ODROID-Go Super Guide

Last Update: 1/10/2022

Current ODROID-Go Super Models

Welcome to the ODROID-Go Super Guide. Here we’ll take a look at a number of great options for setting up your new device, including installation of various operating systems, accessories, tips & tricks and much more. This page will expand as more is known. Please don’t hesitate to comment in the video to share your tips and experiences too! If I add them here, I’ll credit you with the tip.

Which is the way? Checking out Recalbox, EmuELEC & Batocera on the OGS

It is a lot of work creating and maintaining the guides on this site. I appreciate any support from the community by subscribing to the YouTube channel. commenting on/and liking the videos all help tremendously in growing the content you’ll find here. –Jon


Technical Specifications

  • CPU : RockChip RK3326(Quad-Core ARM 64bit Cortex-A35 1.3GHz)
  • GPU : Mali-G31 MP2
  • RAM: 1GB (DDR3L 786Mhz)
  • STORAGE: Micro SD Card slot
  • DISPLAY: 5inch 854×480 TFT LCD (Wide viewing angle display, MIPI-DSI interface) *NOTE – Tempered Glass Cover pre-installed.
  • AUDIO: Earphone Stereo Jack / Mono speaker
  • BATTERY: 3.7V/4000mAh (Up to 10 hours of continuous game playing time)
  • CHARGING: USB-C @1.5Amp maximum current (3-4 hours with device turned off) 5V/2A Power Supply is recommended.
  • WIFI: None – Optional USB WiFi adapter

Resources

  • HARDKERNEL – The company that created the ODROID-Go Super.
  • ODROID Wiki – Starting information for the ODROID-Go Super (before installing EmuElec, please see below for alternatives).
  • ODROID Forums – A place to collaborate with other ODROID users.
  • ODROID-GO Subreddit – Community of ODROID Go users.

Where to buy

  • ameriDroid – Where I purchased my unit from, took about 3 days to arrive.
  • HARDKERNEL – Direct from the factory.

Accessories

  • WiFi Module 5A – 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Dual Band.
  • PUZZLEK Slim Carrying Case – Designed for the Switch Lite but fits the ODROID-Go Super nicely.
  • 12pcs Joysticks Pad Cover (PS Vita) – If you find the joysticks on the OGS are not very comfortable, you might consider just getting some PS Vita pad covers. More on that here.
  • The Child Controller and Phone Holder – Game controller shown in the above video (Valentine’s Day gift from my wife, too cute not to show it off).
  • Gigastone 128GB 5-Pack Micro SD Card – If you’re like me, you can’t have enough microSD cards available. For the testing in the above video, I picked up a 5-pack of Gigastone 128GB microSD cards. You can also click the 1-Pack if 5 is not what you want.

FREE Handheld Retro Gaming Stand (3D Print) – fits the ODROID-Go Super (and others) check it out here. This is the same stand used in many of my Retro Gaming Handheld videos and a nice way to display your cool new device. It was designed by me and is free for you to download and print. Enjoy! Ooops, looks like Grogu got the kudos in the video 🙂


Operating Systems

This section will highlight some operating systems that I’ve personally used/tested on the ODROID-Go Super. As more systems are tested, this section will be expanded. For all operating systems below, I will be using the Raspberry Pi Imager to write the operating system to the microSD card. This useful tool will allow you to easily write the image from various operating systems, including: Windows, macOS, Ubuntu (x86) and a Raspberry Pi. If there is an OS that you prefer to see which is not listed below, please comment in the video and let me know I should try it.

Download

The following are a list operating systems that you may want to install to your ODROID-Go Super:

  • EmuELEC (v4.x) – Download the image for your device (see Assets section below) and follow these instructions to write the image. An EEROMS partition is created on first boot, you may then copy games directly to the microSD.
  • Batocera – (v30) – I’m leaning towards really liking this operating system. The emulation performs quite well. The only downside for many may be that you will need to copy games over a network connection or you can use DiskGenius. The rom/bios files are not directly accessible to Windows, see this section.
  • Recalbox – (v7.1.x) This image is very easy to install and operate. After writing the image, boot from the microSD once, then shutdown. At this point, you can then use your computer (including Windows) to easily copy BIOS/Rom files to the Share partition. A SHARE partition is created on first boot, you may then copy games directly to the microSD.
  • Ubuntu ES image (v18.x) – Click the Release version either US or KR. Image will be Ubuntu with Emulation Station (ES) pre-installed. The rom/bios files are not directly accessible to Windows, see this section.

Write Image to microSD

After downloading the operating system image (above), use the following steps to write the image to your microSD card.

  • Download and install Raspberry Pi Imager from here.
  • Insert your microSD or SSD drive you want to use into your computer (PC/macOS/Ubuntu x86) or even a Raspberry Pi 4 running PiOS/TwisterOS. For installation to a Pi, you’ll need to execute sudo apt install rpi-imager in a terminal window. An icon will then be created under Accessories.
  • Click the CHOOSE OS button.
  • Select the very bottom option of Use custom and select the image downloaded.
  • Click CHOOSE SD CARD and select your microSD card or SSD drive.
  • Click WRITE.
  • Once the write has completed, exit Raspberry Pi Imager, remove the microSD from your computer and install it into the ODROID-Go Super.
  • Power-on the ODROID-Go Super by pressing and holding the power button in the upper-left of the device.
  • The operating system should begin to boot!

Batocera

[ v30 / Easy access to bios/game folders: No, see this ]

Thus far, Batocera is my favorite operating system on the OGS. If you can easily navigate around the fact that this operating system does not provide a FAT32 (i.e. Windows-friendly file system), it works well in my testing. The update feature now appears to work. The reason why I was having an issue mentioned in the video (above), was because v30 stable had not been released yet. When I upgraded to the stable version, it downgraded to v29 which didn’t work on the OGS. This issue is mostly resolved. When I updated since this video, it seemed to sit there for quite sometime. After an hour, I just powered it off and back on and it was indeed updated and booted back up fine. However, there was no indication that the update completed or restart of the system – in my case.

Tips

  • If you prefer the A / B buttons to be swapped (in ES) – Go to Settings –> System Settings –> Developer –> Switch A/B Buttons in Emulation Station. When you back out, the A/B buttons will be swapped in ES.
  • Cool screensaver – This is particularly useful when plugged into the USB-C and always on. Got to UI Settings –> ScreenSaver Settings –> set ScreenSaver Behavior to Random Video (assuming you have videos scrapped), Set Mute Video Audio (if you want) enabled and set the ScreenSaver After / Swap Video After based on what you prefer. Plug in the power, now after the interval you set you’ll see random videos of the games it picks. To play a game, press the START button and the game will launch. Pretty cool!

Improvements

Below are a few things I’ve learned since this video:

  • Upgrading using Batocera’s menu should work now (from the Devs) – Comment from the Batocera team: Upgrading to stable release from a beta returns to the last stable. In your case, it was a go from 30 to 29. In 29, the ODROID-Go Super was not supported. So, it didn’t boot. Now that 30 is out, upgrade to version stable, aka 30, will work.
    My results: The reason why I was having an issue mentioned in the video (above), was because v30 stable had not been released yet. When I upgraded to the stable version, it downgraded to v29 which didn’t work on the OGS. This issue is mostly resolved. When I updated since this video, it seemed to sit there for quite sometime. After an hour, I just powered it off and back on and it was indeed updated and booted back up fine. However, there was no indication that the update completed or restart of the system.
  • Using exfat (from the Devs) – If you prefer exfat over ext4 to copy roms without the network, it can be done from the menu es>developer>formation share partition. Note however that exfat and fat32 is not good for data integrity in case of bad shutdown. *NOTE: Be careful here, not quite sure how this works at the moment (untested).

EmuELEC

[ v4.x / Easy access to bios/game folders: Yes ]

You may find EmuELEC to be a good operating system to start off with on your device. N64/ Dreamcast/PSP does struggle in some games, many are playable with some frame drops and audio distortion. Most of the other systems play well, including PS1.

Recalbox

[ v7.1.x / Easy access to bios/game folders: Yes ]

Recalbox is an easy-to-use Retro Gaming operating system with a build specifically tailored for the ODROID-Go Super. While most emulators work well, I have experienced some issues with N64 & PS1. I’ve posted the issues to the forum and hopefully will know more soon. Once I do, this section will be updated. If you have some recommendations for improving performance on those systems, please let me know.

Ubuntu ES Image

[ Easy access to bios/game folders: No, see this]

Honestly, haven’t spent a lot of time on this image. I will and report back with my findings. At this point, I just installed it and verified it boots. I didn’t take it much further than that.

Copy Files with DiskGenius

This tool is optional, however some operating systems bios/roms partitions aren’t directly accessible on Windows computers. For those operating systems, you can setup a network connection using the WiFi adapter (See accessories). However, copying a large number of files across the network can be a bit slow. Another option would be to install a tool on the Windows computer that will allow access to the microSD. One paid-for software that will allow you to copy files to/from the microSD is DiskGenius. Copying files to the partition will require a professional license, they were kind enough to provide us with a 30% OFF Coupon code: DG30-YUTE-STPR for DiskGenius Professional Edition if you choose to register. It is a bit pricy, ~$99 USD without the coupon. Still it can save a lot of time which may make it worth the cost for some.


Change Log

  • 2022-01-10 – Minor edits.
  • 2021-03-13 – Added the PS Vita Joystick Pad covers to the accessories section.
  • 2021-03-07 – Added Tips / Improvements section for Batocera.
  • 2021-03-03 – Added additional operating systems that I’m testing and some notes regarding observations.
  • 2021-03-01 – Initial creation of this page.