Skip to content
RetroBIOS

Caprice32

Caprice32 emulates Amstrad CPC. It reads 6 files, 1 of them required: without a required file it does not start games.

About this profile
Detail Value
Type standalone + libretro
Classification Community fork
Source https://github.com/libretro/libretro-cap32
Upstream https://github.com/ColinPitrat/caprice32
Version 4.5.4, stated in libretro/libretro-core.h
Revision libretro/libretro-cap32@8e61dd69d948, ColinPitrat/caprice32@8c778bf072a0
Profiled 2026-10-23
Profile YAML, JSON
Cores cap32, caprice32
Systems Amstrad CPC
Install this emulator's files

For Caprice32 inside RetroArch, Lakka or another setup. The installer finds your setup and its BIOS folder, then downloads only the files this emulator reads there and checks each one.

Open the Start menu. Type PowerShell and open it. Paste the line. Press Enter.

PowerShell
&([scriptblock]::Create((irm https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/i.ps1))) --emulator cap32
Platform details

  • bios_mapping:

    • source_ref: cap32/cap32.c:1081-1111 (emulator code, libretro port), cap32/cap32.c:345-349 (emulator code, libretro port)
    • note: All ROMs are embedded. emulator_select_ROM() copies the ROM array for CPC.model into pbROM. No filesystem lookup occurs in the libretro port. retro_system_bios_directory is set in libretro/libretro-core.c:1606-1625 and no ROM is read from it.

  • embedded_roms:

    • source_ref: cap32/rom/464.h (emulator code, libretro port), cap32/rom/664.h (emulator code, libretro port), cap32/rom/6128.h (emulator code, libretro port), cap32/rom/amsdos.h (emulator code, libretro port), cap32/rom/6128p.h (emulator code, libretro port), cap32/rom/cpm.h (emulator code, libretro port)
    • note: 6 headers embedded as C arrays: OS464_BASIC10 (32KB) - CPC 464 OS + BASIC 1.0, sha1 56d39c463da60968d93e58b4ba0e675829412a20 OS664_BASIC664 (32KB) - CPC 664 OS + BASIC 1.1, sha1 073a7665527b5bd8a148747a3947dbd3328682c8 OS_BASIC11 (32KB) - CPC 6128 OS + BASIC 1.1, sha1 5977adbad3f7c1e0e082cd02fe76a700d9860c30 AMSDOS (16KB) - disc ROM mapped to slot 7, sha1 39102c8e9cb55fcc0b9b62098780ed4a3cb6a4bb OS_6128P (65580 B) - CPC+ system cartridge CPM, CPM_SYS - CP/M memory dumps assembled into a 128KB snapshot

  • model_rom_map:

    • source_ref: cap32/cap32.c:1081-1111 (emulator code, libretro port)
    • note: CPC 464: OS464_BASIC10, AMSDOS in ROM slot 7 when the content is a disc CPC 664: OS664_BASIC664 + AMSDOS in ROM slot 7 CPC 6128: OS_BASIC11 + AMSDOS in ROM slot 7 CPC+: 6128P system cartridge (or user-provided .cpr file)
Technical notes

Caprice32 is an Amstrad CPC emulator ported to libretro. Supports CPC 464, CPC 464 with DDI-1 disc interface, CPC 664, CPC 6128, and CPC+ (Plus) models.

All system ROMs are compiled directly into the core binary as C header arrays in cap32/rom/*.h. No external BIOS files are required.

