Is there a Game Boy & Color core(s) that support the BIOS boot?

Libretro Cores
#1

Hey everyone,

I’ve got VBA Next booting GBA with that beautiful bios screen… but I can’t seem to get it to work on any of the cores for Game Boy and Game Boy Color.

Are there any cores that support this feature, and if so, what should I be naming the 2 BIOS files?

#2

mGBA was updated today, but trying to load a GB ROM with it crashes back to the menu, so it seems GB support isn’t working in that core yet. I see a recent commit that says: “GB: Add another BIOS revision”, so maybe when GB support in that core is working you’ll be able to add a BIOS like you can already for GBA.

#3

I was able to launch a GBC ROM with the updated mgba core but it didn’t show any BIOS animation. Dunno if I had it named correctly or whatever, though.

#4

Hmm, I can’t get a GBC game to load at all. Does GB/C emulation in mGBA require a BIOS? If it does I don’t know what to name it. Here’s my log when I try to load a GBC game.

Edit: Updated my core again and now they work. Still dunno about BIOS support.

#5

I know this is an older topic, but I never solved this and this new forum lets me see all my topics way easier lol.

So I got my hands on the mGBA core and tried booting all 3 types with the 3 bios files in the system folder.

GB_Bios.bin GBC_Bios.bin GBA_Bios.bin

GBA gives the boot screen, but as we mentioned the others do not.

Now, I took a look through a google search on github and found these entries:

  •   	case GB_MODEL_SGB: // TODO

  •   		strncat(path, PATH_SEP "gb_bios.bin", PATH_MAX - strlen(path));

  •   		break;

  •   	case GB_MODEL_CGB:

  •   	case GB_MODEL_AGB:

  •   		strncat(path, PATH_SEP "gbc_bios.bin", PATH_MAX - strlen(path));

  •   		break;

I’m completely inexperienced with this, but it seems like the core is indeed searching for those exact bios files.

perhaps there’s a way we could alter it in order to force it to play the bios file before game boot just as it does with the gba_bios.bin?

Sorry if I seem pesky about these bios features lol I know most people don’t care… If I knew how to learn how to add this stuff to cores, I’d be very interested lol.

#6

Nice find! I cross my fingers and hope this gets implemented properly because I’m all in for authenticity.

The only emulator/s right now that uses the GB and GBC BIOS correctly is bgb and VBA-M, but bgb for certain.

#7

“The only emulator/s right now that uses the GB and GBC BIOS correctly is bgb and VBA-M, but bgb for certain.”

This is actually news to me. I’m gonna go try these 2 cores out right now lol.

#8

I’m not getting BIOS screens, or even seeing options with VBA-M or TGB-Dual. (I assume you meant TGB when you said bgb)

#9

I was talking about the standalone emulators, bgb (http://bgb.bircd.org/) and VBA-M (http://vba-m.com/) actually. Sorry for the miss understanding.

#10

Currently no cores do, but the GBC BIOS is no more than a logo and jump opcode.(unlike the GBA which has custom opcodes implemented with interrupts.)

Do you just want the logo?

1 Like
#11

Yes, exactly!

I just want the GB and GBC games to display their respective “Game Boy” logos prior to the games starting up. :slight_smile:

That kind of thing I think is a vastly underrated feature of emulators. From a perspective of practicality I totally get how it’s not a high priority at all. However, from a visual and/or nostalgic perspective?

It’s absolutely priceless. :slight_smile:

This was recently added to the Virtual Jaguar core and it’s just so great to see the startup sequence.

1 Like
#12

For that it would be better to rewrite the logo in C then you can distribute it with the emu and don’t need to deal with bios problems.

#13

Absolutely agree!

Technically, adding this feature wouldn’t be a problem and you could easily put them in the system folder like any other core who requires a BIOS.

I think it’s time related though, unlike the GBA BIOS which is important the GB and GBC BIOS doesn’t contribute with anything functional wise to the games so that’s why this feature haven’t been implemented yet.

Hopefully, someday in the future we might have this option to enable boot roms.

#14

Yeah I’ve got the BIOS in that system folder. I WAS pointing Visual Boy Advance (Stand-alone) there to use them since it supports all 3 boot-screens.

Sadly the VBA cores don’t support this feature.

I wish I knew how to do any of this, I’d dive right in.

#15

Yes,RetroArch gambatte.(default gambatte DOES NOT,I added it today(feb 2 2017))

#16

I downloaded the latest core, and I’m only getting a quick 1/5th of a second flash of “nintendo” on regular Game Boy Games.

Game Boy Color there’s an even shorter flash of white before the games load.

The latest core in the download section is titled Feb 1st though, so I’m not sure if I’ve got the right Gambette core file.

Or is there a setting I need to find to enable this? I didn’t see anything new in core options.

#17

It works but the changes havent been merged yet. Follow:https://github.com/libretro/gambatte-libretro/pull/67

2 Likes
#18

Hooray hooray!!! Finally GB and GBC bootscreens will become reality in RetroArch Gambatte :joy:

Now if only RetroArch DeSmuME could make use of the ARM7, ARM9 and Firmware BIOS files and the experience would be complete.

EDIT: Quite some drama going on in that Pull Request I must say. I really hope it sees the light of day.

#19

Right? I’m a little lost reading it all as I don’t understand any of the ‘coding’ stuff they are talking about. (If that’s even what it is, jesus I need to learn this stuff already…)

But yeah, it’s kind of getting crazy lol I didn’t realize something like that was so complex and/or controversial haha wow.

#20

The pull request was just merged,so it is now officially supported.

I tested 2 games with it and they where fine,but if any new issues happen when it is on but not when it is off report them and I will fix them.