GarlicOS is Here! Anbernic RG35XX Custom Firmware Guide

[@ivancho5854]

"Yea man, I want to do it." This is in my head now every time I flash a SD card. 👍

[@BSG1991]

Facts lol😂

[@RP123lolololol]

Me too 😂

[@Zetakun]

I own both Miyoo Mini and RG35XX. While I really like my Miyoo, complaints I had so far was 1) it is too small for my hands (even though I have tiny Asian hands), and 2) L/R buttons just don't do it for me. RG35XX fixes both of them but was lacking in OS so I have been using Miyoo so far. With GarlicOS finally here, I can see myself leaning more towards RG35XX though. Thanks for the great vid!

[@tynao2029]

they also have this white transparent case which Miyoo has nothing as beautiful

[@immortanchris]

i speak the same grievances. i hope something like MiniUI is made for this anbernic

[@robotoboy30]

@thought criminal It works great for me! You have to remember that this is an indie effort that released very recently, and is still underdevelopment. As updates come out it will exceed the original OS by a MILE. There are some games that seem kinda borked, like Kirby Superstar for me for some reason (might be my rom) but overall the emulation is great! This was built on RetroArch which is the best emulation platform with full customizability for your experience. The original OS has far too few options, and some of the ROMs didn't work right. The Pokemon Gold rom for instance ran horridly, and was in black and white - while on Garlic OS it plays and looks perfect (plus I can use filters and scalers to make it look even more like the original did... The scaler in the original OS borked the text in some games)

[@RomuloAndrade]

​@WinstonSmith-1984 og battery, specially from the early units, are bad.. thankfully, a better replacement is available on aliexpress and it's cheap :)

[@getpaidmore_flips]

My RG35XX had the SD card stolen and wouldn't work at all. Naturally, this bricked the device. I just want to let you know that your guide saved my device. Thank you very much.

[@MrStompingshadow]

same'

[@jemps20]

This is the Onion OS ambernic version I was looking for ^^ can't wait to test it, thanks for your amazon work Retro Game Corps, you're the best!

[@Guitario666]

This handheld with this OS is a steal. I will probably get a couple to gift to family members. Hopefully the arcade issues get sorted by being unlocked

[@chanderson2559]

Thanks for the written guide and video. Just got my RG35XXX today and I'm liking it a lot.

[@Frostynezz]

I've been waiting for this! Thanks

[@officegossip]

Just got mine delivered in about a week’s time. It’s gonna primarily be my GB/GBA machine but I can see myself exchanging save files between this and my home consoles for snes/genesis. I’m glad this video exists.

[@empire0]

So after watching your video review of this console, I ordered one and it arrived this week. I played with it with the stock OS and while it was nice to just play right out of the box, it wasn't the most efficient setup. I had always planned to install Garlic, which I did tonight with this guide. Easy to install and it's a beautiful OS. I love the system itself, feels great in the hands, the screen is very sharp, and paired with Garlic the experience is extremely smooth. The last emulator system I got was a Retroid 2, and that is nowhere near as user friendly as this. I definitely recommend the RG35XX with or without the Garlic OS. Thanks for all the work on this channel, it's such a fun hobby within a hobby

[@Ponchoooooo]

best places for bios and roms?

[@johnh141]

Google

[@closetotheedge91]

Whaddya say we grab some burgers and start pavin?

[@crystalwater505]

Thanks for the guide Russ. I always appreciate your videos, they are always very helpful. I wish you a great new year.

[@demonoctober6673]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Here it issssssss! I love and appreciate everyone else’s tutorials but.. this is the oneeeee! Thank you!

[@mkay6915]

Very impressive that the team behind GarlicOS was able to make all of that in such a short time. At the same time it's still sad that Anbernic is still not willing to put some effort into selling their products with good firmware straight out of the box. They could at least pay the people behind all these custom firmwares that are made for their products and sell them with these firmwares from the beginning.

[@Fifanman]

Its just one dude (bascially). Insane.

[@StatusQuo209]

@@Fifanman money is an insane motivator. That guy does insanely good work.

[@Fifanman]

@@StatusQuo209 true, but GarlicOS is a labor of love, he aint gettin paid for this one.

