# AmberELEC/AmberELEC

Handheld firmware optimized for the Anbernic RG351P/M/V/MP, RG552 and other compatible devices.

Repository: https://github.com/AmberELEC/AmberELEC
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/amberelec
Homepage: https://amberelec.org
Language: Makefile
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: rg351p, rg351m, rg351v, rg351mp, rg552, retroarch, emulationstation, emulation, rgb20s, r35s, r36s, xu10, d007
Last push: 2026-08-21T16:07:35+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 67/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2124, "days_push": 12, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_license, no_readme
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1195, forks 149 (observed 2026-08-28T04:03:56.873878+00:00)

## What it is
AmberELEC is an open-source 64-bit Linux firmware for Anbernic RG351P/M/V/MP and RG552 retro handheld consoles, shipped as a flashable SD card image. It bundles EmulationStation, RetroArch, standalone emulators, theme management, scraping, and RetroAchievements with pre-configured optimized defaults.

## Use cases
- install custom firmware on an Anbernic RG351P handheld
- turn an RG552 into a retro emulation console
- flash a retro gaming OS image to a microSD card
- play retro games with RetroArch and EmulationStation on a handheld
- set up RetroAchievements and game scraping on a retro handheld
- install community themes on a retro handheld firmware
- replace stock OS on RG351V or RG351MP with better emulator support

## When to choose
- you own a supported Anbernic RG351 or RG552 handheld and want a polished, pre-configured emulation experience
- you want an up-to-date UI, theme package manager, and integrated scraping out of the box
- you prefer a curated, stable firmware over constantly chasing emulator updates
- you want an exFAT games partition accessible from Linux, Windows, and macOS

## When to avoid
- your handheld device is not on the supported hardware list
- you need the very latest RetroArch or core versions immediately after release
- you want a fully manual, minimal Linux setup you configure yourself
- you need firmware for a different brand of retro handheld

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: game-engine, gui, cli, package-manager, configuration-management
- domain: gaming-tools, embedded-systems, operating-systems, cross-platform
- platform: embedded
- tags: retro-handheld-firmware, anbernic, rg351p, rg552, emulationstation, retroarch, libretro, custom-firmware, retro-gaming, emulation, armbian-based, sd-card-image, linux, arm

## Member repositories
- AmberELEC/AmberELEC (main) score 67

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:56.873878+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T06:22:04.928829+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - homepage: https://amberelec.org (fetched 2026-08-29T12:29:02.358793+00:00, sha 8e0db48ee60c)
  - site_page: https://amberelec.org/installation (fetched 2026-08-29T12:29:02.361465+00:00, sha ecbf6e3fc351)
  - site_page: https://amberelec.org/guides/getting-started (fetched 2026-08-29T12:29:02.363545+00:00, sha 53ac49e3b6b3)
  - site_page: https://amberelec.org/contributing/pre-release-features (fetched 2026-08-29T12:29:02.367491+00:00, sha 82a71f69800a)
  - site_page: https://amberelec.org/faq (fetched 2026-08-29T12:29:02.365491+00:00, sha b57189b8fc31)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.