The RG353 series of retrohandheld devices from Anbernic has become very popular recently. One of the reasons why these devices have become excellent gaming devices is because of JELOS, a community developed Linux-based operating system. This guide aims to help new users with some frequently used features of JELOS.
Please note that this guide is specifically for devices in the RG353 range – the Anbernic RG353P, the Anbernic RG353V, the Anbernic RG353VS, and the Anbernic RG353M. While JELOS is also available for other handheld devices such as the Anbernic RG552, the tips in this guide may not be applicable to those.
Note: The JELOS team has discontinued support for Anbernic devices. In its place is UnofficialOS, which are JELOS builds done voluntarily by a member of the retrohandheld community, RetroGFX. I’ve updated the guide to add the link to where you can download the UnofficialOS releases.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION!
NEVER TURN THE UNIT OFF or RESET! ALWAYS DO A SYSTEM SHUT DOWN (LIKE A PC!)
To turn your RG353 device off:
- Exit the software/game/app you are currently using (instructions below).
- Press Start in the JELOS environment to bring up the Main Menu.
- Choose Quit (near the bottom) and Press A.
- Select Shutdown System and Press A.
- Choose Yes and Press A on the following prompt.
- Wait for the device to turn off.
QUICK RECOVERY GUIDE
In case of firmware failure and you don’t have a backup, here’s how you can quickly get your device up and running again. These instructions are specific to Windows.
- Download Win32 Disk Imager. You’ll need this app to install the firmware.
- Download/install 7zip to extract the image from the 7z format.
- Download the latest version of JELOS here.
- The latest releases of UnofficialOS (uOS) can be downloaded from this repository.
- Insert the TF1/Int microSD card that came with your device into your laptop/PC. You may need an SD card reader for this.
- Using Win32 Disk Imager, flash the firmware image to the microSD card. This can take 10-15 minutes.
- Once you’re done, you may get several errors saying that the disk needs to be reformatted. Close them and eject the microSD card.
- Insert the microSD card into your device and power it on. Wait for JELOS/uOS will complete the installation process.
- Device is ready once the Emulationstation menu is displayed.
HOW TO EXIT FROM GAMES
- For most emulators/systems – Press Select + Start, then press Select + Start again to confirm your exit.
- For DraStic (Nintendo DS emulator) – Press L3 (left analog stick). A menu will appear. Choose Exit DraStic.
- Some versions have this mapped to R3 (right analog stick).
- For PPSSPP (PSP emulator) – Press L3 (left analog stick). A menu will appear. Choose Exit to JELOS.
- For Sega Saturn (Yabasanshiro emulator) – Press Select. A menu will appear. Choose Exit.
HOW TO ACCESS THE RETROARCH MENU
- All emulators/systems – Press Select + X.
SYSTEM MENU NAVIGATION
Up and Down – Moves one game/item up/down in the list of games
Left and Right – Moves one system to the left/right.
Y button – In the list of games, allows you to search by specific text.
L1/R1 – Moves one page up/down in the list of games. Moves one page left/right in the list of systems.
B button – cancel a choice/back out of a menu selection.
A button – confirm a choice.
Start button – bring up the JELOS main menu.
Select button – In the list of systems, this triggers Quick Access. In the list of games, brings up the View Options menu.
EMULATOR/GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION
- Turbografx CD
- Rondo of Blood will not let you skip the opening credits if you don’t have a save game. The game isn’t broken! Your controls will work fine when you get to the title screen.
- Arcade Systems (M.A.M.E., Arcade, CPS1, CPS2, CPS3, Neo Geo)
- Pressing the Select button simulates inserting a coin. You’ve got unlimited credits for all these arcade games
- PlayStation 1 – How to enable Left Analog Stick Controls (applies to the Default emulator)
- Start the PS1 game you want to play.
- Press Select + X to access the Retroarch Quick Menu.
- Scroll down and choose Controls.
- Choose Port 1 Controls.
- Change Analog to Digital Type from None to Left Analog.
- Press B to go back to the Controls menu.
- If you want to save this configuration, choose Manage Remap Files.
- Choose Save Game Remap File – to save this for the specific game only.
- Choose Save Content Directory Remap file or Save Core Remap File – to save this for all PS1 games.
- Press B twice to go back to the Quick Menu.
- Choose Resume.
- Nintendo64 (Mupen64Pro Standalone Rice)
- How to Save State – Press Select + R1
- How to Load State – Press Select + L1
HOW TO CHANGE EMULATORS
Sometimes, specific games perform better using specific emulators/cores. In some cases, they might not even run properly. It’s a good idea to try changing emulators/cores when having trouble with specific games.
- In the game selection screen of the system you want to change emulators for, press Select.
- Choose Advanced System Options (at the very bottom of the list).
- The top option will be Emulator, which is set to Default by default. Press A to see the list of available emulators for that specific game system.
- Note: Cores running through Retroarch will have the prefix “Retroarch:”. Emulators/cores without this prefix are likely standalone emulators, which will run outside of Retroarch.
HOW TO CHANGE DISCS
Some disc-based systems will have multi-disc games. When playing these games, they may prompt you to insert the next disc. Here are the instructions on how to do this.
Default Playstation 1 Emulator
- Press Select + X to bring up the Retroarch menu.
- Scroll down and choose Disc Control.
- Choose Load New Disc.
- Choose the next disc of the game that you’re playing in the list of files that appears.
- Proceed with the game.
Sega Saturn (Yaba Sanshiro)
- Press Select.
- Choose Open CD Tray. It will change to Close CD Tray. Choose it again.
- A list of files will appear. Choose the next disc of the game that you’re playing.
- Proceed with the game.
Default Sega Dreamcast Emulator
- Press Select + X to bring up the Retroarch menu.
- Scroll down and choose Disc Control.
- Choose Load New Disc.
- Choose the next disc of the game that you’re playing in the list of files that appears.
- Proceed with the game.
OTHER REFERENCE GUIDES
Instead of retyping information that’s already available elsewhere, let me help you find them instead! Here are some links that can help you with an RG351P and RG351V related concern or question.
Update History
- Nov. 19, 2022 – Created this guide.
Tip: Don’t mess with JELOS on Anbernic devices!
I’ve got it running on my RG353M and I love it, but the JELOS dev team stopped supporting non-x86 systems in December 2022. No more updates. If you have the fortitude to build the OS from source, it’s still possible, apparently, but I wouldn’t bother.
Well, this was written weeks before they announced that they’ll stop the builds and more than a month before they dropped support for Anbernic completely. But the 20221130 build is still up on their github page, and it still works well except that you can’t install Drastic on new flashes any more. That version is still good for the RG353 devices.
Rg353vs arkos, when I insert a samsung 64gb sd card formatted exfat, and select to use slot 2 for roms, I get this error Could not find a Fat, Fat32, Exfat, EXT4, or NTFS based sdcard to mount from slot2
Do you have other sd cards you can try? I’ve had an RG353VS with a busted slot2 – it wouldn’t read any microsd card I use (and I’ve tried a lot).