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Alesh Slovak edited this page Mar 27, 2024 · 141 revisions

ChimeraOS 46 (TBD)

Changes

  • GOG now always downloads the Windows version for new game installs
  • GOG and Epic now default to Proton 8 for new game installs

ChimeraOS 45-1 (2024-03-17)

Main Components

  • linux-chimeraos 6.6.10-chos1
  • Mesa version: 23.3.5-chos1
  • OpenGamepadUI: v0.30.3-1

Changes

  • Added a configuration tweak to improve Steam download speeds
  • Added BMI260 DKMS driver.
  • Replaced ayaled with ayaneo-platform DKMS driver. RGD LED's will be off by default at boot.
  • Updated ayn-platform driver. RGD LED's will be off by default at boot. The mode switch character file has moved up a directory into /sys/class/led/multicolor:chassis/
  • Added acpi_call dkms package
  • Added AYANEO NEXT Lite, AYANEO AIR 1S Ultra, and AYANEO AIR Plus 7320u support to HandyGCCS
  • Enabled samba access in the file browser
  • Added localization support to OpenGamepadUI. Currently French and Spanish translations are available.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a bug when using steam-plus session where input devices were being duplicated in steam
  • Improved performance on lower end devices such as the Loki Zero when using the steam-plus and OpenGamepadUI sessions
  • Fixed an issue with some AOKZOE A1 Pro's not fully detecting all input devices in HandyGCCS or OpenGamepadUI
  • Fixed an error in the Chimera web UI when editing a game with non-ascii characters in its name
  • Fixed graphical glitches in Wii games
  • Fixed a bug where some newer ROG Ally devices were not being detected for device quirks due to a change in DMI strings.
  • Fixed an issue with the suspend-mods script that prevented mt7921e WiFi modules from sleeping/waking correctly during suspend.
  • Fixed device address for convolver script for the Legion Go. Improved audio soundstage should now be working properly.
  • Fixed an issue with the HandyGCCS on the ROG Ally starting before the controller fully initialized in some cases.

ChimeraOS 45 (2024-01-27)

This was our longest period between releases ever. After the Steam Deck OLED release there were many changes in gamescope and Steam that caused unexpected behavior in a lot of devices. This dropped right before we planned on releasing v45 originally so we had to halt the process for a bit to figure out and resolve those issues. Thank you for your patience.

Main Components

  • linux-chimeraos 6.6.10-chos1
  • Mesa version: 23.3.3-chos1
  • OpenGamepadUI: v0.28.0-3

Kernel changes

  • Updated base kernel from 6.5.5 to 6.6.10
  • Disabled amdpstates as it was causing power draw issues.
  • Included HDR Patches
  • Included BMI323 driver by @NeroReflex
  • Included @flukejones ROG Ally controller and audio patches.

Core OS Changes

  • Implemented HDR for supported games.
  • Kernel carries patches made by our awesome community, thanks everyone!
  • Redesigned the gamescope-session package to simplify implementing quirks and bug fixes across all sessions. All sessions now use a common session script and device-quirks file. The session names have changed as well, so when downgrading from v45 to v44-1 and below, a chimera-session command is required. Upgrading should have no issues. gamepadui is now steam, gamepadui-with-qam is now steam-plus. The log for each session is now ~/.<session-name>-stdout.log.
  • Included distrobox for awesome new possibilities.
  • Removed Feral gamemode daemon.
  • Added cpupower CLI tool for managing cpu power profiles.
  • Added controller support for AYANEO Kun, AYANEO Slide, Lenovo Legion Go, OXP OneXFly, OXP 2, OXP2 Pro, AYN Loki MiniPro, and GPD Win Mini.
  • Added optional event configuration for HandyGCCS that supports putting the controller into "Nintendo" mode. Users will need to manually edit their handygccs.conf to enable this.
  • Added EDID override for the AIR plus that enables more refresh rates. Enable firmware overrides to use this.
  • Added equalizer settings for Lenovo Legion Go and ROG Ally that drastically improves the sound stage. For both devices, a new "device" will be present in the audio menu. Ensure the default audio device is at maximum volume before switching for the best performance.
  • Enabled the hid-steam driver. Steam Deck and Steam Controller users can now use their controllers on the desktop in "Lizard Mode", emulating a keyboard and mouse automatically.
  • Enabled Vulkan support for some older intel iGPU's. YMMV.
  • Added PowerStation Daemon to manage power settings and switched OpenGamepadUI to using it as a backend. Changing settings and loading power profiles in OpenGamepadUI should now be much faster and more reliable.
  • Improved support in OpenGamepadUI for PlayStation controllers. This change may cause duplicate input devices in some situations. If this occurs, manually update to v0.29.2 or above using the settings menu in OpenGamepadUI.

