POCKET ERA // SUPPORT
ROM Guide
How to add your own games to your Pocket Era handheld, remove the ones you are done with, and what to do when your computer cannot see the card.
Everything lives on the card
Your games are not inside the console. They sit on the microSD card, so adding or removing them is just copying files.
Look for EASYROMS
The card is split into several partitions. The one holding your games is labelled
EASYROMS. That is the only one you need.
Drag, drop, done
Drop a game file into the folder for its system, eject the card safely, then refresh the game list on the console.
Step by step
Adding games to your console
You will need the microSD card that came with your console, a card reader or an SD adapter, and a computer. The whole job takes about five minutes.
Power the console off
Shut it down properly from the menu rather than pulling the card out while it is running. Pulling a live card is the most common way to corrupt a library.
Take out the games card
Your handheld has two microSD slots. The second slot (often marked TF2 or ROMS) is the one holding the games. Push the card in gently to release it.
Plug it into your computer
Use a USB card reader or your laptop's SD slot with an adapter. Give it a few seconds to appear.
Open the EASYROMS partition
In File Explorer or Finder, open the drive named EASYROMS. If you cannot see it, skip to the DiskGenius section below — that is normal and there is a free fix.
Find the folder for the system
Inside EASYROMS you will see a roms folder, and inside that a folder per console: nes, snes, gba, psx and so on. The folder table lists them.
Drop your game files in
Copy the game file straight into the matching folder. One file per game. Most systems want the game unzipped; arcade games (MAME / FinalBurn) are the exception and stay zipped.
Eject the card safely
Use Safely Remove Hardware on Windows, or drag to the bin / press eject on a Mac. Do not just unplug the reader — the copy may not have finished writing.
Refresh the game list
Put the card back in the second slot and switch on. In the console menu go to Options → Update Game List (some firmware calls it Refresh Gamelist). Your new games appear under their system.
The one that trips everyone up
Can't see a drive called EASYROMS?
This is completely normal and your card is fine. The console runs Linux, so the games partition is formatted in a Linux file system that Windows and macOS cannot read on their own. Your computer shows only the small boot partition — or nothing at all — and may pop up a message offering to format the card.
The free fix: DiskGenius
DiskGenius is a free Windows tool that can read the console's partitions. The free edition is all you need — there is nothing to buy and no subscription for this job.
- Download the free edition of DiskGenius from diskgenius.com and install it on your PC.
- Plug the microSD card into your computer, then open DiskGenius.
- In the panel on the left, find your microSD card. Under it you will see its partitions listed — one of them is
EASYROMS. - Click
EASYROMS. The file browser on the right now shows theromsfolder and every system folder inside it. - Open the folder for the system you want, then use Copy Files To Current Partition (or drag your game files straight in).
- To remove a game, right-click it and choose Delete Files.
- Let the operation finish and save, then eject the card from Windows before pulling the reader out.
- Put the card back in the console and run Options → Update Game List.
Never click Format. If Windows pops up “You need to format the disk before you can use it”, choose Cancel. Formatting erases every game on the card and the console will not boot afterwards.
On a Mac? macOS cannot read these partitions either, and there is no free DiskGenius for Mac. The simplest routes are to borrow a Windows PC, use a Linux machine (which reads the card natively), or install a third-party Linux file-system driver for macOS.
On Linux? Nothing extra needed — plug the card in and the EASYROMS partition mounts by itself.
Freeing up space
Removing games
Deleting is the same trip in reverse. Take the card out, open EASYROMS, and delete what you no longer want.
Open the system folder
Go to EASYROMS → roms → the folder for that system, and find the game file.
Delete the game file
Delete just the game. If a game came as several files (for example a .bin and a .cue pair), delete all of them together.
Tidy up its artwork
Box art and screenshots live in a media or images folder alongside the games, named after the game. Deleting those too reclaims the space; leaving them behind is harmless.
Eject, then refresh
Eject the card safely, put it back, and run Options → Update Game List so the deleted titles drop off the menu.
Keep the preloaded library safe. Before you start deleting, it is worth copying the whole roms folder to your computer as a backup. If you ever remove something you wanted, you can simply copy it back.
Reference
Which folder does it go in?
Folder names follow the emulator's own naming, not the console's marketing name. These are the ones you will use most. If a folder does not exist on your card, that system is not set up on that firmware — do not create it by hand.
| System | Folder | Usual file types |
|---|---|---|
| NES / Famicom | nes | .nes, .fds |
| Super Nintendo | snes | .sfc, .smc |
| Nintendo 64 | n64 | .z64, .n64, .v64 |
| Game Boy / Color | gb / gbc | .gb, .gbc |
| Game Boy Advance | gba | .gba |
| Nintendo DS | nds | .nds |
| Genesis / Mega Drive | megadrive | .md, .gen, .bin |
| Master System | mastersystem | .sms |
| Game Gear | gamegear | .gg |
| PlayStation 1 | psx | .chd, or .bin + .cue together |
| PSP | psp | .iso, .cso |
| Arcade (MAME / FinalBurn) | mame / fbneo | .zip — leave these zipped |
| Neo Geo | neogeo | .zip |
| TurboGrafx-16 / PC Engine | pcengine | .pce |
| Atari 2600 | atari2600 | .a26, .bin |
| Dreamcast | dreamcast | .chd, .gdi |
Troubleshooting
If something isn't working
I copied a game but it isn't in the menu
Run Options → Update Game List first, or restart the console — the menu only reads the card at start-up. If it still does not appear, check three things: the file is in the right system folder, the file type is one that system accepts (see the table above), and the game is unzipped if it is not an arcade ROM.
Windows says the card needs formatting
Click Cancel. Windows is only saying it does not recognise the Linux partitions, not that anything is broken. Use DiskGenius to open the card instead. Formatting would erase the whole library.
My PlayStation games won't launch
PS1 games need either a single .chd file, or a .bin and .cue pair kept together in the same folder. A lone .bin with no .cue beside it will not start. Multi-disc games need every disc file present.
The console won't boot after I copied files
Almost always the card was pulled out before the copy finished writing, or it is not seated properly. Power off, re-seat the card in the second slot, and try again. If it still will not start, put the card back in your computer and check the files copied over completely.
Which slot is the games card in?
The second slot — usually marked TF2. The first slot holds the system card that boots the console; you do not need to touch it, and you should not reformat it.
Can I use a bigger microSD card?
Yes. Cards up to 256GB work. The straightforward way is to clone your existing card to the larger one with DiskGenius, then expand the EASYROMS partition to fill the extra space. Keep the original card untouched until the new one is confirmed working.
Where do save files go?
Saves and save states are written back to the card automatically, next to the games or in a dedicated saves folder depending on your firmware. They are worth including whenever you back the card up.
Which games am I allowed to add?
Only games you own. Copyright rules on game files vary by country, so please check what applies where you live before downloading anything. Homebrew and public-domain titles are freely available and a great place to start.
Keep it simple
Four rules that prevent every common problem
Power off first
Never remove the card while the console is running.
Never format
Cancel any prompt that offers to format or erase the card.
Back it up
Copy the roms folder to your computer before making changes.
Eject safely
Always eject in Windows or macOS before unplugging the reader.
Still stuck? We'll walk you through it.
Send us the make of your card reader and a photo of what your computer is showing, and we will tell you exactly what to click.