v1.2.1: Hotfix for v1.2 (games flickering below 1080p)

Installing for the first time? This isn't a new image. Download v1.2 and follow the install steps there, then come back and run the fix below.

This is a quick fix for anyone already running v1.2. No reflash, no reinstall, and your games and saves aren't touched. It takes about a minute. If you're still on v1.1 or older, update to v1.2 first.

What's fixed

Games flickering below 1080p. Lowering a game's resolution made the picture jump between full screen and the top-left corner, nonstop. The game and gamescope were fighting over the window size dozens of times a second. Now gamescope simply scales the game up to fill the screen, like on the Steam Deck, and as a bonus you get a nice FPS boost at lower resolutions. Thanks to everyone who reported it!

How to apply

1. Switch to Desktop Mode and open Konsole.
2. Paste this and press Enter:

   curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hashtagbasit/SteamOS-ARM-Handhelds/main/hotfixes/v1.2-lowres-flicker.sh | bash
   

3. Type your password when it asks. If you never set one, run passwd first and then paste the command again.
4. Switch back to Game Mode. That's it.

Prefer not to paste commands from the internet? The same script is attached below. Download it, read it (it's short), and run bash v1.2-lowres-flicker.sh. Running it twice does no harm, and it keeps a backup of the original file in case you want to undo it.

v1.3 will have this built in, so you won't need to do anything after that.

Supporting the project

If you're enjoying this and want to help me keep going:

Can't donate? No worries at all, a ⭐ on the repo helps a ton too. Thanks!

v1.2: Native ARM frame gen + one-tap internal install

Already installed v1.2? Grab the v1.2.1 hotfix. It fixes games flickering when you lower their resolution below 1080p, takes a minute and needs no reflash. New installs: flash the image below first, then apply it.

Frame gen now runs natively on ARM, SteamOS can move to internal storage in a few taps, and from now on updates install over your current system instead of a reflash. Plus fixes for pretty much everything you reported. Grab it, have fun, and let me know what breaks.

What's new

Frame gen, native on ARM

• Lossless Scaling frame gen is on LSFG 2.0 now, with an ARM64 build for ARM64 games next to the plugin's x86 one for games running through FEX.
• The Decky plugin comes preinstalled and its Install button actually works now. You still need to own Lossless Scaling on Steam.
• The ARM64 layer is lsfg-vk 2.0 by PancakeTAS, built from the official source with no code changes and shared under its CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.

Install to internal storage

• New Easy UFS Installer app in Desktop Mode. Pick how much space Android keeps and it does the rest. Android stays, and you pick which one to boot in the ABL menu.
• It backs up your partition table to the SD card first, so you can always go back.

No more reflashing

• New SteamOS Update app. Future versions install over your current system and keep your games, saves, accounts and Wi-Fi. If an update gets cut off halfway, it rolls back on the next boot.
• v1.1 doesn't have the updater yet, so this is the last reflash.

AYANEO Pocket S2 and S2 Pro

• Initial support is in. Same chip and screen, so both run the same setup (on the Pro, pick AYANEO Pocket S2 as the device model in the ABL). I don't have one, so if you do, please try it and tell me what works.

Controls

• Right stick no longer moves the triggers, and the menu buttons no longer act like a right-click.
• The controller service was quietly using a whole CPU core in the background. Fixed, so a bit more battery and a bit less heat.

Everything else

• Newer gamescope, so the Steam UI runs at 144Hz and touch feels snappier.
• Updated to the newest Steam Frame SteamOS base.
• Play Store sign-in no longer gets blocked.
• Switching to Desktop Mode takes about 3 seconds now, and Wi-Fi stays connected when you come back to Game Mode.
• Fixed fan speed no longer jumps between your setting and 100%.
• Speakers sound cleaner and don't distort at max volume.
• Desktop Mode has the Steam splash again, and Discover installs apps properly.
• Hardware video decoding works.
• SSH is off by default now. To turn it on, set a password with passwd in Konsole, then run sudo systemctl enable --now sshd.

Install

1. Download the steamos-arm-handhelds-v1.2.7z parts into the same folder.
2. Open the .7z.001 one with 7-Zip or WinRAR (Windows) or Keka (Mac) and extract it. You get one .img file.
3. Flash the .img to a microSD card (32GB or bigger) with balenaEtcher.
4. If you've never done this before, flash ROCKNIX ABL 1.1.8 or newer first (once is enough).
5. Put the card in, hold Volume Down while powering on, set device model to KONKR Pocket FIT (or AYANEO Pocket S2), boot mode Linux, then START.

First boot takes a couple of minutes, then sign in to Steam and you're good to go.

Internal storage: once it's running from the SD card, open Easy UFS Installer in Desktop Mode. When it's done, set Boot source to Internal in the ABL menu. If you installed v1.1 to internal before, run UNINSTALL CFW in the ABL menu first.

Updating later: the SteamOS Update app is already on v1.2. When the next version comes out, its release will have an update package you can install straight from there, no reflash needed.

Known issues

• Games flicker below 1080p (picture jumps between full screen and the top-left corner). Fixed by the v1.2.1 hotfix.

Found something else? Tell me and I'll keep this list updated.

Supporting the project

If you're enjoying this and want to help me keep going:

Can't donate? No worries at all, a ⭐ on the repo helps a ton too. Thanks!

v1.1: Android Arrives

Android apps on your Pocket FIT, right inside SteamOS! Plus a big pile of fixes. Android support is still in beta: most apps and games I tried run great, a few still don't. Grab it, have fun, and let me know what breaks.

What's new

Android, built in (beta)

• Google Play Store comes preinstalled. It's sitting in your Steam library after you sign in, just hit Play.
• Every app or game you install gets its own tile in your library with its real name and icon. Install from the Play Store and it just appears, like any other game.
• Got an .apk, .apkm, .xapk or .apks? Double click it in Desktop Mode, or drop it in ~/Android/Inbox, and it installs and gets a tile too.
• Controller, touchscreen, swipes, pinch zoom and a touch keyboard all work. Back, Home and Recents work from Android's nav bar.
• Steam → Exit Game closes the app properly.

Install to internal storage

• It can now boot from the Pocket FIT's internal storage instead of the microSD card, and it's way snappier that way. See the note below.

Everything else

• Decky Loader and the KONKR Control plugin are preinstalled and actually there this time (a lot of you didn't have them on v1.0, so no keys fix either. Sorry about that!)
• Press the KONKR button and you get a Silent / Balanced / Turbo popup on screen, like on Android. No more digging through the QAM to see which mode you're in.
• Louder speakers, and the crackling in games is gone.
• QAM button works again.
• Desktop Mode has its app menu back and the on-screen keyboard pops up when you tap a text box.
• Discover installs are a bit quicker.

Install (microSD)

1. Download the three .7z files into the same folder.
2. Open the .7z.001 one with 7-Zip or WinRAR (Windows) or Keka (Mac) and extract it. You get one .img file.
3. Flash the .img to a microSD card (32GB or bigger) with balenaEtcher.
4. If you've never done this before, flash ROCKNIX ABL 1.1.8 or newer first (once is enough).
5. Put the card in, hold Volume Down while powering on, set device model to KONKR Pocket FIT, boot mode Linux, then START.

First boot takes a couple of minutes, then it's the normal Steam setup. Done!

Internal storage

The system can boot from internal storage now (in the ABL menu, set Boot source to Internal). Installing to internal means repartitioning it, which wipes Android's data, so I don't want anyone doing that by hand. A simple installer and a proper guide are coming in the next update.

Android beta, good to know

• The first time you open the Play Store it downloads Lepton (Valve's Android layer) through Steam. Be online and give it a few minutes.
• The Play Store tile can take a minute to appear after your first Steam sign in.
• Games with anti-cheat that blocks emulators won't run, and a few other apps still crash. Working on it.
• It's Android 11 without Google certification, so the odd app may complain.

Known issues

• Real sleep doesn't wake up reliably yet, so standby is the default. It still sips about 1W.
• It gets warm in heavy games. Silent mode or a frame limit helps.
• The first app you install from Discover also downloads about 1GB of shared stuff, so that one takes a while.

Supporting the project

If you're enjoying this and want to help me keep going:

Can't donate? No worries at all, a ⭐ on the repo helps a ton too. Thanks!

v1.0

First release of SteamOS ARM for the KONKR Pocket FIT.

It's Valve's SteamOS for ARM with the Pocket FIT kernel from ROCKNIX (Linux 7.1.2), plus everything from the README: working standby, fan curve, 60/90/120/144Hz, lsfg frame gen on ARM, the performance overlay, Decky with the KONKR Control plugin, and the desktop fixes.

Download

The image is split into three parts because GitHub only allows 2GB per file.

1. Download all three .7z files into the same folder.
2. Open steamos-sm8650-konkr-pocketfit.7z.001 with 7-Zip or WinRAR (Windows), or Keka / The Unarchiver (Mac), and extract it. You'll get steamos-sm8650-konkr-pocketfit.img.
3. Flash that .img to a microSD card (32GB or bigger) with balenaEtcher or Rufus.

SHA256SUMS is there if you want to check the download.

Install

1. Flash ROCKNIX ABL 1.1.8 or newer to abl_a and abl_b if you haven't already.
2. Put the card in, hold Volume Down while turning it on, Set device model → KONKR Pocket FIT, boot mode Linux, START.
3. First boot takes a couple of minutes. After that it's the normal Steam setup.

Known issues

• Real kernel sleep doesn't wake up reliably yet, so standby is the default. It still gets it down to about 1W.
• It runs hot in heavy games. Silent profile or a frame limit helps.
• AYANEO Pocket S2 is in there but untested.

If you want to support the project: