Hotkey Guide
RetroVerse Pro 2.0 Hotkey Guide: Every Shortcut You Need
โก Quick Answer: The Hotkeys You'll Use Most
Every RetroVerse Pro 2.0 runs on a small modifier button most people never notice until they need it. Once you know it, you'll never get stuck mid-game again โ this guide walks through every shortcut, plus what to do if one stops working.
1. What Is the "Fn" Button, and Why Does It Matter?
๐ก In short: The Fn (function) button is a modifier โ think of it like Shift on a keyboard. Held alone it does nothing. Held with another button, it sends a system command instead of a game input.
Out of the box, the RetroVerse Pro 2.0 feels immediately familiar โ a D-pad, face buttons, dual sticks โ but underneath it's running a full Linux-based system built to emulate dozens of consoles at once. Since the original NES, SNES, or PS1 never had a "quit" button, that command has to come from somewhere else. That's what the Fn button is for.
Finding Your Fn Button
Depending on the exact button layout on your unit, the function modifier is either a dedicated button (often labeled F or Fn) sitting between Select and Start, or it doubles up with the Select button itself.
- Most units: a dedicated Fn button in the center of the controls.
- Some units: Select acts as the Fn key instead.
Quick way to check: boot into any game, hold Select (or the button labeled F), and tap Start. If the game exits back to the menu, you've found it.
Context Changes What Buttons Do
The same buttons do different things depending on where you are. In the main menu, they navigate and launch games. Inside a game, holding Fn switches them into system commands instead.
| Button | In the Main Menu | In a Game (holding Fn) |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Open menu | Exit game |
| Select | Options | Hotkey modifier (on some units) |
| R1 | Page down | Save state |
| L1 | Page up | Load state |
| X | Random game | Open settings menu |
2. Exiting Games and Managing Save States
๐ก In short: Fn + Start exits any game. Fn + R1 saves instantly. Fn + L1 loads it back. Works in almost every system on the console.
The single most common question from new owners: how do you actually get out of a game? You're deep into a save file at midnight and there's no "quit" option because the console it's emulating never had one.
The Exit Combo
- Press and hold Fn (or Select, depending on your unit).
- While holding it, tap Start once.
- The screen flashes briefly and drops you back to the game list.
Save States: No More Passwords
Save states take a full snapshot of the game's memory at that exact instant โ no more scribbling down 20-character passwords or hoping a cartridge battery hasn't died.
You'll see a small on-screen confirmation each time ("Saved State to Slot #0" or similar) so you know it registered.
Using Multiple Save Slots
Want to keep a save right before a boss fight without overwriting your main save? Switch slots first:
- Next slot: Fn + D-Pad Right
- Previous slot: Fn + D-Pad Left
3. Brightness, Volume, and On-Screen Info
๐ก In short: Adjust screen brightness on the fly with Fn + Volume, and check your frame rate any time with Fn + Y.
Since this is a handheld meant for wherever you are โ bright afternoons outside, or under the covers at night โ you shouldn't have to dig through a menu just to adjust the screen.
- Increase brightness: Fn + Volume Up
- Decrease brightness: Fn + Volume Down
Dimming the screen by even 20% noticeably extends how long you'll get on a single charge, so it's worth doing anytime you're not outdoors.
Volume
The physical volume rocker on the side of the unit is your main control for audio. If a game's sound is crackling or out of sync, that usually points to an audio latency setting rather than volume itself โ accessible from the in-game settings menu (Fn + X).
Checking Performance
Curious how hard a demanding PS1 or N64 game is pushing the hardware? Toggle the frame-rate counter any time:
4. The Complete Hotkey Cheat Sheet
Screenshot this table โ it covers every shortcut across the systems that use the standard controls (NES, SNES, Genesis, GBA, PS1, and most others).
| Action | Combination | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Exit Game | Fn + Start | Returns to the game list |
| Save State | Fn + R1 | Instant save |
| Load State | Fn + L1 | Instant load |
| Settings Menu | Fn + X | Opens advanced options |
| Reset Game | Fn + B | Soft reset, same as a console power cycle |
| Fast Forward | Fn + R2 | Speeds up gameplay |
| Rewind | Fn + L2 | Where enabled for that system |
| Screenshot | Fn + Power | Saved to the SD card |
| Next Save Slot | Fn + D-Pad Right | Cycle forward through slots |
| Previous Save Slot | Fn + D-Pad Left | Cycle back through slots |
| FPS Counter | Fn + Y | Show / hide frame rate |
Exceptions: PSP and Nintendo DS
The table above covers the vast majority of the library, but PSP and Nintendo DS games run on their own standalone emulators with different controls:
- PSP: Press the Menu button (often mapped to L3 or Select) to bring up the emulator's own menu, then choose Exit from there.
- Nintendo DS: Click the right stick (R3) to open the on-screen stylus menu, used to simulate touchscreen taps.
5. Troubleshooting: When Hotkeys Stop Responding
๐ก In short: Most unresponsive-hotkey issues come down to a remapped modifier button, an accidentally-enabled kid-safe mode, or a flaky SD card โ all fixable without a factory reset.
Occasionally after a system update, the hotkey modifier gets unassigned. To fix it: open the system menu โ Settings โ Input โ Hotkeys โ find "Hotkey Enable" โ press the button you want to use (Select or the dedicated Fn button work well) โ then save your configuration before backing out. If you skip that last save step, the change won't stick.
The console has a simplified mode meant to keep younger players from digging into settings. If this got switched on by accident, several hotkeys โ especially anything that opens a menu โ will be disabled until you turn it back off.
If your hotkey settings keep resetting themselves, or games freeze the moment you try to exit, a failing SD card is a common cause. Every RetroVerse ships with a verified, tested card specifically to avoid this โ if you ever run into it, reach out and we'll help sort it out.
Rarely, a button's membrane can get stiff after heavy use. Check the input test in the system settings menu to see whether the button is registering presses correctly.
6. Frequently Asked Questions
My console is frozen and Fn + Start isn't working. What do I do?
Quick answer: Force a shutdown.
Hold the physical power button for about 10 seconds to force a hardware shutdown. This is a last resort โ if it happens while the system is actively writing a save, there's a small chance of corrupting that save file, so only use it when nothing else responds.
Can I remap the hotkeys to different buttons?
Quick answer: Yes.
Go to Settings โ Input โ Hotkeys and you can reassign Save State, Exit, or any other shortcut to whichever button feels most natural to you.
Does the console have a sleep mode shortcut?
Quick answer: Tap the power button.
A single tap of the power button puts the device to sleep. On some system versions, Fn + Power works as an alternative.
Why do hotkeys work in some games but not PSP games?
Quick answer: PSP uses its own separate emulator.
Most systems share one common emulator core with a shared hotkey system. PSP runs on its own standalone emulator with its own menu and controls, so it doesn't follow the same Fn combinations.
How do I take a screenshot?
Quick answer: Fn + Power (a quick tap).
A brief tap of Fn + Power saves an image straight to the Screenshots folder on your SD card.
Danny Rourke
Danny is RetroVerse's retro hardware editor. He grew up on the SNES and PS1 and has spent years testing budget handhelds to help people find the ones actually worth owning.
- Hands-on tester of retro consoles and handhelds
- Focused on honest, real-world performance
- Writes plain-English guides for newcomers and collectors alike