macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install ucon64local Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 9964
Install ucon64 with Homebrew, Nix
ROM backup tool and emulator's Swiss Army knife program. Version 2.2.2 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#ucon64.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#ucon64nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/uc/ucon64/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
ROM backup tool and emulator's Swiss Army knife program
Project links
Commands and aliases
- ucon64
history
Project history and usage
uCON64 is a long-running command-line utility for video-game ROM backup, inspection, conversion, patching, and related emulator workflows. Its own site calls it a backup tool and emulator's Swiss Army knife.
Project history
The SourceForge project was registered in October 2000, while the developer page credits NoisyB with work from 1999 through 2009 and dbjh with work from 2001 through 2005 and again from 2015 through 2021. The project kept an old-school SourceForge presence, with a public web site, downloads, mailing-list contact, and SVN source access.
The official site frames uCON64 around broad console, handheld, and arcade support, verbose ROM information, backup-unit communication, patch formats such as IPS, APS, BSL, PPF, and Game Genie, zip/gzip handling, and DAT generation for ROM verification.
Adoption history
uCON64's adoption came from the emulator, ROM preservation, and cartridge-backup communities rather than from mainstream developer tooling. Its downloads page documents binaries for Linux, Windows, DOS, Cygwin, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, and macOS via pkgsrc, and the input metadata shows Homebrew and Nix packaging.
How it is used
Users run uCON64 to inspect ROM metadata, manipulate ROM or SRAM files, apply or create patches, create DAT files, and interface with many cartridge backup units where supported. Its FAQ documents a per-user configuration file such as .ucon64rc outside DOS, with UCON64_HOME and HOME-style environment variables influencing lookup.
Why package nerds care
For package nerds, uCON64 is a preservation-era CLI that keeps specialized hardware and ROM-format knowledge installable through modern package managers. It is not a generic game emulator; it is the kind of small executable that turns a package manager into an archive of console-backup and ROM-maintenance tooling.
Timeline
- 1999: Developer page credits NoisyB with the start of uCON64 development.
- 2000: SourceForge project registered.
- 2001: dbjh begins a long-running maintainer/contributor role.
- 2019: uCON64 2.2.0 released according to the project news.
- 2021: uCON64 2.2.2 released according to the project news.
Related projects
- The project site lists uCON64dat DAT files and uCON64 frontends as companion downloads.
- The developer page credits ideas or code from older tools and communities including original uCON, patchers, backup-unit support code, emulator-related projects, and ROM database work.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: blue
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.
Risk classifier
blue risk · medium confidence · tool
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
Signals
- text:backup
Install behavior
- No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
~/.ucon64rc
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
ucon64 | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-08-03
manager version2.2.2
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:ucon64 |
|---|---|
| Version | 2.2.2 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://ucon64.sourceforge.io/ |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Nix95%
ucon64
nix profile install nixpkgs#ucon64- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ucon64
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation