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.

Supported Readers

Reader	Status
PN532	✅
ACR122U	✅
File Reader	✅
Simple Serial	✅
Optical Drive	✅
TTY2OLED	✅

Supported Launchers

Launcher	Systems/Extensions	Notes
Kodi	Movies, TV Shows, Music, Collections	Only works in Kodi mode with API enabled
EmulationStation	150+ retro systems	Via Batocera's built-in emulators
Custom Scripts	.sh files	Shell script execution

Kodi Integration

Kodi integration only works when Batocera is in Kodi mode. Launches will only work with Kodi open and active, and scanning Kodi media only works while Kodi is running. You'll also need to enable the Kodi API - see the LibreELEC instructions for details on configuring the API settings.

EmulationStation Systems

Batocera supports over 150 systems through EmulationStation. The complete list includes:

System	Batocera Name	Extensions
Nintendo Systems
NES	nes	.nes, .unf, .unif
Famicom Disk System	fds	.fds, .qd
SNES	snes	.sfc, .smc, .swc, .fig, .bs
Nintendo 64	n64	.z64, .n64, .v64, .rom
GameCube	gamecube	.iso, .gcm, .gcz, .cso, .wbfs
Wii	wii	.iso, .wbfs, .cso, .gcz
Game Boy	gb	.gb, .gbc, .sgb
Game Boy Color	gbc	.gb, .gbc, .sgb
Game Boy Advance	gba	.gba, .agb, .bin
Nintendo DS	nds	.nds
Nintendo 3DS	n3ds	.3ds, .cia
Virtual Boy	virtualboy	.vb, .vboy
Sega Systems
Master System	mastersystem	.sms, .sg
Game Gear	gamegear	.gg
Genesis/Mega Drive	megadrive	.md, .gen, .smd, .bin
Sega CD	segacd	.cue, .iso, .chd
Sega 32X	sega32x	.32x, .smd, .bin, .md
Saturn	saturn	.cue, .iso, .chd, .mds
Dreamcast	dreamcast	.cdi, .gdi, .iso, .chd
SG-1000	sg1000	.sg, .sc
Sony Systems
PlayStation	psx	.cue, .iso, .chd, .pbp, .ecm
PlayStation 2	ps2	.iso, .chd, .cso, .gz
PlayStation 3	ps3	.iso, .pkg
PlayStation Portable	psp	.iso, .cso, .pbp
Arcade Systems
MAME	mame	.zip, .7z
FinalBurn Neo	fbneo	.zip, .7z
FinalBurn Alpha	fba	.zip, .7z
Capcom Play System 1	cps1	.zip, .7z
Capcom Play System 2	cps2	.zip, .7z
Capcom Play System 3	cps3	.zip, .7z
Neo Geo	neogeo	.zip, .7z
Neo Geo CD	neogeocd	.cue, .iso, .chd
Computer Systems
Amiga	amiga500, amiga1200	.adf, .adz, .ipf, .lha
Amstrad CPC	amstradcpc	.dsk, .cdt, .cpr, .tap
Apple II	apple2	.dsk, .do, .po, .nib
Atari ST	atarist	.st, .msa, .stx, .dim
Commodore 64	c64	.d64, .t64, .prg, .p00
DOS	dos	.exe, .com, .bat
MSX	msx, msx2	.rom, .mx1, .mx2, .cas
ScummVM	scummvm	Game folders
Atari Systems
Atari 2600	atari2600	.a26, .bin, .rom
Atari 5200	atari5200	.a52, .rom, .bin
Atari 7800	atari7800	.a78, .rom, .bin
Atari Lynx	lynx	.lnx, .o
Atari Jaguar	jaguar	.j64, .jag, .rom
Other Consoles
3DO	3do	.iso, .cue, .chd
ColecoVision	colecovision	.col, .cv, .bin, .rom
Intellivision	intellivision	.int, .bin, .rom
Neo Geo Pocket	ngp	.ngp, .ngc
PC Engine	pcengine	.pce, .sgx, .cue, .iso
PC-FX	pcfx	.cue, .iso, .chd
Vectrex	vectrex	.vec, .gam, .bin
WonderSwan	wonderswan	.ws, .wsc
Handheld Systems
Game & Watch	gameandwatch	.mgw
Supervision	supervision	.sv, .bin
Modern Systems
OpenBOR	openbor	Game folders
Pico-8	pico8	.p8, .png
TIC-80	tic80	.tic

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.