G350 and ArkOS: should you switch to custom firmware?

What the stock system offers

The G350 ships with a 64-bit Linux system and an EmulationStation menu. You pick an emulated console, then a game, and play. This system lives on the microSD card in the TF1/INT slot on the left-hand side. The TF2/EXT slot on the right takes a card used only for games. The console has no internal memory, so everything runs from these cards. Keep this in mind for what follows: changing the system means changing what is on the left-hand card, not modifying the console itself.

For straightforward use, this system does the job. It is set up for the G350's controls: D-pad, four face buttons, M button, two sticks and four shoulder triggers on the back. There is nothing to install: you add your own games and play. Its limit comes from what it is. It is a factory system, and little is known about how often it will be updated. That is usually what makes people look elsewhere.

ArkOS, dArkOS, ROCKNIX, PAN4ELEC: what are they?

They are community systems, built by volunteers, that support, among others, consoles using the Rockchip RK3326 chip, the one inside the G350. ArkOS, dArkOS, ROCKNIX and PAN4ELEC are the names you will see most often. The Handhelds Wiki page on custom firmware lists others. Each project makes its own choices: interface, emulators, how updates are handled. None of them has any link with the console's manufacturer. Their documentation and forums remain the only reliable source for what they support.

Before trying anything, check that the G350 appears in the list of supported devices, with an image made for it. An image built for another console with the same chip may not boot, or may not handle the screen, controls or sound properly. Avoid modified images shared outside the projects' own pages: you cannot know what they contain. Finally, these systems change over time, and what is true today may not be tomorrow.

Why some owners change the system

Three reasons come up again and again: the interface, updates and PortMaster. Some people prefer the menus, themes or settings of another system. Others want to follow an active project that fixes issues and fine-tunes its emulators over time. PortMaster, available in several community systems, installs ports: games adapted to run natively on this type of console, without emulation. Many of them need the files from a game you already own. As with emulation, only play games you have the rights to.

Without built-in Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, these benefits take a little planning. Depending on the system, updates and ports are copied across from a computer, or come with a fresh image of the card. The manufacturer states that a USB Wi-Fi module can be plugged into the USB-C port. It is sold separately, takes up the only charging port, and whether it works depends on the system you choose. Do not count on it for online play.

Why many are better off leaving it alone

A different system does not change the hardware. The G350 keeps its RK3326 chip, its 1 GB of RAM and its 640 × 480 screen. 8-bit and 16-bit consoles, classic arcade, handhelds including the GBA, and a large share of PS1 games already run very well on this hardware. For N64, PSP, Dreamcast and DS, it depends on the game and the settings, whatever the system. PS2 remains out of reach. So changing the system is no guarantee that a demanding game will run better.

There is also the time involved. Preparing a card, finding your saves, reorganising your folders and learning new menus all take patience. Some features, such as vibration, sound or sleep mode, may behave differently from one system to another. If the stock menu suits you and your games run the way you want, keeping the original system is a perfectly sensible choice.

First, back up both cards

This is the rule that prevents almost every regret. Before you change anything, back up the system card in the TF1/INT slot and the games card in the TF2/EXT slot. For the system card, make a full image on a computer using disk imaging software, so you can write it back exactly as it was. For the games card, copying the folders is usually enough. Pay particular attention to game saves, settings and any BIOS files you are entitled to use. Always switch the console off before removing a card.

Then check that the copy is readable and complete: open a few folders and check the size of the image. Keep the copies in two places, for example on your computer and on an external drive. Depending on the system, game saves may be on either card, so if in doubt, copy everything. It does not take long and protects hours of progress.

• Switch the console off, then remove both cards.
• Make a full image of the TF1/INT card.
• Copy everything on the TF2/EXT card.
• Check the copies and keep them in two places.

Try it on a new card, at your own risk

Because the system lives on the card in the TF1/INT slot, trying another one does not mean erasing anything. Install the community system on a new microSD card from a well-known brand. With the console switched off, remove the original card, put it in a small labelled box, then insert the new one on the left. If you like it, keep it. If not, switch the console off and put the original back: you should get the stock system back just as you left it. The games card can stay on the right, although the new system may expect its folders organised differently.

Changing the system is a personal choice, made at the owner's own risk. For help, turn to each project's documentation and forums. The G350 shop, an independent retailer of the console, does not provide support for third-party systems. This guide is based on documentation from the manufacturer and the projects, not on tests we have carried out.