nSide Balanced
What nSide Balanced is
nSide Balanced is a free libretro core that forks higan v106 and reimplements its Balanced profile. It loads .sfc, .smc, .gb, .gbc, .bml, and .rom files, and provides saves, save states, rewind, netplay, screenshots, controls, remapping, core options, and softpatching through RetroArch or another libretro frontend. Its simplified Super Game Boy routine supports Super Game Boy ROMs and BIOS files for Game Boy and Game Boy Color content. A multitap option supports up to five players in compatible games. Special-chip games use split ROMs and may need co-processor firmware in the frontend system directory. MSU-1 requires the correct .bml file and has a complex setup. The core lacks cheats, rumble, sensors, camera, location, and disk control. Documentation notes display issues in A.S.P. Air Strike Patrol, incompatibility with ROM hacks relying on emulator quirks, rewind glitches during Super Game Boy emulation, and scanline emulation that does not work properly. It is authored by hex-usr under GPLv3.
Who it suits
It suits RetroArch and libretro users emulating supported Super Nintendo, Game Boy, and Game Boy Color files. It is useful for players who want netplay, rewind, save states, and multitap support without cheat features.
What it does well
- Free GPLv3 libretro core
- Supports several cartridge file extensions
- Includes saves, rewind, and netplay
- Multitap supports up to five players
- Super Game Boy ROM and BIOS support
What to know first
- No cheat, rumble, sensor, or disk control
- MSU-1 setup requires a correct .bml file
- Scanline emulation does not work properly
- Some ROM hacks are incompatible
Verdict
nSide Balanced offers broad libretro features and support for several Nintendo-era formats, including Super Game Boy content. Its missing hardware features, firmware requirements, and documented compatibility issues matter for specific games and setups.
Facts from nSide Balanced's own pages
- Author and license
- The core is authored by hex-usr and licensed under GPLv3. · docs.libretro.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Compatibility
- The page lists black lines and a missing aircraft shadow as issues in A.S.P. Air Strike Patrol, and says ROM hacks that rely on emulator quirks are incompatible. · docs.libretro.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Compatibility limitation
- The documentation lists black lines and a missing aircraft shadow in A.S.P. Air Strike Patrol, and says ROM hacks that rely on emulator quirks are incompatible. · docs.libretro.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Controller support
- Listed controller types include SNES joypad and mouse, plus a multitap for up to five players; lightgun inputs are not hooked up in this core. · docs.libretro.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Display options
- Core options include internal resolution, color emulation, blur emulation, scanline emulation, and a preferred Super Game Boy BIOS; scanline emulation currently does not function properly. · docs.libretro.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Firmware
- The documentation lists optional co-processor firmware files and Super Game Boy firmware for the system directory, and notes that special-chip games use split ROMs. · docs.libretro.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Frontend features
- It supports restart, screenshots, saves, states, rewind, netplay, core options, controls, remapping, and softpatching. · docs.libretro.com, 8 Oct 2026
- MSU-1
- MSU-1 support requires loading a correct .bml file, and the documentation recommends Snes9x for simpler access to that feature. · docs.libretro.com, 8 Oct 2026
- MSU-1 limitation
- MSU-1 support requires loading a correct .bml file, and the documentation describes this support as complex. · docs.libretro.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Multiplayer
- The multitap controller option allows up to five players in compatible games. · docs.libretro.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- nSide Balanced is a fork of higan v106 that reimplements the Balanced profile. · docs.libretro.com, 8 Oct 2026
- RetroArch features
- The core supports saves, save states, rewind, netplay, screenshots, controls, remapping, core options, and softpatching. · docs.libretro.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Rewind limitation
- The documentation warns that rewind may cause graphical glitches during Super Game Boy emulation. · docs.libretro.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Save files
- Cartridge battery saves use the frontend's Save directory, and save states use its State directory. · docs.libretro.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Scanlines
- The documentation says scanline emulation currently does not function properly. · docs.libretro.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Special chip games
- The core uses split ROMs for special chip games, and some games may require co-processor firmware files in the frontend's system directory. · docs.libretro.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Super Game Boy
- It can use Super Game Boy ROMs and BIOS files for Game Boy and Game Boy Color content through its simplified Super Game Boy routine. · docs.libretro.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Supported content
- It can load files with .sfc, .smc, .gb, .gbc, .bml, and .rom extensions. · docs.libretro.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Supported files
- The core can load .sfc, .smc, .gb, .gbc, .bml, and .rom files. · docs.libretro.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Unsupported features
- The core does not support RetroArch or native cheats, rumble, sensors, camera, location, or disk control. · docs.libretro.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Video options
- Core options include internal resolution, color emulation, blur emulation, scanline emulation, and a preferred Super Game Boy BIOS. · docs.libretro.com, 8 Oct 2026
Where nSide Balanced stands on Freedom251
- SNES Emulators#19 of 30