libretro/emulators/flycast2021le.yml

emulator: "Flycast 2022 Low-End"
type: libretro
core_classification: enhanced_fork
source: "https://github.com/navy1978/flycast2022-lowend"
upstream: "https://github.com/libretro/parallel-dc"
profiled_date: "2026-10-22"
source_commit: "bf93aece5db7050667075a1107ab380856b44a23"
upstream_commit: "4c293f306bc16a265c2d768af5d0cea138426054"
pin_frozen: "AmberELEC, the only platform that ships it, builds this revision (AmberELEC packages/games/libretro/flycast2021le/package.mk:5). Later commits are not part of that build."
core_version: "0.1"
display_name: "Sega - Dreamcast/Naomi (Flycast 2021 LE)"
cores:
  - "flycast2021le"
built_by: [amberelec]
systems:
  - sega-dreamcast
  - sega-naomi
  - sega-atomiswave

notes: |
  The libretro/flycast tree of 6 April 2022 (4c293f30, the repository now
  answers as libretro/parallel-dc) with 21 commits by navy1978 on top that add
  optional CPU, renderer and audio paths for RK3326/RK3566 handhelds. None of
  them touches the code that opens system files.
  AmberELEC builds this revision, renames the core option prefix from reicast
  to flycast2021le and installs the library as flycast2021le_libretro.so.
  ref: AmberELEC packages/games/libretro/flycast2021le/package.mk:5,19,50

  Every system file lives in <system>/dc/.
  ref: core/libretro/libretro.cpp:2189-2193

  Dreamcast: the boot ROM is looked for as dc_boot.bin, dc_boot.bin.bin,
  dc_bios.bin, dc_bios.bin.bin, the first that yields a full 2 MB read wins.
  The HLE BIOS core option defaults to disabled. When no boot ROM loads, reios
  boots the disc instead. Booting to the BIOS menu, or starting without a disc,
  needs the real boot ROM and fails with -3 without it.
  ref: core/hw/holly/sb_mem.cpp:51-65, core/hw/holly/sb_mem.cpp:215-233,
       core/hw/flashrom/flashrom.h:54-67, core/hw/flashrom/flashrom.h:84-118,
       core/nullDC.cpp:420-431, core/nullDC.cpp:455-463,
       core/libretro/libretro_core_options.h:226-239, core/libretro/libretro.cpp:885-890

  NAOMI and Atomiswave: a BIOS archive is opened as <system>/dc/<name> with .7z
  then .zip appended. Each member is looked for in the game archive, its parent,
  then the BIOS archive, by CRC32 and then by name. The BIOS table carries no
  CRC32, so only the name matches. The member for the configured region is
  tried first, then the first member listed. A game whose table entry names a
  BIOS refuses to start without it, and the others default to naomi. Five archive
  names are reachable from the game table: naomi, awbios, f355bios, f355dlx,
  hod2bios. airlbios and naomigd have table entries but no game names them.
  ref: core/hw/naomi/naomi_cart.cpp:77-180, core/hw/naomi/naomi_cart.cpp:227-247,
       core/archive/archive.cpp:26-42, core/hw/naomi/naomi_roms.h:76-213

  LoadRomFiles also reads naomi_boot.bin, naomi_boot.bin.bin, naomi_bios.bin,
  naomi_bios.bin.bin and epr-21576d.bin for NAOMI, but naomi_cart_LoadRom calls
  naomi_cart_Close, which clears bios_loaded, before the cartridge loads, so
  that file never stands in for naomi.zip.
  ref: core/hw/holly/sb_mem.cpp:59, core/nullDC.cpp:432-435, core/nullDC.cpp:77-81,
       core/hw/naomi/naomi_cart.cpp:427-450, core/hw/naomi/naomi_cart.cpp:473-485

files:
  - name: "dc_boot.bin"
    path: "dc/dc_boot.bin"
    aliases: ["dc_boot.bin.bin", "dc_bios.bin", "dc_bios.bin.bin"]
    system: sega-dreamcast
    required: false
    hle_fallback: true
    min_size: 2097152
    validation: [size]
    description: "Dreamcast boot ROM"
    note: "Read as 2 MB into the system ROM, and a shorter file is rejected. Needed only to boot to the BIOS menu or to start without a disc."
    source_ref: "source core/hw/holly/sb_mem.cpp:51-65, source core/hw/holly/sb_mem.cpp:215-229, source core/hw/flashrom/flashrom.h:54-67, source core/nullDC.cpp:420-431"

