SiriusVI

Thank you, that worked! However, it does not entirely fix my issue. Now the Dual Game states are created in: RetroArch\LinkCableGamesSaveStates\SameBoy\ E.g. for Pokemon Blue and Red, it is: RetroArch\LinkCableGamesSaveStates\SameBoy\Pokemon - Blue Version (USA, Europe) (SGB Enhanced).state It still has the same name as single mode Pokemon Blue, but it doesn't matter, because it is in a different location. So far so good. However, Pokemon games can be linked up in many different variations accross GB and GBC: Blue + Red Blue + Yellow Blue + Green Blue + Gold Blue + Silver Blue + Crystal So if I use the "Pokemon - Blue Version (USA, Europe) (SGB Enhanced).state" name for Blue and Red, I cannot use it for say Blue and Yellow, and other combinations. I could of course set up different save file locations for each different combination, but that is a bit too hacky for me and I'd like to avoid doing something like this. That's why the alternate naming convention when launching from the RetroArch history menu is so elegant, because it will create a different name for the state depending on the exact games that are linked, e.g.: Pokemon - Red Version (USA, Europe) (SGB Enhanced) + Pokemon - Blue Version (USA, Europe) (SGB Enhanced).state There must be some way to tell RetroArch to do this from the start, right? Anyway, thank you for your help so far 😃 Edit: Just in case anyone wants to try the "hacky" solution, there are a few things to keep in mind that drove me almost crazy: 1. You must disable the automatic Retroachievements login that is done through the LaunchBox plugin (go to manage --> emulators --> Retroarch --> retroachievements --> disable "log in on Game Launch". This is because this automatic login is also done via --appendconfig and that leads to the --appendconfig that is added to the custom command line not working. 2. The custom save state path / folders that are specified in the custom .cfg file must be created manually, otherwise it doesn't work. Retroarch.log reads: [WARN] [Config] "savestate_directory" is not a directory, ignoring... EDIT 2: Alright, so my "hacky" solution looks as follows for now: 1. I create 7 different config files in: ...\RetroArch\Custom_Configs\LinkCableSaveStates\ These config files will each use a different --appendconfig command to set a different save state folder according to the game that the primary game is linked to, e.g: ...\RetroArch\states\LinkCableSaveStates\Pokemon_Linked_to_Red So all save states for Pokemon games linked to Pokemon Red will go there. Same for the other games. 2. Again, these folders must be created manually: Example use scenario: 1. I create a Platform in LaunchBox called something like "Game Boy Multiplayer" or "Game Boy Link Cable". 2. I import Pokemon Blue and change the Name to e.g.: "Pokemon Blue linked to Pokemon Red" 3. I toggle "Use Custom Command-line Parameters" and insert: -L ".\cores\sameboy_libretro.dll" %romfile% --subsystem gb_link_2p "M:\Pokemon - Red Version (USA, Europe) (SGB Enhanced).gb" --appendconfig ".\Custom_Configs\LinkCableSaveStates\Pokemon_Linked_to_Red.cfg" 4. Launch the game and create a save state. The save state will be located in ...\RetroArch\states\LinkCableSaveStates\Pokemon_Linked_to_Red 5. I then import Pokemon Blue again like before, but this time I rename it to: "Pokemon Blue linked to Pokemon Gold" 6. For "Use Custom Command-line Parameters" I insert: -L ".\cores\sameboy_libretro.dll" %romfile% --subsystem gb_link_2p "M:\Pokemon - Gold Version (USA, Europe) (SGB Enhanced) (GB Compatible).gbc" --appendconfig ".\Custom_Configs\LinkCableSaveStates\Pokemon_Linked_to_Gold.cfg" 7. I launch the game and create a save state. The save state will no be located in ...\RetroArch\states\LinkCableSaveStates\Pokemon_Linked_to_Gold And so on. This allows me to be able to create individual save states for each possible Pokemon-Link-Combination. There is no danger of accidentally overriding and corrupting a save state. Note that this does not affect the single game save states, because those games are launched from a different platform in Launchbox (Nintendo Game Boy), which does not use Custom Command-line Parameters. It does also not affect regular game saves, because they are handled perfectly fine by Sameboy no matter if a game is used in dual mode or single mode. Still, if anyone has a better, less "hacky" solution, I'd be glad to implement it. The Pokemon - Red Version (USA, Europe) (SGB Enhanced) + Pokemon - Blue Version (USA, Europe) (SGB Enhanced).state option is right there. I'd just need to figure out a way to make RetroArch always create these custom state names.

Hey @JoeViking245, thanks so much for the input! I got the rom load order sorted out, though the correct command line is: -L ".\cores\sameboy_libretro.dll" %romfile% --subsystem gb_link_2p "M:\Pokemon - Red Version (USA, Europe) (SGB Enhanced).gb" I wasn't so lucky with the custom save state name. I believe the "--savestate" command is just for setting a custom path, but not a custom file name. If I save the dual game, it will still just use the single game format: Pokemon - Blue Version (USA, Europe) (SGB Enhanced).state Retroarch.log reads: [INFO] [Override] Redirecting save state to "M:\Launchbox\Emulators\RetroArch\RetroArch\states\SameBoy\Pokemon - Blue Version (USA, Europe) (SGB Enhanced).state". Also, accordung to the Retroarch cli help, this command is deprecated: Do you have any other ideas how to make Retroarch set a custom file name like it does when loading the dual game from the launch history menu point? Edit: content_history.lpl lists the dual game entry as: { "path": "M:\\Pokemon - Blue Version (USA, Europe) (SGB Enhanced).gb", "label": "", "core_path": "M:\\Launchbox\\Emulators\\RetroArch\\RetroArch\\cores\\sameboy_libretro.dll", "core_name": "Nintendo - Game Boy / Color (SameBoy)", "crc32": "", "db_name": "Nintendo - Game Boy|Nintendo - Game Boy Color", "subsystem_ident": "gb_link_2p", "subsystem_name": "2 Player Game Boy Link", "subsystem_roms": [ "M:\\Pokemon - Blue Version (USA, Europe) (SGB Enhanced).gb", "M:\\Pokemon - Red Version (USA, Europe) (SGB Enhanced).gb" ] }, { Could I maybe somehow import a file containing this code into Launchbox as a rom and then make Retroarch run it?

Hey everyone, I've run into an issue and hope someone can help me out. I'm trying to set up a way to emulate Nintendo Game Boy games with the Link Cable feature. I'm using Retroarch and Sameboy as a core, although I think TGB Dual would also work. Here is what I want to do specifically: 1. I want to emulate two different Pokemon games at the same time, for example Red and Blue. --> This already works 2. I want to start Red and Blue using a Custon Command Line in LaunchBox --> This already works (e.g., when using this on Pokemon Blue in launchbox, Sameboy will start with Pokemon Red and Blue in dual game mode, although strangely with Red as game 1 instead of blue, but that doesn't matter so much): -L ".\cores\sameboy_libretro.dll" --subsystem gb_link_2p "M:\Pokemon - Red Version (USA, Europe) (SGB Enhanced).gb" 3. I want to be able to use the same save files for each of the Pokemon games in single game mode and dual game mode --> This already works (Sameboy handles this automatically) 4. I want to be able to use save states --> here is where I have a problem What is the problem? When Launching Dual Game Boy games with the command line shown above, Sameboy will create a save state which looks like this: Pokemon - Red Version (USA, Europe) (SGB Enhanced).state This looks just like the save state of Pokemon Red if I were to use it in single game mode, but in reality it is a combined save state for Red and Blue (which makes sense). That means that this save state CANNOT be loaded when launching Pokemon Red in single game mode. And if this dual game save state overrides my "true" single game save state, I might lose progress. But, I found something interesting out: If I go to the RetroArch "history" menu point and launch the dual game entry (it will appear as just Pokemon Red, but it will launch both red and blue in dual game mode), and THEN create a save state RetroArch will save it as: Pokemon - Red Version (USA, Europe) (SGB Enhanced) + Pokemon - Blue Version (USA, Europe) (SGB Enhanced).state This is a great solution and exactly what I want. Retroarch.log has the follwoing line related to this new save state: [INFO] [Override] Redirecting save state to "M:\Launchbox\Emulators\RetroArch\RetroArch\states\SameBoy\Pokemon - Red Version (USA, Europe) (SGB Enhanced) + Pokemon - Blue Version (USA, Europe) (SGB Enhanced).state". This brings me finally to my question: Is there a way (maybe via an addition to the Custom Command Line) to include this "Redirecting save state" part, so that RetroArch will create the dual save state with the appropriate naming? That way I could keep the single game save states separate from the dual game save states. Or maybe there is a different solution to achieve what I want that I'm not seeing. Hope someone can help 😃

"Unable to read data from the transport connection" I get this error message multiple times in my logs every time I close Launchbox. Seems to be a more common error.

