POPSLoader Release Formats

POPSLoader Release Formats and Verification

Development all-in-one ZIP

PS1_POPSLOADER.zip contains these three device-root trees: APPS/, POPS/, and EMBER/, plus a standalone PS1_POPSLOADER.psu inside the ZIP. POPS/ copies the complete pinned RiptOPL support-file set, and EMBER/ copies the independently pinned unmodified Ember release plus licence and a non-playable example game-folder layout. All other scripts, drivers and legacy assets must retain their upstream attribution. A missing source component is a packaging failure, not a reason to silently omit it.

APPS/PS1_POPSLOADER/ contains exactly:

Direct file	Purpose
POPSLOADER.ELF	Launcher executable
POPSTARTER.ELF	Companion launcher
icon.sys	PS2 save/browser metadata
list.icn	Main icon
copy.icn	Copy icon
del.icn	Delete icon
title.cfg	Launcher metadata
APPINFO.PBT	Application information

No other files are put into that eight-file application directory.

Flat memory-card PSU

PS1_POPSLOADER.psu uses the PS2 save-directory header PS1_POPSLOADER, plus the eight direct files above. There is no nested PS1_POPSLOADER/ folder in the PSU. The PSU contains neither POPS/ nor EMBER/; those are installed separately on your storage device. The package writer preserves RiptOPL-compatible PSU entry layout, timestamps and padding, and rejects data that would exceed an 8 MiB memory-card image.

CI verifies the PSU files against APPS/PS1_POPSLOADER/ byte-for-byte, using both the Python parser and RiptOPL's preserved PSUManager C++ reader. It also checks the full ZIP, required Ember licence, pinned POPS/Ember source files, and accidental BIOS inclusion. Passing those checks does not prove the games launch or saves work on hardware.

Channels and compatibility

• Stable 1.2.3: existing official package remains unchanged. New eight-file directory / PSU expectations must not be retroactively applied to that release.
• Rolling development: PR #600 is merged into dev; PS1_POPSLOADER.zip and PS1_POPSLOADER.psu are published as separate assets, alongside the traditional combined bundle.
• Experimental: isolated prerelease channel, built independently from experimental. The PR alone does not add these features to that branch; they must be explicitly integrated before advertising the experimental packages.
• Official future release: publish only from a separately reviewed, version-stamped source after compatibility disclosures and release gates are satisfied.

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