README.md

🎯 About

CobaltX is a Linux distribution built specifically for gamers, on the rock-solid foundation of Arch Linux. It comes pre-configured with the complete Linux gaming stack — no setup required, no driver hunting, no terminal tinkering. Just install, sign in, and play.

Built from scratch using archiso with a custom Calamares installer, custom branding, and the linux-zen kernel for low-latency desktop performance.

✨ What's New in v0.2 "Sparked"

• 🎨 Plymouth boot splash — Beautiful animated boot with the CobaltX logo on dark navy
• 📦 yay pre-installed — Full AUR access out of the box
• 💻 NVIDIA one-click installer — Detects GPU, installs proprietary drivers, configures Wayland
• 🦊 CobaltX Welcome App — Custom first-boot experience (native PyQt6 + WebEngine)
• 🎯 Improved KDE integration — Custom icons, no duplicate popups, polished defaults
• ✨ Rebranded to Sparked — Fresh version, latest linux-zen and KDE Plasma 6

✨ Highlights

• 🎮 Complete gaming stack pre-installed — Steam, Heroic Games Launcher, Bottles, Lutris, Wine, RetroArch, MangoHud, GameMode
• ⚡ linux-zen kernel — Optimized for low-latency desktop and gaming workloads
• 🖥️ KDE Plasma 6 — Modern, beautiful, fully-featured desktop environment
• 📦 Arch Linux foundation — Bleeding-edge packages, full AUR access, rolling release
• 🎨 Custom CobaltX branding — Polished UI from boot to desktop
• 🚀 Modern boot — systemd-boot with UEFI support, plus Plymouth splash
• 🛡️ Ready for NVIDIA — Intel and AMD GPUs work out of the box; NVIDIA via one-click installer
• 🦊 Custom Welcome App — First-boot greeter with quick actions & system info

📥 Download

The latest CobaltX ISO is available at the official website.

Current release: CobaltX 0.2 "Sparked" — cobaltx-0.2-x86_64.iso (~6.0 GB)

🚀 Installation

1. Download the CobaltX ISO from the website
2. Flash it to a USB stick (8 GB+) using:
   • Ventoy (recommended — multiboot USB)
   • Rufus (Windows)
   • balenaEtcher (cross-platform)
   • Or dd:

     sudo dd if=cobaltx-0.2-x86_64.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress

     (Replace /dev/sdX with your USB device — be careful!)
3. Boot from USB (UEFI mode required)
4. Click "Install CobaltX" on the desktop
5. Follow the Calamares installer wizard
6. Reboot and enjoy!

🎮 What's Inside

CobaltX includes everything you need to game on Linux out of the box:

Gaming Platforms

• 🎮 Steam — with Proton for Windows games
• 🦊 Heroic Games Launcher — Epic Games, GOG, Amazon Prime Gaming
• 🍶 Bottles — Run Windows apps in isolated environments
• 🎯 Lutris — Universal game manager
• 🕹️ RetroArch — Retro game emulation frontend

Compatibility & Tools

• 🍷 Wine — Windows compatibility layer
• ⚙️ GameMode — CPU/GPU optimization during gameplay
• 📊 MangoHud — Performance overlay (FPS, temps, etc.)
• 🎥 OBS Studio — Screen recording & streaming
• 💬 Discord — Voice chat with your team

System Components (v0.2 additions)

• 🎨 Plymouth — Animated boot splash
• 📦 yay — AUR helper pre-installed
• 💻 NVIDIA installer — One-click GPU driver setup
• 🦊 CobaltX Welcome App — First-boot experience

🔧 System Requirements

🛠️ Build From Source

Advanced users can build CobaltX from source:

# Clone this repository
git clone https://github.com/MrDomination/cobaltx.git
cd cobaltx
# Build the ISO (requires archiso, ~50-70 min)
sudo rm -rf cobaltx-buildwork
sudo mkarchiso -v -w cobaltx-buildwork -o out .

The built ISO will appear in out/cobaltx-0.2-x86_64.iso.

🤝 Contributing

CobaltX is open source! Contributions are welcome:

• 🐛 Report bugs in Issues
• 💡 Suggest features in Discussions
• 📝 Improve documentation
• 🌍 Translate the distro

☕ Support CobaltX

CobaltX is a one-person project built in spare time. If you find it useful, consider supporting development:

• ☕ Buy me a coffee — directly funds late-night coding for v0.3
• ⭐ Star this repo — free, instant, and means a lot
• 📢 Share CobaltX — tell other Linux gamers about it
• 🐛 Report bugs and feedback — helps make v0.3 better

📋 Roadmap

Planned for future releases:

• 🚪 Custom SDDM login theme
• 🎨 Improved KDE defaults (dark mode, dock, effects)
• 🛡️ Security hardening defaults
• 🎮 Steam Deck-style Game Mode
• 🖥️ Better hardware detection & recommendations
• 📦 Enhanced package selection

⚠️ Known Issues

• v0.2 "Sparked" — Some rough edges may still exist; please report what you find!
• SDDM login screen uses default Breeze theme (custom theme deferred to v0.3)

📝 License

CobaltX is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0. See LICENSE for the full text.

Individual software packages included in CobaltX retain their own licenses.

👤 Author

CobaltX is crafted in Phuket, Thailand by a passionate gamer who wanted Linux to be the best gaming OS possible.