"Binary is not compatible with save file" error; suggested fixes didn't work.

[caseyleenb]

Hello,

I'm trying to edit my emerald save file generated on mGBA, but when I try to open it in PKHeX, I keep getting the dreaded Binary is not compatible error. I've reinstalled my emulator (nothing changed, save files load just fine), tried booting up sapphire to see if my ROM was the issue--it wasn't, i got the same error with my sapphire save--i've restarted my PC, I've reinstalled PKHeX, I've switched ROMs, I've saved at least twice in game, and probably more on each save file, I've made sure to progress to Rustboro, I've tried just about everything I can think of & I'm running out of ideas. 

Am I just stupid unlucky and encountered some weird bug with either mGBA or PKHeX? Or is something actually broken with my save files?

Pokemon - Emerald Version.sav Pokemon - Sapphire Version.sav

[theSLAYER]

Open the save in HxD. I’m assuming you got extra bytes used as a time stamp tagged at the end.

also try using the development build to open the save.

[caseyleenb]

I'm not exactly sure what I'd be looking for in the hex editor, tbh. I did open it with HxD, but immediately realized I'd no idea what i was looking at. 

I figured out that the save opens fine after saving on the Dolphin integrated mGBA link, so it's almost definitely my emulator. Super weird. 

[caseyleenb]

> I'm not exactly sure what I'd be looking for in the hex editor, tbh. I did open it with HxD, but immediately realized I'd no idea what i was looking at. 

> I figured out that the save opens fine after saving on the Dolphin integrated mGBA link, so it's almost definitely my emulator. Super weird. 

 

I opened them both in HxD, the two files have a ton of differences, but I can't make heads or tails of it. 

Pokemon - Emerald Version - dolphin save.sav Pokemon - Emerald Version - mGBA save.sav

Edited November 6, 2022 by caseyleenb
formatting

[theSLAYER]

The important thing is your mGBA emulator tags on a timestamp at the end.

Also:

1 hour ago, BlackShark said:

The saves are not broken, it's a new feature of mGBA that adds RTC data to the end of the file.

Use the dev build until the next stable release.

 

[caseyleenb]

8 hours ago, theSLAYER said:

The important thing is your mGBA emulator tags on a timestamp at the end.

Also:

thank you so much for the explanation!