I'm having trouble with my usual email client, so I'm sorry if this message is formatted weird.
I have tested the device most recently with 2026.04 with the default defconfig options. I am using mainline Arm Trusted Firmware though, not the Rockchip versions. Using Rockchip's A-TF should work, but again it's not something I've tested. I can note that if you're using mainline A-TF along with mainline Optee, you need to pass CONFIG_SPL_ATF_NO_PLATFORM_PARAM=N, otherwise the device will fail to boot because it won't protect the Optee regions. (For mainline A-TF CONFIG_SPL_ATF_NO_PLATFORM_PARAM is optional unless you use Optee, for Rockchip's BL31 you need CONFIG_SPL_ATF_NO_PLATFORM_PARAM=Y). I'm going to test the device next week and see if I encounter any issues with it. I'll report back if I find out anything weird. Thank you, Chris ________________________________ From: Quentin Schulz <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, August 12, 2026 10:22 AM To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]> Cc: Chris Morgan <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [BUG] rockchip: v2026.07 fails to boot on GameForce Ace (RK3588S) +Cc Chris who maintains this board and may be able to help. I somehow didn't receive this mail in my inbox, here's my attempt at quoting text from a mail I didn't receive (and it's also not available on lore.kernel.org...). > Hello, > > I am experiencing a total boot failure on the GameForce Ace handheld > console (Rockchip RK3588S) when trying to run mainline U-Boot > v2026.07. > The device fails to initialize or display any output during the > initial handshake. > Unfortunately, due to the tightly integrated form factor of this > handheld device, it is exceptionally difficult to break open the > casing and wire up a UART serial console to capture early boot logs. > The target operating system (Batocera Linux) environment is running > the mainline Linux 7.1.5 kernel. > Given the complete lack of visible console output, I wanted to check: > > 1. Has the GameForce Ace board target been actively tested with the > v2026.07 release? > 2. Are there any specific or updated build instructions, BL31/TPL/SPL > combinations, or proprietary Rockchip firmware binary requirements > (rkbin) needed for this release that may differ from previous > versions? > > For reference, the build configuration used was: gameforce-ace-> rk3588s_defconfig > TF-A / BL31 version: rk3588_ddr_lp4_2112MHz_lp5_2400MHz_v1.21.bin / > rk3588_bl31_v1.54.elf > Compiler: GCC 14.3 > Linux 7.1.5 uses the rk3588s-gameforce-ace.dts > > Any guidance on known regressions regarding this target, or > recommendations on how to isolate the stage where it hangs without a > hardware UART, would be greatly appreciated. > If you have a known working version of U-Boot, maybe start a bisect with that commit as good and 2026.07 as bad to isolate a commit that broke the board. Cheers, Quentin
