A SteamOS-like Linux distribution for ARM handhelds built on Fedora bootc using device support from ROCKNIX.

Includes:

• ARM64 Steam
• Latest FEX
• CachyOS Proton 11
• Desktop mode (KDE)
• Bazaar App Store
• Over-the-air updates
• Install to internal storage (alongside Android)
• Power and fan control in the Steam UI
• Per-game FEX and Proton settings (Decky plugin)

Armada boots from SD card. Once it is running, you can optionally install it to internal storage so it boots without the card (see Install to internal storage).

1. Flash the Armada image to SD.

   Use Balena Etcher to flash the latest armada-YYYYMMDD.img.gz image to a 64GB or larger SD card (A2 speed for best results).

2. Flash the ROCKNIX ABL for your device.

   • Insert the SD card, boot into Android, and copy the rocknix_abl folder to the root of your internal storage.
   • Identify your SoC from the device table above (SM8550, SM8650, or SM8750). Flashing the wrong SoC's ABL can brick the device, so match it carefully.
   • Using your device's built-in "run script as root" tool, browse to your SoC's subfolder (e.g. rocknix_abl/SM8550) and run backup_abl.sh.
   • Copy the backup (abl_a.img and abl_b.img, written into your SoC subfolder) to your PC for safekeeping.
   • Run flash_abl.sh the same way to flash the new ABL.

3. Boot from SD and set your device model and boot mode.

   • Reboot holding VOL- to enter the ABL menu.
   • In the ABL menu (navigate with VOL-/+, select with POWER):
     • Set your device model
     • Toggle boot mode to Linux
     • Choose Start to exit

4. Wait for Steam first-run setup.

   After the intro animation, the display may be black for up to 60 seconds before Steam appears. This is expected on the current SD card boot path. Eventually you will see Steam first-run where you can configure your language, timezone, and Wi-Fi. At the end Steam will restart again, and you may see another 60 seconds of black before the login screen appears.

Once Armada is running from the SD card, you can install it to the device's internal storage so it boots without the card. Open Desktop Mode and launch Armada Installer from the System menu.

The installer checks what is already on internal storage and offers:

• Install alongside Android (fresh device): choose how much storage Android keeps; Armada takes the rest. This factory-resets Android (you lose Android apps and data, but the Android system itself stays).
• Reinstall / Switch to Armada (a ROCKNIX or Armada install is already present): Armada replaces the existing Linux install and leaves Android untouched, with no resize or wipe.
• Remove and restore Android: erase the Armada/ROCKNIX install and give the whole disk back to Android (Android factory-resets on its next boot).

When it finishes, power off, remove the SD card, then power on. Internal storage boots before the SD card.

If an install is interrupted, re-run Armada Installer from the SD card to finish. If the device will not boot the SD card at all, force it back to the card with fastboot erase ROCKNIX (see Uninstall for the full steps).

To remove or reinstall an internal install, run Armada Installer from the SD card. You cannot modify the partitions you are currently booted from, so neither can be done from the internal install itself.

The catch is that the ABL bootloader prefers internal storage over the SD card, so while Armada is installed internally the device keeps booting the internal copy even with the card inserted. You first have to erase Armada's internal boot partition over fastboot to force it back to the SD card.

1. Enter the bootloader. Power off, then hold VOL- while powering on and leave the device sitting in the bootloader.
2. Erase the internal boot partition. Connect the device to a PC and run:

   fastboot erase ROCKNIX
   

   Armada's boot partition is named ROCKNIX so the ROCKNIX-derived ABL finds it.
3. Boot Armada from the SD card. With the internal boot partition gone, reboot with the Armada SD card inserted and it boots from the card.
4. Run Armada Installer. Open Desktop Mode and launch Armada Installer. It detects the existing internal install and offers two choices:
   • Reinstall Armada (or Switch to Armada if ROCKNIX is installed) replaces the Linux install and leaves your Android untouched.
   • Remove & Restore Android erases the install and gives the whole disk back to Android, which factory-resets on its next boot.

FEX (x86 translation) and CachyOS Proton 11 are set up out of the box, so for most games you can just install from Steam and press play, with no extra setup. The rest of Armada works like SteamOS, and the Armada-specific controls live in Armada Control, a Decky plugin in the Quick Access Menu, for tuning and the occasional game that needs it.

Press the Steam button to open the Quick Access Menu (on AYANEO devices the QAM is unmapped, so use Home + A), then open Armada Control. It has three tabs:

• Power. Pick a profile: Eco, Balanced, or Performance. Each sets a fan curve, CPU underclock, and a GPU clock range. Profiles are editable in Armada Control.
• Compatibility. Per-game resolution and FEX settings. Pick a FEX preset (Default, Fast, Compatible, or Custom). The defaults work for most titles; change these only if a game misbehaves. Settings are saved per game.
• Settings. Choose the controller emulation type (Xbox 360, Steam Deck, or DualSense), launch stick and trigger calibration, and adjust system options.

From the Steam power menu, choose Switch to Desktop for a full KDE Plasma desktop. The Bazaar app store and the Armada Installer (Install to internal storage) live here. Use the Return to Gaming Mode shortcut on the desktop to switch back.

Pressing the power button does a "fake suspend" (inspired by ROCKNIX) rather than real S3 sleep: it blanks the screen and freezes the session, and the same press wakes it. Because the device does not truly sleep, idle battery drain is higher than it would be with real suspend.

Armada supports several release channels (only Beta is currently in use) and can update itself in place, with no reflash and no need to redownload games. Trigger an update from Steam's system settings. Updates are image-based with rollback, so a failed boot falls back to the previous image.

• Black screen during Steam launch. Sometimes there is a 30-60s black screen before Steam becomes fully visible, often following an update or restart.
• Red tint. Some devices show a red tint on the panel after Steam restart. It is intermittent and a reboot clears it.
• FEX presets apply only to Proton launches. Armada Control's per-game FEX preset changes are applied through the bundled Proton wrapper, so they do not currently affect native Linux x86 games launched directly through FEX.
• QAM is unmapped on Ayaneo devices. Use Home+A to open the Quick Access Menu.

• ROCKNIX: bootloader, device support, input mappings, audio profiles, and more.
• Bazzite and the Universal Blue ecosystem: the bootc/image build structure, the image-template this repo is built from, and Steam/Gamescope session patterns.
• Fedora and the bootc project: the base image and tooling.

Armada's own code is GPL-2.0-or-later. If you modify and distribute it, your changes stay open under the same terms. Bundled components keep their upstream licenses. See LICENSE.md.