KNULLI Built-In Controls Stop In-Game with an External Controller: Restore Handheld Player 1

STOP: use this procedure only if every condition is true

The handheld is an RG CubeXX.

The KNULLI release is identified as Firefly 20241204, Gladiator II 20250813, or Scarab 20260511.

Built-in Start opens the KNULLI/EmulationStation menu.

An external USB or Bluetooth controller is connected.

The same affected game reaches stable play.

The external controller supplies one known working in-game input.

Built-in gameplay controls do not work in that unchanged session.

You can exit normally with the working controller.

If the game does not reach stable play, returns immediately, or stays black or unusable, stop and use the Article #19 launch-failure handoff.

Also stop if built-in controls fail in the frontend, no external controller works in-game, normal exit is impossible, only one button/layout is wrong, or the game needs a keyboard, mouse, light gun, wheel, touch input, or another special device. Do not force-exit, reset, or power-cut the handheld.

Short Answer

Outside the game, make exactly one release-correct change:

Firefly 20241204: open Start → Controller & Bluetooth Settings. In the Player 1–8 assignment fields, set the Player 1 field to the built-in RG CubeXX controller.
Gladiator II 20250813 or Scarab 20260511: open Start → Controller & Bluetooth Settings and enable Use Handheld Controls for Player 1.

Relaunch the same game with the same connected-controller set and order. Test one preselected built-in gameplay input once. If it works, stop. If it fails, exit normally, restore only the setting changed, relaunch to compare with the baseline, and use the appropriate handoff.

Do not remap built-in controls. Do not change Player 2–8, pairing, receiver, USB port, connection order, emulator/core, controller type, remap, hotkey, or game option.

Which instruction applies to your release?

Release	Documented model	Exactly one change
Firefly `20241204`	Built-in controls are Player 1 by default; external controllers use manual assignment.	In Start → Controller & Bluetooth Settings, use the Player 1–8 fields to set Player 1 to the built-in RG CubeXX controller.
Gladiator II `20250813`	Controllers auto-assign in connection order; handheld controls can be reserved for Player 1.	Enable Use Handheld Controls for Player 1.
Scarab `20260511`	The same user-facing auto-assignment and handheld-Player-1 toggle behavior is documented.	Enable Use Handheld Controls for Player 1.

Gladiator II’s release added the handheld-Player-1 toggle and USB controller-assignment fixes. Those fixes do not promise universal USB controller compatibility.

Scarab is a major-update boundary and provides the exact RG CubeXX/H700 asset knulli-h700-rg-cubexx-scarab-20260511.img.gz. The same visible toggle does not prove identical internals. Do not migrate old configuration files into Scarab.

KNULLI notes that a few ports may handle assignment changes in-game, but this procedure does not depend on an exception: exit normally and change Player 1 in the frontend. There is no in-game branch here.

Why frontend recognition is not Player 1 ownership

Three layers can look similar:

Frontend recognition: built-in Start opening EmulationStation proves only that the frontend sees the input.
Player ownership: the running game may receive Player 1 input from an external controller while handheld controls belong elsewhere.
Runtime mapping: a libretro core, standalone emulator, or game may have separate mappings or input requirements.

An external controller working in-game proves only a stable session and one working controller in it. It does not prove universal compatibility, effective runtime, or assignment as the cause. Assignment remains a hypothesis until the controlled change succeeds.

Record the before-state

Before changing anything, record:

RG CubeXX identity;
exact KNULLI release/date;
exact game and system;
every connected controller name and USB/Bluetooth transport;
connection order and whether each controller connected before or after launch;
which controller navigates the frontend;
which controller works in-game;
Firefly: the exact current Player 1 field value;
Gladiator II/Scarab: the exact current Use Handheld Controls for Player 1 value.

Connection order is recorded to hold it constant and interpret results. It is not a rollback target because this procedure never changes it.

If capturing a screenshot, crop to the relevant setting and redact serial numbers, Bluetooth MAC addresses, device IDs, usernames/accounts, network details, game/library details, and save information. A screenshot proves only the visible setting—not runtime behavior, compatibility, Player 1 ownership, or cause.

Establish a no-change baseline

Change no assignment, mapping, pairing, port, order, emulator, or game setting.
Press built-in Start in EmulationStation once and confirm the menu opens.
Launch the same affected game.
Confirm stable play.
Confirm one chosen external-controller gameplay input works.
Confirm built-in gameplay controls do not work.
Exit normally with the working controller.

If any observation differs, return to the STOP box.

Firefly `20241204`: set the Player 1 field

Outside the game, open Start → Controller & Bluetooth Settings.
Find the Player 1–8 assignment fields.
Change only the Player 1 field to the human-readable built-in RG CubeXX controller entry.
Leave Player 2–8 and every other setting unchanged.

Do not invent or require a literal row named “Player 1 assignment.” Theme, translation, or capitalization may vary. Do not use the later toggle or auto-assignment wording on Firefly.

Firefly assignments reset after reboot according to the release-pinned documentation. That is a Firefly-only caveat, not a verification step or rollback method. Do not reboot for this test.

Gladiator II `20250813`: reserve handheld controls for Player 1

Outside the game, open Start → Controller & Bluetooth Settings.
Enable Use Handheld Controls for Player 1.
Change nothing else.

Controllers normally auto-assign in connection order. Keep controller set and order unchanged. Do not pair/unpair, move a receiver, or try another USB port.

Scarab `20260511`: use the same visible toggle

Outside the game, open Start → Controller & Bluetooth Settings.
Enable Use Handheld Controls for Player 1.
Change nothing else.

Keep controller set/order unchanged. Do not infer internal equivalence with Gladiator II or copy/migrate old configurations.

Relaunch proof: one input, once

Relaunch the same game with the same connected-controller set and order.
Test one previously selected, known gameplay input on built-in controls once.
If it works, stop. Do not widen the test or add another repair.
If it fails, make no second repair. Exit normally and roll back immediately.

A success supports the Player 1 assignment hypothesis for this occurrence only. Simultaneously changing pairing, port, receiver, order, another player, emulator/core, controller type, remap, hotkey, or game option destroys the controlled comparison.

Exact rollback

Exit normally with the controller that still works.
Firefly: restore the exact recorded Player 1 field value.
Gladiator II/Scarab: restore the exact recorded Use Handheld Controls for Player 1 value.
Relaunch the same game with the preserved controller set/order.
Compare the observation with the written baseline.

The setting restoration is exact; the symptom is an observation. Do not promise that the prior symptom must return. Do not “restore” pairing, receiver, port, or order because this assignment test never changed them.

If the one-change test fails

Rollback first. Then route only by independently established evidence:

Confirmed libretro runtime: use KNULLI RetroArch controls/remap guidance. Do not inspect, edit, save, reset, or delete remaps here.
Confirmed standalone runtime: use that emulator project’s upstream controller documentation. Standalone emulators do not inherit RetroArch behavior.
Confirmed special-input requirement: use the relevant system/game guide.
DOSBox keyboard requirement: use DOSBox Pure keyboard controls on RG CubeXX.
Runtime family unknown: leave it unknown. A frontend emulator/core selector is configuration intent, not proof of the effective runtime used for the observed launch.

The Quick Menu article applies only to a distinct menu-access issue in a confirmed libretro session. Quick Menu is neither eligibility nor repair here.

Changing the emulator for one game is a separate evidence-based handoff, not a second repair to stack on this test.

If built-in controls work in other games, or only one button/layout is wrong, route to core/game remap or controller-type diagnosis instead of making another global assignment change.

What the result proves—and what it does not

If the built-in input works

It supports only this conclusion: for this RG CubeXX, release, game/system, connected-controller set/order, assignment state, and selected input, the Player 1 change was sufficient to make that built-in input work once.

It does not prove every button, controller, transport, game, system, release, runtime, future launch, multiplayer order, hotkey, analog range, or rumble feature.

If the built-in input still fails

Failure does not disprove KNULLI’s documented assignment model or identify a replacement cause. Remap hierarchy, controller type, special input, emulator-specific settings, game behavior, and device/connection faults remain open. Roll back and hand off; do not stack repairs.

Frontend and external-controller observations

Built-in Start proves EmulationStation recognition only.
One external in-game input proves a stable session and one working controller only.
Neither observation proves assignment or universal controller compatibility.

Safety rules

Never:

remap RG CubeXX built-in controls or remap anything in Controller & Bluetooth Settings;
delete/reset common.rmp, game/content/core remaps, profiles, generated RetroArch configs, or KNULLI configs;
factory reset, reflash, format storage, replace a whole config, or migrate old configs into Scarab;
force-exit, reset to escape, or power-cut;
pair/unpair, move a receiver, change USB ports, or change connection order;
change Player 2–8, emulator/core, controller type, hotkey, game option, or any second setting.

KNULLI documents built-in controls as pre-mapped. This procedure changes player assignment, not control mapping.

FAQ

Why does built-in Start work when gameplay input does not?

The frontend and running game are different layers. Start proves frontend recognition only; it does not show which controller owns Player 1 or how the runtime maps input.

Can I reconnect controllers in another order?

Not in this test. Gladiator II and Scarab normally use connection order for automatic assignment, so changing it adds a second variable.

Should I remap built-in controls?

No. KNULLI says they are pre-mapped and warns against remapping them in Controller & Bluetooth Settings.

Can Quick Menu fix this?

No. Quick Menu is not eligibility or repair here. Use its article only for a separate access problem in confirmed libretro.

What if only one button is wrong?

Stop. That belongs to core/game remap or controller-type diagnosis.

What if the game needs a keyboard or mouse?

That is a special-input requirement. Use a system/game guide; DOSBox keyboard cases use the linked DOSBox article.

Does success prove full external-controller compatibility?

No. It proves only one controlled observation in one stable session.

STOP: use this procedure only if every condition is true