github ticohq/tico 0.5.0
tico alpha 0.5.0 - saturn arrived

latest releases: 0.7.3, 0.7.2, 0.7.1...
4 months ago

NEW USERS: ATTENTION tico now auto-generates its full directory structure on first launch, open first one time, then plug back to your PC/phone to copy files accordly

EXISTING USERS: ACTION REQUIRED If you have a custom custom_roms_path set in roms.json, migrate your path through the new Settings interface — that field is deprecated and will be ignored.


What's New

Sega Saturn Support Play your Saturn library natively on Nintendo Switch with full filter and resolution support.

  • Output resolutions: 720p and 1080p
  • Stable 60fps on 2D titles, 30fps on 3D titles (no overclock required)
  • Standard Pad and 3D Pad support — switch in-game with ZL and −
  • Filters: FXAA, Scanlines, Bilinear

Some games may experience crashes — this is a known issue and a current trade-off as we focus on optimizing performance for major Saturn exclusive titles.

Place ROMs at sdmc:/tico/roms/saturn/ and BIOS at sdmc:/tico/system/saturn/

SteamGridDB Integration Download cover art directly from the tico interface — no manual searching, converting, or file transfer required. An API key is required (obtainable from steamgriddb.com). Background art download support is planned for a future release.

General Settings Section

  • Clock format: 12-hour or 24-hour
  • ROM root directory picker with in-app folder navigation. Changing this path invalidates existing caches; a one-time rescan will be required.

Aspect Ratio Improvements All cores now expose a unified set of display modes: 4:3, 16:9, Stretch, Integer 1×, and Integer 2×, based on each console's native resolution.

Flycast Improvements Seamless handheld-to-docked transitions now work correctly. Docked mode resolution is fixed at 1080p.

Auto Directory Initialization On first launch, tico creates the complete folder structure for all supported consoles automatically. After the initial launch, reconnect your Switch to a PC or phone to place your ROMs, saves, and BIOS files in the correct locations.

Supported consoles: dc gb gbc gba game-gear master-system genesis nes psx psp saturn snes

BIOS Validation tico now checks for required BIOS files before launching a game and surfaces a clear error if any are missing, replacing the previous crash or black screen behavior.

Quality of Life Various minor fixes and stability improvements throughout.


Installation

  1. Copy the tico folder to SD root
  2. Place tico.nro in the switch folder
  3. Launch a game while holding R → Homebrew Menu → tico

Does not function in Applet Mode.


BIOS Requirements

Console File(s) Path
PS1 scph5501.bin or scph5502.bin or scph5500.bin or scph1001.bin (any one) sdmc:/tico/system/psx/
Dreamcast dc_boot.bin sdmc:/tico/system/dc/
Sega Saturn saturn_bios.bin or sega_101.bin or mpr-17933.bin (any one) sdmc:/tico/system/saturn/
Sega CD bios_CD_U.bin or bios_CD_E.bin or bios_CD_J.bin (any one) sdmc:/tico/system/sega-cd/
SNES Satellaview BS-X.bin sdmc:/tico/system/snes/

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