@ironj679 Sorry we couldn't fixed your original problem - but I'm glad you managed to find a solution. I hope the upgrade to 4.4 was smooth and you managed to keep all you settings.
I figured out the issues, but apparently it is JUST a launcher, when I exit via alt+f4 the dolphin gui shows up and asks for verification, then retro arch appears, so it's actually worse as far as going keyboard free. Oh well, was worth a shot :)