I agree that LaunchBox is not fun to navigate or edit, especially with larger collections. The larger my collection grows the worse it becomes. Recent updates have improved start up times significantly, which is great, but navigating and especially editing anything in Launchbox is extremely slow. At this point, I use Launchbox just as a sort of archive, not for everyday use. More often than not, if I want to play a game, I just start it outside of Launchbox. I do hope that at some point, Launchbox will receive updates that focus on performance, so that it becomes more snappy. However, the switch to WMP has solved all of my issues with video playbsck that I had with VLC. I don't know why, but VLC in Launchbox has always caused graphical glitches during video playback. WMP does not have these issues and it does not perform worse for me than VLC.

My rom set comes from a trusted source. I'm not sure what version it is, but it might be the most recent one (245), since mk3 does work with hbmame standalone version 245. The hbmame core version however is 220. That's probably why not all of the (probably) more recently added games work.

So, I feel I need to clarify some things again, just to avoid confusion. 1. I was importing only the HBMAME set, so all roms that are present in my import, should be from HBMAME and not regular mame. 2. All games work fine when using the standalone HBMAME emulator. 3. Some games do NOT work when using the hbmame core. So, for example: these are all the Mortal Kombat games that HBMAME imported: As you can see thereis one entry that's just called Mortal Kombat 3. The actual file is called "mk3.zip". This game is one example where it works with HBMAME standalone, but NOT with the core. can you confirm the same behavior on your end? Or do you for some reason not have this title imported?

Ah so it could be that it imported a wrong rom? I thought mk3 was a different rom hack than umk3. I will have to check later. Thx for your suggestion. What version does your hbmame core display in retroarch? Is it 220 for you, too?

No, the regular mk3. I got umk3 working. Regular mk3 won't work. I can send a picture later.

That would be great. I was wondering if I made a mistake or if the older core just won't run MK3. There are a few other games that don't run also, but I haven't tested all of them, so I don't know how severe the problem is...

Yeah, it took me a while, too. But as I said, not all games are working. Are you able to launch, for example, Mortal Kombat 3 with the hbmame core? (Not MK 3 Ultimate, the other MK 3). It works with hbmame standalone, but not with the core.

I figured it out, but it's not perfect: 1. I converted the merged set to a split set. 2. I set up HBMAME as an emulator and used this emulator for importing the hbmame split set 3. I googled and downloaded an unofficial hbmame core. Now many of the games I try to launch work (the "rom not found" message does not poop up anymore). However, not all of them work. The problem I believe is that the hbmame core represents the version 220 while the romset (and teh HBMAME emulator) is version 245. I think that might be a reason that not all of the games work.

I was able to import a merged HBMAME romset and they launch fine with the HBMAME standalone emulator. However, I would like to use retroarch and here I encounter some problems. When using Retroarch and manually navigating to the rokm file and launching it, it works with the regular mame core. However, when trying to launch the imported roms from LaunchBbox with retroarch selected as the emulator, I sometimes get an error message saying: "The ROM file you've specified does not exist." I guess that might be an issue because I have a merged set and not a split set, whereas the additional apps for the rms are listed as separate ...zip files. However, I can importa standard mame roms from a merged set just fine. So do I absolutely need a split HBMAME set? Why won't a merged set work even though it does work on regular mame?

I ended up mass editing the platform xml files with Notepad++. That was very quick and now everything is back to normal. Thank you for your help!

I figured it out! OMG! So, I merged some of the eXo's collections (eXoDOS and the likes) with my existing LaunchBox install. it comes with an "eXoPlugin.dll" that is supposed to go in the "Plugins" folder inside LaunchBox. Well, THAT caused the issues I was having. After deleting this .dll from my Plugins folder, I can change the install status of all of my games and LaunchBox will not restore it to <Installed>false</Installed> . That leads to further questions: 1. Why does the exo plugin alter all of my existing platforms that have nothing to do with the exo packs 2. Will eXoDOS still work without the plugin? Well, anyway, I'm just glad I won't have to start from scratch. On the other hand, now I have to manually edit all of my over 400 existing platforms and delete the <Installed>false</Installed>. That will take some time, too. Ah well, at least I know now hat was causing it...

Thx for the suggestion, will test that later. But actually I don't think that lunchbox is restoring some backup xml file (there is none, as you also said). Could it be that when I delete the <Installed>false</Installed> line in the "faulty" xml file, some internal check that LB performs thinks there is something wrong / missing in the xml file and the "repairing" it? EDIT: The reason why I believe this that other changes, such as deleting or adding games to the existing platform sticks after I restart Launchbox. EDIT 2: "HasCloudSynced" is false. So that's not it. EDIT 3: It's getting weirder. I set up a fresh LB install on another drive, copied the data flder from my main setup over. And here I can change the "install" setting and the changes stick. On my my main setup they don't stick. I don't know what's happening.

Thx for taking the time to answer. I'm really at a loss here. So the problem is that, yes, after a bulk edit or an edit of the xml files, somehow Launchbox always brings back the <Installed>false</Installed>. Launchbox is not running (not in task manager) when I'm editing. I always make sure of that. I completely removed any and all files that are not supposed to be in te data folder (it was just the files that the flashpoint importer added actually and they have nothing to do with e.g. the SNES platform). But anyway, they are all gone. Data is clean. launchbox is installed on an internal M2 SSD. I often have to froce close Launchbox in the task manager. It's been haunting me since forever. However, in my test cases, I always make sure that Launchbox closes properly (which can take FOR EVER for me unfortunately, and sometimes LB won't close even after hours, so testing is slow). Anyway, when I force quit LB, then manually edit the xml file and then start LB, it should just load with my edited XML files and not inster the deleted <Installed>false</Installed> back into the xml files again, right? EDIT: I tried deleting the backups and disabling Auto-Backups in LB, but it didn't work. <Installed>false</Installed> came right back after I deleted it from the xml. EDIT 2: I have alos tried deleting the settings.xml and letting start LB with default settings, but this also does not work. EDIT3: OK last insight for now. I have imported a second SNES platform with one game. This platform works fine in my main set up. It displays the play button and I can even edit it so that it displays the "install button", and then edit it back so it displays the "play" button again. With my "older" / main SMES xml. All edits of the "install" field are reverted back by launchbox after a restart.

OK, there seems to be something seriously wrong with my xml files. I just set up a new Launchbox install and imported DKC for SNES and this is how the entzry looks like in my SNES xml file: <Game> <ApplicationPath>M:\Donkey Kong Country (USA) (Rev 2).sfc</ApplicationPath> <Completed>false</Completed> <DateAdded>2025-12-10T09:20:14.3231507+01:00</DateAdded> <DateModified>2025-12-10T09:20:14.3675072+01:00</DateModified> <Developer>Rare</Developer> <Emulator>00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000</Emulator> <Favorite>false</Favorite> <ID>e63a79cf-a164-4bb0-a92c-d40d46672e0a</ID> <Notes>Donkey Kong is back in Nintendo's Donkey Kong Country, with a new sidekick, Diddy Kong, in a crazy island adventure. Challenged by the crazed tribe of reptilian Kremlings, they endeavor to get back their stolen banana horde! Armed with lightning-quick moves, chest-pounding muscle and awesome aerial acrobatics, our duo is ready to face their cunning adversaries. With the help of Donkey Kong's quirky family and his wild animal mounts, they squabble and scamper their way through the unending monkey mayhem.</Notes> <Platform>Super Nintendo Entertainment System</Platform> <Publisher>Nintendo</Publisher> <Rating>E - Everyone</Rating> <ReleaseDate>1994-11-24</ReleaseDate> <ScummVMAspectCorrection>false</ScummVMAspectCorrection> <ScummVMFullscreen>false</ScummVMFullscreen> <StarRatingFloat>0</StarRatingFloat> <StarRating>0</StarRating> <CommunityStarRating>4.5477347</CommunityStarRating> <CommunityStarRatingTotalVotes>1108</CommunityStarRatingTotalVotes> <Status>Importierte ROM</Status> <DatabaseID>131</DatabaseID> <WikipediaURL>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey_Kong_Country</WikipediaURL> <Title>Donkey Kong Country</Title> <UseDosBox>false</UseDosBox> <UseScummVM>false</UseScummVM> <Version>(USA) (Rev 2)</Version> <PlayMode>Kooperativ; Multiplayer</PlayMode> <Region>North America</Region> <PlayCount>0</PlayCount> <PlayTime>0</PlayTime> <Portable>false</Portable> <Hide>false</Hide> <Broken>false</Broken> <Genre>Platform</Genre> <MissingVideo>false</MissingVideo> <MissingBoxFrontImage>false</MissingBoxFrontImage> <MissingScreenshotImage>false</MissingScreenshotImage> <MissingMarqueeImage>false</MissingMarqueeImage> <MissingClearLogoImage>false</MissingClearLogoImage> <MissingBackgroundImage>false</MissingBackgroundImage> <MissingBox3dImage>false</MissingBox3dImage> <MissingCartImage>false</MissingCartImage> <MissingCart3dImage>false</MissingCart3dImage> <MissingManual>false</MissingManual> <MissingBannerImage>false</MissingBannerImage> <MissingMusic>false</MissingMusic> <UseStartupScreen>false</UseStartupScreen> <HideAllNonExclusiveFullscreenWindows>false</HideAllNonExclusiveFullscreenWindows> <StartupLoadDelay>0</StartupLoadDelay> <HideMouseCursorInGame>false</HideMouseCursorInGame> <DisableShutdownScreen>false</DisableShutdownScreen> <AggressiveWindowHiding>false</AggressiveWindowHiding> <OverrideDefaultStartupScreenSettings>false</OverrideDefaultStartupScreenSettings> <UsePauseScreen>false</UsePauseScreen> <OverrideDefaultPauseScreenSettings>false</OverrideDefaultPauseScreenSettings> <SuspendProcessOnPause>false</SuspendProcessOnPause> <ForcefulPauseScreenActivation>false</ForcefulPauseScreenActivation> <ReleaseType>Released</ReleaseType> <MaxPlayers>2</MaxPlayers> <VideoUrl>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUTQBeS4l08</VideoUrl> <RetroAchievementsBeatenSoftcore>false</RetroAchievementsBeatenSoftcore> <RetroAchievementsBeatenHardcore>false</RetroAchievementsBeatenHardcore> <HasCloudSynced>false</HasCloudSynced> <Progress>Not Started / Unplayed</Progress> Compare this to the entry in my main SNES XML file,, it looks completely different: <Game> <GogAppId /> <OriginAppId /> <OriginInstallPath /> <VideoPath /> <ThemeVideoPath /> <Installed>false</Installed> <ApplicationPath>L:\LaunchBox\Games\Super Nintendo Entertainment System\Super Nintendo Entertainment System\Donkey Kong Country (USA) (Rev 2).zip</ApplicationPath> <CommandLine /> <Completed>false</Completed> <ConfigurationCommandLine /> <ConfigurationPath /> <DateAdded>2025-11-02T23:20:25.0945958+01:00</DateAdded> <DateModified>2025-12-03T15:47:52.8520611+01:00</DateModified> <Developer>Rare</Developer> <DosBoxConfigurationPath /> <Emulator>2caa545d-1b4b-4621-bc19-45e4c7245340</Emulator> <Favorite>false</Favorite> <ID>a4794aa0-d7ac-4d44-9587-dee0e11c3588</ID> <LastPlayedDate>2025-11-04T13:56:51.8915978+01:00</LastPlayedDate> <ManualPath /> <MusicPath /> <Notes>Donkey Kong is back in Nintendo's Donkey Kong Country, with a new sidekick, Diddy Kong, in a crazy island adventure. Challenged by the crazed tribe of reptilian Kremlings, they endeavor to get back their stolen banana horde! Armed with lightning-quick moves, chest-pounding muscle and awesome aerial acrobatics, our duo is ready to face their cunning adversaries. With the help of Donkey Kong's quirky family and his wild animal mounts, they squabble and scamper their way through the unending monkey mayhem.</Notes> <Platform>Super Nintendo Entertainment System</Platform> <Publisher>Nintendo</Publisher> <Rating>E - Everyone</Rating> <ReleaseDate>1994-11-24</ReleaseDate> <RootFolder /> <ScummVMAspectCorrection>false</ScummVMAspectCorrection> <ScummVMFullscreen>false</ScummVMFullscreen> <ScummVMGameDataFolderPath /> <ScummVMGameType /> <SortTitle /> <Source /> <StarRatingFloat>0</StarRatingFloat> <StarRating>0</StarRating> <CommunityStarRating>4.5490355</CommunityStarRating> <CommunityStarRatingTotalVotes>1099</CommunityStarRatingTotalVotes> <Status>Imported ROM</Status> <DatabaseID>131</DatabaseID> <WikipediaURL>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey_Kong_Country</WikipediaURL> <Title>Donkey Kong Country</Title> <UseDosBox>false</UseDosBox> <UseScummVM>false</UseScummVM> <Version>(USA) (Rev 2)</Version> <Series /> <PlayMode>Cooperative; Multiplayer</PlayMode> <Region>North America</Region> <PlayCount>3</PlayCount> <PlayTime>76</PlayTime> <Portable>false</Portable> <Hide>false</Hide> <Broken>false</Broken> <CloneOf /> <Genre>Platform</Genre> <MissingVideo>false</MissingVideo> <MissingBoxFrontImage>false</MissingBoxFrontImage> <MissingScreenshotImage>false</MissingScreenshotImage> <MissingMarqueeImage>false</MissingMarqueeImage> <MissingClearLogoImage>false</MissingClearLogoImage> <MissingBackgroundImage>false</MissingBackgroundImage> <MissingBox3dImage>false</MissingBox3dImage> <MissingCartImage>false</MissingCartImage> <MissingCart3dImage>false</MissingCart3dImage> <MissingManual>false</MissingManual> <MissingBannerImage>false</MissingBannerImage> <MissingMusic>false</MissingMusic> <UseStartupScreen>false</UseStartupScreen> <HideAllNonExclusiveFullscreenWindows>false</HideAllNonExclusiveFullscreenWindows> <StartupLoadDelay>0</StartupLoadDelay> <HideMouseCursorInGame>false</HideMouseCursorInGame> <DisableShutdownScreen>false</DisableShutdownScreen> <AggressiveWindowHiding>false</AggressiveWindowHiding> <OverrideDefaultStartupScreenSettings>false</OverrideDefaultStartupScreenSettings> <UsePauseScreen>false</UsePauseScreen> <PauseAutoHotkeyScript /> <ResumeAutoHotkeyScript /> <OverrideDefaultPauseScreenSettings>false</OverrideDefaultPauseScreenSettings> <SuspendProcessOnPause>false</SuspendProcessOnPause> <ForcefulPauseScreenActivation>false</ForcefulPauseScreenActivation> <LoadStateAutoHotkeyScript /> <SaveStateAutoHotkeyScript /> <ResetAutoHotkeyScript /> <SwapDiscsAutoHotkeyScript /> <CustomDosBoxVersionPath /> <ReleaseType>Released</ReleaseType> <MaxPlayers>2</MaxPlayers> <VideoUrl>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUTQBeS4l08</VideoUrl> <AndroidBoxFrontThumbPath /> <AndroidBoxFrontFullPath /> <AndroidClearLogoThumbPath /> <AndroidClearLogoFullPath /> <AndroidBackgroundPath /> <AndroidBackgroundThumbPath /> <AndroidGameTitleScreenshotThumbPath /> <AndroidGameplayScreenshotThumbPath /> <AndroidGameTitleScreenshotPath /> <AndroidGameplayScreenshotPath /> <AndroidVideoPath /> <RetroAchievementsHash>2e604bc12fb8f9467765c807c24877fa</RetroAchievementsHash> <RetroAchievementsId>337</RetroAchievementsId> <RetroAchievementsSoftcoreProgress>0.12676056</RetroAchievementsSoftcoreProgress> <RetroAchievementsBeatenSoftcore>false</RetroAchievementsBeatenSoftcore> <RetroAchievementsBeatenHardcore>false</RetroAchievementsBeatenHardcore> <HasCloudSynced>true</HasCloudSynced> <Progress>Active / In Progress</Progress> Is there any way to fix this without reimporting everything? I have over 400 Platforms. This the result of roughly 8 years of work. I really don't want to set up an entirely new Launchbox collection and I really don't have the time to do so, either. Plus I also don't know what exactly caused this behavior or when it first occured. I just noticed it a while ago, but it could have happened a long time ago (Sometimes I go months without using LaunchBox). So re-imprting everything is not a sure way to permanently fix this issue. I hope someone knows how I can fix this.

Thank you so much for your detailled answer. I indeed have some additional files in my Data folder (some manual backups and some .fbk files which are created when using the Flashpoint importer tool). I deleted all of the non-native files in my Data, Platforms and Playlists folder. Then I deleted this line from my test platform: <Installed>false</Installed> Unfortunately, after re-starting Launchbox and clicking on the platform. The install button is back and the xml added back: <Installed>false</Installed>

I didn't intentionally change any of these settings, but I tried bulk-editing the games and after setting the "installed" value to the "box" setting like you suggested, the "Play"-button did return. However, after exiting and restarting Launchbox, the install button is back. So for some reasong, Launchbox seems to change the settings back. Any idea on how to fix this? EDIT: Maybe I could manually edit my platform xml files? For example, in my snes platform xml, each entry has this listed: <Installed>false</Installed> What would I need to change this to, so that it would correspond to the "box"-setting? Should I just delete the while line? Should I delete "false", leaving this: <Installed></Installed> Any help is greatly appreciated. EDIT 2: I tried manually changing the xml file, but no matter what I change, once I start Launchbox and click on the respective platform, this line always returns: <Installed>false</Installed>

Can anyone help, please? What determines if a title is installable or not, or if a platform has installable games or not?

Hey everyone, I wanted to try the realistic arcade bezels by Mr. Retrolust and got it working no problem. However, I also wanted to enable a bgfx shader, but I just cannot get it to work. The only shader I ca get working is the HLSL shader. In the mame.ini I have the following settings related to shaders: # # OSD VIDEO OPTIONS # video bgfx numscreens 1 window 0 maximize 1 waitvsync 0 syncrefresh 0 monitorprovider auto # BGFX POST-PROCESSING OPTIONS # bgfx_path bgfx bgfx_backend vulkan bgfx_debug 0 bgfx_screen_chains crt-geom-deluxe bgfx_shadow_mask slot-mask.png bgfx_lut lut-default.png bgfx_avi_name auto Can anyone tell my why this doesn't work?

Hey everyone, I just noticed that all of my games (even just retro games like NES) have an "Install" button instead of a "Play" button, even if these titles cannot be installed at all. Does anyone know what causes this / how to fix this?

I go for a customized 1g1r approach. I will usually exclude older game revisions, betas, demos, prototypes and so on. I will however keep unlicensed games and aftermarket releases. The aftermarket releases are kept in a separate platform though. I also want single games and compilations, so for example on SNES, I will keep: Super Mario World Super Mario All-Stars Super Mario All-Starts + Super Mario World I consider those three separate releases. For platforms where this applies, I keep both physical releases, digital releases and virtual console games in separate platforms, so e.g.: Nintendo Wii Nintendo Wii (WiiWare) Nintendo Wii (Virtual Console SNES) I also import the same games multiple times if they can be played on various devices, so for example I have: Nintendo Game Boy Nintendo Super Game Boy Nintendo Game Boy (Game Boy Color Games) Nintendo Game Boy Color In my logic, when selecting the Nintendo Game Boy platform, it's like I'm holding the original Nintendo Game Boy in my hands and I then selecting the games I want to play. If I go to Nintendo Super Game Boy, I imagine sitting in front of the console and again choosing the games I want to insert. I usually use shaders in RetroArch to enhance the effect. All of this results in duplicate games accross my different platforms of course, but it gives me the option to decide if I want to play: Pokemon Blue on the original Game Boy Pokemon Blue on the Game Boy Color Pokemon Blue on the Super Game Boy

Hey everyone, I'm in the process of updating my LaunchBox collection and have been struggling with LaunchBox not shutting down correctly, a problem I've had since I bought LaunchBox many years ago and that persisted accross multiple different Desktop PC setups. I have installed a fresh copy of Launchbox and imported my Data folder minus the settings. At first, Launchbox shut down fine on two tries. On the third try it got stuck again (no changes were made). I have enabled debug logs and these are the final entries showing that something is indeed not working as intedned. Hopefully somebody is able to figure out what's wrong and can help me get this finally solved. 2025-11-04 09:16:57 AM DataManager.SaveInternal completed successfully. 2025-11-04 09:16:57 AM DataManager.SaveInternal started. 2025-11-04 09:16:58 AM Saving InputBindings.xml... 2025-11-04 09:16:58 AM Saving GameControllers.xml... 2025-11-04 09:16:58 AM Saving ListCache.xml... 2025-11-04 09:16:58 AM Saving Settings.xml... 2025-11-04 09:16:58 AM Saving ImportBlacklist.xml... 2025-11-04 09:16:58 AM DataManager.SaveInternal completed successfully. 2025-11-04 09:16:59 AM Syncing cloud data since 04.11.2025 09:13:56 2025-11-04 09:16:59 AM Received 0 records from the cloud 2025-11-04 09:17:00 AM Pushing 20 records to the cloud 2025-11-04 09:17:00 AM Successfully synced to cloud 2025-11-04 09:17:00 AM DataManager.SaveInternal started. 2025-11-04 09:17:00 AM Saving InputBindings.xml... 2025-11-04 09:17:00 AM Saving GameControllers.xml... 2025-11-04 09:17:00 AM Saving ListCache.xml... 2025-11-04 09:17:01 AM Saving Settings.xml... 2025-11-04 09:17:01 AM Saving ImportBlacklist.xml... 2025-11-04 09:17:01 AM Saving M:\Launchbox\Data\Platforms\Nintendo Game Boy Player (GB).xml... 2025-11-04 09:17:49 AM Saving M:\Launchbox\Data\Platforms\Nintendo Game Boy Player (GBA).xml... 2025-11-04 09:18:35 AM Saving M:\Launchbox\Data\Platforms\Nintendo Game Boy Player (GBC).xml... 2025-11-04 09:19:23 AM DataManager.SaveInternal completed successfully. 2025-11-04 09:20:29 AM Waiting on DataManager save thread to finish... (window.Closed 2) 2025-11-04 09:20:31 AM MainViewManager.window.Closed event finished. Calling Environment.Exit 2025-11-04 09:21:45 AM FIRST CHANCE EXCEPTION: Unable to read data from the transport connection: The I/O operation has been aborted because of either a thread exit or an application request.. at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.AwaitableSocketAsyncEventArgs.ThrowException(SocketError error, CancellationToken cancellationToken) 2025-11-04 09:21:45 AM FIRST CHANCE CONTINUED INNER EXCEPTION: The I/O operation has been aborted because of either a thread exit or an application request. 2025-11-04 09:21:45 AM FIRST CHANCE EXCEPTION: Unable to read data from the transport connection: The I/O operation has been aborted because of either a thread exit or an application request.. at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.AwaitableSocketAsyncEventArgs.ThrowException(SocketError error, CancellationToken cancellationToken) at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.AwaitableSocketAsyncEventArgs.System.Threading.Tasks.Sources.IValueTaskSource<System.Int32>.GetResult(Int16 token) at System.Net.Security.SslStream.EnsureFullTlsFrameAsync[TIOAdapter](CancellationToken cancellationToken, Int32 estimatedSize) at System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Throw() 2025-11-04 09:21:45 AM FIRST CHANCE CONTINUED INNER EXCEPTION: The I/O operation has been aborted because of either a thread exit or an application request. 2025-11-04 09:21:45 AM FIRST CHANCE EXCEPTION: Unable to read data from the transport connection: The I/O operation has been aborted because of either a thread exit or an application request.. at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.AwaitableSocketAsyncEventArgs.ThrowException(SocketError error, CancellationToken cancellationToken) at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.AwaitableSocketAsyncEventArgs.System.Threading.Tasks.Sources.IValueTaskSource<System.Int32>.GetResult(Int16 token) at System.Net.Security.SslStream.EnsureFullTlsFrameAsync[TIOAdapter](CancellationToken cancellationToken, Int32 estimatedSize) at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.PoolingAsyncValueTaskMethodBuilder`1.StateMachineBox`1.System.Threading.Tasks.Sources.IValueTaskSource<TResult>.GetResult(Int16 token) at System.Net.Security.SslStream.ReadAsyncInternal[TIOAdapter](Memory`1 buffer, CancellationToken cancellationToken) 2025-11-04 09:21:45 AM FIRST CHANCE CONTINUED INNER EXCEPTION: The I/O operation has been aborted because of either a thread exit or an application request. 2025-11-04 09:21:45 AM FIRST CHANCE EXCEPTION: Unable to read data from the transport connection: The I/O operation has been aborted because of either a thread exit or an application request.. at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.AwaitableSocketAsyncEventArgs.ThrowException(SocketError error, CancellationToken cancellationToken) at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.AwaitableSocketAsyncEventArgs.System.Threading.Tasks.Sources.IValueTaskSource<System.Int32>.GetResult(Int16 token) at System.Net.Security.SslStream.EnsureFullTlsFrameAsync[TIOAdapter](CancellationToken cancellationToken, Int32 estimatedSize) at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.PoolingAsyncValueTaskMethodBuilder`1.StateMachineBox`1.System.Threading.Tasks.Sources.IValueTaskSource<TResult>.GetResult(Int16 token) at System.Net.Security.SslStream.ReadAsyncInternal[TIOAdapter](Memory`1 buffer, CancellationToken cancellationToken) at System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Throw() 2025-11-04 09:21:45 AM FIRST CHANCE CONTINUED INNER EXCEPTION: The I/O operation has been aborted because of either a thread exit or an application request. 2025-11-04 09:25:08 AM DataManager.SaveInternal started. 2025-11-04 09:25:08 AM Saving InputBindings.xml... 2025-11-04 09:25:08 AM Saving GameControllers.xml... 2025-11-04 09:25:08 AM Saving ListCache.xml... 2025-11-04 09:25:08 AM Saving Settings.xml... 2025-11-04 09:25:09 AM Saving BigBoxSettings.xml... 2025-11-04 09:25:09 AM Saving ImportBlacklist.xml... 2025-11-04 09:25:09 AM DataManager.SaveInternal completed successfully. The task manager shows 2 instances of "launchbox.exe" running: