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libretro/wiki/measurements.md
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Abdessamad Derraz f78aacac29 fix: hold pack_probe to the repository's checks
run_cli entry point, --platform through platform_arg with -p and the registry's suggestion, help on every option, typed probe_lock, options documented, the module in the testing guide. The platform Tested rows fold under one line, run output joined without semicolons, and the measurements page section fits its start-level budget.
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level, order, group, terms
level order group terms
reference 70 Data measurement, benchmark, tested, core probe, real conditions, method

How emulators are tested

Some pages say what an emulator does with a file. Where we ran it to check, the emulator's page shows a Tested block. Every result is on the Measurements page.

What a test does

  • A script runs the emulator with no window and no sound.
  • It starts a game and runs it for a set time, at least twice.
  • It compares the screens with ones we checked by eye.

Your BIOS folder

We also test the files as you install them, for RetroArch, Batocera and RetroBat, then start a game. The setup's page shows the result under Tested.

What a result says

Result Meaning
works the game reached a screen it shows when it works
BIOS error the emulator said a BIOS is missing or wrong
crash the emulator stopped
hang the screen stayed blank, or the run never ended
unknown none of these could be shown
no verdict an older test that only compared screens
ms per frame a speed test

How a file is proven

The game runs with no BIOS and with the BIOS alone. Then it runs with a wrong file under the BIOS name: zeros, half the file, or another region's BIOS.

  • Required: no BIOS fails, the BIOS alone works.
  • Built-in stand-in: no BIOS still works.
  • Checked: a wrong file is refused.

When tests run

A maintainer starts a test run. A clear result updates the emulator's page. Anything else waits on the Measurements page for someone to read the code.

What a result keeps

Each result names its method, the computer it ran on and the exact build of the emulator. Its inputs are kept by fingerprint. A result holds for that build and those inputs only.

A speed figure depends on the computer and how busy it was. It is never shown without them.

Where results are kept

Each result is a full record in the measurements/ folder of this project. A record is never changed once added. A new run is added beside it, and a correction names the record it replaces.

The results so far ran on these computers: