Thanks guys...editing recalbox.conf did the trick.   I've messed around with other Raspberry Pi OSs, but I'm a noob to recalbox.  Even with editing the .conf, it is still the easiest to setup so far.

I can't access retroarch menu with “hotkey” + “B” or “A”.   Guess I'll have to figure it out manually. thanks for response.

I have an xbox 360 wireless controller that works fine in ES, but doesn't work with any emulators.  Tried looking for a way to access retroarch (I'm assuming that's what is being used for most of the emulation), but if it exists, I haven't found it yet.