K-UI V1.5 "Dáinsleif"

K-UI V1.5 "Dáinsleif" — release notes

Version 1.5.0 promotes the tested independent K-UI launcher to a full
release. It adds broader native-GD game launching and the crimson Dáinsleif
startup splash while preserving the working boot CD and optical capture
engine. Follow the installation guide to update an existing
FAT32/exFAT SD card.

Changes in 1.5

• Games launches suitable native GD images without the former DOA2 title or
  1ST_READ.BIN filename allowlists. The boot filename comes from IP metadata;
  image, memory and allocation checks still apply.
• Game inspection leads directly to launch confirmation. Read probes remain
  available under Advanced diagnostics.
• GETSCD command 0x22 now provides bounded raw Q position, formatted Q
  position and unavailable media-catalog responses. This fixes the request
  rejection that prevented the tested Evolution 2 image from booting.
• The SD runtime includes the new Dáinsleif splash. The original K-UI badge
  beneath the SEGA logo and startup sound remain unchanged.
• The release bundles the nine-app shell, menu music, reference catalogues,
  normal Games payloads and an optional boot CDI. Existing game dumps and
  settings are preserved when the supplied files are merged onto the card.

Games compatibility

Passing preparation checks means an image fits the current reader; it does
not establish that the title will play correctly.

Requirement or limitation	1.5 behavior
Image format	GDI with raw 2352-byte track files and zero file offsets
Filesystem	Existing FAT32 or exFAT SD card
Boot program	Native GD executable in a contiguous root ISO9660 file extent, 128 bytes to 12 MiB; filename taken from IP metadata
Image map	At most 16 tracks and 128 physical file extents across the image
Windows CE / Mode 2 boot data	Unsupported
Audio tracks	The usual low-density track 2 is normal; high-density CDDA playback is unsupported and may cause missing music or a failed game request
Subchannel responses	Synthesized index-1 Q position; no captured subchannels, pregap reconstruction or format-3 GETSCD response
Returning from a game	Power cycle the console

Game reads are SD read-only. Normal game VMU save operations can still write
to the VMU. An incompatible layout or request may stop launch or gameplay;
broader title, streaming-audio and save/load compatibility remains unproven.
Ext4, GDEmu and IDE/CF support are outside this release. The tested optical
capture engine and bounded CMD18 retail SD reader remain unchanged.

Hardware evidence and known performance limits

Area	Confirmed observation
1.5 runtime	Owner reports successful boot of the release-candidate runtime
Dead or Alive 2	Playable on the pinned CMD18 baseline; about 32 seconds from character selection to the first stage, with initial fight and FMV slowdown
Evolution 2	Owner reports successful boot after the GETSCD fix, but describes performance as horribly slow

These are owner observations, not measured frame timings. Evolution 2's
successful boot does not establish full-game completion or VMU save/load
compatibility. Broader game testing continues separately. Serial SD transport
remains a performance constraint, and speed optimization is deferred beyond
1.5. The final release does not claim universal game compatibility or
full-speed loading. Other app paths retain their documented acceptance limits;
see hardware evidence and the
app acceptance guide.

The preserved rollback branch is baseline/doa2-cmd18-ed31d522c847, packaged
commit ed31d522c8475b88bd40afa366fe3f7bdf143985. Its archived SD ZIP is
8,134,517 bytes with SHA-256:

a3c64bd3a6d70cc0369a32aaa04f563af9bea72ab8603e20307d3c5cb5b18bc4

That branch and ZIP, and the older baseline/doa2-sd-6c02bd8b22f4, remain
unchanged. Restore the archived KUI files to roll back the SD runtime and
Games payload together; keep the existing boot CD and game dumps.

Package and source

kui-1.5.0-dainsleif-release.zip contains the normal runtime, Games payloads,
menu music, catalogues, optional boot CDI, splash preview and source/license
records. It excludes scan fixtures, demonstration Music files and SD
preferences. Merge its supplied files without replacing the existing SD
directory wholesale.

The original boot badge is checked byte for byte and read back from the
generated CDI during packaging. The new splash is embedded in the runtime;
splash-preview.png shows its artwork. Your current working CD remains usable.
Full corresponding source, dependency pins and license records accompany the
release in kui-1.5.0-dainsleif-source.zip, as identified by SOURCE.txt. Historical RC1 documentation remains in
the repository for reference.

Source commit: f7b537647eea3b7408c57e9aea8455595cd12fc9. Native build.