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THIS WIKI IS NO LONGER MAINTAINED. VISIT https://emudeck.github.io/ FOR THE NEW EMUDECK WIKI.

mGBA is a Nintendo Gameboy, Gameboy Color and Gameboy Advance emulator.

Website: https://mgba.io/

mGBA's FAQ: https://mgba.io/faq.html

Github: https://github.com/mgba-emu/mgba

This page is for mGBA, a standalone Nintendo Gameboy, Gameboy Color and Gameboy Advance emulator. This page is not for the mGBA RetroArch core. For more information on RetroArch and the mGBA RetroArch core, visit https://github.com/dragoonDorise/EmuDeck/wiki/Retroarch.

mGBA Table of Contents

  1. Getting Started with mGBA

  2. mGBA Tips and Tricks

Getting Started with mGBA

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mGBA is a fairly straight-forward emulator to set up. Place your ROMs in Emulation/roms/gb, Emulation/roms/gbc or Emulation/roms/gba. No additional setup is required. Read the Configuration section to learn more about mGBA and its folder locations.

To launch your ROMs in game mode, use Steam ROM Manager and use one of the following parsers to play your GB, GBC, and GBA ROMs:

  • EmulationStation-DE
  • Nintendo GameBoy - mGBA, Nintendo GameBoy Color - mGBA or Nintendo GameBoy Advance - mGBA
  • Emulators

mGBA Configuration

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  • Type of Emulator: AppImage
  • Executable Location: /home/deck/Applications/mGBA.AppImage
  • Config Location: /home/deck/.config/mgba
    • Contains the following files:
      • config.ini
      • library.sqlite3
      • qt.ini
  • Gameboy Advance ROM location: Emulation/roms/gba
  • Gameboy Color ROM location: Emulation/roms/gbc
  • Gameboy ROM location: Emulation/roms/gb
  • Saves: Emulation/saves/mgba/saves
  • Savestates Emulation/saves/mgba/states
  • Storage Location: Emulation/storage/mgba
    • Contains the following folders:
      • Emulation/storage/mgba/cheats
      • Emulation/storage/mgba/patches
      • Emulation/storage/mgba/screenshots

Note: ~/.config is an invisible folder by default. In Dolphin (file manager), click the hamburger menu in the top right, click "view hidden files" to see these folders.

Works With

  • Steam ROM Manager
  • EmulationStation-DE

How to Update mGBA

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How to Update mGBA

How to Launch mGBA in Desktop Mode

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How to Launch mGBA in Desktop Mode

  • Launch mGBA AppImage from the Applications Launcher (Steam Deck icon in the bottom left of the taskbar)
  • Launch the script from Emulation/tools/launchers, mgba.sh
  • Launch the AppImage in /home/deck/Applications/mGBA.AppImage
  • Launch the emulator from Steam after adding it via the Emulators parser in Steam ROM Manager

mGBA File Formats

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  • .gb
  • .gbc
  • .gba
  • .dmg
  • .zip
  • .7z

mGBA Hotkeys

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mGBA comes with a Steam Input profile for Hotkeys. Activate the Steam Input profile by clicking the Game Controller icon in Game Mode, change the template to Emudeck - mGBA. The hotkeys below can only be used if you have the Steam Input profile active.

Hotkey mGBA
Quick Menu Left Trackpad Touch Menu
Save State Left Trackpad Touch Menu
Load State Left Trackpad Touch Menu
Pause Left Trackpad Touch Menu
Reset Left Trackpad Touch Menu
Stop Emulation Left Trackpad Touch Menu
Fast Forward Left Trackpad Touch Menu
Cheats Left Trackpad Touch Menu
Screenshot Left Trackpad Touch Menu

For a tutorial on how to select Steam Input Profiles, refer to: https://github.com/dragoonDorise/EmuDeck/wiki/hotkeys#how-to-select-a-steam-input-profile.

Steam Deck Button Layout: https://github.com/dragoonDorise/EmuDeck/wiki/Hotkeys#steam-deck-button-layout

mGBA Tips and Tricks

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How to Use the Gyro Sensor

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Supported Games

  • WarioWare: Twisted!

Note: Yoshi Topsy-Turvy and Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble use the tilt sensor instead. Read: https://github.com/dragoonDorise/EmuDeck/wiki/mgba#how-to-use-the-tilt-sensor for instructions.

How to Configure the Gyro Sensor for the Steam Deck

How to Configure mGBA

  1. Open /home/deck/.config/mgba
    • ~/.config is an invisible folder by default. In Dolphin (file manager), click the hamburger menu in the top right, click View hidden files
  2. Right click config.ini, click Open with Kate or a text editor of your choice
  3. Under gba.input-profile.03000000de280000ff11000001000000, use the following template:
tiltAxisY=4
gyroAxisX=3
gyroAxisZ=3
gyroSensitivity=2.2e+09
tiltAxisX=2
gyroAxisY=1
  1. Save the file and exit out
  2. Open mGBA
  3. Click Tools at the top
  4. Click Game Pak sensors...
  5. Set the sensitivity in the bottom right to 34

How to Configure Steam Input

  1. In Game Mode, select the WarioWare: Twisted! ROM or the mGBA emulator
  2. Click the Controller icon
  3. Change the layout to EmuDeck - mGBA
  4. Click Edit Layout
  5. Select Gyro on the left
  6. Gyro Behavior: As Joystick
  7. Click the Gear icon
  8. Use the following template:
Gyro Output Scale: 60
Gyro Enable Button: Select a behavior of your choice
Minimum Joystick X Output Value: 1
Minimum Joystick Y Output Value: 1
  1. Back out, and select Joysticks on the left
  2. Click the Gear icon to the right of Right Joystick Behavior
  3. Set Deadzone Type to Default

How to Configure the Gyro Sensor for Non Steam-Deck Controllers

  1. In Desktop Mode, connect your non-Steam Deck controller
  2. Open mGBA in Desktop Mode
  3. Click Tools
  4. Click Settings
  5. Click Controllers on the left
  6. Select your controller in the drop-down menu
  7. Click OK
  8. Click Tools, Game Pak Sensors, and test your controller

How to Use the Tilt Sensor

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Supported Games

  • Yoshi Topsy-Turvy
  • Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble

Note: For WarioWare: Twisted!, use the gyro sensor instead. Read: https://github.com/dragoonDorise/EmuDeck/wiki/mgba#how-to-use-the-gyro-sensor for instructions.

How to Configure the Tilt Sensor for the Steam Deck

Not sure if this is fully possible yet, if you have a way of doing it, edit this page or send a message on the Discord.

How to Configure the Tilt Sensor for Non Steam-Deck Controllers

  1. In Desktop Mode, connect your non-Steam Deck controller
  2. Open mGBA in Desktop Mode
  3. Click Tools
  4. Click Settings
  5. Click Controllers on the left
  6. Select your controller in the drop-down menu
  7. Click OK
  8. Click Tools, Game Pak Sensors, and test your controller
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