[@tynao2029]

That's what happens with every device. You flash custom firmware. Anbernic is no different in that regard, but they are different from others in they actually provide great products at a great price

[@mkay6915]

@@tynao2029 But that shouldn't be the case. It shouldn't be necessary that customers have to flash custom firmware onto these products themselves. Anbernic just does 50% of the work they should do. After that they lean back and let their customers do the other 50% of the work for them. In no other market would that be acceptable.

[@PonchoGreg]

Checked it out tonight and I've got to say it's super impressive. I got the 35xx over the holidays and the stock OS is definitely less than ideal - beyond the naff user interface (which is serviceable enough) the main issues were lack of scaling, iffy perf on some systems, and perhaps more importantly the inability to remap controls (rubbish for arcade fighters). GarlicOS fixes all this and while I was expecting a barbones, slightly janky interface, what I found instead is a zippy UI that is clear and lets you get on with it. Very minimal Retroarch tweaking required, everything works as it should. Arcade performance is more than fine on Capcom stuff - which for me is 90% of my arcade needs but I realise mileage may vary. NES performance seems slightly janky though, which I wasn't really expecting and will need to look into - just doesn't feel quite right. As a cheap GB/GBA/Snes machine? Not much can touch it at that price, but that's mostly down to Black Seraph's insane work.

[@pseudzy]

That’s so good to hear as a gba fanboy, I’m so excited to get this thing in the coming weeks

[@duckypresents]

This was the video we were all waiting for! Cheers Russ!

[@eldercristian4823]

I love the intro, I love the music and I love the channel!

[@eliothexpert]

My 35XX is en route. Can’t wait to install garlic!

[@DuffCon]

Thanks for the guide! I’ve been waiting for this to happen; just pulled the trigger on a 35xx. In before the scalpers!

[@pasu2k]

I like the dev support for this custom OS. I noted your point of the games list not sorted alphabetically and checked the changelogs. Lo and behold, one single day after release of this video: 4. January 2023: (...) The favorites menu is now alphabetically sorted

[@Eh_814]

Very good OS. It would be good if favorites would be in subdirectories of their devices (GB, GBA, ...). Only thing I miss are the game pictures inside of the game list. This feature was pretty cooler on the original OS

[@Gnar69Gnar]

This is the first I am going to do when I get my RG35XX, I just ordered mine after the holidays, hopefully it wont take longer than 2 weeks.

[@tynao2029]

great choice, what color did u get?

[@Gnar69Gnar]

@@tynao2029 Got the transparent white, I've had it for about a week and a half and it's been the best Christmas gift for myself in a long time.

[@justinwregier]

Thanks for this tutorial! About a month into use the stock memory card died mid game and RG35xx was a brick. Revived unit with a new memory card load up via this video (and pulling battery for PCB reset/back screws are torx t6) but lost all those included games...😭 Garlic OS is pretty slick 😎

[@palshepard417]

Thanks so much for your guides and reviews!

[@theglamthropologist]

Hell yeah River City Ransom is the best. Spent so many hours in the 90s playing it and now I can play it again on RG35xx

[@podracer35]

This is making me more tempted to get this over the Miyoo Mini, but I can help but feel like there's always something better on the horizon >_

[@tynao2029]

pull the trigger! white transparent is a great case color!😄

[@Shimashimatchi_]

I don't even care about this device at all but I love listening to your super calm voice explaining stuff

[@SWPLGAMING]

Thanks so much for this bro, you make it seamless 🔥🔥👌🏾

[@CraigGrannell]

I’ve been messing around with this as well. I’d say it’s transformative. The device felt like trash before. Now, it’s full of potential. Another great example of the importance of software. My hopes for this: Arcade gets a boost and C64 rocks up in the available systems.

[@KWPZ21]

I've read on the new update that he is still working to make hardware acceleration work. I think when that works well the other performance issues will be gone.

[@d4ddy0]

Thank you for this immensely awesome video. I love your page and as a NEW retro gamer I am glad to see fantastic easy to follow videos. Now to find all the files! Any suggestions welcome!

[@d4ddy0]

Also I can use any libraries

[@clstile]

I just ordered a Anbernic RG35XX on Temu for $47, with a $20 off coupon and free shipping .. I’m new to these devices , as I haven’t really touched a video game since modern warfare on PS3 .. I’m already planning on upgrading to this operating system once I receive it in the mail .. thanx for the video! Can’t wait to sink my teeth into some games from my childhood .. hopefully I’ll be able to play the first two silent hill games, and the Capcom vs Marvel series!!

[@Nodnarb518]

Mine just came in. Can’t wait to get into setup and play it.

[@zwarto9152]

how was it

[@luv2stack]

Just ordered one from Aliexpress. My first handheld since the the original Gameboy Advance. Looking forward to it

[@Fifanman]

Hey ya'll, I did the logo for GarlicOS. If anyone wants other custom logos for stuff, hmu!

[@gabronson]

Hey Retro Game Corps, I really apprecieate your content. Thanks to you I bought a retroid pocket 3+ a while ago, and now I got the RG35xx, however, following this guide I ran into an issue. The ROMS folder you mention at 5:25 is empty, and I don't know where I can find these files.

[@gavdanby-cooper9085]

Having the same issue. Did you figure this one out? Thanks.

[@zaszaable]

@@gavdanby-cooper9085 try to find it on a different partition - for me it was a J partition - probably because i have more hardrive, so the letters may vary depending on users amount of hard drives. let me know i helped!

[@nateedl1]

Thanks for the video! Super helpful

[@emudeck3499]

In a simple man. I see a video from Russ so I have to watch it

[@BobS4AC]

Note for mac, use iPartition to resize the sd card, couldn't do it with disk utility

[@willmcg]

I'm glad the newer rg35xx they're producing comes with garlic os already installed. Saves me a little trouble. 😊

[@View619]

Looks like it's time to buy this device.

[@tynao2029]

the white transparent is beautiful and unique!

[@ruicunha103]

the rg35xx new 64gbsdcard has the original os system and an option to change it to garlic with a ton of extras.

[@dillweed8591]

I'm glad there's a custom firmware to really make this handheld compete with the Miyoo Mini, because as soon as I saw the game people were playing on the Aliexpress store page for the Miyoo, I gave up on that thing.

[@edvinaskazlauskas9628]

Thanks for the video. Was very helpful. 👍

[@nathanalvarado3301]

Is this video still good or is it outdated ?

[@kdmcas_]

I love the intro song to your videos.

[@Vandel212]

I like that we now have a Garlic & Onion OS

[@edtuckerartist]

Need shallot, red onion, chive, ramsons (wild garlic) and leek OS's next, then allium to rule them all.🧅😂

[@Bendilin]

GarlicOS; The official operating system developed by Wario and WarioWare Inc. employees

[@DemiHavok420]

Except, wario inc. twist doesn't even work.

[@znt_]

This guide is out of date. The files and garlic os directory structure are now different, that makes this guide confusing.

[@SharkWitchMeruna]

Hey thanks for the heads up!!

[@XXIIXIIIXXXIXXXIX]

No shit 😂 What a DB.

[@lukassakul7867]

U got a current video

[@Covnam]

The community saves another device!

[@Lions1977]

Ordered one as soon as I saw this OS was announced. As the mini was just too small for my hands but I loved the OS. Now I’m just crossing my fingers the bugs with Garlic OS get figured out before my device arrives.

[@fizaislam-g5g]

these roms file you back up at 6:53 are empty for me, how do i fix this?

[@DrPOP-jp7eb]

i'm so glad I ordered the RG35XX when it just came out, despite most early reviews and comments being quite critical of the device - especially the stock OS (e.g. UI and lack of scaling options). I assumed a custom OS would be released at some point but I didn't expect it to be so good, so quickly.

[@humanbeingfromearth]

The the ui and scaling options were the only issues with stock os? Cuz it seems like the ps1 abilities were worsened by garlic

[@DrPOP-jp7eb]

@@humanbeingfromearth The stock OS is pretty poor in general: it doesn't look great, it doesn't have a sleep function (so battery drains even when screen is off). Garlic OS has QOL stuff like autosave, hotkeys for brightness, etc, which stock is missing. Generally it's more pick up and play than stock.

