Ember PS1 — integration and settings

← POPSLoader docs · view on GitHub ↗

Status: in development, host and physical-PS2 verification required.
This is adapted from RiptOPL's Ember integration and Gageformer's Ember.
Ember is a second PS1 emulator alongside POPStarter, not a VCD decoder.
POPSLoader never bundles a console BIOS.

Development release package (PR #600)

The new installable PS1_POPSLOADER.zip has APPS/PS1_POPSLOADER/ with exactly eight files: POPSLOADER.ELF, POPSTARTER.ELF, icon.sys, list.icn, copy.icn, del.icn, title.cfg, and APPINFO.PBT. POPS/ is populated from a pinned RiptOPL source revision, including its POPStarter versions and device modules; EMBER/ is populated from a separately pinned RiptOPL Ember revision. The ZIP also carries PS1_POPSLOADER.psu.

The standalone PS1_POPSLOADER.psu is a PS2 memory-card save with save-directory header PS1_POPSLOADER and only the eight files immediately below that header. There is no nested folder in the PSU; its contents are verified byte-for-byte against APPS/PS1_POPSLOADER/. Import the PSU to a memory card, or copy the application directory manually; deploy POPS/ and EMBER/ to the storage-device root independently.

EMBER/games/ExampleGame/ExampleGame.cue and ExampleGame.bin illustrate the expected filenames. ExampleGame.bin is intentionally empty and not playable. Remove the example or replace it with your own legal disc image; do not mistake it for test media. Add your own BIOS and games separately. The Ember core is redistributed unmodified with EMBER/LICENSE-BETA.txt and its official-project link, under Gageformer's beta distribution conditions; no console BIOS is supplied.

The Ember Watch compares the official ember.elf SHA-256 with RiptOPL's current verified copy (including same-tag hotfixes). After merging into the repository's default branch, its weekly schedule can advance only the Ember source pin on dev, leaving the tested POPS pin fixed and dispatching a rolling build when needed. A missing digest, unverified RiptOPL copy, invalid MIPS ELF or missing licence stops the update.

Device roots and library

The PS1 game page appends Ember titles from the same current device
as the VCD list. Ember root scanning handles USB (including multiple
independent drives), MX4SIO, MMCE, internal exFAT/ATA, network SMB and
UDPFS Files where their corresponding mounts exist. It does not reinterpret
a UDPFS source as USB. APA/PFS HDD __.EMBER and __.EMBER0 through
__.EMBER9 partitions now have a separate scanner and a writable PFS
mount preserved across the keep-IOP handoff. This path is host-tested
only; real console write-through, controller recovery and VMC behavior
remain unverified. i.Link remains unavailable in POPSLoader's device
carousel. i.Link Ember integration is deliberately deferred until RiptOPL
has demonstrated reliable i.Link operation on physical hardware; it is
out of scope for PR #600 and must not block shipping otherwise validated
Ember support. Do not claim full device parity in the meantime.

<mounted-device-root>/
  POPS/
    Game.VCD
  ART/
    Game_COV.png             # VCD art by filename
    Game_ICO.png
    Ember Folder_COV.png     # Ember art by FOLDER name
    Ember Folder_ICO.png
  EMBER/
    ember.elf               # bundled unmodified Gageformer Ember beta core; licence included
    bios.bin                # user-owned 512 KiB PlayStation BIOS
    settings.txt            # optional native global settings
    games/
      Ember Folder/
        disc.cue
        track.bin
        settings.txt        # optional native per-game overrides
        MC1.vmc MC2.vmc     # Ember writes its own virtual cards here

Only immediate child directories of EMBER/games/ that contain a
top-level .cue, .exe or .bin image are listed. Direct loose images,
empty directories and invalid folder names are ignored because their VMC
path would not be reliable. Both cores can appear on one PS1 list;
entries are marked [Ember].

Launch behavior

An Ember game uses a keep-IOP handoff: ember.elf remains on the
current mounted root, argv[0] is its full filesystem path and
argv[1] is the bare directory name, with no slash, colon or
leading ... The game and emulator must be accessible from Ember's
inherited mounts. POPSTARTER's launch selector/IOP reset/BDMA are
not used for Ember games.

Launch checks for ember.elf, a 512 KiB bios.bin, and an image in
the game folder. Failed setting writes on a read-only network mount are
warned about; they do not block an otherwise launchable title.

Native Beta 2 settings

Settings > Ember PS1 Core contains the global rows.
Unchanged means POPSLoader will leave a hand-written native key alone;
Default removes a previously managed native key. An explicit value
manages only that key, preserving comments and unknown lines.

On an Ember game-list row, press L2 to edit four per-game overrides.
Default removes the key so the Ember global value applies. Display
is intentionally global-only. Unlike POPSTARTER, Ember creates writable
memory cards beside each title inside EMBER/games/<name>/.

Release gating

Host regression tests pin directory enumeration, per-device identity,
name-derived artwork, settings preservation, and keep-IOP argv.
Native PS2 build success does not establish console compatibility.
Hardware verification must include: one/two USB drives, MX4SIO,
MMCE, ATA exFAT, SMB, UDPFS Files, controller input after handoff,
CUE/BIN launching, virtual-card writes, per-game/global setting
persistence, and preserving prior POPSTARTER/UDPFS behavior.
APA/PFS code is implemented but requires physical console verification.
i.Link is explicitly deferred, not an open implementation task for
this PR. Revisit it only after RiptOPL demonstrates reliable hardware
operation and there is a reference integration worth adapting. Until then,
keep the existing unsupported/hidden behavior; do not claim i.Link parity.
APA/PFS is implemented but still requires physical-console verification.

Credits: Gageformer for Ember, RiptOPL/Open-PS2-Loader and
contributors for the device scanning/settings model; RiptOPL's
source and third-party Ember licensing apply independently.