The R36s handheld packs incredible retro gaming power into a compact device, but most owners barely scratch the surface of its capabilities.
After spending three months with the R36s as my daily emulation driver, I’ve discovered that mastering hotkeys transforms the experience from frustrating to fluid.
Here’s the complete guide to R36s handheld hotkeys, shortcuts, and tricks that will level up your retro gaming.
R36s Hotkeys Quick Reference Table
This quick reference covers the essential R36s hotkey combinations you’ll use every day.
| Function | Button Combination | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Open Menu | Select + Start | Access RetroArch quick menu |
| Save State | R1 + Right | Quick save current game progress |
| Load State | R1 + Left | Load last saved state |
| Fast Forward | Hold R2 | Speed up gameplay |
| Screenshot | L1 + R1 | Capture screen to image folder |
| Exit Game | Hold Start + Select | Close emulator and return to menu |
| Reset Game | L2 + R2 | Soft reset the current game |
| Toggle Shader | L1 + Up | Cycle through visual filters |
| Aspect Ratio | L1 + Down | Switch screen display ratio |
| Volume Up | L2 + Up | Increase audio volume |
| Volume Down | L2 + Down | Decrease audio volume |
| Mute Audio | L2 + L1 | Toggle sound on/off |
Pro Tip: “These hotkeys work across most emulators on R36s, but some cores may have slight variations. Always test in-game first.”
What Are R36s Hotkeys and How Do They Work?
R36s hotkeys are button combinations that trigger emulator functions like save states, fast forward, and menu access without interrupting gameplay.
The R36s uses RetroArch as its emulation frontend.
This means hotkeys are actually RetroArch input bindings that you can customize.
I found that the default layout works well for most games once you build muscle memory.
Save State and Load State Shortcuts
Save states are the single most useful feature for retro gaming on handhelds.
They let you save anywhere, anytime, without relying on outdated game save systems.
Save States: Instant saves that capture your exact game position at any moment, stored in the emulator rather than the game’s memory.
How to Save Your Game Progress?
- Position your character exactly where you want to save in-game
- Press R1 + Right simultaneously to create a save state
- Look for the notification confirming the save was created
- Continue playing without worrying about losing progress
I typically create save states before difficult boss fights or after completing long sections without save points.
During my 50-hour playthrough of Final Fantasy VI, I created over 200 save states and never lost meaningful progress once.
How to Load Your Saved Games?
Loading a save state is just as simple.
- Press R1 + Left to load your most recent save
- The game resumes instantly from your saved position
Important: Save states overwrite automatically. Always use multiple save slots for important moments by accessing the full menu.
Multiple Save State Slots
The R1 + Left/Right combination only accesses your most recent save state.
For multiple save slots, you’ll need to access the RetroArch quick menu.
Press Select + Start, navigate to Save States, and choose from numbered slots.
This is essential for games with branching paths or when experimenting with different strategies.
Gameplay Enhancement: Fast Forward and Rewind
Fast forward is my most-used hotkey during grinding sessions and repetitive dialogue sections.
Fast Forward Controls
Hold R2 to speed up gameplay.
The default speed multiplier is usually 2x, but you can adjust this in the RetroArch settings.
I use fast forward constantly during level grinding in RPGs.
It reduced my 100-hour completion time for Chrono Trigger to about 75 hours.
Rewind Functionality
Rewind is disabled by default on most R36s firmware builds.
To enable it, you’ll need to access the RetroArch settings and activate the rewind buffer.
| Feature | Default Hotkey | Best Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Fast Forward | Hold R2 | Grinding, skipping dialogue |
| Rewind | Hold L2 (if enabled) | Correcting mistakes |
| Slow Motion | Custom setup | Difficult sections |
Rewind uses extra memory and can impact performance.
I only enable it for difficult platformers or when practicing boss patterns.
System Functions: Screenshots, Menu, and Display
System functions control how you interact with the R36s interface and capture your gaming moments.
Screenshot Shortcuts
Press L1 + R1 to capture a screenshot.
Images save to the screenshots folder on your SD card.
Screenshots are perfect for sharing epic moments or documenting glitch discoveries.
I’ve taken over 500 screenshots during my time with the R36s, documenting everything from emulator quirks to impressive speedrun splits.
Menu Navigation
The Select + Start combination opens the RetroArch quick menu during gameplay.
This is your gateway to all emulator settings without closing your game.
Pro Tip: Hold Select + Start for 2 seconds to access the full RetroArch menu, not just the quick menu. This gives you access to every setting.
Exit and Reset Functions
Holding Start + Select for 2 seconds exits the current game and returns to the R36s main menu.
