Amiberry 8.3.0 release improves graphics, Android and Raspberry Pi performance

Amiberry 8.3.0 is now available, and it brings a wide mix of useful changes. The headline additions are support for ZZ9000 graphics hardware and RP9 software packages, but there’s plenty happening underneath too. Graphics handling has improved. Configuration is easier to manage. Android, Libretro and Raspberry Pi users also get targeted fixes and performance work. It’s a broad update rather than a one-feature release.

ZZ9000 support expands graphics options

The biggest technical change is support for the ZZ9000 graphics card, including RTG modes through Picasso96-compatible setups. That gives Amiberry users another option when building more advanced Amiga configurations with higher resolutions and expanded colour support. The work goes beyond simply adding the card to a menu.

The new update includes fixes for ARM64 systems, JIT video-memory translation, cursor handling and several drawing modes. These changes should help ZZ9000 emulation behave more consistently across different platforms and configurations.

Picasso96 support has also received a useful round of fixes. The update addresses cursor jumps, unstable hotspots and problems that could appear when switching between native Amiga graphics and RTG screens.

One fix deals with heap corruption during display-mode changes. That’s a technical issue most users won’t see directly, but it matters because it can cause crashes or strange behaviour when moving between screen types.

The developers have also reduced renderer overhead and tightened several frequently used P96 code paths. In practical terms, RTG desktop setups should feel more stable and responsive, especially when switching between chipset graphics and high-resolution screens.

RP9 packages make loading software easier

The update now also supports RP9 packages. That matters because RP9 files can bundle software, metadata and emulator settings into one package. Instead of setting up every title by hand, users can open a compatible file and let the emulator apply the required configuration. It’s a cleaner way to launch packaged Amiga software.

The update also fixes several problems linked to themes, shaders and configuration handling when using these files. RP9 support should therefore feel like part of the normal Amiberry workflow rather than a separate feature bolted onto the side. Configuration management has improved too. Profiles can now be grouped into categories, and sections in the navigation panel can be collapsed.

That sounds small, but it makes a real difference if you’ve built up a large collection of machine setups, hard-drive configurations or software profiles. You won’t need to scroll through one long list every time you want to change something. Global settings have been adjusted as well, while layout problems in wider windows and sidebar text issues have been fixed.

Shaders, scaling and AutoCrop get more attention

The update also includes a long list of display changes. Shader settings can now be saved for both native Amiga output and RTG screens. Once you’ve adjusted a shader to suit your display, Amiberry can keep those settings for later sessions.

External shaders stored in the main shader directory now appear correctly, and the shared interface gives better access to the shader parameter editor. Full-screen shader scaling on Linux has also been corrected. AutoCrop has received deeper work.

The feature can now recognise borders that aren’t black, preserve visible parts of the image and avoid sudden movement caused by sprites appearing near the edge of the screen. Live crop updates behave better, and filtered edges should show fewer visible seams. The scanning process has also been optimised, so AutoCrop shouldn’t use more processing time than necessary.

Native aspect correction is now available as a normal setting, while filtered scaling does a better job of keeping the correct screen geometry. These changes won’t transform every game, but they should make picture setup less fiddly.

Raspberry Pi, Android and Libretro users get targeted fixes

Raspberry Pi 4 users get specific KMSDRM performance improvements. The update restores display throughput, reduces overhead linked to Copper activity and adds support for profile-guided optimisation. Timing, interface resume behaviour and page-flip handling have also been improved. The Android version gets adaptive CPU performance tuning, integer scaling and better hard-drive settings. The initial setup process should also behave more reliably.

ROM handling and older content migration have been improved, while the on-screen controls now include touch trackpad mouse input and native shader selection. Configuration editing works more like a normal document editor too, with Save, Save As and unsaved-change warnings.

Libretro support now includes a status line and a Crop Overscan setting. The release also fixes ROM discovery, audio starvation, on-screen keyboard linking and cropping problems that could hide visible parts of the picture.

A wide-ranging update

Amiberry 8.3.0 also fixes issues involving SCSI devices, A2065 Ethernet, controller reconnection, serial handling, physical CD reporting, clipboard sharing and macOS networking crashes. Capsimage support has been updated, with fixes for IPF and CT-Raw image locking. Display handling has received another round of smaller adjustments too.

ZZ9000 and RP9 support are the main attractions, but they’re only part of the story. This release improves graphics, performance, configuration, input and platform support across the emulator. It’s a practical update with changes users can actually notice.