Homebrew [PSA] The lastest mGBA nightly runs pretty fast.

[TurdPooCharger]

Is it possible to prevent mGBA from creating the mGBA folder on the root of the sd and use sd:/3ds/mgba as default folder?

No, mGBA needs the mGBA folder found on the root of the SD card. The two files that have to be there are config.ini and log.

You can move your bios , saves , savestates , screenshots , and roms folders in /3ds/mgba/ directory.

Open up config.ini with Programmer's Notepad. Under [ports.3ds], add or modify the following lines:

savestatePath=/3ds/mgba/savestates/
screenshotPath=/3ds/mgba/screenshots/
savegamePath=/3ds/mgba/saves/
lastDirectory=/3ds/mgba/roms/

This will direct the latest mGBA v0.7.0 nightly build to associate your savestates, screenshots, saves, and roms folders to those found in /3ds/mgba/. Name and place these folders however you choose to match the code written in config.ini . Remember to move your actual folders containing the roms, saves, savestates, screenshots, etc. to that location. You can also put in bios files if you choose.

gba.bios=/3ds/mgba/gba_bios/[your gba bios name].bin
gb.bios=/3ds/mgba/gb_bios/[your gb bios name].bin
gbc.bios=/3ds/mgba/gbc_bios/[your gbc bios name].bin
sgb.bios=/3ds/mgba/sgb_bios/[your sgb bios name].bin

You cannot delete the mGBA folder but can elect to make it hidden on Windows.

 

[Deleted User]

gba.bios=/3ds/mgba/gba_bios/[your gba bios name].bin
gb.bios=/3ds/mgba/gb_bios/[your gb bios name].bin
gbc.bios=/3ds/mgba/gbc_bios/[your gbc bios name].bin
sgb.bios=/3ds/mgba/sgb_bios/[your sgb bios name].bin

So it is possible to use more than one bios file at a time in mGBA, then? Also, we have established that the gba _bios might make you games run a little slower and that the gbc_bios makes games compatible have color, but do the gb_bios and sgb_bios make any differences at all?

 

[TurdPooCharger]

So it is possible to use more than one bios file at a time in mGBA, then? Also, we have established that the gba _bios might make you games run a little slower and that the gbc_bios makes games compatible have color, but do the gb_bios and sgb_bios make any differences at all?

If you were asking if mGBA could use two BIOS in tandem at the same time (external and internal) while playing a game, I'm going to go with a no on this one.

This was answered earlier at post #141 about why someone may want to use an external bios.

My experience is limited to tinkering with GBA BIOS. I haven't used external GB, GBC, and SGB BIOS to verify this, but I assume mGBA will default to using a single BIOS depending on the file extension of the rom.

For example

• Use BIOS if found = On
• Select GBA BIOS path = /mGBA/bios/gba_bios.bin (after you navigate and select a gba bios during use of mGBA)

This is the same as manually specifying in config.ini

 gba.bios=/mGBA/bios/gba_bios.bin

• Open a game to play (ie: "Golden Sun") that has a file extension ending with .gba
• mGBA will use gba_bios.bin as bios instead of its internal built-in bios

Similarly,

• If an external GB BIOS is specified, mGBA will use that for roms ending in .gb
  
• If an external GBC BIOS is specified, mGBA will use that for roms ending in .gbc
  
• I'm not sure how mGBA decides when it uses an SGB BIOS.

Also, there's nothing stopping you from using the same BIOS file for all four paths.

gba.bios=/mGBA/bios/gba_bios.bin
gb.bios=/mGBA/bios/gba_bios.bin
gbc.bios=/mGBA/bios/gba_bios.bin
sgb.bios=/mGBA/bios/gba_bios.bin

Again, I'm not sure what will happen as I haven't touched gb, gbc, etc.

 

[hutzero]

Try the latest nightly. It's 0.7.0.

No luck, I have tried CIA from this link.
https://mgba.io/downloads.html#development-downloads

It's still stuck at Loading rom screen.

 

[Pickle_Rick]

No luck, I have tried CIA from this link.
https://mgba.io/downloads.html#development-downloads

It's still stuck at Loading rom screen.

It could be the way your mSD is formatted. It doesn't like it when the SD isn't 32KB clusters.

 

[hutzero]

It could be the way your mSD is formatted. It doesn't like it when the SD isn't 32KB clusters.

Thank you,
But I cannot reformat it right now. However, I still can use mGBA in older 0.6 versions without any stuck screen (but slow speed). This means after 0.6 mGBA has modified the new reading pattern of the microSD.

 

[brunocar]

If you were asking if mGBA could use two BIOS in tandem at the same time (external and internal) while playing a game, I'm going to go with a no on this one.

This was answered earlier at post #141 about why someone may want to use an external bios.

My experience is limited to tinkering with GBA BIOS. I haven't used external GB, GBC, and SGB BIOS to verify this, but I assume mGBA will default to using a single BIOS depending on the file extension of the rom.

For example

• Use BIOS if found = On
• Select GBA BIOS path = /mGBA/bios/gba_bios.bin (after you navigate and select a gba bios during use of mGBA)

This is the same as manually specifying in config.ini

 gba.bios=/mGBA/bios/gba_bios.bin

• Open a game to play (ie: "Golden Sun") that has a file extension ending with .gba
• mGBA will use gba_bios.bin as bios instead of its internal built-in bios

Similarly,

• If an external GB BIOS is specified, mGBA will use that for roms ending in .gb
  
• If an external GBC BIOS is specified, mGBA will use that for roms ending in .gbc
  
• I'm not sure how mGBA decides when it uses an SGB BIOS.

Also, there's nothing stopping you from using the same BIOS file for all four paths.

gba.bios=/mGBA/bios/gba_bios.bin
gb.bios=/mGBA/bios/gba_bios.bin
gbc.bios=/mGBA/bios/gba_bios.bin
sgb.bios=/mGBA/bios/gba_bios.bin

Again, I'm not sure what will happen as I haven't touched gb, gbc, etc.

what i found is that it isnt file type dependant, i change a GBC enchanced game's file type to .GB and it still booted to GBC mode with the GBC bios bootlogo, i think its dependant on compatibility priority, regardless of whether you have a BIOS set for that system or not, i think the idea is that it goes something like this, from top priority to bottom priority: GBA-GBC-SGB-GB, how do i know this? pokemon gold and azure dreams have both GBC and SGB modes, but they both boot on GBC mode regardless of what i set the BIOS to, while an SGB enchanced only game like kirby's dreamland 2 or donkey kong only booted on SGB mode even when i had the GBC and GBA BIOS on

 

[Deleted User]

what i found is that it isnt file type dependant, i change a GBC enchanced game's file type to .GB and it still booted to GBC mode with the GBC bios bootlogo, i think its dependant on compatibility priority, regardless of whether you have a BIOS set for that system or not, i think the idea is that it goes something like this, from top priority to bottom priority: GBA-GBC-SGB-GB, how do i know this? pokemon gold and azure dreams have both GBC and SGB modes, but they both boot on GBC mode regardless of what i set the BIOS to, while an SGB enchanced only game like kirby's dreamland 2 or donkey kong only booted on SGB mode even when i had the GBC and GBA BIOS on

Nice to know. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Deleted User]

In her latest Post over at mgba.io, Endrift said that she will release mgba 0.6.2 shortly.
This may be the last official release for a while.
She has less time on her hands because of her new job and her work for mgba will continue at a slower pace.

 

[ajfoucault]

What would be the best GBA emulator available for a New 3DS? Not considering Virtual Console.

 

[Deleted User]

What would be the best GBA emulator available for a New 3DS? Not considering Virtual Console.

There is not much to choose from. We got Retroarch and MGBA as GBA Emulator.

 

[ShadowOne333]

What would be the best GBA emulator available for a New 3DS? Not considering Virtual Console.

gpSP from RetroArch and mGBA are the only two options for GBA emus on the 3DS right now other than relying on VC injects.

 

[nl255]

Hopefully bubble2k16 will work his magic on mgba. Especially if it is possible to access the gba video/sound hardware while in 3ds mode but even if not I am sure mgba can be accelerated by using the 3ds's video/sound hardware rather than doing everything in pure software. After all, Mario RPG and Yoshi's Island run very well on a n3ds with his snes9x port (you will lose mosaic effects and mid-frame palette updates though).

 

[ShadowOne333]

Hopefully bubble2k16 will work his magic on mgba. Especially if it is possible to access the gba video/sound hardware while in 3ds mode but even if not I am sure mgba can be accelerated by using the 3ds's video/sound hardware rather than doing everything in pure software. After all, Mario RPG and Yoshi's Island run very well on a n3ds with his snes9x port (you will lose mosaic effects and mid-frame palette updates though).

mGBA can run full-speed even on the greatly demanding Golden Sun 2 if it had a dynamic recompiler for ARM.
Right now from the GBA games I have, the only ones which kind of struggle to run are Golden Sun 2 and Mother 3, though with M3 is not as prominent since it happens occasionally on effect-heavy battles.

 

[nl255]

mGBA can run full-speed even on the greatly demanding Golden Sun 2 if it had a dynamic recompiler for ARM.
Right now from the GBA games I have, the only ones which kind of struggle to run are Golden Sun 2 and Mother 3, though with M3 is not as prominent since it happens occasionally on effect-heavy battles.

Well I know ff6 has problems running full speed. Not to mention writing a dynamic recompiler is much harder than modifying the graphics/sound code to use the 3ds hardware rather than pure software.

 

[Deleted User]

The latest stable, mGBA 0.6.2 has been released! Get it over at mgba.io.

 

[Searinox]

What happened? The nightlies til now were all fine but the release has Crystal's graphics mucked up. It does weird things when opening menus and the Pokedex is unreadable. Super Mario Land 2 in-level graphics also look off.

 

[TurdPooCharger]

What happened? The nightlies til now were all fine but the release has Crystal's graphics mucked up. It does weird things when opening menus and the Pokedex is unreadable. Super Mario Land 2 in-level graphics also look off.

I've notice Pokemon Red and Blue DX hack also doesn't work correctly. Regression is a real itch, with a big B.

 

[Searinox]

The latest nightly is just fine, adding to my confusion.

 

[TurdPooCharger]

The latest nightly is just fine, adding to my confusion.

If it helps, the colorized DX hack version of Super Mario Land 2 is fine. It's the original v1.2 .gb with the missing bottom, right?

edit - nvm, it happens on both og and hacked versions. I didn't notice at first. I've already mentioned the problem at GitHub issue #1146.