stdgba

stdgba is a C++23 library for Game Boy Advance development.

It keeps the hardware-first model of classic GBA development, but exposes it through strongly-typed, constexpr-friendly APIs instead of macro-heavy C interfaces.

What stdgba is

• A zero-heap-friendly library for real GBA hardware constraints.
• A typed register/peripheral API built around inline constexpr objects.
• A consteval-first toolkit for things that benefit from compile-time validation.
• A practical replacement for low-level C-era patterns when writing modern C++.

stdgba is not a game engine

You still decide your main loop, memory layout, rendering strategy, and frame budget. stdgba focuses on safer and more expressive building blocks.

Core design goals

1. Zero-cost abstractions - generated code should match hand-written low-level intent.
2. Compile-time validation - invalid asset/pattern/config inputs should fail at compile time when possible.
3. Typed hardware access - peripheral use should be explicit, discoverable, and hard to misuse.
4. Practical migration path - where meaningful, docs map familiar tonclib-era workflows to stdgba equivalents.

What you get

• registral<T> register wrappers with designated initialisers
• fixed-point and angle types with literal support
• BIOS wrappers for sync, math, memory, compression, affine setup
• compile-time image embedding and conversion (gba/embed)
• pattern-based PSG music composition (gba/music)
• static ECS (gba/ecs) with fixed capacity and deterministic iteration

Quick taste

#include <gba/peripherals>
#include <gba/keyinput>
#include <gba/bios>

int main() {
    // Initialise interrupt handler
    gba::irq_handler = {};

    // Set video mode 0, enable BG0
    gba::reg_dispcnt = { .video_mode = 0, .enable_bg0 = true };

    // Enable VBlank interrupt
    gba::reg_dispstat = { .enable_irq_vblank = true };
    gba::reg_ie = { .vblank = true };
    gba::reg_ime = true;

    gba::keypad keys;
    for (;;) {
        keys = gba::reg_keyinput;
        if (keys.pressed(gba::key_a)) {
            // ...
        }
        gba::VBlankIntrWait();
    }
}

Book roadmap

• Start with Hello VBlank.
• Draw and move your first sprite in Hello Graphics and Keypad.
• Add button-triggered sound in Hello Audio.
• Learn register and frame-loop basics in Core Concepts.
• Get pixels on screen via Graphics.
• Reach for transfer, BIOS, and support APIs in Utilities.
• Explore Audio, ECS, and Additional Types.

Who this is for

• GBA developers who want modern C++ without losing hardware control
• C++ programmers learning GBA development
• Existing tonclib/libtonc users migrating to typed APIs