Controls¶
Do not confuse hardware setup with button mapping for games/systems!
Do not confuse controller setup with game- or core-specific button remapping! This section is about the global controller setup to make the hardware work. If you want to remap the controls for a specific game or emulator, follow the guide for the respective emulator (e.g. Retroarch).
Even though it was designed for handheld devices, KNULLI still supports various types of USB and Bluetooth controllers. Additionally, Knulli also supports other types of input devices, such as mice and keyboards.
If a controller does not work with your KNULLI-device out of the box, it might be necessary to map its buttons and directional controls to the corresponding game inputs, as explained in the sections below.
The built-in controls¶
Most KNULLI-compatible devices are handhelds with built-in controls. They usually consists of a directional pad (, short: D-pad), the so called face buttons (), some shoulder buttons (L1, R1) and/or shoulder triggers (L2, R2) and some buttons for Start and Select. Additionally, your device will most likely have power switch and a function button (Function) which will be used for hotkey shortcuts. Optionally, your device might also have analog sticks and a reset button. If you do not know where those buttons are located on your device, please have a look at the manual of your device.
KNULLI comes with a set of pre-defined hotkey shortcuts which allow you to save, load, and quit your games, take screenshots, etc. We strongly recommend to learn the hotkey shortcuts and we also strongly advise against modifying the hotkey shortcuts. You will find a list of all default hotkey shortcuts in the Hotkey Shortcuts section.
Controller names
Depending on your device, your built-in controls have a distinct name. For example, on the Anbernic RG40XX H, the built-in controls are called ANBERNIC-keys, on the RG35XX H, they are called Deeplay-keys.
Assigning controllers¶
After connecting a controller, the controller can instantly be used to navigate the EmulationStation GUI. However, to use a controller in a game, it must be assigned to a player. By default, only the built-in controls are assigned to player 1. After connecting additional controllers, you have to assign the controllers to the respective players.
Press Start to open the main menu and head to Controller & Bluetooth Settings. Towards the end of the menu, you will find the controller assignments for players 1-8. Here, you can assign each player a dedicated controller.
Controller assignments are reset after reboot
Your KNULLI device does not memorize, which controller was assigned to which player in a previous session. Make sure to always assign all controllers to the corresponding players after you (re-)connected them to your KNULLI device.
Controller mapping¶
Do not attempt to remap the built-in controls
Each KNULLI build is optimized for the specific device it was designed for. Specificially, all built-in controls are already mapped for you. Do not attempt to remap the built-in controls in the Controller & Bluetooth Settings menu. By doing so, you might break any hidden virtual controls (e.g. the D-pad-to-virtual-stick mapping for devices without analog sticks, which usually can be toggled with Function+Select). If you want to remap controls for certain games or systems, please do it within the respective game or emulator settings. The Controller & Bluetooth Settings menu is not the right place to map game- or system-specific controls!
To map the buttons and directional inputs of a controller, press the Start button to bring up the main menu, find Controller & Bluetooth Settings and select Controller Mapping. On-screen instructions will ask you to hold a button on the controller you want to map. Once the controller was detected, you will be guided through the process: Simply press the button on your controller which corresponds best to the button/function displayed on screen.
If you press a wrong button, don't worry: You will always be able to return to this menu and remap the controller again.
Face buttons are indicated by direction!
KNULLI supports several different controllers from different brands. Depending on your controller, labels on the face buttons might differ. Therefore, KNULLI names face buttons not by their label but by their direction.
For example, out of the four face buttons, the north button () is labeled X on the standard SNES controllers. The same button is labeled Y on Xbox controllers and △ on PlayStation controllers.
Make sure that you do not confuse the directional face buttons ( ) with the D-pad directions ( )! You will find more information about face buttons in the Hotkey shortcuts section.