Documentation, Arch R

Arch R documentation, install, ROMs, controls, networking, build from source. Linux gaming distribution for the R36S handheld and every known clone.

Custom Linux distribution for the R36S and its variants, built on top of ROCKNIX with an Arch Linux build environment. Kernel 6.12 LTS, Mesa 26 Panfrost (open-source GPU), 43 pre-generated MIPI panel overlays covering every known motherboard revision.

Two images, both with hardware auto-detection:

Original: for genuine R36S, R33S, Odroid Go family, Anbernic RG351V/M, GameForce Chi, MagicX XU10
Clone: for K36 clones, EE Clone, Powkiddy RGB10/RGB10X/RGB20S, MagicX XU-Mini-M, BatLexp G350

Install in 3 minutes

ArchR Flasher GUI or manual dd

Add ROMs

Where to put games and BIOS files

Controls

Hotkeys, K36/MyMini variants, JP layout

PortMaster

Run native ports (Half-Life, Quake, Diablo II...)

SSH access

Remote shell, file transfer, debug

Features

Hardware specs and software stack

What's different

Open-source GPU driver (Panfrost via Mesa 26.0.5), no proprietary blobs. libmali is also available as opt-in.
Two-image build with autodetect: same image boots on every motherboard of a variant. SARADC reads the board ID at boot.
CPU overclock toggle: switch in the ES menu lifts the cap from 1.4 GHz to 1.5 GHz when you need it.
Reproducible builds: Docker-based, no hidden steps. make docker-RK3326 produces both image variants.
Network play out of the box: Syncthing, Tailscale, ZeroTier, RetroAchievements, scraping.
PortMaster pre-installed: runs PC ports (Half-Life, Diablo II, Doom 3, Quake) on the device.

Quick links

Releases → download the latest image
ArchR Flasher → GUI installer (Linux, macOS, Windows)
Source → kernel + rootfs + image build
Issues → bug reports

Documentation