Mac User’s Guide to Installing GarlicOS on the Anbernic RG35XX
You can find the Anbernic RG35XX on Amazon here. ( or here )
It’s your best bet for fast free shipping, returns, and the prices are similar to ordering it direct from China.
Now that you’ve ordered the RG35XX, we’ll customize it.
If you prefer video, I made a version of this guide on Youtube:
GarlicOS for Anbernic RG35XX
This is how to install GarlicOS on your RG35XX.
Do not skip any steps.
Make sure you have The Unarchiver for Mac.
Make sure you have 2 SD cards. These work fine.
- SD Card Slot 1 = for system files
- SD Card Slot 2 = for ROMs, and other files
- I would keep SD1 at 32GB or less. SD2 can be larger.
Download these archive files from here:
- RG35XX-CopyPasteOnTopOfStock.7z.002
- RG35XX-MicroSDCardImage.7z.002
- RG35XX-MicroSDCardImage.7z.001
- RG35XX-CopyPasteOnTopOfStock.7z.001
- ↑ These are at the bottom of the post.
Download and install the Balena Etcher app.
After having installed The Unarchiver, right click on RG35XX-Garlic-MicroSDCardImage.7z.001 and choose extract.
Insert SD1 card into your computer, and open Balenca Etcher. Choose the image file that was in the archive file from Step 5. Then flash the SD1 card with that image.
If that works correctly, you should have 2 partitions created and mounted from the SD1 card.
On a Mac, go to Disk Utility and you can rename the partitions to whatever you want. I named the first smaller partition ‘sys’, it is formatted by default as FAT16 - do not change that - and the second one, formatted as FAT32, we will name ‘misc’.
On SD1 sys, you should have the system files. Leave as is for now. On SD1 misc, you can delete the BIOS folder and delete the Roms folder. Leave the CFW folder in place.
Insert the original 64GB MicroSD card that came with the Abernic RG35XX into the SD Card reader on your Mac. Copy the Roms folder and BIOS folder temporarily to your Desktop.
SD2 card, if 32GB or larger in size, should be formatted as FAT32. Then copy over the BIOS and Roms folder from your Desktop to SD2. This will contain the BIOS folder, Roms folder, and Saves folder ( auto-generated ) as you use the RG35XX.
BIOS files allow certain emulator cores to function. They are copywrited, and if need be can be found elsewhere online. A list of their names, but not files, and corresponding systems can be found here.
Add ROMs to the Roms folder. You should create sub-folders for each system name. For what to name them, visit this Emulator page.
Insert SD1 into the first slot on your RG35XX and SD2 into the second slot. Power on the device and enjoy!
Bonus Round
Change the GarlicOS Theme. You can browse them here. I installed the SimpleOK theme. Very minimal. On SD1, back up the files to your computer, and then replace the files from your theme that correspond.
Change the GarlicOS Boot Logo. You can browse them here. Similar to the above step. On SD1, backup the file to your computer, and then replace it with the file from the boot logo that corresponds.
Note: When creating a custom boot logo, it should be to the following specifications:
– .bmp File, 640×480 pixels, RGB, 8bits. Filenamed “boot_image.bmp” gzip compressed and with Filename “boot_logo.bmp.gz”