29 Getting Started
Nicholas VanCise edited this page 2025-04-12 14:12:42 -07:00

This guide is meant to be a concise starting point describing where essential emulator functionality lives.

Tours

Each feature listed here, and many more, have an associated product tour.

Use the About modal to re-trigger product tours at any time!

Click the red beacons shown below to get further information on each feature:

Tour indicator

Loading Files

Use these three menu items to upload files from your device:

Loading files
  • You can upload multiple save, cheat, patch, and rom files at once from your device.

    • save, cheat, and patch files must be named the same as your rom file
    • rom files can be loaded from urls (one at a time), such as this one
  • When you load a rom file, the selected game will boot and you are ready to play!

Use this menu item to load rom files that have already been uploaded to your file system:

Load local rom

In Game Actions

After you load a rom file and your game has booted, the following menu items will become available:

In game actions

Here you can:

  • Save screenshots to your local file system
  • Enter full screen mode on desktop
  • Download the current save file
  • Quick reload the last used rom file
  • Create and manage save states in your local file system
  • Manage in game cheats saved to your local file system

Saving the file system

As you play and save your game, create save states, add cheats, add new roms etc. you will want to periodically save the files in your virtual file system to your device.

All files are stored in IndexedDB (browser storage), which will save if:

  • you explicitly save the file system
  • you save in game (automatic if the file system setting is enabled, ON by default)
  • save all files when you perform a file system action (automatic if the file system setting is enabled, ON by default)

When your files are saved to your device, and you close and reopen the emulator, your files will be there right where you left off!

This feature removes the need to download and re-upload files manually 😎

Use the menu item shown below to save your file system:

File system

In this menu item you will find:

  • A tree view of your virtual emulator file system
    • Download files from the file system using the cloud download button
    • Delete files from the file system using the trash can button
  • Optional settings for the file system behavior
  • A button to save your file system to your device

Control Panel

The control panel provides basic emulator controls, as well as some extended functionality:

Control panel

From left to right, top to bottom:

  • Pause/resume emulator
  • Quit Game
  • Move controls, control panel, menu button, and screen
  • Resize control panel and screen
  • Rewind Game
  • Change emulator volume
  • Change emulator fast forward speed

Virtual Controls

The buttons highlighted below are the classic Game Boy Advance controls:

Virtual controls (classic GBA)

From left to right, top to bottom:

  • Left shoulder button
  • Right shoulder button
  • O-pad (a fancy D-pad)
  • B button
  • A Button
  • Select
  • Start

The O-Pad supports dragging to change directions.

Additional Virtual controls

These additional controls provide extra functionality:

Additional virtual controls

From left to right, top to bottom:

  • Quick reload the last used rom file
  • Upload save to the server (for logged in users only)
  • Save state
  • Load save state