R36S Plus setup guide: controls, Wi-Fi and adding games

First charge and the two card slots

Before anything else, plug the console in. The charging port is the USB-C port marked 'DC', on the bottom edge. Next to it are the 3.5 mm headphone jack, in the centre, and a second USB-C port marked 'OTG', which is for accessories. A USB-C cable is included, but no mains charger is listed in the box. So use a 5 V adapter that supplies at least 1.5 A. The Li-Po battery is 3,000 to 3,200 mAh depending on the batch, and the exact figure is printed under the door on the back. When it starts to wear out, you can replace it through that door.

While it charges, have a look at the sides. The console has two microSD slots. On the right, TF1-OS holds the system card: this is the card that boots the console. On the left, TF2-GAME holds the games card. There is no internal memory, so everything lives on these two cards. Don't swap them round, and never remove them while the console is on. Before you change anything, keep a copy of the system card on a computer as well.

Switching on for the first time and exploring the menu

Hold down the Power button, on the left side, until the screen lights up. Then let the console start up without touching Reset. The start-up screen shows 'R36S Plus', while the box says 'R36Plus': it is the same device. The console loads its preinstalled open-source Linux system, with an EmulationStation-style menu. This menu first lists the emulated systems, then, inside each one, the games on the TF2-GAME card. The section on adding games explains how to put your own games there.

You move around with the D-pad. One face button confirms and another goes back. Their exact roles depend on the installed system, and a quick try is enough to work them out. The settings, often reached with Start, include language, network, sound and game list management. Take a few minutes to browse them without changing anything. You will come back to them for Wi-Fi, language and shutting down.

The controls, button by button

On the left of the front is the D-pad. On the right, four buttons in a diamond: X at the top, Y on the left, A on the right and B at the bottom, with blue, green, red and yellow letters. The front also has two analogue sticks. They click in and act as L3 and R3 when an emulator uses them. Between the D-pad and the buttons, the slotted grille covers the speaker, a single one on the front. Select and Start sit in the middle, with a small LED between them.

On the back, one block carries four shoulder buttons: L1 and R1 on the outside, L2 and R2 on the inside. In a game, the FN button is the one to remember. It opens the emulator menu, where, depending on the emulator, you will find saves, display options or the option to quit the game. Power and Reset are on the left side, and volume is on the right side. Headphones plug into the 3.5 mm jack, in the centre of the bottom edge.

Connecting to Wi-Fi and what it does

Wi-Fi is built in: there is no USB dongle or adapter to add, and the OTG port stays free for your accessories. It works on 2.4 GHz only. If your router broadcasts both bands under one network name, check that the 2.4 GHz band is switched on. You set up the connection in the menu's network settings. Turn Wi-Fi on, choose your network, enter the password and confirm. For this first try, stay close to the router.

What the connection adds depends on the installed system. It does not turn the console into a general connected device. It does not allow online play, network multiplayer, streaming or video. This model has no Bluetooth either. If one of the features below does not appear in your menu, the installed system does not offer it. Depending on the installed system, Wi-Fi can be used to:

• Fetch cover art and images for games already on the card (scraper).
• Enable RetroAchievements.
• Install free ports through PortMaster.
• Run the updates offered by the system.
• Transfer files from a computer on the same network.

Adding your own games

Only play games you have the right to use, such as free homebrew titles or games you hold the rights to. The safest method uses a computer. Shut the console down from the menu, remove the TF2-GAME card from the left side and put it in a microSD reader. The card has one folder per emulated system, named after the console. Copy each file into the folder for the matching system. A game in the wrong folder will not appear, or will not launch.

On the computer, eject the card properly before you take it out. Put it back in the TF2-GAME slot, then switch the console on again. If the new games don't show up, run the game list update in the menu settings. The exact wording varies from system to system. Depending on the installed system, you can also copy files over the network from a computer on the same Wi-Fi, without removing the card. Leave the TF1-OS card alone throughout.

Menu language, saves and shutting down properly

You change the menu language in the system settings, often in the section for the interface. The languages available depend on the installed system. There are two kinds of save. The first is the game's own save, the one the game offers itself: it is stored on the microSD card, just as it would be on the original console. The second is save states, which freeze the game at any moment. These depend on the emulator. Where they exist, you will find them in the menu opened with FN.

To switch off, quit the game, then choose shutdown in the system menu. This gives the console time to write your saves to the card. Cutting the power abruptly or removing a card while the console is on can lose them. Keep Reset for a genuine freeze. The R36S Plus sold here is the version with a square 4-inch screen and built-in Wi-Fi, the one this guide describes.