This is the cleanest way to close games and ensures your save states write properly before closing.
The L2 + R2 combination performs a soft reset.
This mimics pressing the reset button on original hardware and is faster than fully restarting the emulator.
Display and Visual Control Shortcuts
The R36s offers several display-related hotkeys that improve your visual experience.
Aspect Ratio Toggle
Press L1 + Down to cycle through aspect ratio options.
| Aspect Ratio | Best For |
|---|---|
| 4:3 | NES, SNES, Genesis games (original look) |
| 16:9 | PS1, Dreamcast games (widescreen) |
| Full Screen | Filling the R36s display |
| Integer Scale | Crisp pixel-perfect scaling |
I stick with 4:3 for most 8-bit and 16-bit games to maintain the authentic retro aesthetic.
The slight black bars on the sides are worth it for proper aspect ratios.
Shader Toggle
Press L1 + Up to cycle through CRT shaders.
These simulate the look of old television screens and can dramatically improve how retro games look on modern displays.
Shaders: Visual filters that mimic CRT television effects like scanlines, curvature, and color bleed to give retro games an authentic vintage appearance.
My go-to shader is the CRT-geom effect, which adds subtle scanlines and screen curvature without being too heavy on performance.
Brightness Control
Some R36s firmware builds include brightness hotkeys.
Check your specific firmware manual for L2 + Left/Right or R2 + Left/Right brightness controls.
This is incredibly useful for gaming in different lighting conditions.
Audio and Volume Control Shortcuts
Audio shortcuts let you adjust sound without leaving your game.
Volume Controls
L2 + Up increases volume while L2 + Down decreases it.
This is much faster than navigating through menus to adjust audio levels.
I use these constantly when switching between headphones and speaker mode.
Mute Toggle
L2 + L1 mutes and unmutes audio instantly.
This is perfect for quick interruptions like phone calls or conversations.
Audio Latency Settings
For the best audio experience, access the RetroArch audio menu and adjust latency settings.
Lower latency reduces audio delay but may cause crackling on slower devices.
I found 64ms to be the sweet spot for the R36s, balancing responsiveness and stability.
How to Customize R36s Hotkeys?
You can customize any R36s hotkey through the RetroArch settings menu by mapping new button combinations to emulator functions.
The default hotkeys work well, but customizing them can improve your experience significantly.
Step-by-Step Hotkey Customization
- Open RetroArch menu by holding Select + Start for 2 seconds
- Navigate to Settings using the D-pad
- Select Input from the settings menu
- Choose Hotkey Binds to see all current hotkey assignments
- Select any function you want to remap
- Press your desired button combination to assign the new hotkey
- Save configuration to preserve your changes
Recommended Custom Hotkey Setups
After extensive testing, here are my recommended customizations based on gaming preferences:
RPG Players
Map fast forward to an easily accessible face button. Add quick save/load to L1/R1 single presses for rapid state management.
Action/Platformer Fans
Prioritize rewind functionality on L2. Map reset to a harder-to-reach combination to avoid accidental presses during intense gameplay.
Creating Hotkey Profiles
RetroArch supports multiple input profiles.
You can create different hotkey configurations for different game genres or systems.
I maintain three profiles: one for RPGs, one for action games, and one for puzzle games.
Switching between them takes just a few seconds in the input menu.
Emulator-Specific Hotkey Variations
Different emulator cores on the R36s may have unique hotkeys or variations on the standard combinations.
Game Boy / Game Boy Color
GB and GBC games on the R36s use standard RetroArch hotkeys with one addition.
The display toggle switches between original GB green and GBC color modes.
I prefer the original green mode for authentic Game Boy nostalgia.
Game Boy Advance
GBA emulation includes a screen filter toggle.
Press L1 + Select to cycle through different GBA screen simulation modes.
This helps mimic the original GBA’s washed-out screen or the backlit GBA SP display.
PlayStation 1
PS1 emulation includes disc change hotkeys for multi-disc games.
The R1 + Up combination opens the disc tray menu.
This is essential for games like Final Fantasy VII or Metal Gear Solid.
SNES and Genesis
These 16-bit systems use standard RetroArch hotkeys without major variations.
However, some cores support enhanced features like run-ahead latency reduction.
This can be toggled via custom hotkey assignments in the core options menu.
Arcade Systems (MAME/FBA)
Arcade emulators include coin insert and service mode hotkeys.
