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# VBA-Next - RetroBIOS

Type | libretro
Classification | frozen_snapshot
Source | https://github.com/libretro/vba-next
Upstream | https://github.com/visualboyadvance-m/visualboyadvance-m
Version | SVN
Profiled | 2026-03-25
Cores | vba_next
Systems | nintendo-gba

Technical notes

Frozen snapshot of VBA-M circa 2011, optimized for libretro by Squarepusher.

Built-in HLE BIOS (myROM array, src/gba.cpp:8423) handles all standard SWI calls. No external BIOS file needed for most games.

BIOS loading gated by HAVE_HLE_BIOS (build/Makefile.common:3) and core option vbanext_bios (default: enabled). When enabled, retro_init resolves gba_bios.bin in system_dir (libretro/libretro.cpp:198-202). CPUInit loads via utilLoad(), validates size == 0x4000, sets useBios = true (src/gba.cpp:12430-12438). On failure, myROM is memcpy'd as HLE fallback (src/gba.cpp:12443).

With real BIOS, execution starts at 0x00000000 (BIOS entry point). Without, jumps to 0x08000000 (ROM entry), skipping boot animation (src/gba.cpp:12657-12675).

CPUIsGBABios accepts extensions: .gba, .agb, .bin, .bios, .rom (src/gba.cpp:8851-8873).

Upstream VBA-M CPUInit (src/core/gba/gba.cpp:3674-3702) is functionally identical. No divergences in BIOS handling.

1 files | 0 required, 1 optional | 1 in repo, 0 missing | 1 with HLE fallback

`gba_bios.bin` -optional, HLE available : GBA BIOS

- System: nintendo-gba
- Size: 16.0 KB
- Validation: size
- Source: `libretro/libretro.cpp:198-202, src/gba.cpp:12430-12438`
- Platforms: batocera, lakka, recalbox, retroarch, retrobat, retrodeck, retropie
- Optional. HLE replacement handles all standard SWI calls. Real BIOS adds startup logo and may improve edge-case accuracy.

Generated on 2026-03-25T14:56:43Z