AAhead Shell

A console‑grade game launcher for the Anbernic R36S. The machine kept hidden, the games brought forward.

Version	0.1.0  (2026-06-30)
Platform	Anbernic R36S — shipping.  Other Linux handhelds — in progress.
Requires	ArkOS / dArkOS with PortMaster installed. 640×480 screen.
Download	AAhead-Shell-R36S-v0.1.0.zip  (92 MB) · includes the curated catalog
SHA-256	fa7c3f472922df58efb8a0cf9d40f0c48d2e82aa07cd1d5608d159eb3e054d03

What it is

AAhead Shell replaces the “wall of 20,000 ROMs” with a calm front‑end that sits on top of RetroArch and gives the R36S a real face: a Home screen with Continue Playing and a curated library, per‑game art, editorial descriptions, and the emulator kept out of sight.

What it does

• Home / Library / Search / Discover navigation.
• Curated catalog with per‑game cover art and editorial descriptions.
• Assist: curated, per‑game cheat toggles injected into RetroArch.
• Display presets — per‑system aspect, integer scaling, shader overlays.
• Save‑state browsing and slot selection.
• Device tools: Wi‑Fi, backup to a second SD card, power profiles.
• Systems: SNES, Genesis / Mega Drive, PS1, N64, Saturn, Dreamcast, Sega CD / 32X, and more.

Controls

D‑pad	Move between games and rows
A	Open / launch
B	Back
Y	Search
L / R	Switch sections

Install

1. Download the ZIP and unzip it.
2. Copy ports/AAhead.sh and the ports/aahead/ folder onto your ROMS / EASYROMS partition.
3. Boot the R36S and launch AAhead from the Ports / Tools menu.

Your saves and play history live in the card's own library/ folder and are never overwritten by an install.

Notes

• First boot scans your installed games and matches them to the catalog; games with no art still appear, just without a cover.
• This is the first public build — on‑device testing is ongoing, so keep a backup of your card before installing.

Changelog

0.1.0 — 2026-06-30 — first public build.
Full history: CHANGELOG.TXT.