Compatibility and Current Limits

Compatibility and Current Limits

Current verdict: Swan Song is a development project, not a verified release. Automated simulation is extensive, and protected-main commit a897ecbf has a byte-identical pair of signed, audit-passing Quartus candidates. No build from this fork has completed the full physical Pocket and Dock release matrix.

Intended supported path

Swan Song targets the supported openFPGA asset-launch path:

• .ws and .wsc images loaded from the Pocket SD card;
• a built-in open IPL with no external BIOS-file requirement;
• Auto, WonderSwan, and WonderSwan Color machine choices;
• Pocket and Dock Player 1 digital controls;
• APF video, 48 kHz audio, settings, cartridge saves, and fixed console EEPROM; and
• side-by-side installation under the independent RegionallyFamous.SwanSong core identity.

The loader accepts whole-64-KiB-bank images from 64 KiB through the core's implemented 16 MiB mapper limit. Conventional power-of-two files use the direct path. Compact non-power-of-two files must have a valid final WonderSwan footer and checksum; Swan Song right-aligns them in the next power-of-two aperture with the documented 0xff prefix.

That is an implemented core limit, not a statement that every unusual or modified image will work.

Deliberate limits

Capability	Current status
Verified public release	Not available
Physical Pocket and Dock acceptance	Pending
First-party Analogue Library entries	Not exposed by the public APF interface
Physical WonderSwan cartridges	Unsupported; cartridge power and bus are not used
WonderSwan link port and infrared	Unsupported
PocketChallenge v2 / .pc2	Unsupported
Pocket Memories and Sleep/Wake	Disabled pending a complete safe state path
WonderWitch .fx applications	Not a normal cartridge path; full Freya/flash environment is not implemented
Keyboard, mouse, or multiplayer controls	Unsupported for gameplay

Swan Song does not patch Pocket firmware, impersonate a first-party core, or inject guessed Library records. If Analogue publishes a supported third-party launcher interface later, the project can evaluate it honestly.

What automated tests do prove

The regression suite covers open and project-generated WonderSwan programs, CPU and memory behavior, video provenance, compact image loading, save sizing, console EEPROM, APF lifecycle, controls, settings transfer, display cadence, audio transport, packaging, and many malformed-input cases. These results make the development tree reviewable and catch regressions early.

The regression suite alone does not prove a fitted FPGA result. For exact protected-main commit a897ecbf, two distinct signed Quartus workflow runs do prove successful synthesis, fit, assembly, strict four-corner static timing, and byte-identical RBF/build-ID reproduction. Neither that evidence nor the regression proves electrical behavior, PocketOS user experience, compatibility with a particular Dock controller, HDMI presentation, commercial-title compatibility, or original-panel authenticity. Those require physical evidence.

The full gate-by-gate record is in the roadmap status and first-class Pocket compliance matrix.

Commercial games and private evidence

The project has a hardware acceptance matrix for historically difficult title scenarios, but every commercial case is still pending physical execution. A passing simulator fixture is not proof that a named commercial game works.

Commercial ROMs, commercial ROM hashes, saves, and private captures are not bundled. Testers use their own legally obtained dumps and keep private evidence outside the repository. See the known-title acceptance guide.

Homebrew

Wonderful-generated .ws and .wsc programs have dedicated open regression coverage. WonderWitch .fx programs need a FreyaBIOS/FreyaOS filesystem and flash-cartridge environment that Swan Song does not currently provide. See the homebrew and WonderWitch guide.

The repository's original SWANFRAME music-player ROM is built with Wonderful and has per-track ares captures, audio checks, and deterministic-build evidence in its release recipe. Those artifacts validate the homebrew itself in emulation; they do not claim physical Pocket, Dock, flash-cartridge, or Swan Song FPGA compatibility.