Mini Consoles Theme - RetroSai Nostalgia - Form over Function 2.2.5

@Saieno Never need to apologize, just take care of yourself and your health first and foremost

 

 

Hey all, thanks for your patience and support while I was recovering. I'm feeling much more like myself and will get back into the theme development soon. With that said, here's a sneak peak of the current work in progress for the next update.

The main features in this next update will be:

Platform View redesigned completely based on the COLORFUL theme. This allows for videos on the Platform view, and also redesigns the Coverflow view and default Game Details View.
The background music and platform theme volume is also being decreased by over 75% across the theme to be more bearable.
Three new views have been created, and one re-created. The Nintendo Game Boy view is redesigned to better represent the Game Boy, and three new Super Game Boy views have been created, one for NA, PAL, and Super Game Boy 2 for JP regions.

Here's some previews and I hope you look forward to it!

Platform View Redesign

 

Nintendo Game Boy


Nintendo Super Game Boy


Super Game Boy


Nintendo Super Game Boy 2

 

Bar none the best theme I have ever used!, absolutely stunning!, i have a small suggestion if i may. Would it be possible to have views for Sega Model 2, 3, Sega Naomi, Sammy Atomiswave etc.. have the arcade cabinet views? Also, i think it would be awesome to have pinball table like views for Pinball FX series!

4 hours ago, lessthanzero33 said:

Bar none the best theme I have ever used!, absolutely stunning!, i have a small suggestion if i may. Would it be possible to have views for Sega Model 2, 3, Sega Naomi, Sammy Atomiswave etc.. have the arcade cabinet views? Also, i think it would be awesome to have pinball table like views for Pinball FX series!

Heya @lessthanzero33! Thanks for the kind words! Initially I was planning to have those arcade cabinets available, and they can still be implemented in a future update. For most of the new features and development going forward my Patrons vote on the next set of features and platforms to prioritize. To give you an idea here's what the CAVE cabinets looked like, and would be similar to the ones you mentioned as well:

For Pinball FX that has also been requested previously, I'll need to figure out how to actually make that work if its possible, but that would be some time to investigate and see what my patrons want to prioritize. Thanks again!

Edited November 8, 2023 by Saieno

I'm excited to introduce the latest update of the "Mini Consoles Theme" for Launchbox BigBox. This version brings several new features that will elevate your game collection presentation to new heights!

If you run into any issues please do let me know. Unfortunately my development environment became corrupted so this release may be the last for a bit while I work to recover the development files. Thank you again and I hope you enjoy.

Platform View Revamp:

The Platform View has undergone a complete overhaul inspired by the COLORFUL theme, incorporating the same vibrant colors found in COLORFUL Platform videos.

The new Platform View has been adjusted to seamlessly accommodate any Platform video, resulting in a colored border surrounding the video for a cohesive and visually appealing theme experience.

Audio Enhancements:

Background audio and song volumes have been significantly reduced by 75% across the entire theme. This reduction is aimed at enhancing the overall user experience by ensuring that audio elements do not overpower other aspects of the theme.

New Platform Views:

Nintendo Game Boy View:

• A brand-new Nintendo Game Boy view has been introduced to replace the existing Nintendo Game Boy view.
• This new view is designed to more accurately represent the Nintendo Game Boy platform, addressing the previous view's closer resemblance to the Nintendo Super Game Boy.

Nintendo Super Game Boy Views:

As a result of the Nintendo Game Boy view replacement, three distinct Nintendo Super Game Boy views have been introduced:

• North America Super Game Boy View (Nintendo Super Game Boy): Tailored to North American users, this view captures the essence of the North American Super Game Boy experience.

• PAL Regions Super Game Boy View (Super Game Boy): Designed specifically for PAL regions, this view provides a unique representation of the PAL Super Game Boy setup.

• Super Game Boy 2 View (JP Regions) (Super Game Boy 2): For users in Japanese regions, the Super Game Boy 2 view has been created to replicate the JP Super Game Boy experience.

Default Coverflow View and Default Game Details View Revamp:

In addition to the Platform View overhaul, both the Default Coverflow View and Default Game Details View have undergone a complete redesign.

These views have been transformed to align seamlessly with the COLORFUL style, while still preserving the distinctive backgrounds and colors associated with each platform.

General Improvements and Bug Fixes:

• Various minor bug fixes and performance enhancements have been implemented to ensure a smoother and more enjoyable user experience.
• Overall theme stability and responsiveness have been improved to minimize any potential issues.

I hope you enjoy the latest Mini Consoles Theme Version 2.1.0 with these exciting new features and improvements. Your feedback is highly valuable in helping me further refine and enhance the theme. Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm!

Had a slight issue with the Arcade Cabinet reflections and Steam/Windows game details screens not displaying correctly. This should be resolved in the latest release of v2.1.1

Thank you so much for this cool theme; it's even replaced Coverbox for the first time in a couple of years as my favourite one! Especially appreciate the new layout supporting platform videos. One query I have is about platform music and game music. Is there a setting that needs to be changed so the platform music will fade out and game music will take priority and the two not overlap?

11 hours ago, RetroSharka said:

Thank you so much for this cool theme; it's even replaced Coverbox for the first time in a couple of years as my favourite one! Especially appreciate the new layout supporting platform videos. One query I have is about platform music and game music. Is there a setting that needs to be changed so the platform music will fade out and game music will take priority and the two not overlap?

Hey RetroSharka! Thanks for the kind words. Unfortunately at the moment there isn't a way within BigBox to control the music separately. I am currently working on a solution for this that won't be available until after 13.9 comes out. If you'd like, you can remove the music from the theme folder and that is generally the way most users go if the music is not wanted.

This theme is by far the best theme out there! Is there any way to make this compatible with 21:9 to make it fit the entire screen? 

3 hours ago, jordanwink said:

This theme is by far the best theme out there! Is there any way to make this compatible with 21:9 to make it fit the entire screen? 

Heya @jordanwink thanks for the kind comment! Currently the theme is designed for 16:9 aspect ratios, and it would take a bit of work to make it compatible with dynamic resolutions. Currently my patreons are the ones that decide on upcoming features but I'll add it to the next poll for them to vote on. Thanks!

Uploading a new version, v2.1.2

v2.1.2

• Resolved issue where the Sony PSP background wallpaper wasn't fully covering the screen.

• New Platform View:

      MS-DOS View:

How do I enable the music? I have background music turned on and still nothing plays. If I move the music from Mini Consoles Theme>Media>BGM to LaunchBox>Music>Background>Platforms>PlatformName it works however when I click on a game and a video plays the music doesn't stop and it plays the audio of the video and the background music at the same time. I'd really like to figure out how to fix this and I'd appreciate some help. Also I like the screen that pops up showing you the console you clicked on. However I don't think it's necessary to display that screen every time you back out of clicking on a game in that platform, is there anyway to disable that?

Edited December 11, 2023 by RejectedGalaxy

5 minutes ago, RejectedGalaxy said:

How do I enable the music? I have background music turned on and still nothing plays. If I move the music from Mini Consoles Theme>Media>BGM to LaunchBox>Music>Background>Platforms>PlatformName it works however when I click on a game and a video plays the music doesn't stop and it plays the audio of the video and the background music at the same time. I'd really like to figure out how to fix this and I'd appreciate some help.

Hello @RejectedGalaxy!, which version of LaunchBox are you using at the moment? The latest beta versions handle music differently and I do not have the theme updated to utilize the new method (the specific Background Platform Music folder) as you mentioned above. I’ve not tested how the new beta version handles music using the Platform specific directories just yet, but the music should only play on the Platform view and not on the Game Details views once a game is selected.
 

If the music is playing constantly regardless, try going to the previous version. At the moment even  on an older version of LaunchBox the existing theme does play both the music and a video at the same time when browsing a game such as on PS3. This is due to a lack of an available API to handle separate background audio and video audio. I am working with LaunchBox on how to best handle this. However at the moment it’s a limitation I have to work within.

Hopefully this gives some context to the issue and helps with getting it working better for you.

