emulator: Boytacean
type: standalone + libretro
source: "https://github.com/joamag/boytacean"
upstream: "https://github.com/joamag/boytacean"
profiled_date: "2026-03-18"
core_version: "0.10.13"
display_name: "Nintendo - Game Boy / Color (Boytacean)"
cores:
  - boytacean
systems:
  - nintendo-gb
  - nintendo-gbc

notes: |
  Boytacean is a Game Boy / Game Boy Color emulator written in Rust.

  Libretro: boot ROMs compiled into binary as static byte arrays in
  src/data.rs. load_boot_static() copies from arrays. No filesystem
  access, no RETRO_ENVIRONMENT_GET_SYSTEM_DIRECTORY. No external files.
  ref: frontends/libretro/src/core.rs:402 instance.load(true)

  Standalone (SDL): loads boot ROMs from ./res/boot/*.bin via
  load_boot_path() at gb.rs:1363-1368. 8 boot ROM files shipped in repo.
  ref: frontends/sdl/src/main.rs, src/gb.rs:1341

  Boot ROM defaults:
  - DMG: BootRom::DmgBootix (gb.rs:1352) - open-source, 256 bytes
  - CGB: BootRom::CgbBoytacean (gb.rs:1355) - open-source, 2304 bytes

files:
  # Standalone mode loads from res/boot/ — libretro embeds all as arrays
  - name: dmg_boot.bin
    system: nintendo-gb
    required: false
    hle_fallback: true
    mode: standalone
    size: 256
    note: "Original Nintendo DMG boot ROM"
    source_ref: "gb.rs:1363, data.rs:14 (embedded as DMG_BOOT)"

  - name: sgb_boot.bin
    system: nintendo-gb
    required: false
    hle_fallback: true
    mode: standalone
    size: 256
    note: "Super Game Boy boot ROM"
    source_ref: "gb.rs:1364, data.rs:29 (embedded as SGB_BOOT)"

  - name: dmg_bootix.bin
    system: nintendo-gb
    required: false
    hle_fallback: true
    mode: standalone
    size: 256
    note: "Open-source DMG boot ROM from Bootix (default)"
    source_ref: "gb.rs:1365, data.rs:44 (embedded as DMG_BOOTIX)"

  - name: mgb_bootix.bin
    system: nintendo-gb
    required: false
    hle_fallback: true
    mode: standalone
    size: 256
    note: "Open-source MGB (Pocket) boot ROM from Bootix"
    source_ref: "gb.rs:1366, data.rs:59 (embedded as MGB_BOOTIX)"

  - name: cgb_boot.bin
    system: nintendo-gbc
    required: false
    hle_fallback: true
    mode: standalone
    size: 2304
    note: "Original Nintendo CGB boot ROM"
    source_ref: "gb.rs:1367, data.rs:74 (embedded as CGB_BOOT)"

  - name: cgb_boytacean.bin
    system: nintendo-gbc
    required: false
    hle_fallback: true
    mode: standalone
    size: 2304
    note: "Custom open-source CGB boot ROM (default)"
    source_ref: "gb.rs:1368, data.rs:177 (embedded as CGB_BOYTACEAN)"

  - name: dmg_pyboy.bin
    system: nintendo-gb
    required: false
    hle_fallback: true
    mode: standalone
    note: "PyBoy DMG boot ROM variant (in res/boot/, not embedded in data.rs)"
    source_ref: "res/boot/dmg_pyboy.bin"

  - name: cgb_pyboy.bin
    system: nintendo-gbc
    required: false
    hle_fallback: true
    mode: standalone
    note: "PyBoy CGB boot ROM variant (in res/boot/, not embedded in data.rs)"
    source_ref: "res/boot/cgb_pyboy.bin"