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"
core_version: "Git"
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:115-161"
    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 (absim_arduboy.cpp:142-158). The bootloader is written to the
      top of the ATmega32U4 program memory at the address defined by the
      BOOTSZ fuse bits (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. This is not a BIOS
      file -- it is the default flash content the Arduboy FX expects
      at the start of external storage.