Quick Start Guide

Before you start

Place the cabinet on a stable indoor surface, keep ventilation openings clear, and connect it to a properly grounded outlet through a certified surge protector. Remove packing material and inspect the power cable before use.

Powering on

1. 1Switch on the surge protector or approved power source.
2. 2Use the cabinet's labelled power control.
3. 3Allow the Mectura boot sequence to complete without pressing controls repeatedly.
4. 4Wait for the systems or collections screen to appear.

Playing, favourites, saves, and exit

1. 1From the top-level Systems or Collections screen, move the joystick left or right to choose a system or collection, then press B. Inside it, move the joystick up or down to highlight a game; press L1 or R1 to move through the list one page at a time, then press B to launch. Press A to go back one screen.
2. 2To find a title, press Y from a game list to open Search. Use the joystick to highlight each letter and press B to enter it. When enough of the title is entered, press Start to search. Highlight the correct result and press B to open it.
3. 3To add or remove a favourite, highlight the game and hold X. Confirm the favourite marker changes.
4. 4To view favourites, hold Select in a game list. Hold Select again to return to the full list.
5. 5For a coin or credit game, press Select to add a credit, then press Start. Some two-player classics alternate turns on the Player 1 controls.
6. 6To save a state, hold Hotkey and press Y, then wait for the save confirmation in the lower-left corner of the screen. To load it, hold Hotkey and press X.
7. 7PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and Dreamcast normal saves use virtual memory cards. Save through the game's own Save menu and wait for completion.
8. 8To exit any active game or emulator, hold Hotkey and press Start. Wait for Batocera to return to the game list.
9. 9To shut down, exit the game, press Start, choose Quit, then Shut Down System. Never remove power while Batocera is running.
10. 10For an external controller, connect or pair one device at a time, enable Show Controller Activity, identify its upper-left icon, then set player order if needed.

Finding games and building Favourites

Press Y from a game list to open Search. Use the joystick to highlight each letter and press B to enter it, then press Start to search. Highlight the correct result and press B to open it. Highlight a game and hold X to add or remove it from Favourites. Hold Select in a game list to filter to favourites; hold Select again to restore the complete list.

Universal exit and safe shutdown

Exit the active game by holding Hotkey and pressing Start. When the game list returns, press Start, choose Quit, then Shut Down System. Wait until the cabinet computer is fully off before switching off external power.

Control reference