AstroBob

Hi @fxgogo Thanks for reporting this, a few things to try here: 1) Go to Options > Integrations > GOG and under GOG Game Association select the Run Process Now Option. 2) During the import wizard, if you turn on `Import Duplicate games` does that show the games you're missing? It's possible Cave Story's Secret Santa might get grouped under the original game, so worth trying this out. Let me know how you get on.

Hi @celcius thanks for reporting this, happy to try and look into this but we'll need a bit more info to narrow things down: - What version of LaunchBox are you on? - Can you describe the issue in a bit more detail (or ideally provide a screen recording showing the issue in action) - Does this only happen within LaunchBox? Or does It happen in other applications? - What input device are you using? Is it just a normal USB / Bluetooth mouse? Let us know and we'll see if we can narrow things down

Hi there, Thanks for reporting this, and sorry for the issues you’re experiencing. The first step I’d recommend is ruling out whether any of your connected inputs are triggering the volume increase. You can check this by unplugging your connected joysticks and then starting Big Box to see if the issue persists. I’d also recommend going into Big Box’s keyboard shortcuts to see if anything is mapped there. If you find a shortcut mapped to the volume function, try removing it and see if the issue still occurs. If it does, it suggests that an input is triggering the function, although it’s strange that this would happen only on startup. Let’s start with that. If you can test those steps and let me know how it goes, we can troubleshoot further if needed.

Hi there, Thanks for reporting this. I just gave this a quick test on my end, and it seemed to work. I added one of those games, and after linking it to the game DB entry, it was able to find all the relevant media for it. May I ask how you are trying to download the media? Are you highlighting the specific game and then trying to download the media there, or are you using the Download Missing Media option on the platform itself? If you’re using one method, does the other method work? How did you add those games to your Android library? Was it an export from the Windows version, or did you add them to Android directly? Let me know, and I’ll see if there’s anything else I can do.

Hi there, thanks for the question! In terms of total space, it’s hard to say since it completely depends on how many games you have and the specific images you’ve downloaded. Looking at my own collection, I have images ranging from 200-300kB up to a couple of megabytes. Box Fronts and Backgrounds tend to be larger images compared to, say, clear logos, but that’s not always the case. To preserve space, I’d say your best bet is to only download the image types that will work with your theme. For example, I use the default Banner view for my platforms and the Boxes Grids view for my games, so I only really need a Box Front and a Background (I don’t even need clear logos since I don’t use wheel views). I hope this helps clarify things! Let me know if you have any further questions or need more advice.

Hi there, thanks for the update and explanation there. Unfortunately, I'm still not 100% sure where you are referring to, is it possible to share a screenshot or a screen recording demonstrating the issue? Let me know if that would be okay.

Hi Folks, thanks for the great suggestions so far. Just to let you know we're not ignoring these, but just waiting for a bit more input from the community before we dive in to start discussing our thoughts and suggestions. We appreciate the early input so far. Cheers,

