systems:rx78 [Batocera.linux

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====== Bandai RX-78 ======
The Bandai RX-78 is a home computer manufactured by [[wp>Bandai|Bandai]], released in July 1983 in Japan at a price of 59,800 yen. The name is directly derived from the **[[wp>RX-78-2_Gundam|RX-78-2 Gundam]]** mecha from the 1979 anime series "Mobile Suit Gundam", earning it the nickname "Gundam Computer".

The RX-78 features a Sharp LH0080A ([[wp>Zilog_Z80|Z80A]] clone) CPU at 4.1 MHz, 30 KB RAM, 8 KB ROM (IPL), and a [[wp>SN76489|Texas Instruments SN76489A]] PSG sound chip with 3 tone channels + 1 noise channel. Graphics use a unique 6-bitplane layered architecture providing 192x184 pixels with 27 colors (3 intensity levels per RGB channel). The system has two cartridge slots, two proprietary joystick ports, a full QWERTY keyboard, and a cassette tape interface.

Only approximately **20 titles** were released, including the flagship //Mobile Suit Gundam: Luna Two no Tatakai//, a BASIC interpreter (BS-BASIC v1.0), a Z80 assembler, and various games. The RX-78 was a commercial failure — at four times the price of the [[systems:nes|Nintendo Famicom]] (released the same month) and with a tiny software library, it could not compete. Bandai, a toy company, lacked the software ecosystem needed to sustain a computer platform. The machine is now **extremely rare** and highly sought-after by collectors.

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The MAME driver for the RX-78 is marked as NOT_WORKING but is partially functional. Some games may have display or input issues.
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This system scrapes metadata for the "rx78" group(s) and loads the ''rx78'' set from the currently selected theme, if available.
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==== Quick reference ====
  * **Emulator:** [[#mame|MAME]], [[#retroarch|RetroArch]]
  * **Core:** [[#mame|MAME]], [[#libretro:_mame|libretro: MAME]]
  * **Folder:** ''/userdata/roms/rx78''
  * **Accepted ROM formats:** ''.bin'', ''.zip'', ''.7z''

===== BIOS =====
^ MD5 checksum ^ Share file path ^ Description ^
| | ''bios/rx78.zip → ipl.rom'' | RX-78 Internal Program Loader ROM (8 KB) |

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The ''rx78.zip'' BIOS file must match the version of MAME used in your version of Batocera. You can verify your BIOS files from the Batocera menu: **GAME SETTINGS > MISSING BIOS CHECK**.
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===== ROMs =====
Place your Bandai RX-78 ROMs in ''/userdata/roms/rx78''.

Software was distributed on ROM cartridges (8K/16K/32K) and cassette tapes. Only about 20 titles exist, including games, a BASIC interpreter, and development tools.

===== Emulators =====
==== MAME ====
[[https://www.mamedev.org/|MAME]] (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is the only emulator that supports the RX-78.

==== RetroArch ====
[[https://docs.libretro.com/|RetroArch]] (formerly SSNES), is a ubiquitous frontend that can run multiple "cores", which are essentially the emulators themselves. The most common cores use the [[https://www.libretro.com/|libretro]] API, so that's why cores run in RetroArch in Batocera are referred to as "libretro: (core name)". RetroArch aims to unify the feature set of all libretro cores and offer a universal, familiar interface independent of platform.

=== RetroArch configuration ===
RetroArch offers a **Quick Menu** accessed by pressing ''[HOTKEY]'' + {{:wiki:south.png?nolink&20|South button (B SNES)}} which can be used to alter various things like [[:advanced_retroarch_settings|RetroArch and core options]], and [[:remapping_controls_per_emulator|controller mapping]]. Most RetroArch related settings can be altered from Batocera's EmulationStation.

=== libretro: MAME ===
The libretro version of MAME can be used to emulate the RX-78. It uses the same BIOS and ROM sets as the standalone version.

===== Controls =====
The RX-78 has a full QWERTY keyboard and two proprietary 8-pin DIN joystick ports.

===== See also =====
  * [[systems:sv8000|Bandai Super Vision 8000]] — Bandai's earlier console (1979)

===== Troubleshooting =====
==== Emulation issues ====
The MAME driver is marked as NOT_WORKING. Known issues include BS-BASIC COLOR command problems, display corruption during scrolling, and joystick issues in some games.

==== Further troubleshooting ====
For further troubleshooting, refer to the [[:support|generic support pages]].