ARCH R

Documentation

Arch R documentation, install, ROMs, controls, networking, build from source. Linux gaming distribution for the R36S handheld and the boards listed in its images.

Arch Linux ARM distribution for the R36S and its variants. The image build pipeline descends from the LibreELEC family of embedded build systems, by way of ROCKNIX and JELOS, but the system it assembles is Arch Linux, not a derivative of theirs. It ships Linux 6.12 LTS, both GPU stacks for the Mali-G31 (the ARM libmali driver, which is the one that boots, and Mesa 26 with Panfrost), and a browser tool that builds the MIPI panel overlay for your specific board.

This documentation describes the next release, built from the current main branch. Release 2.1.1 still uses EmulationStation, so some features described here are not in it.

Two images. The images include device trees for the listed boards; compatibility and hardware validation depend on the board revision, panel and boot configuration.

  • Original: R36S, R36S Soysauce, R33S, Odroid Go Advance and Super, Anbernic RG351M and RG351V, GameForce Chi, MagicX XU10, Powkiddy RGB10
  • Clone: generic R36S clones (K36 and similar), Powkiddy RGB10X, MagicX XU-Mini-M, Odroid Go Advance

Install

ArchR Flasher GUI or manual dd

Launcher

Screens, views, controls, settings, and appearance

Add ROMs

Where to put games and BIOS files

Controls

Hotkeys, K36/MyMini variants, JP layout

PortMaster

Install and run game ports

SSH access

Remote shell, file transfer, debug

Features

Hardware specs and software stack

Create themes

Build and publish themes for archr-launcher

What's different

  • Native Rust + SDL2 launcher: archr-launcher replaces EmulationStation with an interface built for 640x480 handheld screens. See Launcher.
  • Both GPU stacks in the image: the ARM libmali driver boots by default, Mesa 26.1.3 with Panfrost is one setting away, and if the selected driver fails its check, the boot script tries the other and saves it only if successful (recovery is not guaranteed). See GPU driver.
  • Two-image build with board detection: boot scripts read the board ID through SARADC and select a DTB for recognized board IDs; other boards may require manual extlinux configuration.
  • CPU overclock: raises the CPU cap from 1416 MHz to 1512 MHz when you need it (Settings › System › CPU turbo, enable.turbo-mode=1).
  • Docker builds: make docker-RK3326 automates both image builds. Byte-for-byte identity with release images is not guaranteed, the image includes proprietary GPU binaries, and ScreenScraper support requires developer credentials at build time.
  • Updates without re-flashing: archr-update runs pacman against the ArchR package repository, so you can update the installed system in place.
  • Networking already set up: Syncthing, Tailscale, ZeroTier, rclone, RetroArch netplay and scraping.
  • PortMaster pre-installed: install and run game ports from its catalogue, with box86 and box64 for the ones that are x86 binaries.

Features

Hardware specs, software stack, and what's pre-installed

On this page

What's differentQuick links