5 minutes ago, Saieno said:

Hello @RejectedGalaxy!, which version of LaunchBox are you using at the moment? The latest beta versions handle music differently and I do not have the theme updated to utilize the new method (the specific Background Platform Music folder) as you mentioned above. I’ve not tested how the new beta version handles music using the Platform specific directories just yet, but the music should only play on the Platform view and not on the Game Details views once a game is selected.
 

If the music is playing constantly regardless, try going to the previous version. At the moment even  on an older version of LaunchBox the existing theme does play both the music and a video at the same time when browsing a game such as on PS3. This is due to a lack of an available API to handle separate background audio and video audio. I am working with LaunchBox on how to best handle this. However at the moment it’s a limitation I have to work within.

Hopefully this gives some context to the issue and helps with getting it working better for you.

Thanks for the fast response, I probably edited my last comment and added the second part while you were already typing it lol. I'm currently on 13.8 so I'm not sure if that is one of the problematic versions. If it is I'll go ahead and try to download an older version and see if that works for the time being.

2 minutes ago, RejectedGalaxy said:

Thanks for the fast response, I probably edited my last comment and added the second part while you were already typing it lol. I'm currently on 13.8 so I'm not sure if that is one of the problematic versions. If it is I'll go ahead and try to download an older version and see if that works for the time being.

No problem! I’m currently using 13.6 if that helps.

Also for the edited section in your previous post, the animation with the title of platform and the slide apart, that is built into the specific view and serves two purposes. One is to remind you which platform you’re in (incase you back out too many times or some other situation) and more importantly it’s to hide the loading and propagation of the games and assets. It’s not something that can be disabled, and previously it was just a longer delayed black screen fading in. It is a newer addition to the theme so you can try an older version of the theme before v2.1

Hope that helps! Thanks!

Small update release to fix a few issues:

v2.1.3

• Resolved issue with missing fonts.
• Adjusted PS3 game background to fill if undersized.
• Cleaned up Xbox 360 blades to make a cleaner transition when browsing games.
• Adjusted font color for NeoGeo CD to be more legible in the game details screen.

Love this theme but is there a way to add background music to the coverflow view ? I don't like the silence haha

3 hours ago, legendkillajay said:

Love this theme but is there a way to add background music to the coverflow view ? I don't like the silence haha

Hahaha! Some people like the music, some people don't. I actually had music for the coverflow view before but I removed it after v2.1.0. Wish there was a better way to handle audio, as in I wish it would follow the volume rules set within BigBox for other audio sources, but it doesn't and can cause more trouble than its worth. Still something I'm fighting with and hopefully LaunchBox can implement a solution soon as the API for it just isn't accessible/supported currently.

It’s a lovely theme! It's very square and clean.
But I wouldn't call it genius!
I come from the retropie community and I know the minis!
Even if there is real work of adaptation and integration!
and a really good idea!

A little warning though:
   Most of the assets already exist or are borrowed from already existing themes!

The base being that of exodus which itself was already greatly inspired and borrowed assets from the retropie community. (especially the rukage minis) and he did it very well too).
You should all work together because you both have good ideas because it's getting hard to choose between the 2 themes / which are very close.
I also noticed a little bit of viking colorfull in your theme that caught my eye because I alternated with your 2 themes by pure chance without meaning to! I think it's a bit much

(well I admit you have to have a keen eye too)🤓

The overall layout is very well put together and the theme is pleasant to explore because of the atmosphere you create, but be careful to keep your own identity!
I say that but it's the same for everyone...

The default launchbox theme is a copy and paste of Disney + and even Viking (perhaps unconsciously) took the fonts and assets from the epic store...: p

@Launchy girl Thanks for commenting but I'm not sure exactly the point you're trying to make. As mentioned in the main post, it states clearly the theme was initially inspired from exodus' theme, and the platform view is inspired by VIkings COLORFUL theme. However, if you are suggesting I didn't create custom assets or unique layouts for this theme then you are mistaken. The existing mini consoles that exist, yes they will be quite similar since the point is to mimic the dashboards of those mini consoles. I'm not sure if you've actually used my theme with all of the platforms populated and compared it to exodus' theme but they are very different even though some (very few) platforms have similar assets. There's plenty of screenshots and even a video showcasing aspects of my theme across over 50 consoles. Another key point I'll mention is exodus' theme, by design, it is very static which suits many people on lower performance hardware for their gaming devices.

