If you've been playing with the Anbernic RG35XXSP, or any of the Anbernic RG35XX line, you've probably heard of muOS. muOS is a custom firmware that you can install on many of these devices, and it promises a number of features above the stock operating system. While it's an in-development piece of software that can't do everything yet, it has a ton of features that might make you consider using it over the stock firmware that comes with your device.

muOS has some extra features you won't get anywhere else

Though it lacks some, too

There are a few reasons why you should use muOS on the Anbernic RG35XXSP, though be warned that you'll also be losing some features by switching over. At the time of writing, Bluetooth still isn't supported, and there are reports that audio may not always work if you are outputting the display over HDMI. As a result, if you need a Bluetooth controller or Bluetooth audio, it might be worth waiting for a future update to bring those features.

Some of the features that you'll get with muOS include:

• File transfers over a web GUI
• Dedicated emulator for Nintendo 64 (Mupen64) and DuckStation cores for PSX, yielding better performance
• Syncthing support for syncing your save files and backups
• Full theme support
• Portmaster for running legitimate ports of games

These are all features that are worth trying out over the stock firmware, especially if you don't care about Bluetooth audio or HDMI support. Features like file transfers over the web are incredibly useful, as it saves you time needing to unplug and replug your SD card constantly. Also, dedicated emulators like PPSSPP and Mupen64 will net you better performance, and full theme support means you can customize exactly how your RG35XXSP looks.

Through Portmaster, there are a ton of games you can play as well, including Grand Theft Auto III, Half-Life, and Stardew Valley. While I would argue that it makes more sense to play these games via Moonlight on the stock firmware, the ability to take games like those with you anywhere in such a small form factor can be an incredibly enticing proposition.

How to install muOS on the Anbernic RG35XXSP

You'll need a program like Balena Etcher to flash the image file

If you've decided you want to give it a try, you can download muOS and a program like Balena Etcher to flash it onto your SD card. Keep in mind that installing muOS will also make modifications to your RG35XXSP system, so you can't just take a backup of your previous SD card and boot it back into the stock OS again. You'll need to reflash the stock OS back to the SD card first, boot that, and then you can copy your files back to use it as normal. If you're happy with that, then you can proceed.

Using Balena Etcher (or whatever program of your choice), choose your SD card as the target drive and choose the image file that you extracted. Click Flash and wait for it to copy all of the files to your SD card. This can take a while depending on the speed of your SD card, but when it's done, you can then put the SD card back into your RG35XXSP and boot it up. When you first start it, you'll have to go through a setup process, including picking what device you're using, choosing your timezone, and a few other settings, too.

Depending on the speed of your SD card, the installation process can take a few minutes. It took just under ten minutes for me. We also recommend picking up a second SD card to use for storing your games, as updating muOS can get a bit difficult otherwise. That's thanks to the fact that there is no OTA system built-in, so you'll need to reflash major updates in the future. If you have a second SD card that holds all of your games, then you can continue to flash updates over the main SD card without needing to worry about any of your games.

muOS is definitely worth playing around with, and while it may not be in the best state for everyone just yet, it's getting pretty close. Being able to play games from systems like the Nintendo 64 and the PSP with better performance is definitely worth it, especially if those are systems you're most curious about. While the lack of Bluetooth support is a shame at the moment, the other features can more than make up for it for the right person. Give it a try!