BlitterStudio/amiberry preview-v8.0.0-pre.30

on GitHub

This is a preview of the upcoming Amiberry v8.0.0 release, covering 350+ changes since v7.1.1. This represents a massive leap forward — a new GUI framework, new platform support (Windows, Android, Haiku), JIT across all major architectures, a complete networking stack overhaul, and hundreds of fixes and improvements.

⚠️ This is a pre-release. While it's been tested extensively, there may be remaining issues. Please report any problems you find!

🎉 Major New Features

Dear ImGui GUI (replaces Guisan)

• Complete replacement of the old Guisan-based GUI with modern Dear ImGui (#1740, #1775)
• DPI-aware scaling on all platforms
• ImGuiFileDialog replaces old file browser
• Removed SDL2_TTF and libguisan dependencies entirely
• GUI position is remembered between sessions
• imgui.ini file creation is disabled (settings stored in amiberry.conf)

Windows Native Support

• Full native Windows version (#1781)
• InnoSetup installer with SHA256SUMS and .exe release artifacts
• Optional file associations for Amiga file types (.adf, .hdf, .uae, etc.)
• Embedded application icon in executable
• Capitalized executable name (Amiberry.exe)
• Proper path resolution using executable directory instead of CWD
• Console window management (no forced console on startup)

Android Native Support

• Full native Android version with Kotlin/Compose UI (#1768)
• On-screen touch controls with virtual joystick (#1786)
• Native Android keyboard support
• Android TV support
• Native Home screen with content browsing
• Touch scrolling improvements
• Back button opens GUI
• Version derived from root CMakeLists.txt (single source of truth)
• Available on Google Play Store soon

Libretro Core

• RetroArch/Libretro core integration (#1803)
• Comprehensive improvements in follow-up (#1825):
  • Core options: sound filter, stereo separation, floppy speed, video standard (PAL/NTSC)
  • Modern Libretro API adoption (audio latency, buffer status callbacks, message severity)
  • CUE/CCD sheet parsing for CD content detection
  • Support for RETRO_ENVIRONMENT_SET_SUPPORT_NO_GAME (Workbench boot without game)
  • CD32 Pad and Joystick controller subtypes
  • Superhires geometry support (up to 1920×1280)
  • Save state bug fixes (double close, variable-size serialization quirks)
  • Fixed aspect ratio (4:3) and multi-port mouse polling

OpenGL Renderer & Shader Support

• New OpenGL rendering backend with full GLSL shader support
• Built-in CRT shader: 1084 monitor emulation
• Support for external GLSL shader files
• OpenGL set as default renderer (shader set to none for max performance)
• Improved OpenGL ES and modern OpenGL compatibility (#1760)
• Adaptive VSync implementation
• Lagless VSync options (beam racing)
• OpenGL and Auto Crop interaction fixed with CRT shaders (#1728)
• Shader option exposed to amiberry.conf
• Shader changes apply immediately

ARM64 JIT Compiler

• JIT enabled for ARM64 Linux (#1785)
• JIT enabled for macOS Apple Silicon (#1802)
• JIT enabled for Android
• Major stability fixes for ARM64: crashes, visual corruption, 64-bit pointer safety (#1766, #1824)
• Fixed BSR.L / Bcc.L displacement sign extension
• Fixed 64-bit pointer truncation in FPU branch handler
• JIT and CPU thread can now work together (#1806)
• Dynamic unstable block guard with quarantine system for startup stability

x86-64 JIT Improvements

• Made 64-bit pointer-clean for Windows/Linux/macOS (#1811)
• PIE compatible (#1820)
• FreeBSD support with ASLR-safe cache allocation (#1814)
• Fixed SIGSEGV handler crash with comp_catchfault on Linux (#1816)
• Corrected JIT cache distance check threshold to actual RIP-relative limit (#1821)

Custom Bezels

• Support for custom bezel/overlay images
• Fixed bezel aspect ratio preservation
• Fixed bezel image centering

Networking Overhaul

• TAP networking backend for bridged A2065 emulation (#1784)
• Complete rewrite of PCAP backend for correct bridged networking (#1777)
• Segment GRO/GSO-coalesced packets in PCAP receive path (#1780)
• Fixed deadlock in PCAP worker thread (#1773)
• Populate device_settings when parsing A2065 config (#1774)

Host-Shell Support

• AmigaOS host-run/host-shell integration (#1742)

Haiku OS Support

• Build and run on Haiku R1 Beta5 (#1827)

🚀 Performance Improvements

• RTG Zero Copy: Zero-copy rendering mechanism for Picasso96, avoiding redundant buffer copies (#1762)
• CPU Threading: Enable and optimize CPU threading with multiple fixes (#1767)
• Partial Renders: Only redraw changed portions of the emulation display
• CL5429 VGA: Improved CL5429 blitter/fill operations for RTG performance
• P96 Dirty Rects: Bridge P96 invalidation to SDL dirty rect system — only update modified portions of RTG screens (#1712, #1741)
• Optimized 24-bpp P96: Faster fillrect_frame_buffer for 24-bit modes
• Shader Rendering: Optimized rendering performance for shaders (#1756)
• Flush Clear Screen: Optimized clear screen operations
• Parallel LTO: Added parallel LTO compilation support and CPU optimization flags (#1724)
• Reduced Render Overhead: Avoid SDL_RenderClear when render quad covers the entire screen; use SDL_Delay to reduce CPU wakeups
• Status Line: Rendered as separate texture instead of pushing pixels on the emulation surface

🐛 Bug Fixes

BSD Socket / Networking

• Major bsdsocket.library implementation overhaul (#1359)
• Fix SO_EVENTMASK crash and WaitSelect hang (#1787)
• Fix SBTC_DTABLESIZE crash and WaitSelect bounds check (#1788)
• Implement Inet_LnaOf, Inet_NetOf, and Inet_MakeAddr (#1789)
• Fix sendmsg/recvmsg data corruption (#1790)
• Resolve 9 remaining bsdsocket emulation bugs (#1791)
• Fix close event monitor race (#1792)
• Fix Windows bsdsocket bugs and consolidate shared code (#1793)
• Fix errno clobbering and thread cleanup race on non-Windows platforms (#1828)
• Fix host_WaitSelect result propagation
• Add SETERRNO checks throughout
• Add support for Amiga-specific socket options and interface discovery IOCTLs
• Fix multiple bugs in bsdsocket_host.cpp

JIT

• Fix ARM64 JIT crashes, visual corruption, and 64-bit pointer safety (#1824)
• Fix crash when JIT was enabled in complex configs
• Fix JIT FPU would not enable from uae-configuration
• Fix bug when toggling JIT on/off through event
• Fix 32-bit memory allocation (#1753)

Graphics & Display

• Fix black screen when autoresolution was enabled
• Fix OpenGL rendering issues (upside-down textures, format handling, OSD position)
• Fix absolute mouse positioning in fullscreen and HiDPI (Retina) environments
• Fix KMSDRM mode rendering: scale option, 16-bit RTG, keyboard input, mouse offset (#1823)
• Fix hardware RTG cursor and mouse position handling (#1763)
• Fix CL5429 optimizations causing 8-bit modes to show garbage (#1746)
• Fix P96 mode 1024×600 error on startup (#1708)
• Fix hardware mouse cursor using BGR instead of RGB
• Fix display port adapters
• Fix transparency of hardware sprite in P96 modes
• Fix RTG modes having incorrect aspect ratio
• Fix DPF mode garbage in right border
• Fix bpl_end calculation in hires
• Fix mode switch height change not updating row_map
• Fix 24-bit custom RTG modes showing black areas
• Fix buffer overflow when gfx_display was set to non-zero values (#1748)
• Fix GL pixel format caching when switching between 16/32-bit
• Fix host buffer refresh on panning state change (zero-copy path)
• Fix black screen with VSync Standard (#1739)
• Fix DMA hack ("Fastest Possible") never enabling (#1746)
• Fix P96 modeid number (#1743)
• Clamp crop rect to valid values
• Fix scaling method change when GUI opens
• Don't hardcode legacy OpenGL attributes on startup
• Fix integer scaling in OpenGL

Sound & Audio

• Improve SDL2 audio buffer handling and synchronization (#1404)
• Improve audio device locking and volume control
• Clean re-implementation of sound emulation
• Clean re-implementation of AHI v1
• Sound Push mode improvement
• Don't always clear the buffer to silence first
• Remove double wait loop in frame timing

CPU & Emulation Core

• Fix condition for tt1_030 CACHE_DISABLE_MMU
• Change MMU page cache type from instruction to data
• Fix mouse state on button press (#1719)
• Fix pixel data handling for A2024 (#1667)
• Fix dynamically use pixel format depending on RTG card (#1713)
• Fix maprom was always set to false
• Fix 3.2.3 ROM IDs in detection
• Fast drawing functions need start_draw_denise()
• Fix DisplayModes allocation (use xcalloc instead of malloc)
• Ensure black draw color for clearing the renderer
• Fix ini file writes could be cut-off sometimes

GUI & Input

• Fix Windows crash when re-opening GUI after emulation had started
• Fix CD image dropdown selection bug (#1718)
• Fix Restart button behavior (#1731)
• Restart would not trigger a refresh of Configs
• Virtual keyboard always showing on startup (#1702)
• Virtual keyboard input would pass through (#1702)
• Fix virtual keyboard on OpenGL
• Fix bounds-check joystick index to prevent crash
• Fix Alt-Tab keyboard grab release on SDL3+sdl2-compat (#1829)
• Fix shell quoting when downloading XML and Controller updates
• Fix macOS case-sensitive filesystem issue (#1722)
• Check for $AMIBERRY_HOME_DIR before last fallback (#1698)
• Fix network volumes access on macOS
• Network HDF files that fail to open log errors instead of crashing
• HRTMon ROM check fix
• Fix all C++ string constant conversion warnings (#1686)
• Fix debugger regression affecting memory dumping and input parsing (#1727)

🔨 Improvements & Enhancements

WinUAE Sync

• Synced with WinUAE 6.0.2 beta series (b1 through b11)
• Multiple additional WinUAE update merges throughout the development cycle
• Merged GCC-specific fixes from WinUAE
• Added cputest and softfloat from WinUAE

Display & Rendering

• Scale NTSC resolutions properly (#1703)
• Improve auto-crop when using NTSC
• Stretch NTSC to PAL height option
• Scale emulation window based on DPI on Linux
• Hi-DPI scaling for Linux
• Implement custom adaptive sync for improved frame timing (#1737)
• Preserve window in full-window mode to avoid flicker
• Updated app icons
• DPI-aware ShowMessage dialogs
• Reset fast mode state when centering changes
• Manual filter negative positioning values support
• Major refactor of amiberry gfx subsystem (#1812)
• Sync VSync RTG options with WinUAE

CPU & Emulation

• Realign cycle counter when switching to 68000/010 CE mode on the fly
• CPU OSD shows STOP if CPU is stopped with IPL mask = 7
• Improved AHI implementation
• Implement high-resolution timer (nanosecond precision)
• Mast Fireball uses same partitioning as A2090

Input & Controls

• Add option to map LAmiga key to another key (#1733)
• Add option to map RAmiga key to another key (#1697)
• Make F12 start emulation again (#1809)
• Improve alt-tab option behavior and window positioning (#1829)

Debugger

• More detailed MMU translation debugger output
• 68030 MMU table dump update, add commands to debugger help
• Backtrace command bt based on frame pointer A5 (#1764)
• Fix debugger output formatting (line-by-line) (#1755)

Other

• Added CD Drive controller support (SCSI/IDE CD Drive via images) (#1690)
• Support broken CUE files with "TRACK 0" instead of "TRACK 01" (#1691)
• Add --rescan-roms command line option
• Document --log option in help, GUI helptext, and manpage (#1689, #1695)
• Handle file type associations without opening GUI (double-click to launch)
• Handle drag-and-drop file events (including SDL_DROPFILE on macOS startup)
• Make headless mode actually headless
• Fix consolehook implementation
• Re-enable mman_set_barriers
• Use ioctl for Apple architecture detection (#1706)
• Fix physical AudioCD detection on macOS
• Rename "SCSI Kit" → "Blizzard SCSI Kit"
• Re-enable custom gfx boards sanity check
• Remember GUI position between sessions
• Updated Dear ImGui to latest version
• Updated ImGuiFileDialog to latest version
• Updated tinyxml2 to latest version (v8 → v11)
• Updated AROS ROMs to latest version
• Use curl instead of wget for downloads

🏗️ Build System & Platform Support

• FreeBSD: JIT support (#1696), linker flag fixes (#1750), block device ioctl fixes (#1805)
• RISC-V: Support for pause instruction; automatically disable PCem on RISC-V (#1685)
• Major CMake cleanup (#1730)
• Removed Guisan and SDL2_TTF dependencies
• OpenGL as default renderer
• macOS universal (ARM64 + x86_64) DMG
• macOS standard file type associations
• Ubuntu 25 build targets (ARM64 and x86_64)
• Fedora ARM64 build target
• Flatpak libpcap package update
• Improved macOS initial folder setup, handle spaces in paths
• Use more standard macOS locations
• Removed Fullscreen mode from Display panel (use Full-window instead)
• Duplicate source file entry for shuf.cpp removed (#1818)

📚 Documentation

• Add --log option in manpage (#1695)
• Updated README with Windows build instructions
• Improved README with quick links to latest release (#1810)
• Credits for FreeBSD and Haiku ports
• Credits for Romain Tisserand's Libretro implementation
• Updated Flatpak metadata (#1735)

🙏 Contributors

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this release:

• @midwan
• @polyduekes-git — FreeBSD JIT support
• @wgottwalt — C++ warning fixes
• @smugpie — macOS ioctl, OpenGL improvements, shader optimization, P96, RTG zero copy, gfx updates, and more
• @rtissera — Libretro core implementation and improvements
• @Korkman — x86-64 JIT, bsdsocket networking fixes, TAP backend, PCAP rewrite
• @emkay443 — Flatpak metadata
• @X-Ryl669 — Haiku support
• And everyone who reported issues and tested pre-releases!