Apple II¶

Overview¶

The Apple ][ family is Apple’s flagship 8-bit computer line, launched in 1977 by Steve Wozniak and expanded through the 1990s. From the original Apple ][ to the Apple ][+, ][e, IIc, and the enhanced IIe/IIe Platinum builds, the lineup popularized personal computing, software, games and productivity across multiple continents. The Apple IIGS (which has its own page) supplied a 16-bit follow-up, but the classic 8-bit models remain widely emulated today.

In REG-Linux the 8-bit Apple systems are grouped under apple2, which lets compatible themes load the apple2 artwork set when available.

Technical specifications (classic Apple II)¶

CPU: MOS Technology 6502 at ≈1.0 MHz (later 65C02 variants in the IIc/IIe)
Memory: 4 KB on the original board, expandable to 48–64 KB and beyond via expansion cards
Display: NTSC/PAL composite output with hi-res 280×192/6-color and 80-column text modes
Sound: Single-bit speaker tied to a GPIO pin; expansion cards add richer audio

Supported ROM extensions¶

nib, do, po, dsk, mfi, dfi, rti, edd, woz, wav, zip, 7z, chd, hdv, 2mg

Quick reference¶

ROM folder: /userdata/roms/apple2
Accepted formats: .nib, .do, .po, .dsk, .mfi, .dfi, .rti, .edd, .woz, .wav, .zip, .7z
Emulators: RetroArch (libretro: mame), standalone MAME, GSplus (plus applewin/izapple2 if you prefer dedicated builds)
System group: apple2

BIOS¶

Store the following archives in the bios folder exactly as named. REG-Linux uses their MD5 checksums to validate the files, so do not rename or modify them.

MD5 checksum	Share file path	Description
`4431aea380185e3f509285540d7cb418`	`bios/apple2e.zip`	Apple IIe ROM bundle (multiple components)
`e6d453d8738e6df4f73df8c8051df3e8`	`bios/apple2e.zip`	Additional Apple IIe component
`72924019cf1719765e4fde35e59c1c7d`	`bios/apple2e.zip`	Additional Apple IIe component
`0b150f4bfa090770a866cc5d214703f4`	`bios/apple2e.zip`	Additional Apple IIe component
`2020aa1413ff77fe29353f3ee72dc295`	`bios/a2diskiing.zip`	Disk II firmware (5.25" drive)
`95b91e4a2fe7d6f13d353ba1827d37f9`	`bios/votrax.zip`	Optional speech ROM
`5f1be0c1cdff26f5956eef9643911886`	`bios/d2fdc.zip`	Disk II floppy controller ROM

ROMs¶

Place Apple II disk/tape images and archives inside /userdata/roms/apple2. REG-Linux supports both raw images and compressed archives (.zip, .7z), but uncompressed files often avoid complications with naming or detection.

Emulators¶

RetroArch¶

RetroArch runs the libretro: mame core for Apple II emulation. Use the Quick Menu ([HOTKEY] + south button) to adjust video/back-end settings, overrides or per-game input mappings. Standardized features for this core include apple2.autosave, apple2.netplay and others shared with MAME.

libretro: mame configuration¶

ES setting name REG-Linux.conf_key	Description => ES option key_value
Settings that apply to all systems this core supports
OVERCLOCK (UNSTABLE) `global.mame_cpu_overclock`	Push the emulated CPU speed above 100% (use carefully). => default `default`, 30 `30`, 35 `35`, …, 150 `150`.
RENDERING RESOLUTION `global.mame_altres`	Increase the rendering resolution for crisper graphics. => 640x480 `640x480`, 800x600 `800x600`, 960x720 `960x720`, 1024x768 `1024x768`, 1280x720 `1280x720`, 1600x800 `1600x800`, 1920x1080 `1920x1080`, 2560x1440 `2560x1440`, 3840x2160 `3840x2160`.
SPECIAL CONTROL LAYOUTS `global.altlayout`	Alternate control layouts for fighters or retro pads. => Default Only `default`, SNES Style `snes`, Genesis Style `megadrive`, Fightstick `fightstick`, Neo Geo Pad `neomini`, etc.
HIGH SCORE PLUGIN `global.hiscoreplugin`	Save or ignore highscores. => Enabled `1`, Disabled `0`.
COIN SOUND PLUGIN `global.coindropplugin`	Toggle coin-drop sound effects. => Enabled `1`, Disabled `0`.
CROP ARTWORK `global.artworkcrop`	Crop decorations to focus on the game screen. => On `1`, Off `0`.
CUSTOM MAME CONFIG `global.customcfg`	Activate a centralized `mame.ini` config. => On `1`, Off `0`.
Settings specific to Apple II
SOFTWARE LIST `apple2.softList`	Use MAME software lists to detect disks. => Don’t Use `none`, Cleanly cracked disks `apple2_flop_clcracked`, Misc disks `apple2_flop_misc`, Original disks `apple2_flop_orig`.
CUSTOM GAME CONFIG `apple2.pergamecfg`	Enable per-game customizations via MAME. => On `1`, Off `0`.

MAME¶

MAME itself is a supported emulator. Open the in-game menu ([HOTKEY] + south button or [Tab]) to adjust inputs, video, BIOS selection and other options. REG-Linux exposes apple2.videomode, apple2.padtokeyboard, bezel/tattoo options and more for the standalone MAME binaries.

GSplus¶

GSplus is an open-source Apple ][/IIGS emulator derived from KEGS/GSPort. It exposes features such as apple2.videomode, apple2.padtokeyboard and apple2.decoration for consistent REG-Linux configuration.

Other emulators¶

Dedicated Apple II emulators like AppleWin, GSplus (standalone) or iZaApple2 can also be used through REG-Linux as long as they reference the apple2 system; however, RetroArch and MAME remain the most fully integrated options.

Controls¶

Default Apple II mappings appear on the REG-Linux RetroPad. Use the emulator Quick Menu or the mame.ini/RetroArch overrides to remap keys and buttons when needed.

Troubleshooting¶

Make sure disk images appear in /userdata/roms/apple2 and match one of the supported extensions above.
Confirm the BIOS archives in bios/ match the MD5 checksums listed under the BIOS section, especially when loading standalone MAME or RetroArch: MAME titles.
Try alternative emulators (RetroArch, MAME, GSplus) if a title misbehaves.