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dArkOSen is a community-maintained, light fork of dArkOS for genuine R36-family devices.
It is not intended to replace dArkOS with something fundamentally different. The goal is simple: make dArkOS better on genuine hardware without changing what dArkOS is.
dArkOSen focuses on the areas where genuine R36 devices need additional work: hardware compatibility, system stability, performance, usability, and tools for users who want more control over their device.
The project is maintained by djparentx and is built from dArkOS, with changes and additions developed specifically around the R36 platform.
dArkOSen is a light fork of dArkOS.
It retains the basic dArkOS structure, EmulationStation frontend, RetroArch configuration, emulator ecosystem, and overall user experience. The intention is not to create another completely different operating system or reinvent dArkOS.
Instead, dArkOSen adds and modifies things where they provide a practical benefit to R36 users.
This includes:
- Hardware compatibility improvements
- Custom device-tree configurations for supported genuine devices
- System stability fixes
- Performance and overclocking improvements
- Additional system management tools
- Improved Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support
- Power-user functionality
- Custom hotkeys and system controls
- Updated RetroArch and additional software
- Fixes for common problems encountered on R36 hardware
- Tools that make configuring, backing up, and maintaining the system easier
Some of these changes are relatively small. Others require modifications to the kernel, device trees, system services, or existing dArkOS components.
The common goal is the same: improve dArkOS without turning it into something else.
dArkOSen has four primary goals.
The R36 family has gone through a number of hardware revisions and models. Device trees, displays, controls, power management, Wi-Fi hardware, and other components can vary between devices.
dArkOSen provides customized configurations for supported genuine devices rather than assuming that one configuration will work correctly on everything.
A system can technically boot and still have problems.
dArkOSen attempts to address problems that are specific to, or particularly common on, genuine R36 hardware. This includes hardware configuration, system services, performance settings, input handling, power management, and other areas where small changes can make a significant difference.
dArkOS works well as a ready-to-use emulation system. dArkOSen adds tools for users who want more control over what their device is doing.
This includes managers for CPU speed, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, buttons, systems, shaders, backups, themes, and other parts of the system.
Root access is also available through the file managers and root filesharing is enabled by default.
That additional access is useful, but it also means that it is easier to break things. If you have root access, you can modify or delete things that the system needs.
dArkOSen includes a custom overclocking kernel configuration.
The current configuration uses:
- 1296 MHz default CPU clock
- 1512 MHz maximum CPU clock
- 600 MHz GPU clock instead of the 520 MHz default
- 768 MB ZRAM
CPU speeds can be adjusted using CPU Manager or R36 Tuner.
These settings are intended to provide additional performance where the hardware can handle it. They are not a guarantee that every game or emulator will run better, and higher clock speeds can increase heat, power consumption, and instability.
dArkOSen is designed for genuine R36-family hardware.
Currently supported devices include:
- Genuine R36S models
- R36S Plus
- R36H
- R36H ProMax
- R45H
- R46H
dArkOSen is not compatible with clone devices, including models such as:
- G80CA
- Soy Sauce
Clone hardware can look almost identical to a genuine R36 while using different displays, controllers, power circuits, storage configurations, or other components.
Because dArkOSen makes hardware-specific changes, using it on an unsupported clone can result in anything from missing functionality to a device that will not boot.
The project is intentionally focused on genuine devices rather than attempting to maintain compatibility with every R36 clone.
dArkOSen includes a large number of changes and additions to the base dArkOS installation.
Some of the more significant features include:
- Customized DTBs for supported genuine devices
- DTB selector in
/boot - Custom dArkOSen overclocking kernel
- GPU overclock
- 768 MB ZRAM
- Fully updated RetroArch
- PortMaster
- ThemeMaster
- KODI
- Root-enabled file explorers
- Root filesharing
- dArkOSen system hotkeys
- dArkOSen RetroArch hotkeys
- Wi-Fi Manager
- Bluetooth Manager
- CPU Manager
- Button Mapper
- SYSTEMS Manager for two-card ROM setups
- R36 Backup and Migration Assistant
- Dave's Retro Shaders
- Dave's Modern Shaders
- R36S Theme Patcher
- Additional patched themes
- Custom EmulationStation icons
- Color battery icons
- Custom boot, loading, and low-battery screens
- Custom background music
- Volume resume fix
- Screen rotation services
- PortMaster fixes
- Realtek driver improvements
- LED configuration changes
Some of these components are maintained directly as dArkOSen features while others are integrated projects or fixes from the R36 community.
Credit is given to the original authors where applicable.
dArkOSen is not intended to become a completely independent operating system.
It does not attempt to replace the dArkOS emulator stack or maintain independent versions of every component inherited from dArkOS.
This distinction is important.
dArkOSen inherits a significant amount of software from dArkOS. If an emulator has a bug, an upstream component has a problem, or a feature is broken in the underlying dArkOS software, it may also be broken in dArkOSen.
Where possible, dArkOSen fixes problems specific to genuine R36 hardware. Problems that require changes to upstream dArkOS or an emulator generally need to be addressed upstream.
dArkOSen is a fork, not a complete rewrite.
Some issues will therefore remain because they originate in software inherited from dArkOS or from the emulators themselves.
Not every problem can, or should, be fixed in dArkOSen.
The system is designed around specific genuine R36 hardware.
An unsupported device may boot, but that does not mean it is compatible. Displays, controls, power management, Wi-Fi, GPU configuration, and other hardware can require different device-tree settings.
The DTB selector contains additional DTBs for experimentation, but not every DTB in the selector represents a supported device.
This is intentional.
It makes the system much easier to modify and troubleshoot, but it also removes some of the protection normally provided by restricting access to system files.
Be careful when using root access.
The included overclocking configuration is intended for the supported hardware, but individual devices can behave differently.
Higher clock speeds are not guaranteed to be stable on every device and should be adjusted appropriately if problems occur.
The dArkOSen DTBs have been customized for the hardware supported by this project.
If you choose to use your own DTB instead, some dArkOSen-specific hardware or overclocking changes may not be present unless you patch that DTB yourself.
The standard installation process is intentionally simple:
- Extract the dArkOSen
.imgfile. - Flash it to the SD card using Rufus.
- Run
SELECT MODEL.batand select your device. - Insert the card into the console and boot.
- Allow the system to reboot while the partitions are expanded.
- dArkOSen will boot normally after the expansion process completes.
Rufus is currently the supported flashing method.
Other flashing software has produced a significantly higher number of corrupted installations during testing. Balena Etcher is the preferred alternative for Mac users, but it has still produced occasional failures.
If an installation behaves strangely and the image was not flashed with Rufus, reflashing the image with Rufus should be one of the first troubleshooting steps.
dArkOSen is primarily intended to be a working, maintained image rather than a support forum.
Issues and Pull Requests are currently closed.
This is largely because many problems reported against dArkOSen are actually inherited from dArkOS or from the emulators themselves. Maintaining a separate issue tracker for every upstream problem would not provide much value.
Development is instead focused on:
- Genuine R36 hardware compatibility
- Hardware-specific fixes
- System stability
- Performance
- New tools
- Useful power-user features
- Fixes for common problems encountered by R36 users
When an issue belongs upstream, the appropriate solution is generally an upstream fix rather than another patch layered on top of dArkOSen.
dArkOSen exists because dArkOS is already a good foundation.
The goal isn't to replace it.
The goal is to take what works, fix the things that don't work well on genuine R36 hardware, add the tools and features that are useful in practice, and leave the rest alone.
That is why dArkOSen is deliberately a light fork.
If something doesn't need changing, it doesn't need changing.
If something can be fixed without reinventing it, fix it.
If a useful tool can make something easier for the user, add the tool.
And when the problem belongs upstream, don't pretend it belongs in the fork.
dArkOSen is dArkOS, enhanced for genuine R36 hardware.
dArkOSen is a passion project born out of love for the R36S. If you appreciate what I do and want to support the project you can show that support by buying me a coffee. Proceeds help fund the cost of SD cards and other expenses involved with development.