Re: [BUG] rockchip: v2026.07 fails to boot on GameForce Ace (RK3588S)

Thanks for the further details Chris,

It would indeed be great if we could move this device to mainline end-to-end.
Let me know how you get on with v2026.07 and if possible, test your
DTS with the stable kernel (7.1.8 or similar).
When I reverted uboot, I encountered inconsistent I/O issues with the
latest stable kernel, therefore I ended up going back to the BSP.

Thanks for all your work, we appreciate the effort.

Dan


On Sat, 15 Aug 2026 at 07:40, Christopher Morgan
<[email protected]> wrote:
>
> 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



-- 

Kind Regards,

Daniel