Flashing Retro-Go

Once the mod installed in the handeld console, it is time to flash the ESP32 system with a compatible Retro-Go version that has been specifically developed for this mod. Retro-Go is a wonderful ESP32 retro-gaming platform using various emulators to run old games on emulated consoles. It is easy to deploy and the project website does explain how to manage games on the device’s SD card and much more.

Download our custom Retro-Go image

We provide a prebuilt image for this TsingTao mod that can be downloaded from our release page. This image has been specifically built for this mod and features some hardcoded configuration and custom drivers to correctly interface with the console screen and our dedicated daughter boards.

You can also follow the build instructions to compile it from source, and flash the generated image into the mod system.

Flash your ESP32

Important: do not insert any micro SD card in the console’s SD card holder !

First, you need to install esptool on your system, as it is required to successfully flash the TsingTao Retro-Go image. It should be available in most Linux distributions as a standard package, if not you can install it by following Espressif’s setup guide.

Then, connect your modded console to your computer using a USB cable. Make sure the console is powered on (power switch facing ON), and issue the following command (replace tsingtao-retrogo-v*.img with the filename of the image downloaded in the previous step):

$ esptool.py write_flash --flash_size detect 0x0 tsingtao-retrogo-v*.img

This operation can take minutes to complete. Once done, switch off the console.

First boot

Format your micro SD card in FAT32 and insert it into the micro SD card holder. Then switch on the console, it will fill the micro SD card with the required folders for ROMS and themes at first boot.

Switch off the console again, eject the micro SD card and copy ROM files to the corresponding folders and insert it again into the handeld. Switch it on, and you should see your games in the list of games of the console they were designed to run on.

Enjoy !

Frequently Asked Questions

TsingTao is not detected when connected to my computer, did I do anything wrong ?

First, make sure the USB cable used to connect the console to your computer is not a charge-only USB cable. Then, check the power switch has correctly been placed when reassembling the console: it could be misplaced and tit won’t switch the console on. If any of this worked, check your solder job and make sure the mod’s DM and DP pads are correctly connected to the type A USB plug.