Pico-8

• Emulator: RetroArch
• Core: libretro: retro8
• Folder: /userdata/roms/pico8
• Accepted ROM formats: .p8, .png, .m3u

No Pico-8 emulator included in Batocera requires BIOS to function.

Place your Pico-8 ROMs in /userdata/roms/pico8.

Pico-8 games are distributed as PNG images with the actual code, sprites and sounds embedded in them. Those are actual, real image files, that stands as the cartridge art too. You have to “load” the PNG to run the game. You can download hundreds of carts from the official page, the community is very active! Once you select a game, make sure you click on the “cart” link that downloads a .PNG file.

RetroArch (formerly SSNES), is a ubiquitous frontend that can run multiple “cores”, which are essentially the emulators themselves. The most common cores use the libretro API, so that's why cores run in RetroArch in Batocera are referred to as “libretro: (core name)”. RetroArch aims to unify the feature set of all libretro cores and offer a universal, familiar interface independent of platform.

RetroArch offers a Quick Menu accessed by pressing [HOTKEY] + which can be used to alter various things like RetroArch and core options, and controller mapping. Most RetroArch related settings can be altered from Batocera's EmulationStation.

Standardized features available to all libretro cores: pico8.videomode, pico8.ratio, pico8.smooth, pico8.shaders, pico8.pixel_perfect, pico8.decoration, pico8.game_translation

There is no configuration to set.

Starting with Batocera v32, you can add the official commercial Lexaloffle Pico-8 engine to run all Pico-8 games and explore the Splore universe! In order to do so, you need to do a few manual steps:

1. Buy it from the official Lexaloffle website.
2. Download the corresponding binary (it's the ZIP file) appropriate to your platform:
   • For PC/any x86_64 board: The Linux (x86_64/64 bits) ZIP file.
   • For any ARM-based board, such as RPi, Odroid N2/Go/Super, RockPro64, RK3326, etc.: the Raspberry Pi ZIP file.
3. Extract the files from the zip into the /userdata/bios/pico-8/ directory on your Batocera machine.
   • For PC x86_64, the files in the archive are:

      lexaloffle-pico8.png
      license.txt
      pico-8.txt
      pico8 (make sure this one is executable via "chmod +x", the filesystem itself must support the executable bit)
      pico8.dat
      pico8_dyn

   • For ARM SBC and handhelds (Raspberry Pi, Odroid, RockPro…), the files are:

      lexaloffle-pico8.png
      license.txt
      pico-8_manual.txt
      pico8 (make sure this one is executable via "chmod +x", the filesystem itself must support the executable bit)
      pico8.dat
      pico8_64 (make sure this one is executable via "chmod +x", the filesystem itself must support the executable bit)
      pico8_dyn
      pico8_gpio
      readme_raspi.txt

     For ARM64-based boards, by default the 32-bit executable is named pico8. 64-bit users will want to delete the 32-bit executable and rename pico8_64 as pico8. Make sure it's marked as executable with chmod +x pico8.

4. Copy the following ES system addition into /userdata/system/configs/emulationstation/es_systems_pico8.cfg:

   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
   <systemList>
     <system>
           <name>pico8</name>
   	<emulators>
               <emulator name="lexaloffle">
                   <cores>
                       <core default="true">pico8_official</core>
                   </cores>
               </emulator>
               <emulator name="libretro">
                   <cores>
                       <core>retro8</core>
                   </cores>
               </emulator>
           </emulators>
     </system>
   </systemList>

5. Restart ES (or reboot). While in the pico8 gamelist, press [SELECT], go to ADVANCED SYSTEM OPTIONS → EMULATOR and then select “LEXALOFFLE: PICO8 OFFICIAL”.

Here are the default Pico-8's controls shown on a Batocera Retropad:

Keys inside the emulator: [START] or [HOTKEY] + opens the Pico-8 menu.

For further troubleshooting, refer to the generic support pages.