Batocera

Batocera is a software emulation distribution based around EmulationStation, with support for a huge number of systems and devices.

Location	Path
Config	/userdata/system/.config/zaparoo/config.toml \\BATOCERA\SHARE\system\.config\zaparoo\config.toml
Log	/userdata/system/.local/share/core.log \\BATOCERA\SHARE\system\.local\share\core.log
Mappings	/userdata/system/.local/share/zaparoo/mappings \\BATOCERA\SHARE\system\.local\share\zaparoo\mappings

Install

Download Zaparoo Core for Batocera from the Downloads page and unzip it. It comes with two important files:

• zaparoo - The main Zaparoo Core executable.
• zaparoo_service - A service script that runs Zaparoo Core on startup.

From here, there are a few ways to transfer files to your Batocera device.

tip

Batocera has a guide available on copying files if you're unsure about anything here.

info

If you want to put the zaparoo file in a different location, you must also update the zaparoo_service file to reflect this. The default location is /userdata/system/zaparoo.

Network Share

1. Copy the zaparoo file into the system directory of your Batocera share. This is usually accessible at \\BATOCERA\share\system on Windows.
2. If it doesn't exist, create a new directory in the system directory called services.
3. Copy the zaparoo_services file into the services directory.
4. Enable the service:
   1. Press Start to open the main menu.
   2. Navigate to System Settings > Services (at the bottom in the Advanced section).
   3. Find zaparoo_service in the list and enable it.
5. Restart Batocera to start the Zaparoo service.

USB

1. Copy the zaparoo and zaparoo_service files to a USB drive and plug it into your Batocera device.
2. Press F1 to open the file manager and navigate to the USB drive.
3. Copy the zaparoo file into the /userdata/system directory.
4. If it doesn't exist, create a new directory in the system directory called services.
5. Copy the zaparoo_service file into the services directory.
6. Enable the service:
   1. Press Start to open the main menu.
   2. Navigate to System Settings > Services (at the bottom in the Advanced section).
   3. Find zaparoo_service in the list and enable it.
7. Restart Batocera to start the Zaparoo service.

SSH

tip

Not familiar with SSH? Batocera also has an SSH guide that explains how to connect and use it. The default username is root and the password is linux.

1. Copy the zaparoo file into /userdata/system using a program like scp or WinSCP.
2. SSH into your device and make sure you're in the /userdata/system directory:

cd /userdata/system

3. Run the install command, to copy and setup the service script automatically:

./zaparoo -install

If you get a -bash: ./zaparoo: Permission denied message, fix the permissions as shown below and try step 3 again.

chmod +x ./zaparoo

4. Enable the Zaparoo service:

batocera-services enable zaparoo_service

5. Start the Zaparoo service:

batocera-services start zaparoo_service

Finishing Up

From this point, the service should be running and you can follow all other guides as normal. The Zaparoo App will connect using the Batocera device's IP address, which you can find in the Batocera main menu under Network Settings.

Readers

Reader	Status
PN532 USB	✅
PN532 I2C	✅
ACR122U	✅
Optical drive	✅

Launchers

Most systems supported by Batocera are also supported by Zaparoo. Either use the Zaparoo App to search for games and write them to cards, or write the absolute path to the game on the card.

Zaparoo also supports launching custom shell scripts. See the Linux page for more information on how to set up launchers this way.

Known Issues

• Some launchers and systems are still missing supported and will be added in the future. These are mostly esoteric systems.
• The picker menu and remote install features are not currently supported on this platform.