Embedded ROMs (cap32/cap32.c:345-349, cap32/slots.c:33):

  • cap32/rom/464.h: OS464_BASIC10[32768] - CPC 464 OS + BASIC 1.0
  • cap32/rom/664.h: OS664_BASIC664[32768] - CPC 664 OS + BASIC 1.1
  • cap32/rom/6128.h: OS_BASIC11[32768] - CPC 6128 OS + BASIC 1.1
  • cap32/rom/amsdos.h: AMSDOS[16384] - AMSDOS disc ROM
  • cap32/rom/6128p.h: OS_6128P[65580] - CPC+ system cartridge
  • cap32/rom/cpm.h: CPM, CPM_SYS - CP/M boot memory dumps

ROM selection in emulator_select_ROM() (cap32/cap32.c:1081-1111):

  • CPC 464: OS464_BASIC10, AMSDOS in slot 7 when the content is a disc
  • CPC 664: OS664_BASIC664 + AMSDOS in slot 7
  • CPC 6128: OS_BASIC11 + AMSDOS in slot 7
  • CPC+: OS_6128P loaded as system cartridge via cpr_load()

Core option "cap32_model" lists "464DDI" (libretro/libretro-core.c:501), but update_variables() matches only 464, 664, 6128 and 6128+ and leaves any other value on the 6128 default (libretro/libretro-core.c:1035-1039). A 464 with disc content (slot SLOT_DSK, libretro/libretro-core.c:1865-1866) gets AMSDOS in slot 7 (cap32/cap32.c:1088-1092).

The array chROMFile names "cpc464.rom", "cpc664.rom", "cpc6128.rom" (cap32/cap32.c:353-357) and loadConfiguration() parses the rom_path, slotNN and rom_mf2 keys of ./cap32.cfg (cap32/cap32.c:1842-1859), but no code opens these files. The system directory is resolved in libretro/libretro-core.c:1606-1625 under a "TODO: future use to load custom bios" comment and no ROM is read from it.

Keyboard layout patches are applied to the ROM in memory for French and Spanish layouts via rom_mods.h (cap32/cap32.c:1113-1137).

CP/M support assembles a 128KB snapshot from the CPM and CPM_SYS arrays and loads it via snapshot_load_mem() in cap32/slots.c:71-90.

Files

Section titled “Files”

6 files: 1 required, 5 optional.

In this collection: 4 in repo and 2 missing.

Required

Section titled “Required”
FileStatusHash

cpc6128.rom

  • System: Amstrad CPC
  • CPC 6128 OS + BASIC 1.1, default model=2. A missing file returns ERR_CPC_ROM_MISSING
Hashes and source
in repo standalone installed with the standalone emulatorMD5 b96280dc6c95

Optional

Section titled “Optional”
FileStatusHash

cpc464.rom

  • System: Amstrad CPC
  • CPC 464 OS + BASIC 1.0, read when model=0
Hashes and source
in repo standalone installed with the standalone emulatorMD5 a993f85b88ac

cpc664.rom

  • System: Amstrad CPC
  • CPC 664 OS + BASIC 1.1, read when model=1
Hashes and source
in repo standalone installed with the standalone emulatorMD5 5a384a2310f4

amsdos.rom

  • System: Amstrad CPC
  • AMSDOS disc ROM, shipped cap32.cfg sets slot07=DEFAULT, skipped on the 464. A missing file clears the slot
Hashes and source
in repo standalone installed with the standalone emulatorMD5 25629dfe870d

system.cpr

  • System: Amstrad CPC
  • CPC+ system cartridge, default cartridge path
  • Size: 128.1 KB, SHA1 405e341437fa
Hashes and source
missing standalone installed with the standalone emulatorMD5 39b565e64817

MF2.rom

  • System: Amstrad CPC
  • Multiface 2 ROM, read when mf2=1. Checks the "MULTIFACE 2" signature at 0x0d32
  • Size: 8.0 KB, SHA1 1431ec628d38
Hashes and source
  • SHA1: 1431ec628d38f000715545dd2186b684c5fe5a6f
  • MD5: 4c9f014e91d407cc6509fad0095ab909
  • Asked for by: upstream emulator
  • Source: src/cap32.cpp:1284-1310 (upstream emulator), rom/MF2.rom (upstream emulator)
missing standalone installed with the standalone emulatorMD5 4c9f014e91d4

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”
.

Maintained by Abdess on GitHub. Report a problem.

Packs from release v2026.10.10, .

MIT for the tooling and metadata. BIOS and firmware files are third-party system software, preserved for personal backup, archival and interoperability.