[@zwenkwiel816]

@@humanbeingfromearth yeah, stock OS runs Tekken 3 just fine for me. not even sure if all stock OS' are the same though (like depending on where/when you order) cuz apparently mine has an option to switch to garlicOS built in. haven't seen that mentioned in any of the reviews. haven't tried it though, just installed GarlicOS on a fresh SD card now waiting for all my roms to transfer over XD

[@BSG1991]

I don’t buy 98 percent of these devices but love your guides they are very zen while I work at my desk just to keep informed, could you checkout Mario kart 64 Hd and see if it runs on the Retroid pocket 3+

[@ChuckB0RIS]

I've completed the setup for the first SD Card, but I've ran into some issues along the way. First, once I flashed SD1, I noticed within the ROMS, the CFW folder was missing. I checked to make sure the folder wasn't hidden, still nothing. Thankfully, I already have an SD card set up (from previous owner), located the CFW folder and pasted it to SD1 (I should mention, the previous owner had a one-SD set up and I'm trying to set up a two-SD setup). Once I finished SD1 set up following this video guide, I popped it into my RG35XX to test it and see if it would boot. Everything booted up fine but once I was in the main menu, I'm unable to navigate anywhere. It seems none of the buttons work. I took it out and replaced it with the original, thinking I've ruined the device somehow, but it worked and brought me to the game I was previously playing- all buttons were working... Any ideas what I did wrong? Or advice how to fix this? I even added only the exact same BIOS (while having full catalog at my disposal) shown in the video, put the original SD in the SD2 slot (to access its ROMS) and still unable to navigate. I am new to all of this but I felt confident I followed the steps well (even without having the CFW folder). Thanks in advance!

[@nerdingout4374]

amazing tutorial as always

[@RP123lolololol]

Thank you man you’re the man

[@taxinator5858]

Thanks for the video and looking forward to the additional improvements to Garlic OS.

[@izzynobre]

I'm finding this isn't THAT much better than stock...? It introduces a LOT of screen tearing on GBA emulation, for instance. And I'm not sure how to bring up the menu for eachother emulator?

[@Dubious_Dubs]

Mans got the cleanest download folder i've ever seen.

[@zachcuster7528]

This firmware has been updated so much since this video hell it even had another update today that overclocked the processor +300mhz I wouldn't mind you doing another video on this software

[@NightwingNL]

Thank you for the guide

[@TheGamingCirclePodcast]

Dang it Russ! I don't need this little thing because I love and use my steam deck for all this. But the techno lust is real so you know I ordered this by the end of the video 😏 I hope anbernic gives you a little something for the recommendations. (I did used the link in the description to buy)

[@DarrellBell]

There is no fast app switcher? The whole screenshot of the save state switching idea is my favorite UX advancement I have seen in these types of devices.

[@alextirrellRI]

If this matures a bit more, it would be the perfect device/price-point to introduce my young nephew to 8/16 bit games and PSX!

[@knab2831]

still on the fence with this one. garlic looks great though, hoping arcade perf improves for non cps/neogeo games. curious how fighting games play on the vertical oritentation with the shoulder buttons

[@ThatGuyJon95]

I somehow fucked up with flashing my sd card. Formatted it a couple of times and now it doesn't want to be flashed. Aside from that I'm loving this handheld

[@TheColdOne]

This looks good to me. I only want it for the normal consoles (not arcade or Pico) that don't have/need an analog stick. Especially since the Miyoo Mini is hard to get. My personal go-to games for SNES emulation checks are Star Fox and Super Mario RPG. If they can run those then I am good to go.

[@obvious_giraffe8386]

Pico 8 is great if you wanna make games

[@samaeldrakul4191]

awesome stuff cheers!

[@GregoryAvalos-p1u]

i have like 5 GMAIL accounts and I SUBSCRIBED to this channel on all 5. Thats how much I LOVE this channel and appreciate the detailed info he provides in each video.

[@samh5886]

A comparison video (features and performance) between miyoo mini, rg351V/RGB20s and this would be good.

[@BambiHI07]

Can anyone explain why at 5:31 I have 0 MB files in the actual ROMS folder, on the SD Card? It just doesn't make any sense. What am I doing wrong? I'm using Windows and did everything exactly like what was mentioned in this video. The folders are all there but, zero files in them. I don't get it. It shows up as "0 Files, 67 Folders" lol. Please tell me I'm not the only one that ran into this.

