KNULLI Gladiator II
About KNULLI
KNULLI is a custom firmware for retro gaming devices (handhelds, bartops, etc.). It's developed as a fork of Batocera. You can read more about KNULLI on its webpage.
Release Notes
"Is this how Rome treats its heroes?"
Oh yes, it is! KNULLI Gladiator was so good, it was bound to get a sequel. Hence, we are proud to announce that KNULLI Gladiator II has just gone public!
The new version is an update of KNULLI Gladiator, using still the same emulator versions etc. However, the new version comes with a couple of bugfixes and quality of live improvements. Most prominently, with Gladiator II, we finally introduce OTA (over the air) updates which will enable you to install future updates directly on-device!
We can't make any promises, obviously, but unless we make any huge changes which would require a reflash, you will be able to install all future KNULLI updates via OTA. (This will not shorten development cycles though! Expect OTA updates about every 3-4 month or so on the public update channel.)
You will find a complete list of all new features, fixes, and changes in the change log. However, here are some highlights:
New features of KNULLI Gladiator II
- Added device support for Anbernic RG34XX SP, RG35XX Pro
- Over-the-air updates via the Updates & Downloads menu will make future updates considerably more easy
- SMB (SAMBA) is now a service you can turn on/off which is disabled by default
- Added a toggle for always [auto-assigningc the built-in controls to player one and fixed issues with USB controller assignment
- Fixed issues with standalone Dreamcast/PSP emulators on A133 devices (TrimUI Brick, TrimUI Smart Pro)
- Bezel decorations
- are now enabled automatically when Decoration Set is set to Auto
- are now supported for standalone emulators on H700 devices (Anbernic RG XX series)
- now come with a set Default-Knulli-SP specifically for GBA to give SP vibes on 4:3 clamshell displays
- A Disk Check utility to verify your SD card's integrity was added to System Settings → Frontend Developer Options
- Soft reset hotkey shortcut can be used to force EmulationStation to restart
- Factory reset is now possible on-device via EmulationStation
- A ton of bugfixes and improvements to system stability, performance, and battery life
Installation
NOTE: This version of KNULLI comes with a lot of new features which require to re-flash the firmware.
If you are new to KNULLI and want to get started: Head to the Quick Start Guide on our website - it will guide you through the installation and your very first steps.
- Download the latest version of KNULLI from the Installation Package Downloads list below.
- Write the image (e.g.
knulli-h700-rg35xx-plus-gladiator-ii-20250813.img.gz) to an SD card using an imaging tool. Common imaging tools include Rufus, Raspberry Pi Imager, and Win32 Disk Imager. If you're skilled with the command line, dd works fine too. - Put the SD card into your retro gaming device and turn it on.
Installation Package Downloads
(*) For the 7z archives, use 7z to uncompressed the .img.gz that can be flashed directly using your favorite SDCARD flashing tool (we recommend Raspberry Pi Imager)
Our team
All this wouldn't be possible without all the support from the rest of the KNULLI Team that has made this possible:
Special Thanks
- Batocera and all his team, specially susan34, dmanlfc, and demetris. Knulli wouldn't have been possible without them
- The ko-fi supporters, you have allowed us to continue maintaining the server hardware for the builds, buying new consoles for testing, and providing great feedback during the alpha releases.
- The full knulli discord community
- All the muOS team, xonglebongle, antikk, Corey
- All the portmaster team, specially kloptops, and Cebion
- JohnnyOnFlame for all his patches, and everything we learn about SDL, linux, and all the ports he does
- Gamma for all his knowledge and help, not just because he fixed the cardinal snapping issues :)
- Ant for creating and maintaining the superb Art Book Next ES Theme
- Rocknix team, for all the great work they have been doing with all the different devices in mainline
- SpruceOS team, SundownerSport, Cobalt, KitFox618, Chris, etc.
- Also to al the other developers helping up with great ideas, knowledge and contribution like spycat, e1000, macromorgan, stolen, RetroGFX, and many more that make the development community great.
Support
If you want to provide support for this project so we can keep buying devices and maintain them, feel free to use the following link: