The MustardOS (muOS) team has officially released version 2601.0, codenamed “Jacaranda,” marking the first major system update of 2026. This release arrived as a “stealth drop” last week, allowing the developers to address early issues before a wide announcement. The team has already confirmed that a follow-up patch, 2601.1, is in active development and should land within weeks.
One of Jacaranda’s fancy new features is its hardware injection–based overlay system, which provides on-screen indicators for brightness, battery status, and volume with zero performance loss. This enhancement has been tested extensively across multiple emulators and games. It supports both SDL and GLES-rendered applications, including RetroArch, though it’s currently disabled for PortMaster-installed games while compatibility fixes are underway.
Another major upgrade comes in the form of global color adjustment and per-content filters, giving users precise control over color presentation. These filters include aesthetic options and accessibility presets for color-blind gamers, an area where the developers are actively seeking community feedback.
Additional highlights from the Jacaranda update include:
- Frontend Screensaver: A dynamic, themeable “DVD-bounce” style idle animation, easily customizable by theme creators.
- Content Sorting Priority: Let players reorder how collections, history, and tags are displayed—choosing between logical organization or controlled chaos.
- Mixed Folder Content: Folders now blend seamlessly into alphabetical listings rather than being pinned at the top.
- On-Device Community News: Users can now access official announcements and “Game of the Month” updates directly on the device when online.
- Activity Tracker: Tracks total playtime, per-content stats, and even generates a “Play Style” profile summarizing habits—complete with an HTML export feature for sharing.
Smaller refinements focus on ease of use, such as the ability to remove RetroArch configs per content and configurable threaded video settings. As always, the MustardOS team emphasizes backing up data before performing updates or reflashing, since they’re not responsible for any data loss.
For the full changelog and more details, visit the official MustardOS 2601.0 “Jacaranda” release page and participate in the discussion on the muOS Community Forum.
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