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If you've been playing about with
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emulation, you've probably come across
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missing BIOS files. So, let's find out
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what they are and how you can install
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them.
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[Music]
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Hi, and welcome to Bites and Bits. If
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you've been setting up any sort of retro
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console emulation, especially if you've
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been using the PlayStation and Game Boy
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emulators, then you may well have come
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across the need for BIOS files. Now, now
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it can be a bit confusing about what
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these are, why, and if you need them,
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and which and where to get them. So, in
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this video, I'll walk you through the
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basics so that you can get your
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emulators ready to play all of the
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games.
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So what actually are BIOS files? Well,
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when any computer system starts up, it
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it needs program code to make it work.
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Now, without this, it will just sit
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there and do basically nothing. So, we
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we tend to divide this code up into two
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main sections. So, we have software and
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firmware. Now, it's all just the same in
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terms of the instructions used, but when
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the code runs and what it does makes a
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difference.
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So when a microprocessor is powered on,
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it usually looks at a certain block of
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memory to find a reset vector. Now this
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reset vector tells it at which memory
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address it should start executing code.
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So the processor then jumps to that
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memory location and just starts running
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whatever it finds. So So at this point,
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it's just running all by itself with no
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connections to any of the devices around
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it. to be able to put something like
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pixels on the screen or or read the game
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controller or anything else, it needs
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some really low-level code that knows
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which electrical signals need to be sent
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to the various chips and devices to make
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them work. So, this is at a very basic
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level where we build code to allow the
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processor to control the inputs and
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outputs that connect the computer or
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game system together. So, so this code
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actually forms our basic input output
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system or or BIOS. Now, because the BIOS
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is very closely linked to the actual
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hardware devices, it it sort of forms
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part of the hardware, but of course is
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actually code and therefore software.
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So, that's where the idea of firmware
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comes in, that sort of layer between
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hardware and software. Um, so it's it's
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software that's integral to the actual
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hardware.
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So once we have a BIOS, our game code
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then doesn't have to worry about which
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pen on the processor needs to be turned
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on and off to send data to the video
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decoder to make a red pixel appear on
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the screen and and similar things like
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that. It can just ask the BIOS to do
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these. So the BIOS files we need for our
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emulators are just this base layer of
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code that the game system we want to
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emulate uses. Now now on some consoles
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this can be legally supplied with the
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emulator or or or sometimes the emulator
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developer developers have actually
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written their own version of it um which
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is fully compatible then with the
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original code. Now on other systems then
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the manufacturers still enforce their
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copyright on this BIOS code. So the
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emulator creators can't legally supply
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it to us. And this of course is where we
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need to find our own copies of the
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original BIOS code to allow the emulator
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to work.
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So now that we know what a BIOS file is
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and why it might be missing from the
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emulator, how do we know if we actually
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need one or not? Well, well, luckily the
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emulator developers of course that they
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do publish this information with their
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emulators and some dedicated enthusiasts
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of course then assemble this information
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and I've published it on the web. So, if
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you head over to the gametechwiki.com
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website, you'll find all of this
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information collected together. And
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again, I I'll pop a link to this exact
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page down in the description. So here
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you can browse through well pretty much
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every system and find which files are
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needed uh for each of the emulators. Now
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if you look in the notes section, you'll
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find details to show you which files are
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actually needed, which are optional, and
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then any special cases where you might
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need a particular version of a BIOS for
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a particular game.
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You'll also find the links in the file
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types column. Um, well, without saying
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anything else, these are well worth
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checking out. Now, if if you don't want
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to work through this list, you you can
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just of course just try playing some
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games. Most of the emulators, if you do
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need a BIOS file, they will tell you or
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or or give you the option then to use a
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less compatible but copyright free
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version.
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Another option of course then or the
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final option then for BIOS is to simply
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install everything in one go to make
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sure that you've covered all of the
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permutations.
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Now now most of us will end up using
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something like RetroArchch as the main
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emulation system. Um and as this is so
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common people have of course then built
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full BIOS packs that that simply slot
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into this multi-imulator with every file
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in the correct place with the correct
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file name. Now, now as usual, um you'll
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need to find these BIOS packs yourself.
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Um but again, a a simple Google search
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will bring them up quite easily. And
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indeed, if you look at the Game Tech
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Wiki website um into their multi-section
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or multi-system section, then you you
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may well find some interesting links in
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there as well.
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So, here I have a RetroArchch BIOS pack.
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Now, now, as you can see, there are a
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number of folders inside the zip file,
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which I've downloaded, and these then
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contain all of the files that are needed
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to get all of the emulators up and
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running. So, all you have to do is to
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copy these folders into the RetroArchch
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installation folder, and it will
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automatically drop the right files in
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the right place. So, so, so, for
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example, um, in the RetroArchch
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installation folder, you will find a
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system folder. And if we look inside the
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system folder I've just downloaded in
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that BIOS pack, um you'll see then all
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the BIOS files just sitting in there
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waiting. And of course, RetroArchch
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expects to find them in its own system
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folder. So, so this this route of
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downloading everything is also a great
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way to get all of the files that you
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need for any individual emulator. So,
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everything is in there. So you just need
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to pick out the files you need and then
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drop them into the emulator of your
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choice.
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So that's that's pretty much it then for
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BIOS files. Um you you can of course go
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a lot deeper into the subject. Um not
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all BIOS file versions are created
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equal. you may well find that a few
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particular games or emulators need a
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specific version or or or a hacked
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version to allow them to run or or one
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BIOS file might give better performance
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than another in certain circumstances.
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Uh but again, these are all sort of edge
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cases and and if you are getting to the
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stage where you're playing around at
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that level, um you will probably know
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what you're doing anyway. But but for
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most of us then getting a compatible
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file um to let the game run will do just
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fine.
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So I hope you found this video useful.
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Please do click that like button and
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don't forget to subscribe to the channel
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for more gaming, modding, coding,
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electronics and making projects. I look
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forward to seeing you again very soon.
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And bye for now.
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For more games, programming, electronics
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projects, and retro gaming, please make
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sure you like this video, subscribe to
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my YouTube channel, and visit my
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website.
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