Cores & BIOS Files¶
This page lists the core each system runs on and the BIOS files it needs. Every system below runs on a bundled libretro core.
To add a BIOS file, put it in the matching folder under Bios/ on the SD
card. The folder name is the tag in parentheses after the system name (e.g.
Game Boy Advance (GBA) → Bios/GBA/). File names must match exactly.
No BIOS files are included
BIOS files are copyrighted and do not ship with NX Redux. The Bios
folders are created empty. Dump the files you need from your own
hardware.
Systems and cores¶
| System | Core | BIOS |
|---|---|---|
| Amiga (PUAE) | puae2021 | Required — Kickstart ROMs; Bios/PUAE/readme.txt lists known-good files |
| Amstrad CPC (CPC) | cap32 | None |
| Arcade (FBN) | fbneo | No system BIOS; BIOS-based boards (e.g. Neo Geo) need the BIOS zip (neogeo.zip) with the ROM set — see the Arcade page |
| Atari 2600 (A2600) | stella2014 | None |
| Atari 5200 (A5200) | a5200 | Required — 5200.rom |
| Atari 7800 (A7800) | prosystem | Optional — 7800 BIOS (U).rom |
| Atari Lynx (LYNX) | handy | Required — lynxboot.img |
| Colecovision (COLECO) | gearcoleco | Required — colecovision.rom |
| Commodore 64 (C64) | vice_x64 | None (system ROMs built in) |
| Commodore 128 (C128) | vice_x128 | None (system ROMs built in) |
| Commodore PET (PET) | vice_xpet | None (system ROMs built in) |
| Commodore Plus4 (PLUS4) | vice_xplus4 | None (system ROMs built in) |
| Commodore VIC20 (VIC) | vice_xvic | None (system ROMs built in) |
| Doom (PRBOOM) | prboom | Required — prboom.wad (the launcher refuses to start without it) |
| Famicom Disk System (FDS) | fceumm | Required — disksys.rom |
| Game Boy (GB) | gambatte | Optional — gb_bios.bin |
| Game Boy Color (GBC) | gambatte | Optional — gbc_bios.bin |
| Game Boy Advance (GBA) | gpSP | Recommended — gba_bios.bin (a built-in replacement exists; the real BIOS improves compatibility) |
| Game Boy Advance (MGBA) | mGBA | Optional — gba_bios.bin |
| Super Game Boy (SGB) | mGBA | Optional — sgb_bios.bin for full Super Game Boy accuracy |
| Microsoft MSX (MSX) | blueMSX | Required — blueMSX system files: the Databases/ and Machines/ folders |
| Neo Geo Pocket (NGP) | RACE | None |
| Neo Geo Pocket Color (NGPC) | RACE | None |
| Nintendo ES (FC) | FCEUmm | None |
| Pico-8 (P8) | fake-08 | None (plays .p8 / .p8.png carts) |
| Pokémon mini (PKM) | PokeMini | Optional — bios.min (FreeBIOS built in) |
| Sega 32X (32X) | PicoDrive | None |
| Sega CD (SEGACD) | PicoDrive | Required — bios_CD_U.bin, bios_CD_E.bin, bios_CD_J.bin |
| Sega Dreamcast (DC) | Flycast | Optional — dc_boot.bin (a built-in HLE BIOS is used without it). Naomi / Atomiswave arcade games require naomi.zip / awbios.zip — see the Dreamcast page |
| Sega Game Gear (GG) | PicoDrive | None |
| Sega Genesis (MD) | PicoDrive | None |
| Sega Master System (SMS) | PicoDrive | None |
| Sega SG-1000 (SG1000) | PicoDrive | None |
| Sega Genesis (GPGX) | Genesis Plus GX | None |
| Sega Master System (GPGX) | Genesis Plus GX | None |
| Sega Game Gear (GPGX) | Genesis Plus GX | None |
| Sega CD (GPGX) | Genesis Plus GX | Required — bios_CD_U.bin, bios_CD_E.bin, bios_CD_J.bin in Bios/GPGX/ |
| Sony PlayStation (PS) | PCSX-ReARMed | Recommended — psxonpsp660.bin or scph1001.bin (an HLE fallback exists; a real BIOS is strongly recommended for compatibility) — see the PlayStation page |
| Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) | PPSSPP | None — see the PSP page |
| Super Nintendo ES (SFC) | Snes9x | None |
| Super Nintendo ES (SUPA) | Mednafen Supafaust | None |
| TurboGrafx-16 (PCE) | Mednafen PCE Fast | HuCards: none; CD games: syscard3.pce required |
| Virtual Boy (VB) | Mednafen VB | None |
| Wonderswan Color (WSC) | Mednafen WonderSwan | None (plays WonderSwan and WonderSwan Color games) |
Systems with a choice of core¶
Some systems appear more than once on purpose. Pick per game by which Roms
folder you use:
| System | Faster, lighter | More accurate |
|---|---|---|
| Game Boy Advance | gpSP (GBA), the only GBA core with Netplay |
mGBA (MGBA), better for ROM hacks, no netplay |
| Super Nintendo | Snes9x (SFC), the default |
Supafaust (SUPA), but heavier |
| The Sega systems | PicoDrive | Genesis Plus GX (GPGX) |
See Game Boy Advance and Super Nintendo for which to use.
To use Genesis Plus GX, name a Roms folder for the system with the
(GPGX) tag, for example Sega Genesis (GPGX). It works the same way the
default Sega Genesis (MD) folder uses PicoDrive.
More detail: Genesis Plus GX
Genesis Plus GX is special: a single GPGX tag, pak and core plays
Genesis/Mega Drive, Master System, Game Gear, SG-1000 and Sega CD. It
picks the system from each ROM's file extension.
That also lets RetroAchievements identify
every game with the correct console, so you can keep all your Sega games
under (GPGX) folders.
Because they share one tag, GPGX saves, BIOS, cheats and overlays all
live under the GPGX name (e.g. Sega CD BIOS goes in Bios/GPGX/, not
Bios/SEGACD/).
Standalone emulators¶
Nintendo 64 (Mupen64Plus) and Nintendo DS (Drastic) run on standalone emulators and need no BIOS files.