[@rld082982j]

did you ever resolve this issue? I'm experiencing the same

[@bankbank]

lovin' that transparent white color

[@dopesheepify]

It’s great that the custom firmware fixed the snes emulation and added scaling options

[@abdullahrex4769]

Mainly RetroArch did the scaling..

[@bullymaguire243]

Hey Russ, I would be very interested for you do an updated batocera tutorial with lots of very important tips to get the best experience. Anyways keep up the great work

[@thedon604]

Totally brand new to emulation. Not a tech person either so I had a few questions. Could I do all this using my MacBook? Can I get away with just using one microSD card like the 16GB? Thanks for the feedback and help.

[@ashramramju1635]

I'm getting my system next week and I hope I will be able 2 install the garlic os

[@f12b83d4]

Thank you for this

[@ZoSo_x]

Apparently the newer models, specifically the clear purple ones) have an issue where it gets stuck on a booting up loop and won't shut off. Anyone else have the same problem?

[@3aurMixes]

yep, had the same issue. been running on the original OS until they fix it

[@ZoSo_x]

@@3aurMixes It might be an issue with the new version of Garlic OS. I think if you were to use a previous version of Garlic OS it might fix the issue temporarily until a further update. It's just a thought but I've yet to confirm.

[@narutofactsnguyen1]

@@ZoSo_x did you ever get a fix? im stuck with the same problem

[@Dokkaebiii]

7:36 hi just got a question about these emulators, where did you get these files? I read the written description and this video, I still couldn't find out these.

[@ItWasWritten516]

anybody know if this guide is still applicable today with Garlic 2 OS? would this be the same process for 35xx H?

[@Lamcza]

I mean all of this disk resizing and formatting you can do on Windows in for example minitool partition wizard free version :X fat32 formatting, labels, even copying whole partitions somewhere, but still a great tutorial Thx.

[@admralfie]

I've just finished setting up my new RG35XX and I'm super happy with it, thank you so much for the guides! However, my PS games or bios don't seem to be showing up in my consoles... I've no idea what's wrong either! Any ideas?

[@jarooko]

Sorry, can't help, just commenting for engagement hoping someone will see the comment who knows more.

[@TealTheDropster]

Next up? Celery OS for the upcoming Miyoo device

[@edtuckerartist]

Soon we'll have a salad.

[@zingerbot2076]

Thank you for the guide Russ! Did you know there's Tomato OS for Trimui Smart? Are you gonna do a guide for that one as well?

[@brendanlin6198]

The alphabetical order issue for favourites got fixed under the Jan 4th build.

[@patoxd123]

I am not able to make ps1 or neogeo work, I have the bios where it corresponds, in the console menu only neogeo appears but it does not recognize the roms, on ps1. I followed your video and I am very frustrated for not being able to play well, please help

[@MegaProHero]

Question: I originally put garlic OS on the original SD-card, but I want to change it to another SD-card. Where do I find my save-files for my Games?

[@denirio]

Let me know as well! Im looking to transfer save files not save states.

[@8bitsamurai6]

Been a gamer since the nes came out but been away from retro for a bit now. But absolutely love tech and where retro is going. Already order the pocket 3 and 353v. Def want to collect some more powerful units aswell. But need to fig which odin or loku i want plus steam deck a must.

[@lunarmoved]

So I just got this model but I wanted to make an exact copy of my card I like the way the system is now. It has original stock os and garlic os. How can I just make a copy.

[@leonlashway]

It’s odd, the FAT32 Partition only contains the CFW Folder, not all of the ROMS Folders. I flashed three different times and each time I just keep getting the same Partition.

[@Link_Bob]

Sega cd, PlayStation one, Amiga CD won’t appear on my game list, but if I go through the SD card and pick the game, it will work. Can you help me get the icon?

[@Link_Bob]

Correction, Sega, CD and Amiga cd don’t work, even though the bios is there

[@davidgarza995]

@@Link_Bob same here my sega CD is not working even tho my games are in CHD

[@fivey5305]

What’s the point of expanding the partition if you’re just going to put the roms on the 2nd SD card.

