BootFriend for WS

So you're a Friend who's good at booting homebrew? Sugoi~!

BootFriend is a custom "firmware" solution compatible with the WonderSwan Color and SwanCrystal handheld consoles. It provides a custom splash screen with the following features:

Customize the logo through a web editor (including setting a faster boot time),
Load .bfb programs to RAM via serial port - this is similar to the GBA's “Multiboot” functionality,
Launch Pocket Challenge V2 cartridges on WonderSwan consoles in “pin-strap mode”.
Use the installer to “unbrick” consoles with corrupted internal EEPROMs.

The installation guide and user documentation is available here.

Installation

The installation software has been tested on multiple consoles and effort has been put in to validate its stability. However, as I am not in a position to guarantee its operation, I am obliged to inform you that:

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

Configuration:

Splash

Upload image (.PNG):

Apply TFT color correction on import

The image should be small. (<=64x64 recommended for starters)
The width and height should be multiples of 8.
The image may not have more than 4 colors in any consecutive 8x8 tile.
- You can try tiled-palette-quant to do this automatically. Set palettes: 7, colors per palette: 4, bits per channel: 4, color index zero: unique.

Image alignment

Offset (horizontal)

Offset (vertical)

Background color

Duration (seconds)

Name color

Position (horizontal)

Position (vertical)

Select file:

Preview

Note that none of the above configuration options need to be changed - if you don't want to customize your splash screen, you can just download the installer as-is by clicking below.

I have read and agree to the warranty disclaimer above.

Changelog

BootFriend v03 (installer v06) (2024-12-26)

[BootFriend] Minor bugfixes and size optimizations.
[Installer] Updated toolchain.

BootFriend v02 (installer v05) (2024-07-31)

[Installer] Updated toolchain.

BootFriend v02 (installer v04) (2023-02-21)

[BootFriend] Fix name color display regression.
[Installer] Added support for installation via FreyaOS-compatible WonderWitch program (.fx).

BootFriend v01 (installer v03) (2023-02-18)

[BootFriend] Minor bugfixes and size optimizations.
[Installer] Added support for IEEPROM custom splash backup/restore via XMODEM.
[Installer] Added support for IEEPROM custom splash restore via SRAM ("Cartridge" method only).

BootFriend v00 (installer v02) (2023-02-17)

[Installer] Corrected issue in "SwanCrystal TFT recovery" option handling.

BootFriend v00 (installer v01) (2023-02-16)

First release.

Credits ♥

BootFriend is a project by myself, that is asie.

Special thanks to:

lidnariq, for providing the inspiration necessary to pursue this project,
Godzil, for figuring out the splash screen format,
Dox, trap15, FluBBa, Furrtek, GuyPerfect, Near, and many others who helped figure out and document the WonderSwan's mysteries,

... and viewers like you!