POPSLoader 1.4.0

POPSLoader 1.4.0

This release replaces the old USB-first UDPFS fallback with Okeanos's UDPFS Assault 1.0.0 full network read/write driver. USB is no longer required for POPStarter UDPFS games. It also includes the localization fixes and updated translator handoffs merged since 1.3.1.

Changes

• Network-only UDPFS: POPS dependencies, VCD reads and VMC writes use the UDPFS server. The old USB-first mode is removed; the existing UDPFS setting migrates in place. Stale Alpha or damaged driver pairs are detected and replaced with the bundled release bytes.
• Memory-card configuration: runtime network DAT files use independent MC0 then MC1 SYS-CONF precedence. Existing settings are preserved. Missing console IP configuration comes from the menu's static network settings; conflicting addresses block launch.
• Discovery by default: the server-address sample ships as UDPFSCONFIG.DAT.example. Edit and rename it only to explicitly pin a server. An optional server DAT is copied from the network POPS folder only when absent from both cards.
• Failure recovery: new config writes are verified and journaled before the final file is created. Pending cleanup survives a restart, and malformed journals block launch instead of authorizing deletion. Size guards reject oversized installed drivers and IP configs before reading them.
• Localization: fix Ember per-game labels and formatted error messages, language-name accents, resolved-path labels and the Hungarian collapsed-disc count. Refresh the Portuguese/Hungarian handoffs and provide the 409-string Slovak TSV/Excel handoff; Slovak wording still awaits the contributor.
• Packaging: the ZIP carries matching UDPFS drivers, corrected installation and license documentation, AFL license texts, unchanged upstream Ember Beta-2, and the eight-file flat PSU.

Installation and migration

Use PS1_POPSLOADER.zip for the complete installation kit. PS1_POPSLOADER.psu contains the application only; install the separate POPS/EMBER support folders from the ZIP. POPSLOADER.ELF is also available separately.

For UDPFS, keep POPSTARTER.ELF on persistent local storage (for example, a memory card). Put the POPS runtime files and games under the server's shared POPS/ folder and use a server that permits writes. Keep VMC backups: prolonged interruption during a save can leave a file incomplete. Existing USB saves are not automatically migrated. When upgrading a server folder from an older kit, remove an unedited active UDPFSCONFIG.DAT sample if you want discovery; installing the new ZIP does not delete files already on your server or memory cards.

UDPFS setup and limitations

Validation and limits

The official assets are taken from the exact passing master CI run. Automated checks cover 60 Lua boot/runtime cases, UDPFS configuration and production-launch mocks, oversized-file guards, MC0/MC1 restart recovery, controller initialization, disc artwork layout, PNG decoding, translator handoffs, driver hashes, ZIP contents and independent PSU readers. BUILD-MANIFEST.txt identifies the source and CI run; SHA256SUMS.txt covers the published assets.

Physical-console UDPFS launch and VMC save/reload acceptance remain unverified. Ember launch, controller behavior after handoff and VMC persistence also require recorded PS2 testing. These remain experimental options within this official launcher release. Issues #603 and #568 stay open for reporter confirmation; this release does not claim new hardware results. Ember i.Link remains deferred.

Ember is Gageformer's unmodified Beta-2, not a new emulator version. Supply your own BIOS, games and proprietary Sony POPS components; none are included. The packaged ExampleGame.bin is an empty placement example.