Hotkeys

Hotkeys

Hotkeys are controller button combos that trigger emulator actions during gameplay. This page covers hotkeys for the Built-in Emulator.

The built-in emulator ships with six actions:

Action	Default binding
In-Game Menu	Start + Select
Fast Forward	R2
Rewind	L2
Quick Save	unbound
Quick Load	unbound
Quick Suspend	unbound

Defaults are applied the first time you launch a game. Anything left unbound is inactive until you assign it.

Configuring hotkeys

Open Settings > Built-in Emulator > Controls > Hotkeys. For each action you can:

• Rebind by pressing a new combo.
• Disable without clearing the combo.
• Clear the binding.

You can also open this screen from the in-game menu so you can tweak bindings without leaving the game.

Per-platform bindings

Hotkey bindings are per platform — each system keeps its own combos, so you can bind Fast Forward one way on Game Boy and another on PS2. When you open the hotkeys screen for a game, you are editing that platform's set.

Each console also uses its own button set and labels, matching the layout that console is known for. Argosy warns you when a hotkey combo is shadowed by a button that console already uses on that platform, so you don't bind over a control you need in-game.

Limit hotkeys to Player 1

Under Settings > Built-in Emulator > Controls there is a Limit hotkeys to Player 1 toggle (on by default). When on, only the controller assigned to Player 1 can trigger hotkeys -- useful for local co-op so Player 2 doesn't accidentally save-state mid-match. Turn it off to allow any connected controller to fire hotkeys.

Action reference

• In-Game Menu -- opens the quick menu (save/load, cheats, settings, exit).
• Fast Forward -- speeds up emulation. Choose hold (default -- release to stop) or toggle (press once to start, again to stop) with the Toggle Fast Forward switch under Settings > Built-in Emulator > Controls > Hotkeys. Silently ignored during netplay.
• Rewind -- hold to scrub backwards. Disabled during netplay and in RetroAchievements hardcore mode; see Rewind.
• Quick Save / Quick Load -- use the per-game quick-save history; quick load restores the newest. Blocked in hardcore mode; guests cannot save during netplay. See Save States.
• Quick Suspend -- auto-saves a state, flushes SRAM, and exits the game. Designed for "stop now and resume later" on the same device.

Core hotkeys

Alongside the built-in actions, you can bind a hotkey to a core's own special controls for the platform you're playing - for example flipping the Nintendo DS screens. These show under a Core Hotkeys section in the hotkey menu for the current core, and are scoped to that core, so they only apply while you're playing it.