[@smeff69]

To increase space to fit as many roms as possible for when you add your own.

[@arnarCJer]

I have the same question.

[@RetroGameCorps]

The SD1 card can also read ROMs so you could add some there as well for extra storage space, and all of the additional RetroArch system files will go on the SD1 as well. So for example you could load the cheats databases there, additional assets, and shaders if/when we get hardware rendering.

[@tsw6358]

Would have loved a left analog stock and a bluetooth or wifi option to be able to play fighting games against my friends. But really compelling at this price.

[@anthonyreynolds2486]

ive tried these steps numerous times but when i put the sd card back into my anbernic it wont turn on at all. What am i doing wrong?

[@TarikA]

One thing: The original Game Gear (despite having the same resolution as the Game Boy) has an aspect ratio of 4:3 so that's what you should set it to imho. It's even more recommended considering that it would take the whole screen on this device that way. For GB(C) of course 10:9 is correct and should be used (as you did).

[@emmanuelii1598]

What's the advantage of using 2 sd cards over 1 sd card?

[@walkerphillips2397]

You can have one with the bios then multiple others with games so you can just keep the bios one in and put in whatever SD card has the game you want to play

[@JordTheeNord]

The micro sd card images from the patreon page you showed are corrupt. Any idea how to fix? Why do they have the .001 and .002 extensions now?

[@JordTheeNord]

nvm figured it out. for anyone who ran into the same issue for some reason you need BOTH the .001 and .002 before extracting otherwise it doesn't work. So have both in the same location and choose 'extract here' for the .001 file and it should give you the garlic file.

[@jimmyschubert8561]

@@JordTheeNord You are an actual hero.

[@JordTheeNord]

@@jimmyschubert8561 Glad that I was able to help someone :D

[@jeffkrug9045]

Are Bios necessary for Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, NES, SNES, Game Gear and Genesis? That's all I care about.

[@idkeitherbruv]

yeah

[@mobilechaosyt]

That looks fantastic, just looks way bigger than the Miyoo Mini.

[@NoMoneyAfterTipping]

The miyoo mini was the one i wanted most. Can’t really buy it and with the price point from resellers, i opted out into getting A bigger, but better device. Doesn’t satisfy the fact that i wanted the small device in my pocket.

[@mobilechaosyt]

@@NoMoneyAfterTipping I agree that it might be too big. Check out the How To Buy Miyoo Mini video Retro Game Corp created. I used that video to buy the Miyoo Mini at retail.

[@tynao2029]

@@NoMoneyAfterTipping this is much better than the miyoo in every way! you dont want carpal tunnel syndrome age 40 from playing the Miyoo trust me!!

[@RomuloAndrade]

I actually went back to stock OS after testing Garlic OS :( It feels too early in development, I wish anbernic would just open source their stuff and help the community add value to their device... Really anxious for future development! -- edit: Ok people, in these 2 months GarlicOS has come a LONG way and is just so much better than stock that it doesn't really make any sense to even consider going back to stock. Happy gaming :)

[@RomuloAndrade]

It's an old comment people, please check GarlicOS out because it's been awesome for a while 😍

[@MrDdz]

Yeah I just tried it and it has no SEARCH function! Went back to the stock OS to have search.

[@morganfaubion]

How did you go back to the stock os? I like the look of Garlic but I’ve been having issues

[@MrDdz]

@@morganfaubion Just use the stock SD card that came with the unit. Unless... you formatted that card, which you weren't supposed to... You're supposed to use a separate card to put GarlicOS on and copy the games from the stock card over.

[@morganfaubion]

@@MrDdz so let’s say I did. Lol

[@Nachoman596]

Tried expanding the partition, got an error saying the drive was damaged, now the card doesn't work at all and the system is bricked, RIP. Edit: I spoke too soon. I was able to grab the clean Garlic OS file and flashed it onto the drive, then used a different file manager to expand the partition and now it's working. Thanks for the tutorial.

[@juanvilla2722]

Ive just installed the bios and I'm only using a single card setup. Do I still follow the rest of the video?

[@jimmerseiber]

Thank you!!!