Regardless, I'm very proud of the work I did on this theme, and thank you again for the comments.

3 hours ago, Saieno said:

@Launchy girl Thanks for commenting but I'm not sure exactly the point you're trying to make. As mentioned in the main post, it states clearly the theme was initially inspired from exodus' theme, and the platform view is inspired by VIkings COLORFUL theme. However, if you are suggesting I didn't create custom assets or unique layouts for this theme then you are mistaken. The existing mini consoles that exist, yes they will be quite similar since the point is to mimic the dashboards of those mini consoles. I'm not sure if you've actually used my theme with all of the platforms populated and compared it to exodus' theme but they are very different even though some (very few) platforms have similar assets. There's plenty of screenshots and even a video showcasing aspects of my theme across over 50 consoles. Another key point I'll mention is exodus' theme, by design, it is very static which suits many people on lower performance hardware for their gaming devices.

Regardless, I'm very proud of the work I did on this theme, and thank you again for the comments.

I must have expressed myself badly, sorry if you may have taken my remarks the wrong way! You really did a great job and you are proud of it!

The level of finishing is well above the rest and what we are used to seeing here. It's just that for me, who has worked a lot on retropie,

I find a lot of porting here, it's like a feeling of "déjà vu"! Keep it up, you're doing a great job, I

'll follow the evolution of your themes closely and maybe even take a look at your patreon

New release.

v2.1.4

• Added long requested alternate views (Horizontal Wheel 2) for Nintendo Switch and Sega Saturn with Long Box Art.

Sega Saturn is region based and intended for just the Box Art images and not Box Art that contains images including the case itself.

• North America - Long Plastic Jewel Case
• Europe - Black Edge Long Cardboard Box
• Japan - Small Jewel Case

• Updated 'Not Supported Views' to account for the additional Horizontal Wheel 2 views for Nintendo Switch and Sega Saturn.
• Cleaned up Xbox 360 blades Game Title length and position to prevent text overlap with the blades when browsing games.

Edited February 3 by Saieno

Absolutely gorgeous theme. Captures what I've been wanting for my set up near perfectly. As some reviews have mentioned, the only feature this is missing for me is the option to switch sound off for certain platforms. I love having it on for the Wii for instance, but in something like N64 the sounds of the game themes playing with the console music can be overwhelming.

7 minutes ago, rollinalong said:

Absolutely gorgeous theme. Captures what I've been wanting for my set up near perfectly. As some reviews have mentioned, the only feature this is missing for me is the option to switch sound off for certain platforms. I love having it on for the Wii for instance, but in something like N64 the sounds of the game themes playing with the console music can be overwhelming.

Thanks for the great comment @rollinalong You're absolutely right that the audio has been a pain point and the options for handling it is very limited. From a theme developer perspective its either have it or don't. There's no way for a user to change volume for the audio and with videos theres no way to have one take priority of another, and its something I'm trying to work with launchbox to address. Thanks again for your feedback and glad you're enjoying the theme!

26 minutes ago, Saieno said:

Thanks for the great comment @rollinalong You're absolutely right that the audio has been a pain point and the options for handling it is very limited. From a theme developer perspective its either have it or don't. There's no way for a user to change volume for the audio and with videos theres no way to have one take priority of another, and its something I'm trying to work with launchbox to address. Thanks again for your feedback and glad you're enjoying the theme!

I see why that would be difficult without an easy way for users to tweak it through Launchbox as a software. Is there any way for users to manually remove the sounds from the files? I know image media is fairly simple to edit or swap out but I've never dealt with audio. Where in the theme is it stored?

EDIT: I completely missed the BGM folder oops. In that case, could a user just delete the audio file associated with the platform they wanted no audio for?

Edited February 16 by rollinalong