R36S Plus firmware and ArkOS: which system, how to update

The system that comes on the console

The console boots into a preinstalled open-source Linux system with an EmulationStation-style menu: a list of systems, then the games on your card. This system lives on the microSD card in the TF1-OS slot, on the right-hand side. Your games go on the card in the TF2-GAME slot, on the left-hand side. There is no internal memory, so changing the system means rewriting the TF1-OS card. This split is reassuring: your games and saves stay on the other card while you work on the system.

The factory system can vary from one batch to another. The safest approach is to check on your own console. Find the system information screen in the menu and note what it says before you change anything. That name tells you which updates and resources apply to you. It also helps you describe your setup if you ask the community for help.

Updates offered by the system

Wi-Fi is built in, so there is no USB dongle to plug in and the OTG port stays free. It works on 2.4 GHz only, and the console has no Bluetooth. Depending on the installed system, it lets you run the updates offered by the system itself, without a computer. You set up the connection in the console menu. If your router broadcasts its 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks under separate names, pick the 2.4 GHz one. An update offered this way matches the system already installed, so it is the simplest way to stay up to date.

No update is guaranteed. Some systems release them, others do not, at their developers' own pace. Before starting one, charge the console through the USB-C port marked DC, using a 5 V adapter of at least 1.5 A, and copy your saves to a computer. Then let the update finish without switching off. Depending on the installed system, the same Wi-Fi also lets you fetch cover art for games you already own, enable RetroAchievements, install free ports through PortMaster and transfer files from a computer on the same network.

Community firmware made for this model

Enthusiasts publish system images designed for the R36S Plus. Once written to the TF1-OS card, they replace the factory system. Each project has its own interface, settings and release pace. None of them adds power: the chip is still the Rockchip RK3326 with 1 GB of RAM, the same as the R36S, and emulation performance does not change. What changes is the environment: menus, available emulators and tools. Four projects have been identified for this model.

These projects are independent and maintained by the community. Installing one is a personal choice, and you flash at your own risk. Read each project's page before downloading. It should state which console the image is designed for and how to write it to the card. This guide deliberately gives no version numbers or button combinations, as they vary from one project and one version to the next.

• ArkOS for R36S Plus: archived project, no longer developed.
• (d)ArkOS4Clone: active project.
• dArkOSRE-R36: active project.
• plumOS-R36Plus: project dedicated to this console.

Back up both cards before flashing

Before writing a different image, make two backups. The first is of the TF1-OS card. Switch the console off, remove the card from the right-hand side and put it in a microSD reader connected to a computer. Using disk imaging software, save a full image of the card, not just a copy of the visible files. This image holds the factory system exactly as it was, with your settings. Keep it on the computer and, if possible, on a second drive: it is what lets you go back.

The second backup is of the TF2-GAME card, on the left-hand side. Copy your save files to the computer. A new system may organise files differently, or offer to reformat the games card: with a copy, you lose nothing. Check that the copy is complete before carrying on. Keep both backups in the same folder, labelled with the system name you noted from the information screen.

Black screen: only use an image made for 720 x 720

The R36S Plus has a 4-inch square IPS screen at 720 x 720 pixels. Firmware designed for a different screen can boot to a black screen: the console switches on, but nothing appears. An image made for the R36S, whose 3.5-inch screen runs at 640 x 480, falls into this category. The names add to the risk. The box says ‘R36Plus’, the boot screen says ‘R36S Plus’, and other consoles have similar names: R36 Ultra, R36 Max, R36XX, or the older R36S Plus with a 3.5-inch screen. These are not the same devices.

The rule fits in one sentence: only use an image explicitly described as made for the R36S Plus with the 720 x 720 screen. If the project page is vague on this point, leave it. And if the screen stays black after flashing, stay calm. The system lives on the TF1-OS card, not inside the console, and that card can be rewritten from a computer.

Going back to the original system

To go back, use the TF1-OS card image you made before flashing. Remove the card from the console, put it in the computer's reader and write the image to it with your disk imaging software. This erases the card's current contents and restores the factory system with your settings. Put the card back in the right-hand slot, switch the console on and check the information screen: it should show the same system as before. If any saves are missing, copy them back from your TF2-GAME card backup.

Without a backup image, getting back the exact factory system becomes uncertain, which is why that first step matters so much. The R36S Plus sold here is the version with the 4-inch square screen and built-in Wi-Fi. We do not supply or support community firmware. If you simply want to play your own games, the preinstalled system and its updates remain the most relaxed option.