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libretro/wiki/measurements.md
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Abdessamad Derraz 3f93da6394 docs: show boot verdicts on the measurement pages
The Tested blocks and the explorer show each variant's verdict. A frame comparison from before the oracle shows no verdict. The SQLite variants table gains verdict columns. The method page says what each verdict means and how a file is proven.
2026-10-27 15:52:29 +01:00

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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.
  • Each run starts fresh and runs at least twice.
  • Each run gets one result, by comparing its screens with ones we checked by eye.

What a result says

  • boots: 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.
  • measured: a speed test, given as time per frame.
  • no verdict: an older test that only compared screens.

How a file is proven

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

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

When tests run

A maintainer starts a test run. A clear result updates the emulator's page and names the test as proof. 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: