ticohq/tico alpha

0.0.2

on GitHub

Welcome to tiicu alpha 0.0.2 — the second early release of our custom emulator frontend for Nintendo Switch. This update brings major improvements to ROM scanning, new customization options, performance enhancements, and NES support.

What's New

MAJOR CHANGE: ROM Scanning

(Okay, okay — you win! 😅)

I've heard your feedback loud and clear, tiicu no longer strictly enforces No-Intro or Redump naming conventions. You can now organize your ROMs however you like, as long as you keep things tidy:

ROM Structure:

sdmc:/tiicu/roms/psx/Crash Bandicoot.iso
sdmc:/tiicu/roms/snes/Super Mario World.sfc

Artwork Must Match ROM Names (without extension):

sdmc:/tiicu/covers/psx/Crash Bandicoot.jpg
sdmc:/tiicu/heroes/psx/Crash Bandicoot.jpg

Important: tiicu only accepts JPG images due to Switch hardware limitations. Please use lightweight, compressed images for best performance.

thanks to overmaster, xuman and sonokonogi for the feedback!

NEW: Custom ROM Path

Several users requested this, and i delivered! You can now set a custom ROM root directory in your config file.

Example Configuration:

{
   "custom_roms_path": "sdmc:/retroarch/roms"
}

Inside your custom path, keep consoles separated:

sdmc:/retroarch/roms/psx/
sdmc:/retroarch/roms/snes/
sdmc:/retroarch/roms/nes/

Configuration file location: sdmc:/tiicu/config.json

thanks to zenjiki for the feedback!

Home Screen Improvements

• Improvement: Desktop items now animate gracefully on startup — no more lag!
• Bugfix: Shortcuts no longer disappear when deleting or moving other shortcuts (thanks overmaster!)

Launcher Screen

• Improvement: Consoles are now organized alphabetically for easier navigation
• Improvement: Now elements animates better on enter into a game

Core Improvements

I've fine-tuned emulation settings across the board for better performance and visual quality:

• PPSSPP (PSP): 2x resolution rendering, 60fps support
• SwanStation (PS1): 2x resolution rendering, TrueColor mode enabled
• SNES9x (SNES): Overclock mode (Compatible), Flicker Reduction, Sinc Audio Resampling
• mGBA (GBA): Smart Color Blending, No Frameskip
• Gambatte (GB/GBC): Ghosting Reduction, Sinc Audio Resampling

NEW: NES Support

Nintendo Entertainment System games are now fully supported! Drop your NES ROMs into:

sdmc:/tiicu/roms/nes/

And enjoy your classic 8-bit library.

Installation

Same simple process as before:

1. Copy the tiicu folder to the root of your SD card
2. Place tiicu.nro inside the switch folder
3. Launch any game while holding R to open the Homebrew Menu
4. Open tiicu
5. Enjoy! 😊

IMPORTANT: tiicu DOESN'T WORK IN APPLET MODE

Quick Tips

Navigation:

Use ZL or ZR to navigate between docked screens
Use L or R to swap pages on the Home Screen

In-Game:

Press + and - together to suspend gameplay and access game options

PlayStation BIOS Reminder

To run PS1 games, you still need your legally dumped BIOS:

• Copy SCPH1001.bin from your console
• Place it in: sdmc:/tiicu/system/psx/

Once added, PS1 games will launch normally.

Thank You

A huge thanks to everyone testing, reporting issues, and sharing feedback. Your input shapes tiicu's development, and im so excited to keep improving it together.

Stay tuned for more features, systems, and polish in future releases! 💙

Supported Systems: GB, GBC, GBA, NES, SNES, PS1, PSP