Sure, CES is happening in Vegas this week and all the latest and greatest in coming-soon tech is on display, but one of the most interesting software developments in the world of handheld emulation has quietly arrived. dArkOS is here to get the most out of the devices you may already own.

DArkOS  (Debian Based Another Rockchip Operating System) is hear to bring Debian Linux (Ubuntu, LMDE, Kali) builds to your handheld. Why should you care about this? Because it essentially opens up handhelds to the entire world of Linux applications.

Since this OS is based on the latest stable version of Debian, you have access to over 64,000 packages you can install via the Debian Advanced Package Tool (APT).

Devices: G350, OGA-BE, RGB10, V10, RG351MP, RG353M, RG353V/VS, RG503, RGB30, RGB20 Pro and RK2023

Some Background

Long considered to be the gold standard for RK3326 devices in the scene, ArkOS (Another Rockchip Operating System) is the product of developer ChristianHaitian. ArkOS was a godsend for the community when it arrived on popular budget devices like the. Arkos4Clones brought the joy to even more devices – like the ever present R36S. So much so that it has just become the default stock install of manufacturers. In a world of walled gardens and proprietary ecosystems, it’s cool to see device makers latch on to the best FOSS option as standard for their devices.

If it works, it works – and chances are if you’ve purchased an RK3326 or RK3356 device in the last several years, you’ve run some version of ArkOS.

New Project, New Features

• The stated goal of dArkOS is to offer a highly customizable experience. Users will have the ability to fork the OS to suit whatever their needs may be. Is the device missing a feature that you wish it had? You can implement it right into dArkOS yourself via the full Debian package library.
• Base device install uses the EmulationStation-FCAMod frontend.
• Support for over 90 different systems and 800 ports via PortMaster.
• Performance boosts with specific cores selected around the Rockchip environments, and 1-click online updates mean that the days of having to re-flash your SD card are hopefully in the past.
• All installs include a dedicated eXFAT partition for ROMs storage. This should ensure that users can easily transfer ROMs from their PC, regardless of what operating system they may be running.
• An optimized kernel ensures that resources are dedicated to emulating games, rather than being tied up in background processes.
• Support for certain devices to run Kodi/XBMC as a media center on the handheld – opening up all sorts of local/remote media streaming possibilities on these little Linux wonders.

First boot

Thoughts

I cannot wait to dive into this new CFW and start playing around, but that’s not the most interesting part. The interesting part will be what comes next – when enthusiastic community members release fork projects for handhelds that I had never even considered. The joys the open source world and projects like dArkOS provide are in their ability to be shaped and molded into whatever the user needs them to be.

With just a little bit of effort, you can transform your handheld into something that its creators never intended. And that’s often the most exciting part of this hobby. Discovering ways to use devices through the community and sharing them with others is what keeps the emulation scene fresh and exciting.

Whether you’re an amateur developer in training, or you just want to sit back and watch what the community comes back with, dArkOS is ensuring that there is life left in these Rockchips yet. With ArkOS4clones files are already bringing the dArkOS experience over to clone devices as well, we can expect some exciting times in development for the budget handheld scene.

Are you planning on installing dArkOS? What projects do you have planned? Let us know in the comments below, and chat with us in our Discord!

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