[Bug]: Sleep Mode Bug: Heavy games and ports suffer extreme lag/stuttering after waking up the console

[ItzMartee]

Pre-submission checklist

• I am using the latest version of the project
• I have searched existing issues to make sure this is not a duplicate

Version

20260621

Console Output / Error

N/A

Bug Description

After leaving the console in sleep mode inside demanding games (like Ports or heavier emulators) for some time, upon waking the device, the game completely stutters, experiencing extreme lag and very low FPS, making it unplayable.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open a game or port (tested and reproduced, for example, on GTA San Andreas Port, PES 14, and Celeste).
2. Press the Power button to put the console into sleep mode during gameplay.
3. Leave the console suspended for a few seconds or minutes.
4. Turn the console back on by pressing the Power button.
5. Observe the game running with extreme lag and constant stuttering.

Expected Behavior (Optional)

The game should resume exactly from where it left off, maintaining stable performance and normal speed (100%), without FPS drops.

Screenshots / Video / Logs (Optional)

No response

Additional Context (Optional)

The issue happens in the latest version (20260621), but I noticed this bug has been there since the June 19th version (20260619). Since the error happens on PES/GTA as well as Celeste, it seems to be a general bug in RAM or system power management when waking up from a deep sleep state, regardless of how demanding the game is (I think).

[lcdyk0517]

I'll try to reproduce it and look for the cause.

[lcdyk0517]

Did you overclock?

[ItzMartee]

No, I only activated the arkos4clone_fix battery driver

[lcdyk0517]

It probably doesn't have much to do with the driver. Try lowering the CPU frequency or the GPU DMC frequency and see if the same issue still occurs.

[ItzMartee]

I tried lowering the CPU and DMC frequencies as requested. Before testing Celeste, I tried playing GTA, and it froze when waking up from sleep mode. After that, when I launched Celeste, the CPU governor automatically switched to ondemand on its own, and the game froze during normal gameplay without even using sleep mode. Additionally, every time I reboot the console, all frequency and governor settings automatically reset back to their default values (CPU: 1248 MHz / DMC: 666 MHz, with the default governor being interactive).

EDIT: I just noticed you released a new update (20260624) a few hours ago. Should I update to this new version to see if it fixes these issues?

[lcdyk0517]

Should try updating it

[Exink]

Hello,

I'm using ArkOS4clone, already updated to the latest version (20260624), and I've got the same issue as the above poster, even without putting the console in sleep mode. Honestly, I don't recall this behavior with the March version of the same OS. In other words, even when I play normally, the emulator randomly freezes for about five seconds, then resumes, only to freeze randomly again, and so on. This happens in demanding systems, such as PSX, Dreamcast/Naomi, etc. I'm using the K36 console, without CPU overclocking or a modified battery driver. I tried flashing to another microSD card, and the issue persists.

If I need to lower the CPU frequency (which I believe would worsen the console's performance), what values are recommended?

I hope you can fix this issue.

Thanks in advance!

[lcdyk0517]

The previous kernel versions had incorrect CPU frequency readings. This update simply corrects them so that the CPU can actually reach the advertised frequencies. You can gradually lower the frequency until the overheating and stuttering stop.

[Exink]

I tried lowering the CPU frequency up to 3 steps below using the DTB selector, but the console keeps freezing, and of course, the emulation performance is worse. Should I decrease the other frequencies besides the CPU?

Thank you for responding and apologies for the inconvenience.

[lcdyk0517]

The issue has been identified. It was caused by the GPU frequency limit not taking effect in previous versions, which caused the device to run at 600MHz. You can fix the issue temporarily by simply adjusting the GPU frequency once in ES. The fix will be included in a future release.