
        size: 8422
        device: "Arduboy FX (SDA)"
      - name: "arduboy3k-bootloader-game-devkit"
        array: "ARDENS_BOOT_GAME_D2"
        size: 8446
        device: "Arduboy FX DevKit"
      - name: "arduboy3k-bootloader-menu-devkit"
        array: "ARDENS_BOOT_MENU_D2"
        size: 8446
        device: "Arduboy FX DevKit"
      - name: "arduboymini-bootloader-game"
        array: "ARDENS_BOOT_GAME_E2"
        size: 8548
        device: "Arduboy Mini"
      - name: "arduboymini-bootloader-menu"
        array: "ARDENS_BOOT_MENU_E2"
        size: 8548
        device: "Arduboy Mini"
    note: |
      All bootloaders are compiled from Intel HEX into C arrays at build
      time. The core selects the game or menu variant at reset depending
      on whether a flashcart image was loaded and the boot_to_menu config
      flag (src/absim_arduboy.cpp:151-181). The bootloader is written to the
      top of the ATmega32U4 program memory at the address defined by the
      BOOTSZ fuse bits (src/absim.hpp:811).

  embedded_flashcart_header:
    source_ref: "src/boot/boot_flashcart.c, src/absim_w25q128.hpp:14"
    array: "ARDENS_BOOT_FLASHCART"
    size: 1536
    note: |
      Empty flashcart header written to the first 1536 bytes of the
      W25Q128 flash image during initialization. It is the default flash
      content the Arduboy FX expects at the start of external storage,
      not a BIOS file.