Virtual memory cards¶

A virtual memory card (VMC) is a memory card image in the VMC folder, VMC/<name>.bin, that a game uses instead of a real card. A game can have a VMC in slot 1, slot 2 or both. VMCs work on USB, MX4SIO, iLink, the internal HDD, SMB and UDPBD (with a server that writes, see UDPBD); not yet on MMCE.

Give a game a VMC¶

1. Triangle on the game → Configure VMC.
2. For VMC Slot 1 (or 2), choose the button with the card's name to open the VMC dialog:
   • Name: the card's file name. YAOPL suggests one from the game ID; games of the same series that share saves get the same suggested name.
   • Size: 8, 16, 32 or 64 MB.
   • Status says whether the file exists, has a wrong size, or needs to be created.
   • Create makes a new card (a progress bar shows the formatting). For an existing card the button is Modify; changing the size reformats the card. Delete deletes the file.
3. The second button next to the slot is Use Generic (use a card named generic_0 or generic_1, shared by every game set to it) or Reset (give this slot no VMC; the file stays).
4. Save Changes in the game menu.

Modifying or deleting an existing card needs Write Operations on in Settings; creating a new one does not.

Notes¶

• YAOPL creates cards of 8, 16, 32 and 64 MB. It leaves cards of other sizes (4 MB, 128 MB, PCSX2 .ps2) alone and asks before it changes one.
• On a BDM device (USB, MX4SIO, iLink, exFAT HDD) the VMC file must be in one piece. If it is fragmented, YAOPL asks VMC ... is in N fragments. Continue with Memory Card in slot ...? and the game uses the real card if you continue; if you back out, it reminds you how to fix it. Move the card to a PC and copy it back, or create it on a freshly formatted drive. exFAT drives fragment new files more often than FAT32.
• If the card cannot be opened, YAOPL asks Error accessing VMC ... Continue with the Memory Card in slot N?.
• PC tools (for example pc/genvmc in the YAOPL repository, or memory card managers that read raw .bin images) can create and edit VMCs.