Quick Start Guide¶
Hi there! Welcome to KNULLI!
With this quick start guide, we will help you get started with KNULLI on your handheld device. If you are completely new to handheld emulation and custom firmwares (CFWs), this guide will lead you through your first steps. If you are an advanced user, this guide will make you aware of things KNULLI might do differently than other custom firmwares you have already used.
Important: Read this before you start!
Unlike many other CFWs, KNULLI currently uses ext4 as the default file system for your games, saves, configs, etc. We made this decision purposely, to give you the best out-of-the-box experience with PortMaster. Currently, PortMaster does not work properly with KNULLI on Windows/macOS-compatible exFAT partitions. (You can read more about this topic in the PortMaster section.)
It is possible to access the ext4-formatted partitions/SD cards with Linux systems. However, ext4 is not accessible from Windows/macOS directly. Consequently, you will not be able to access your SD card in the same way you might be used to from other CFWs. To add your files, we suggest that you use network transfer instead. Once you have added the device to your Wi-Fi (as explained in the Networking chapter), your KNULLI device will show up in the Network section of your Windows Explorer, where you can drag-and-drop your files just as easily. (You will find a more detailed walkthrough in the Network Transfer section.)
We know, that network transfer is a bit slower, which is an inconvenience during the initial setup when you are uploading the major part of your games. However, we also believe that it is worth the effort. The PortMaster library contains about 500 games, a lot of them will be fully playable on your handheld device if you stick with ext4.
There is an opt-out though. If you do not want to play PortMaster games anyway, you can easily reformat to the Windows-compatible exFAT format. (You will find instructions in the Formatting section.) Just be aware that PortMaster will not work properly if you choose to format to exFAT!
Installing KNULLI 
¶
Find the latest KNULLI release on our GitHub repository, find the image for your specific device in the Installation Download Package section, download it, and flash it onto an SD card. Do not attempt to format anything manually afterwards, KNULLI will do it for you! Just put the SD card in your device, remove SD cards from any other slot, and boot the device to finish installation. (First boot can take quite long since KNULLI will expand and format your games partition. Be patient.)
If you need more detailed information on how to install KNULLI, have a look into the Install section.
First steps¶
Your first steps will depend on how you want to use your KNULLI device.
1. Set up your data storage¶
For most users, we recommend to use a single SD card with the default formatting.
However, if you want a different setup, e.g. because your device does not support Wi-Fi, use the table below to determine, which setup suits your needs. Be aware that it might be required to reformat the storage before you can use it. Please use the built-in KNULLI formatter for this purpose. Also, please be aware that you have to switch between internal and external storage manually. (You will find detailed instructions on switching and formatting storages in the Add Games section.)
It is possible to use an already populated SD card as secondary SD card. However, if you attempt to do so, please make sure that the folder structure matches the one described in the Game Storage section.
Decide how you want to store your files
| SD cards | I want to play PortMaster games! | I want to access the SD card from Windows without Network transfer! (I accept that PortMaster will not work.) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | You are good to go! | You will have to reformat your internal storage to exFAT. |
| 2 | You will have to reformat your external storage to ext4 (unless it is already formatted to ext4). | You will have to reformat your external storage to exFAT (unless it is already formatted to exFAT). |
Make sure that you made a decision on how to store your files and prepared the storage accordingly before you continue with the next step.
Be aware that PortMaster will not work properly if you decide to format to exFAT.
2. Set up your controls (RG35XX Plus/H/2024/SP)¶
If you have installed KNULLI on a device of the Anbernic RG35XX Plus/H/2024/SP series, please make sure to set up your controls before you proceed. Press the Start button to bring up the main menu, find Controller & Bluetooth Settings and select Controller Mapping. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up your controls. (You will find more detailed instructions in the Controls section.)
Anbernic RG35XX Plus/H/2024/SP Series
The Anbernic RG35XX Plus/H/2024/SP series relies on almost identical hardware. However, the sticks and shoulder buttons are slightly different between these models. Since the hardware is too similar to auto-detect, which device you are using, setting up the controls is mandatory for all devices of this series.
Face buttons are indicated by direction
Since the face buttons might have different labels on different devices, during controller mapping they are referred to by their direction. For example, the north button refers to the top face button () which is labeled X on most Anbernic devices.
Make sure that you do not confuse the directional face buttons ( ) with the D-pad directions ( )!
3. Set up your Wi-Fi¶
Unless you have decided to reformat to exFAT, this step is mandatory to be able to add your games. Press the Start button to open the main menu and go to Network settings where you can configure your Wi-Fi connection. (You will find more detailed instructions about setting up Wi-Fi and increasing security in the Networking section.)
Troubleshooting
If you are unable to connect your KNULLI device to your Wi-Fi, please make sure to disable WPA3 encryption in your router and stick with WPA2 instead.
4. Add games and BIOSes¶
Depending on your storage choice, you can now start to add your games. On Windows, open your Windows Explorer and find the KNULLI device in your Network section. If the device does not show up, you can type \\KNULLI in the address bar of your Windows Explorer to find it manually. On macOS, select Go in Finder, pick Connect to Server and type smb://KNULLI in the address bar. (If you changed the hostname manually, look for the hostname of your choice instead.)
Step 1a: Find your KNULLI device in the Network section of your Windows Explorer. |
Step 1b: Find your KNULLI device by typing |
Step 2: Open the |
Step 3: Open the |
Alternatively, if you have a Linux-driven computer available, or if you have formatted your SD card to exFAT, you can shut down your KNULLI device, eject the SD card, insert it into your computer, and access it directly.
In any case, you may drag-and-drop your games and BIOS files from your local hard disk drives to the corresponding folders on your KNULLI device. You will find a more detailed walkthrough and more alternative solutions for adding games in the Add Games section.
5. Install PortMaster (optional)¶
If you chose to stick with ext4, you may now install PortMaster. Make sure that you are connected to your Wi-Fi, head to the Ports section, find Install.PortMaster and launch it. Afterwards, you will find PortMaster in the Ports section. (You will find more information about how to install and run PortMaster in the PortMaster section.)
Missing PortMaster installer
If Install.PortMaster is missing from your Ports section, please follow the instructions in the PortMaster section.
6. Scrape media (optional)¶
After you have added and installed all your games, you might want to add cover artworks, text descriptions and other metadata to your games. KNULLI comes with a fully functional scraper which will retrieve available media and metadata for you. Our scraper supports ScreenScraper, TheGamesDB and ArcadeDB as scraping sources. (You will find instructions for scraping in the Scraping section.)
7. Set up Retro Achievements (optional)¶
If you want to collect Retro Achievements, you should log in to your Retro Achievements account. Press START on your controller, select Game Settings and head to RetroAchievement Settings to enter your credentials. Be aware that Retro Achievements only work while you are connected to the internet. (You will find more information about Retro Achievements in the Retro Achievements section.)
Play!!¶
Congratulations - you are ready to start playing! How does that feel? If this is your first time using a device/CFW like this, we strongly recommend to learn the hotkey shortcuts (you will find them in the Hotkey Shortcuts section) before you launch the first game. Aside of that, you are good to go!
We hope you enjoy playing your games with KNULLI!