Bug Fixes

  • Added support for ROG Ally BIOS 330+. The ROG Ally no longer needs firmware overrides for audio to work on any BIOS version.
  • Removed xpadneo and xone drivers and replaced them with xpad and created xonedo (xone dongle only) for managing xinput devices. This should resolve many of the input related bugs users were experiencing.
  • Fixed night mode.
  • Fixed game artwork overrides not being applied in some cases.
  • Fixed error in the Chimera web app when Epic Games credentials expire.
  • Fixed multiple crash conditions in HandyGCCS.
  • Various fixes for devices that don't detect as "card0" have been made.
  • Fixed some scripting errors in controller-wake. This is still disabled by default. If you have this enabled and are experiencing issues with sleep, try disabling it.
  • Fixed an issue with some network cards.

Note for Vega based users: Due to hardware limitations, gamescope sometimes falls back to compositing (like using FSR or opening the Quick Access Menu while in game) and reduced performance is observed. So when setting the frame limiter feature, you will need to close all overlay windows and don't use FSR for the best experience. Also, due to hardware reasons, night mode will only work while in Steam (so not in-game).

ChimeraOS 44-1 (2023-10-15)

This is a bugfix release that resolves some regressions from v44.

Main Components

  • linux-chimeraos 6.5.5-chos1
  • OpenGamepadUI: v0.24.1-1
  • Mesa version: 23.1.8-chos1

Bug Fixes

  • Fix for No Man's Sky
  • The udev rule that resets gamescope when an AMD GPU crashes now correctly applies to any AMD GPU in the system.
  • Fixed a bug in OpenGamepadUI where it was not able to read from or set GPU Frequency.
  • Fixed a bug in OpenGamepadUI where in some situations the input focus was not properly set.
  • Increased the max TDP for the AMD Athlon Silver 3050e with Radeon Graphics in OpenGamepadUI.
  • Fixed a typo in the string match for AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS with Radeon Graphics in OpenGamepadUI
  • Fixed a bug in ayn-platform where the index position in the multi_intensity file was swapped for green and blue LED colors.

Other Changes

  • Screen rotation and gamepad support for the Ayn Loki MiniPro has been added. Sound still does not work properly.

ChimeraOS 44 (2023-09-25)

This release has been a bit longer than we wanted it to be, but the groundwork we have laid out in the previous releases has been bearing fruit so you can expect more consistent releases in the future. This release has a lot of smaller bug fixes, with some bumps in major components that will also help playing (newer) games with higher performance.

Note that due to a change to how the Steam client checks for and triggers OS updates, this update will actually install when Steam checks for updates. The update check will take a long time because it is actually performing the download and installation. Once the installation is complete it will appear as if nothing has installed unless dev mode is enabled, in which case, the entire output of the installer will be shown. In any case, restarting the system will boot into the newly installed version. The issue is resolved in this new release and the updater should be more robust in the face of future Steam client changes.

We have also removed the default port 80 forward to the Chimera web-ui. You can now access it via port 8844.

The Nvidia situation

In the last few releases we have discovered multiple examples with Nvidia drivers causing major issues on systems without Nvidia components. After attempting multiple avenues to resolve these issues unsuccessfully, the poor state of Wayland and Gamescope support for Nvidia in general, and with Nvidia having more driver issues coming soon, we have opted to remove Nvidia support entirely at this time to provide a better experience for users that have hardware with full support. We will revisit Nvidia support in the future once the NVK module is more feature complete. We understand this is disappointing for many of our users. We recommend Nvidia users pin v42 for the best available support in the meantime by running sudo frzr-deploy chimeraos/chimeraos:42

Known issues

  • Due to switching to LLVM16 some Valve (source 1) games are known to be broken. A known workaround is by setting a LD_PRELOAD command as noted here or use proton for these games. This is known to fix Team Fortress 2, however this could have VAC implications. So these workarounds are at your own risk.
  • The GPU frequency slider in OpenGamepadUI is not functional currently due to a change in the kernel of how GPU's are identified in the system. A hotfix will be released soon to resolve this issue.
  • There is currently a bug in Steam that can cause the Steam overlay menus to immediately close after opening them. Opening the virtual keyboard while in game or having the Steam home screen open before trying to open the menu can sometimes resolve the issue temporarily. The issue can be avoided by using the Guide/Home button to close the menu instead of using the "back" button.

Main Components

  • linux-chimeraos 6.5.3-chos1
  • OpenGamepadUI: 0.21.7
  • Mesa version: 23.1.7-chos1

Fixes and improvements

  • Fixed OS updates being triggered incorrectly due to changes in the Steam client.
  • DSDT override is no longer required for ROG Ally to have audio.
  • DSDT override is no longer required for systems with AT Keyboard devices that had incompatible IRQ modes since kernel 6.0 (AYANEO Air Plus, GPD Win4, etc.)
  • Added a (dynamic) swapfile, this has been reported to boost a lot of games. The default has been set to 1 GB, same as the SteamDeck, and compatible with tools like CryoUtilities.
  • Gamescope-plus will now create a native display resolution xWayland session when launching games. Users are no longer required to set resolution per game to play at resolutions over 720p.
  • Resolved a bug where Xbox controllers connected via bluetooth couldn't trigger Steam's hard coded controller shortcuts.
  • Fixed headphone output on Aya Neo 2 and Aya Neo Geek.
  • Fixed save games not working in PlayStation Portable games.
  • Fixed not being able to format NVME drives as secondary storage from the Chimera app.
  • Adjusted default settings for PlayStation 2 games to avoid graphical artifacts in some games.
  • Adjusted default settings for Nintendo 64 games to avoid graphical artifacts in some games.
  • Implemented non-vsync framelimiter for gamescope. This is known to be erratic sometimes. The best frame-limited experience is still with v-sync'ed games.
  • Included zenergy, this driver can monitor power for select AMD CPUs and is exposed in Mangohud/overlay.
  • AMD GPU hangs/resets will now automatically restart gamescope instead of crashing and requiring a hard reset.
  • Steam-removable-media has been updated to stay in line with recent changes by Valve for managing external devices within the Steam UI.
  • Fixed a bug when automounting drives that are system partitions for other operating systems could cause those systems to become unbootable.
  • Added an option in the Chimera app to initialize an existing partition as a Steam library. By default, Steam will not create a library on a drive or in a folder that isn't empty. This feature allows users to work around this limitation.
  • Added ayn-platform driver for controlling fan speed, RGB case lighting, and exposing multiple temperature sensors for Ayn Loki devices. Ayn Loki Max devices (6800u and 6600u) are fully supported. The EC memory map is incomplete on Ayn Loki Zero and Loki MiniPro devices. We have worked with Ayn to resolve this and they will be releasing an updated BIOS soon.
  • Added screen rotation fix for Ayn Loki Zero. The MiniPro screen rotation fix was not tested in time for release but will be available in the next hotfix.

OpenGamepadUI Changes

  • Performance Profiles are now supported. Profiles are per game and per power state (docked or undocked). Settings from Power Tools will automatically be applied when a game is launched or when the power state is changed. Launching a game or changing the power state for a given profile for the first time will duplicate the currently loaded profile. Changes made after that will only apply to the currently loaded profile.
  • The input subsystem has been refactored. Most of the changes will not have a noticeable impact yet, but will enable future features.
  • Improved controller support for the ROG Ally, 7 additional hardware level key combos have been mapped.
  • Fixed back button support for GPD Win4.
  • Added full controller support for the following devices: Ayn Loki Zero, AYANEO Air Plus (Intel), and AYANEO Air 1S.
  • Added Power Tools support for the entire AMD 7000 APU series.
  • Kernel version and GPU driver are now displayed with the system information.

HandyGCCS Changes

  • HandyGCCS has been entirely refactored to reduce complexity when adding new handheld devices, reduce maintenance complexity, and improve specific functionality on a per device basis. As a consequence, support for gyro input has been temporarily removed until a more reliable method can be developed. Previously only devices with a true BMI160 gyro were supported.
  • The overall latency of the service has been greatly improved. This has removed the incidental "A" button passthrough events that could occasionally occur. Input is now processed before Steam and should behave more reliably.
  • The power button can now be configured on all supported hardware to function as suspend (default configuration), shutdown, or hibernate (hibernate requires swap size equal to your RAM). Shutdown mode while in Steam's GamepadUI will act like a steam deck long press of the power button and open the power menu.
  • Suspend looping caused by HandyGCCS has been fixed.
  • Debug statements will now be more verbose when something has failed. Users may notice errors in the log when shifting input modes (i.e KB/mouse mode on OXP devices) which is expected. Other errors that accompany degraded performance or loss of function should be reported.
  • Most devices from OneXPlayer and AOKZOE will now have the turbo button act as the QAM button in steam. Older models (pre 5800U) do not have this functionality. Users of the OneXPlayer Mini 5800U can install an optional beta BIOS to gain this functionality. Check out the OneXPlayer Linux discord for details if interested.
  • Improved controller support for the ROG Ally, 7 additional hardware level key combos have been mapped.
  • Fixed back button support for GPD Win4.
  • Added full controller support for the following devices: Ayn Loki Zero, AYANEO Air Plus (Intel), and AYANEO Air 1S.
  • Most handheld devices can now hold the button mapped to Xbox/mode to enter the steam mouse mode while in GamepadUI. Devices that do not have momentary buttons (OXP, AOKZOE, ROG Ally) do not have this functionality as they only produce the keypress when released. The built in mouse mode for OXP and AOKZOE devices will continue to function as normal.

ChimeraOS 43-1 (2023-07-23)

This is a bugfix release to address some regressions and problems with the ChimeraOS 43 cycle. No new features are rolled out with this one.

Main Components

  • linux-chimeraos 6.3.9-chos2
  • OpenGamepadUI 0.19.2
  • Mesa version: 23.1.3

Fixes and improvements

  • Fixed a bug with flatpaks not starting in GamepadUI due to some Nvidia Vulkan shenannigans that affected non-Nvidia users.
  • Fix the Return to GameMode shortcut on Desktop mode to return to the correct session that was used before switching.
  • removed ryzenadj-controller (not ryzenadj itself) due to some incompatibilities with python's asyncio.

ChimeraOS 43 (2023-07-06)

This has been an especially long development cycle for us as many of our long-term projects have come together for this release. One of our long term frustrations has been balancing the need for general support while many new devices, especially handhelds, require per device configuration changes. Going forward it will be much easier to enable device specific patches during installations and upgrades. Additionally, we have been finding and fixing kernel bugs over the last few releases, which is why we have been shipping the 6.1 kernel since v38. To combat this, ChimeraOS has started shipping its own kernel. The kernel is still based on the Arch kernel and will enable us to apply upstream patches that affect gaming performance, add gaming features, or fix hardware problems much sooner. It will also ensure we have more control over the kernel that is shipped, which will make the development cycle more predictable. The goal is to stay as close to Arch mainline as possible while avoiding regressions to currently supported hardware.

Special Thanks

  • We would like to express our gratitude and appreciation to Luke Jones for his invaluable contributions to the ChimeraOS team and his exceptional work in enabling Asus devices to function effectively on Linux. Over the past three years, his efforts have played a pivotal role in the swift adaptation of the Asus Ally for ChimeraOS.

  • We also extend our thanks to all individuals directly or indirectly involved with ChimeraOS, as well as those who have contributed to the foundation that makes ChimeraOS possible. The project has experienced significant growth in the past year, and we are sincerely grateful to everyone who has dedicated their time and resources to assist in any way possible. Your contributions have been instrumental in the progress and success of ChimeraOS.

NOTICE

  • The ChimeraOS team intentionally disables DSDT overrides by default which is required for the Asus Ally. This decision is made to ensure that users have full control over their firmware settings and can make an informed decision about enabling overrides. Despite the community's extensive testing and belief in the safety of the override process, it is important to note that the ChimeraOS team intentionally leaves it up to the user to decide whether to take the "risk" of enabling DSDT overrides.

  • The latest installation media now has an "Advanced Install" option that will allow users to enable DSDT overrides during a new or repair install. Users who don't select this option during install can manually run frzr-tweaks with sudo to enable these fixes. Device quirks will now be automatically reapplied during upgrades or if selected in the advanced option during install. Your /etc/device-quirks/device-quirks.conf needs to have firmware overrides enabled. See the ChimeraOS Wiki to see if your device has a specific override.

  • Users are also able to select the Unstable deployment branch if desired in the "Advanced Install" menu. Unstable images are not intended for general use and are used to develop new features or test new hardware. As breakages that require re-installation are common, we do not recommend running unstable unless you are specifically wanting to test a new feature or device and you've spoken to a ChimeraOS Developer on our Discord server.

Main Components

  • linux-chimeraos 6.3.9-chos2
  • OpenGamepadUI 0.15.5
  • Mesa version: 23.1.3

Fixes and improvements

  • Add initial Asus ROG Ally support. This includes:

    • Audio support (With DSDT Override enabled)
    • Functional WiFi
    • Functional face buttons
    • Functional Bluetooth
    • Experimental partial TDP control in OpenGamepadUI
    • Suspend functionality is still a work in progress. We recommend disabling auto suspend on the ROG ally and shutting the unit down after each gaming session.
  • Add support for AOKZOE A1 Pro fan control via hwmon.

  • Games should boot up faster and in some cases make games that previously didn't boot now boot correctly.

  • Add ability to switch update channels in the Steam UI (This requires enabling developer mode and Show Advanced Update Channels in Steam.)

  • Support for the following handhelds has been added to HandyGCCS. See the HandyGCCS Wiki for button mapping information.

    • AOKZOE A1 Pro
    • ASUS ROG Ally
    • AYANEO 2S and GEEK 1S
    • AYN Loki Max
  • OpenGamepadUI has been updated with a new CardUI, support for many more handhelds, and numerous bug fixes that improve the user experience. Additionally, Lutris and Yuzu plugins have been added to the plugin store. See the OpenGamepadUI GitHub page to review the full list of changes.

  • DSDT overrides can be enabled for the AYANEO 2021 series and the GPD WinMax2 series that will enable the gyro to properly load in the BMI-160 driver.

  • Blackscreen issues for multiple handheld devices have been resolved by forcing gamescope to see some built-in panels as a external monitors. This has the effect of exposing the resolution options in the display settings in the Steam UI. Do not change the resolution from these options or the device could be forced into an unsupported resolution. Changing the UI Scale is the preferred way to adjust the readability of UI elements.

  • The AMD P-State driver will now be used on supported devices.

  • Added a Thai font.

  • Users will no longer experience errors that falsely indicate an upgrade failure during future upgrades.

  • Added screen rotation quirk for the AYN Loki Max and AOKZOE A1 Pro.

  • Intel OneXPlayer devices should now have much better compatibility.

ChimeraOS 42 (2023-05-11)

NOTICE

Upgrading from ChimeraOS 41 to ChimeraOS 42 will migrate your system to using the systemd-boot bootloader instead of syslinux. If your system is using legacy/BIOS boot or an mbr partition type, you will have to re-install your system.

Due to a regression in newer kernels that affected several handheld devices, ChimeraOS 42 uses the Linux LTS kernel 6.1.27, so is still compatible with syslinux. Upgrading from an older version of ChimeraOS will work despite the warning messages in previous release notes. This will likely not be the case in the next release, so upgrade as soon as possible to avoid getting into an unbootable state.

Main Components

  • Kernel version: 6.1.27
  • Mesa version: 23.0.2 (patched for ANV compatibility with Gamescope)
  • Nvidia driver version: 530.41.03

Fixes and improvements

  • Removed Old Big Picture Mode session and steamos-compositor-plus. It served us well. Valeo.
  • Formatting and mounting of all secondary storage devices has been fixed. For real this time.
  • Improved the usability and aesthetics of the disk management utility in the chimera app
  • Added controller support for GPD Win4. (HandyGCCS)
  • The Chimera App can now be launched locally on the AYANEO 2 using the LC button. (HandyGCCS)
  • The Chimera App now has built-in TDP controls for AYANEO 2
  • The Chimera App can now be launched locally from the desktop
  • The Chimera App now shows app/game titles on the Flathub, GOG, and Epic Games Store pages for easy searchability
  • Fixed the ChimeraOS boot splash screen
  • Fixed a bug in the bootloader generator that failed to pickup additional kernel options
  • Fixed a race condition with suspend that could cause a device to immediately re-suspend after wake. (HandyGCCS)
  • Fixed a bug on AYANEO 2 and AYANEO Geek devices that could cause duplicate key-presses. (HandyGCCS)
  • Fixed some issues with button mapping in RetroArch emulators for devices managed by HandyGCCS.
  • Updated the device-quirks script for the AOKZOE A1 for systemd-boot. See the guide on usage.
  • Added two experimental sessions for OpenGamepadUI. These sessions should be considered alpha software and are included for testing purposes only. They are not currently recommended for "daily driving".
  • Added the AYALED service for control of LED's on AYANEO AIR, AIR Pro, 2, and GEEK devices. See the guide for usage.
  • Fixed a bug where Mangohud would display in the center of the screen for left-rotated displays.
  • Fixed a bug where Mangohud would not display the overlay correctly with systems with multiple CPU cores/threads.
  • Switched from sudo to polkit for brightness control.
  • Added the pikaur AUR helper for simpler troubleshooting and development usage. The filesystem must be unlocked in order to use pikaur and it is not recommended for general usage in ChimeraOS.
  • Exposed fan control support for AYANEO2 and AYANEO Geek in sysfs via the oxp-sensors-dkms driver.
  • Added export-gpu CLI utility to manage Multi-GPU systems (Useful for Nvidia systems paired with a CPU with an iGPU). See the guide for usage.

New Sessions Details

As mentioned above, OpenGamepadUI should be considered early alpha software and is not intended for daily use at this time. If you would like to assist in testing they have been made available in the image for easier switching. Please report any bugs you discover in the #opengamepadui channel on the ChimeraOS Discord or on the OpenGamepadui Github Issues Page.

Usage

  • From a TTY, chimera-session gamepadui-with-qam provides the Steam Big Picture UI with an additional overlay. This is a transitional mode while OpenGamepadUI Works on becoming feature complete. There is a plugin bar that adds some functionality, like Saturation, TDP and other power tools for most AMD APU's and a limited number of Intel iGPU's.
  • From a TTY, chimera-session opengamepadui provides a full replacement UI. It is intended as a multi-library launcher ecosystem with built in plugin support. Currently only the Steam plugin is available, but GOG and EGS are in development with plans for emulator support as well.

ChimeraOS 41 (2023-03-30)

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Please upgrade to ChimeraOS 41 as soon as possible. This update is REQUIRED in order to gain migration support and move to a new bootloader during the upgrade to ChimeraOS 42 when it is released. Failing to upgrade to ChimeraOS 41 before upgrading to ChimeraOS 42 WILL RESULT IN AN UNBOOTABLE SYSTEM.

The Arch Linux 6.2 kernel no longer supports the syslinux bootloader used by ChimeraOS. We will be migrating all ChimeraOS installations to the systemd-boot bootloader during the update to ChimeraOS 42. Due to this change, legacy/BIOS installations are no longer supported and will not be able to upgrade past ChimeraOS 41. Please re-install your system with the latest install media if you are using BIOS/legacy boot.

Main Components

  • Kernel version: 6.1.21
  • Mesa version: 22.3.4 (patched for ANV compatibility with Gamescope)
  • Nvidia driver version: 530.41.03

Fixes and improvements

  • Fixed Steam failing to start with some displays at 4K when using AMD GPUs
  • Fixed formatting and mounting of secondary storage devices in Steam

ChimeraOS 40 (2023-03-29)

Main Components

  • Kernel version: 6.1.21
  • Mesa version: 23.0.0 (patched for ANV compatibility with Gamescope)
  • Nvidia driver version: 530.41.03

Fixes and improvements

  • Switched to the systemd-boot bootloader for new installations. BIOS/legacy installations are no longer supported.
  • Added a migrations framework to the system updater in preparation for migrating existing installations to systemd-boot in a future release.
  • Switched to PCSX2 emulator core for PlayStation 2 games. A BIOS file is now required.
  • Added support for Super Game Boy and Atari 7800 games.
  • Fixed Steam Deck failing to boot.
  • Fixed Steam Deck audio.
  • Added full controller support for AYANEO 2 and AYANEO Geek models via HandyGCCS.
  • Reduced network timeouts in the game configuration downloader to avoid connection hangs in poor network conditions.
  • Fixed automatic disk mounting in desktop mode.
  • Wake on USB will now be automatically enabled when a gamepad is plugged in.
  • Fixed a bug where session changes would not persist after a reboot.
  • Added an Xorg desktop session option.
  • Fixed a bug where game configuration tweaks were not being applied on first boot.
  • Added the ability to override the exe file used to launch GOG games. WarCraft II now works.

ChimeraOS 39 (2023-02-17)

Main Components

  • Kernel version: 6.1.11
  • Mesa version: 22.3.4 (patched for ANV compatibility with Gamescope)
  • Nvidia driver version: 525.89.02

Fixes and improvements

  • Switch to Gamepad/Deck UI by default
  • Fully Integrate system updates into the Gamepad/Deck UI
  • Preserve non-Steam game shortcuts not created by the Chimera web app
  • Added Nintendo DS support
  • Updated install media with new system repair/recovery functionality
  • Fixed a bug where custom launch options and Steam input settings were not being applied
  • Stability improvements to Hogwarts Legacy and possibly other games
  • Fixed some issues with Flatpak desktop integration
  • Added boot/splash animation (by Mark Tolle)
  • Fixed boot failure with Nvidia + certain Intel CPUs
  • Improvements to Intel GPU compatibility
  • HandyGCCS: Swapped default mapping for QAM and Guide buttons on OXP and AOKZOE devices. Guide will now activate on a short press of the "orange/yellow" key.
  • HandyGCCS: Improved stuttering for gyro controls on supported devices.
  • Removable media will now be checked for compatibility when formatting.
  • Some supported Ryzen APU's will have their T-junction temp set to 95C automatically. This solves overheating issues in some handheld consoles.
  • The split_lock_detect kernel parameter is now set to off by default.

ChimeraOS 38 (2022-12-28)

Main Components

  • Kernel version: 6.1.1
  • Mesa version: 22.3.1 (patched for ANV compatibility with Gamescope)
  • Nvidia driver version: 525.60.11

Fixes and improvements

  • Improved Intel GPU driver support for Gamepad/Deck UI
  • AOKZOE A1 screen orientation and resolution fixes
  • OneXPlayer Mini Pro screen orientation and resolution fixes
  • Improved support for external NTFS drives
  • Fixed AppImages failing to start
  • Added controller support for GPD WIN Max 2, OneXPlayer Mini Pro, Anbernic Win600, and AOKZOE A1 devices
  • Added support for the "Format SD Card" button in Steam Gamepad/Deck UI
  • Fixed a bug that was causing SD card auto-mount to fail at boot

ChimeraOS 37 (2022-11-22)

  • Fixed non-Steam shortcut issues caused by game database update failures
  • Fixed system update failures when resuming downloads
  • Switched audio system from PulseAudio to PipeWire
  • Fixed restarting Steam from the Chimera web app with Gamepad/Deck UI
  • Improved responsiveness of the Chimera web app
  • Dropped the following functionality from the Chimera web app as part of the phasing out of Big Picture Mode:
    • Virtual keyboard
    • Performance overlay/MangoHud toggle and settings
    • Steam overlay toggle
    • Compositor/window mode toggle
  • Desktop mode
    • Switched terminal application from "Terminal" to "Console"
    • Added "Disks" and "Archive Manager" utilities
    • Enabled use of the following additional languages:
      • Spanish
      • French
      • German
      • Italian
      • Portuguese
      • Japanese
      • Chinese

ChimeraOS 36 (2022-11-11)

  • Added Wii as a supported platform (only works with a real Wiimote)
  • Added ability to select additional artwork on emulated games for Gamepad/Deck UI
  • Fixed missing Text Editor shortcut in desktop mode
  • Fixed artwork selection for emulated games
  • Fixed additional artwork for Steam games not downloading or applying under certain conditions
  • Fixed external monitor not working on Gamepad/Deck UI
  • Non-Steam shortcuts marked as "hidden" no longer appear in Gamepad/Deck UI

ChimeraOS 35 (2022-09-20)

  • Added Gnome desktop accessible via Gamepad/Deck UI or from the command line with chimera-session desktop, not currently accessible from Big Picture Mode
  • Worked around Steam disabling Bluetooth by automatically enabling Bluetooth in Steam's config file
  • Fixed a bug in the Chimera app where the progress display for game installation/uninstallation could become stuck
  • Worked around non-ASCII characters in Steam collection names causing failure to apply custom banner images
  • Fixed Epic Games Store login and game installation
  • Aya Neo Air support
    • Fixed screen orientation in Big Picture Mode
    • Fixed screen orientation in Gamepad/Deck UI
  • OneXPlayer Mini AMD support
    • Fixed screen orientation in Gamepad/Deck UI
    • Added screen frequency change support
  • Improved download speeds and connectivity for some WiFi modules
  • Removed many previously installed packages to free up space, including many emulators that were included as a convenience but were never officially supported
    • NOTE: Installing additional software can be done via the Chimera app or via the Gnome Software application from the desktop
  • Fixed setting hostname and timezone via Gamepad/Deck UI
  • Fixed spurious removable media-related error messages
  • Automatically detect Steam libraries on internal and external storage devices
  • Added basic system update notification support for Gamepad/Deck UI - further improvements to come
  • Added CPU microcode to boot parameters

ChimeraOS 34 (2022-08-09)

  • re-enabled Proton for all non-Linux titles
  • fixed games not launching when pre-configured to run with Proton
  • fixed Bluetooth service failing to start due to a missing directory
  • fixed boot failure when ChimeraOS was installed on external drives
  • fixed Steam VR crashing
  • added HandyGCCS for improved handheld device controls support
  • improved reliability of session switcher script
  • fixed constant update notifications in Gamepad UI
  • fixed Chimera app password prompt not appearing in gamepad UI
  • implemented collections for non-Steam shortcuts in gamepad UI
  • added ChimeraOS Verified and Playable games to collections in gamepad UI
  • implemented an initial Chimera app UI for formatting external drives
  • the Big Picture Mode session is now using the Steam Deck client, which means that
    • switching between gamepad/deck UI and BPM will be smoother and not require Steam client updates
    • problems relating to launching Proton and non-Steam games are fixed
    • games will use their Steam Deck specific code paths if they have one; in some cases this fixes games, in others it breaks them
    • Steam Input is now activated globally just as it is in gamepad/deck UI; if you encounter issues with a specific game you can disable Steam Input by navigating to the game and selecting "Manage Game" -> "Controller Options"