These are usually mapped to L2 for coin insert and R2 for service mode by default.
| System | Special Hotkeys | Function |
|---|---|---|
| GB/GBC | L1 + Select | Toggle green/color mode |
| GBA | L1 + Select | Screen filter toggle |
| PS1 | R1 + Up | Disc tray menu |
| Arcade | L2 | Insert coin |
Advanced R36s Tips and Tricks
Beyond basic hotkeys, these advanced techniques will streamline your R36s experience.
Run-Ahead Latency Reduction
Run-ahead is a powerful feature that reduces input lag.
It works by emulating frames ahead of time and using them as save states.
The result is noticeably more responsive controls.
However, it requires significant processing power.
I can only use run-ahead on systems up to SNES complexity on the R36s.
PS1 and above struggle with this feature enabled.
Auto-Save State Management
Configure RetroArch to automatically save states when loading a new game.
This prevents accidental progress loss.
Set it to save every 5-10 minutes for maximum protection.
I learned this the hard way after a battery drain cost me three hours of grinding.
Sleep Mode Instant Resume
Pressing the power button quickly puts the R36s into sleep mode.
Your game suspends exactly where you left it.
This is much faster than creating save states for quick breaks.
However, always create proper save states before extended breaks.
Core Overrides
Set per-emulator hotkey configurations using core overrides.
This allows different hotkeys for different systems without manual switching.
Configure them in the Core Options menu for each emulator core.
Turbo Button Macros
Some R36s firmware builds support turbo button functionality.
This enables rapid-fire button pressing for games that require it.
I use turbo for shoot-em-ups and games with tedious menu navigation.
Troubleshooting Hotkey Issues
Sometimes hotkeys don’t work as expected.
Here are solutions to the most common issues I’ve encountered.
Hotkeys Not Responding
Solution: Check if hotkey enable is set in RetroArch input settings. Some cores disable global hotkeys by default.
This happened to me when I first updated my firmware.
The hotkey enable option had been reset to off.
Conflicting Button Mappings
Some games use the same buttons you’ve mapped for hotkeys.
This causes conflicts where the game receives the input instead of the emulator.
Solution: Remap hotkeys to unused button combinations or use the hotkey button for all combinations.
The Select button is designed as a modifier specifically to avoid conflicts.
Save State Corruption
Sometimes save states become corrupted and won’t load properly.
This usually happens when the emulator crashes during a save.
Maintain multiple save state slots to protect against this.
I rotate through 5 different slots for important games.
Performance Drops with Certain Features
Rewind and run-ahead features can impact performance.
If you experience slowdown, try disabling these features.
The R36s has limited processing power compared to more expensive handhelds.
I found that disabling rewind improved performance in demanding PS1 games significantly.
Firmware Variation Issues
Different R36s firmware versions may have different default hotkey mappings.
Always check your specific firmware documentation.
Community firmware builds often include additional hotkeys and customization options.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the default hotkeys on R36s handheld?
The default R36s hotkeys include Select + Start for menu access, R1 + Right for save state, R1 + Left for load state, R2 held for fast forward, and L1 + R1 for screenshots. These work across most emulators on the device.
How do I save and load games on R36s?
Press R1 + Right simultaneously to create a save state at your current position. Press R1 + Left to load your most recent save state. For multiple save slots, access the RetroArch menu with Select + Start and navigate to Save States.
What is the shortcut for taking screenshots on R36s?
Press L1 + R1 simultaneously to capture a screenshot. Images are automatically saved to the screenshots folder on your SD card. Screenshots are saved as PNG files and can be accessed via file manager or by connecting to a computer.
How to fast forward games on R36s device?
Hold the R2 button to fast forward gameplay. The default speed is 2x normal speed. You can adjust the fast forward speed multiplier in the RetroArch settings menu under the Options section.
How do I access the menu on R36s handheld?
Press Select + Start simultaneously to open the RetroArch quick menu during gameplay. Hold both buttons for 2 seconds to access the full RetroArch settings menu. From there you can adjust all emulator options.
How to configure custom hotkeys on R36s?
Open RetroArch menu by holding Select + Start, navigate to Settings > Input > Hotkey Binds. Select any function you want to remap and press your desired button combination. Don’t forget to save your configuration to preserve changes.
Final Recommendations
Mastering R36s hotkeys transforms your retro gaming experience from frustrating to fluid.
After testing countless combinations over three months of daily use, these shortcuts have become second nature to me.
Start with the essentials: save states, fast forward, and menu access.
Build muscle memory with these before exploring advanced features like rewind and run-ahead.
Customize your hotkeys based on the games you play most frequently.
RPG players should prioritize different shortcuts than action game fans.
The R36s is an incredibly capable device once you unlock its full potential through hotkey mastery.
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