  - name: "dc_nvmem.bin"
    path: "dc/dc_nvmem.bin"
    aliases: ["dc_flash_wb.bin", "dc_flash.bin", "dc_flash.bin.bin"]
    system: sega-dreamcast
    required: false
    min_size: 131072
    validation: [size]
    description: "Dreamcast flash ROM"
    note: "Loaded with the boot ROM and by the HLE path. A missing file leaves the flash blank and the core runs. Written back as dc_nvmem.bin."
    source_ref: "source core/hw/holly/sb_mem.cpp:196-213, source core/hw/holly/sb_mem.cpp:231, source core/hw/holly/sb_mem.cpp:236-243, source core/hw/holly/sb_mem.cpp:271-278"

  - name: "font.bin"
    path: "dc/font.bin"
    system: sega-dreamcast
    required: false
    description: "Dreamcast system font for the HLE BIOS"
    note: "Read whole into the font table of the reios ROM image. Absent, a built-in font is copied there."
    source_ref: "source core/reios/reios.cpp:736-755"

  - name: "naomi.zip"
    path: "dc/naomi.zip"
    category: bios_zip
    system: sega-naomi
    required: true
    description: "NAOMI BIOS archive"
    note: "Default BIOS of every NAOMI game whose table entry names none, cartridge, .lst, .bin and .dat images alike. One member is loaded: the one for the configured region, else epr-21576h.ic27."
    source_ref: "source core/hw/naomi/naomi_roms.h:132-189, source core/hw/naomi/naomi_cart.cpp:227-247, source core/hw/naomi/naomi_cart.cpp:473-485"
    contents:
      - name: "epr-21576h.ic27"
        size: 2097152
        description: "Japan"
      - name: "epr-21578h.ic27"
        size: 2097152
        description: "Export"
      - name: "epr-21577h.ic27"
        size: 2097152
        description: "USA"
      - name: "epr-21579d.ic27"
        size: 2097152
        description: "Korea"

  - name: "awbios.zip"
    path: "dc/awbios.zip"
    category: bios_zip
    system: sega-atomiswave
    required: true
    description: "Atomiswave BIOS archive"
    note: "Named by all 34 Atomiswave games. Loaded into the flash chip, whose writable part is then reloaded from the save directory."
    source_ref: "source core/hw/naomi/naomi_roms.h:86-94, source core/hw/naomi/naomi_cart.cpp:89-93, source core/hw/naomi/naomi_cart.cpp:171-173"
    contents:
      - name: "bios0.ic23"
        size: 131072

  - name: "f355bios.zip"
    path: "dc/f355bios.zip"
    category: bios_zip
    system: sega-naomi
    required: true
    description: "Ferrari F355 Challenge BIOS archive"
    note: "Named by three Ferrari F355 Challenge entries, which refuse to start without it."
    source_ref: "source core/hw/naomi/naomi_roms.h:95-103, source core/hw/naomi/naomi_cart.cpp:238-243"
    contents:
      - name: "epr-22851.ic27"
        size: 2097152
        description: "Export"
      - name: "epr-22850.ic27"
        size: 2097152
        description: "USA"
      - name: "epr-22849.ic27"
        size: 2097152
        description: "Japan"

  - name: "f355dlx.zip"
    path: "dc/f355dlx.zip"
    category: bios_zip
    system: sega-naomi
    required: true
    description: "Ferrari F355 Challenge Deluxe BIOS archive"
    note: "Named by the f355 entry, which refuses to start without it."
    source_ref: "source core/hw/naomi/naomi_roms.h:104-119, source core/hw/naomi/naomi_roms.h:1701, source core/hw/naomi/naomi_cart.cpp:238-243"
    contents:
      - name: "epr-21864.ic27"
        size: 2097152
        description: "Export"
      - name: "epr-21863.ic27"
        size: 2097152
        description: "USA"
      - name: "epr-21862.ic27"
        size: 2097152
        description: "Japan"

  - name: "hod2bios.zip"
    path: "dc/hod2bios.zip"
    category: bios_zip
    system: sega-naomi
    required: true
    description: "The House of the Dead 2 BIOS archive"
    note: "Named by four House of the Dead 2 entries, which refuse to start without it."
    source_ref: "source core/hw/naomi/naomi_roms.h:120-131, source core/hw/naomi/naomi_cart.cpp:238-243"
    contents:
      - name: "epr-21331.ic27"
        size: 2097152
        description: "Export"
      - name: "epr-21330.ic27"
        size: 2097152
        description: "USA"
      - name: "epr-21329.ic27"
        size: 2097152
        description: "Japan"