ROCKNIX 20261001: Anbernic RG DS Plus supported, ARMSX2 now the default for PS2

2026 update: ARMSX2 2.8.3 speeds up PS2 emulation on Mali chips; the follow-up is in our news ARMSX3 1.1 and ARMSX2 2.8.3: PS3 and PS2 emulation make progress on Android.

The 1 October release of ROCKNIX, the open-source firmware for retro handhelds, adds three devices, including the dual-screen Anbernic RG DS Plus.


Three new consoles

• Anbernic RG DS Plus (RK3566 chip), Anbernic's dual-screen handheld.
• Anbernic RG55G1 (Snapdragon SM4450 chip).
• MANGMI Pocket Air Y Pro (Snapdragon SM8250).

Emulators

• ARMSX2 becomes the default PS2 emulator on RK3566 and RK3576 chips. Its standalone version moves to 2.7.1.
• The Nintendo DS emulator moves to 2.0.1 and runs ZIP-compressed DSiWare.
• RPCS3 (PS3) ships with its wiki's database of per-game settings: less trial and error.

System

Deep sleep on H700-based consoles (Anbernic RG35XX, RG40XX…), more accurate battery tracking on H700, RK3326 and RK3566 chips, Wi-Fi that stays connected after sleep, and controller fixes. Around sixty changes in total.


And spruceOS 4.5

On Miyoo and TrimUI devices, spruceOS 4.5.0 (4 October), followed by 4.5.2 the next day, records RetroAchievements offline to sync them later, reworks Bluetooth, and adds support for the Powkiddy RGB30 and RGB20SX and the Miniloong Pocket 1.
Which firmware should you pick for your console? It's all in our tutorial Retro handhelds: which firmware to install in 2026.


Sources: ROCKNIX 20261001 · spruceOS