Big Box offers a wide variety of themes that can drastically transform every aspect of your gaming experience, from sleek modern designs to nostalgic retro aesthetics. However, one question we frequently receive from the community is: “I’ve just changed my Big Box theme, but it doesn’t look like it’s applied properly. What gives?” This is a common misconception. To answer it, we need to take a step back and explore how Big Box’s theming system works. ⚠️ Please note, this is not a FAQ for theme developers. This is to help new users answer some common questions about how themes work. ⚠️ ------------------------------------------------------ Understanding Big Box “Sections” ------------------------------------------------------ Big Box’s interface is built around what we call “Sections”, and each one can be themed. These sections define specific areas of the Big Box interface that you can navigate to via the System menu. Here are some examples of common sections: The Game Discovery Center: An interactive hub that curates playlists, themes, and recommendations, helping you explore and rediscover hidden gems in your library. Platforms: A list of the Platforms you have in your library (e.g., Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo). Platform Categories: A combined, modular view showcasing a tiered-style list of platforms, categories, and playlists. Filters: A text-based list of different metadata filters, like Genres, Developers, Publishers, and more. Games: A set of views that will list games. System Menu and Options: The section for managing Big Box options and preferences. While all of these sections are technically themeable, it’s important to understand that: “ Just because everything can be themed doesn’t mean that every theme includes theming for all sections.” ---------------------------------------------------------------- Why Some Sections May Not Be Themed ---------------------------------------------------------------- Many custom themes focus on specific sections, like the Platform and Game sections, as these are the most commonly used and visually impactful. However, other sections, such as the Game Discovery Center or System sections, are often left out of custom themes. Here’s why: Game Discovery Center: As a newer feature, many custom themes haven’t yet implemented styling for this view. This can lead to confusion for users, especially since the Game Discovery Center is often the default landing page in Big Box. Applying a custom theme therefore may not result in visible changes to this section, which is perfectly normal. 🚨 Important 🚨 If you prefer Big Box to load to another view that does support theming, you can go to `Options > Views > Default Startup View` and select a different section to use. System Settings: This section is frequently omitted from custom themes, as many creators prioritize the core game navigation section instead of settings. In these cases: "When a section hasn’t been explicitly themed, Big Box automatically falls back to the default theme." This fallback behaviour ensures that all sections remain functional and visually cohesive, even if they’re not customized by the theme developer. An example of a theme (BannerBox) that does explicitly theme the System Menu, but not all themes will do this -------------------------------------------------------------------- How to Know Which Sections Are Themed? -------------------------------------------------------------------- To avoid confusion, here are some tips for understanding which section your chosen theme applies to: Check the Developer’s Description: Theme developers often include notes on which section their theme supports. This is the best way to know exactly what to expect. Explore the App: After applying a new theme, navigate through the various sections (Platforms, Games, Game Details, etc.) to see where the changes have been applied. Understand Default Behavior: Remember, any section not explicitly themed by the developer will default to Big Box’s standard theme. ------------------------------- What about Views? ------------------------------- In Big Box, Views refer to the different ways your games and platforms are displayed within specific sections. Each view provides a unique browsing experience, and some common examples include: CoverFlow: A scrollable list of boxes that uses 3D models, allowing you to rotate and admire original box art in all its glory. Vertical/Horizontal Wheel: A dynamic, scrollable wheel showcasing game logos or platforms, often accompanied by complementary artwork or media. Wall View: A grid-style layout that displays multiple items at once, ideal for browsing large libraries quickly. Text List: A minimalistic view showing a simple text list of items, often with smaller box art or logos and additional game details. Much like Big Box sections, not all themes will support every view type. The level of support for views is entirely dependent on the theme developer, and this is often indicated in the theme’s description. Here are a few things to keep in mind about views and themes: Theme Limitations: If a specific view isn’t supported by a theme, it may fall back to the default theme styling. While theme developers can stop a specific view from appearing as an option for users, they sometimes forget to do this. Check Descriptions: When selecting a theme, review the developer’s notes to understand which views are fully supported. This will save you time and potential frustration when customizing your experience. ------------------ Conclusion ------------------ Theming in Big Box is a powerful tool to customize your gaming experience, but understanding how themes apply to specific sections and views is key to avoiding confusion. If you’ve applied a theme and notice some sections, like the Game Discovery Center or System Settings, don’t seem to change, this is likely because those areas weren’t included in the custom theme you’ve applied. When in doubt, check the theme’s description or explore the app to see which sections are covered. By doing so, you’ll gain a better appreciation for how each theme enhances your experience and can tailor your setup to your liking.

Hi @Wally, thanks for providing those diagnostics and repro steps for the issues you're seeing. We've been trying to standardise our performance diagnostics and recently just released a troubleshooting guide aiming to address some of these concerns. I'm attaching it below: I understand that your primary concern is with CPU usage. While this guide may not offer drastic changes to that, it does outline some steps you can take to disable loading the database .XML into RAM, which may help improve your startup times and release some pressure on the system. We recognize that suggesting a guide or recommending turning off certain features is not an ideal solution. There are long-term improvements we know we need to address. However, in the short term, if you’re not using any of the features outlined in the guide, disabling some of them might help reduce your startup times. I’d appreciate it if you could review the guide, try out some of the suggestions, and let me know if you notice any significant changes in your startup times. I completely understand your frustration, and I want to work with you to address these concerns. Improving "performance" will likely involve tackling several smaller areas, but for now, focusing on startup times gives us a concrete place to begin. Once we’ve explored those options, we can move on to addressing other issues. Let me know how it goes!

Hi @MJF, thanks for flagging this. Our best guess about what happened to that game is that there may have been another game under the old Steam ID, and the developer may have deleted it and set it up as a new game. Either way, we've updated it, so it should work now. Thanks for letting us know.

Thanks for the update @Tinfoilhat42, looks like you beat us to it. However, for future reference, one thing that is worth trying is clearing your image caches in Big Box. You can find this by going to Big Box's System menu, and then under Options > Image Cache > Refresh All Images. Re-installing LaunchBox will have generated a new image cache for you, so this may be why it appears to be working again, but hopefully,y this might be helpful if it happens again. Cheers,

Hi @goobertime thanks for the question and no worries at all, no question is a silly question 😊 Let's confirm a few things to try and narrow it down: Under Tools > Manager > Emulators can you confirm if you see any Default Command-Line Parameters listed for Citra? If so what are they? Next, edit the Citra emulator, what is set as your Application Path and Sample Command? Finally, take any 3DS game, right click and go to Edit > Metadata. Then under Launching, can you let me know what is filled out under ROM File (Emulation is enabled): Let me know and we'll hopefully be able to point you in the right direction. Cheers,

Hi @PCKid thanks for the question, may I confirm a few more details to try and narrow this down: May I confirm what you mean by "there are no thumbnail folders with boxart folders". Where specifically are you expecting to see thumbnails, are you talking about within LaunchBox, or are you referring to image directories on disk? How did you import those 2 systems? Can you elaborate on their "systems are not recognised just as generic names". Are you referring to the games not being linked to a LaunchBox GamesDB ID, and therefore isn't pulling down any metadata for those games? Please let me know and we'll get you sorted. Cheers,

Hi @Alerum68 thanks for the report and sorry for the issues here. May I confirm a few things to understand the issue further: Can you describe any steps taken to reproduce this error. You mention auto storefront imports, so can I assume this crashes when you open LaunchBox and it's trying to import and install a game? I noticed you're on 13.18 beta-2, can you confirm if you're using any of the new auto-import platform per storefront options in Tools > Manage > Storefronts? Can you consistently reproduce this error, or does it happen sporadically? Let me know and we'll see if we can get you sorted. Cheers,

The LaunchBox Games Database is at the heart of our platform, powering everything from metadata to media for the games in your library. While we’ve done our best to include the most popular platforms, we know there are still plenty out there worthy of a spot in the database. As such, we recognise the need to expand our platform list to ensure it reflects the diversity of gaming history. That’s where you, the awesome LaunchBox community, come in! We’re inviting you to help us determine which platforms should be added to the Games Database next. But before you dive in with suggestions, let’s talk about how we define a platform and the criteria we use to decide what belongs. What Is (and Isn’t) a Platform? 🎮 To ensure the integrity and usability of the Games Database, we follow specific rules to define what constitutes a platform. Here’s what you need to know: What We Consider a Platform: 🤩 Unique Hardware: A platform must have its own distinct hardware that sets it apart from others. It could have many revisions or a collection of different hardware that plays the same games. Unique Firmware/OS: It’s a good indicator if the platform ran on unique firmware, or its own operating system. Native Games: Developers created a game, or version of a game, specifically for this platform. Cultural Significance: Platforms with a noteworthy impact on gaming history, innovation, or community are prioritized. What We Don’t Consider a Platform: 🫠 Exclusively Run External Libraries: Devices or services designed to play another platform’s libraries (e.g Super Game Boy, iQue, Sega Nomad, Sega Channel, Amazon Luna, emulation handhelds). One-Offs or Prototypes: Items not released commercially or widely available to the public. Mistakes of the Past 😱 We’ve made some missteps in the past, allowing platforms that don’t strictly adhere to these rules. Unfortunately, we can’t take these mistakes back, and while we’ve learned from those experiences, there may be current platforms that exist, that probably shouldn’t be there. Therefore we aim to hold new additions to a higher standard to ensure the database remains robust, relevant, and consistent. How to Make Your Case 💼 If you believe a platform deserves a place in the Games Database, here’s how to make a strong case: Answer These Five Key Questions: What is the full name of the platform you’d like to see added? What makes this platform unique? What are some examples of its exclusive games or software? How significant is its impact on gaming history? Does it differ enough from existing platforms in the database? Provide Evidence 📰 The best cases include well-researched information and credible sources. Providing articles, game lists, or documentation about the platform’s history and significance can help illustrate why it stands out. Highlight exclusive games, unique hardware capabilities, or its cultural impact to showcase its value. A detailed list of exclusives or information on how it fills a gap in the database strengthens your suggestion. Solid reasoning is also key—explain why the platform should be included and what impact its absence has. Are users struggling to categorize their collections without it? Are important games being misclassified or excluded? Clearly outline the benefits of adding the platform and the challenges posed without it. Concise, well-supported arguments are the most effective! Community Collaboration 👋 We want this to be a collaborative effort! Share your platform suggestions and discussions in this thread, where we’ll be reviewing submissions and debating their merits. Remember, it’s not just about listing platforms but about making a case for why they matter. Please Note ⚠ We sincerely appreciate the time and effort you’ve put into helping us expand our database. However, please understand that we may not be able to accommodate every request. Each suggestion is carefully weighed against our platform guidelines, as well as what we believe will benefit the majority of the community. This means your favorite platform might not make the cut this time. That said, it doesn’t mean it will never be added—just that for this round, we may need to prioritize other options. So, what platform do you think deserves a spot on the list? Let us know in the comments below!

With LaunchBox serving as the launchpad for our games collection, we want to ensure that users are able to have the smoothest and optimal experience, regardless of their workflow or library size. That said, we realize there are some circumstances where LaunchBox and Big Box may not appear to be performing optimally. We want to lay out this detailed FAQ to hopefully shed some light on performance within LaunchBox & Big Box. ----------------------------------------------- How to use this thread 🧵 ----------------------------------------------- This thread is intended to educate and elaborate on performance within LaunchBox, along with providing potential troubleshooting steps and solutions to common problems. However, it is not intended to diagnose or address specific performance issues you may encounter. For assistance with individual performance problems, (please see the section on Reporting a performance-related Issue). We intend to keep this guide regularly updated to ensure it remains helpful and comprehensive. If you notice any topics we haven’t covered or feel certain points need further explanation, please don’t hesitate to share your feedback in the comments. While we understand frustrations can arise, we kindly ask that comments remain focused on solutions and productive suggestions. --------------------------------------------------------- Understanding Performance 🔋 --------------------------------------------------------- At its core, after 10 years of development, LaunchBox is certainly pushing the limits of its underlying technology. To explain it simply: the more games you have, the more data LaunchBox needs to load and handle simultaneously. This includes all the associated metadata, images, and other media files. Similarly, Big Box’s animation engine and its powerful theming capabilities, while providing lots of customization, also add complexity. If you’re using heavily detailed themes or large sets of media, it could impact performance. It’s also important to note that performance can be subjective. What one user might experience as a performance issue could vary greatly from another based on system specs, user configurations, or expectations. For example, a high refresh rate monitor or a particularly heavy theme may cause one user to notice the perception of lag that others might not. This variation means that performance is not always a one-size-fits-all issue and can depend on many individual factors. The LaunchBox team is continuously working on improving performance, especially for users with large libraries. We’re constantly refining how metadata is loaded and processed, and we’re looking into ways to optimize things like loading times and responsiveness. While a full rewrite might be necessary to fully resolve these limitations, each release brings iterative improvements, and we’re committed to making things as smooth as possible for all users. --------------------------------------------------------- Frequently Asked Questions 🙋 --------------------------------------------------------- In this section, we'll aim to cover some frequently asked performance-related questions and provide some clarity. Why do LaunchBox load times appear significantly longer in the most recent version compared to previous versions? Recent versions of LaunchBox have introduced a few additional tasks that happen during startup to improve functionality and user experience. One key element is the loading of our large metadata.xml file into RAM. This file houses the entire GamesDB database, containing comprehensive metadata for all games and image links, and it has grown significantly over time as our database has expanded. LaunchBox used to load this into RAM in the background, immediately after the startup screen, but certain features required us to move that into startup to make sure that users had the smoothest experience when LaunchBox appeared on the screen. By loading it into RAM, LaunchBox can instantly access game metadata, which speeds up tasks like related game recommendations, imports, and metadata & media downloads. The startup also includes automated processes, like checking storefronts for new games, verifying user authentication, and updating the game library automatically if new games are detected. This means that by the time you enter LaunchBox, a lot of behind-the-scenes setup is already completed, allowing you to dive in without needing to run those updates manually. However, if you’re not using features like related game recommendations or storefront imports, disabling these options can potentially reduce startup times (see the troubleshooting section below on how to do this) Why can LaunchBox consume CPU while it's open? While LaunchBox is running, it continuously performs background tasks designed to keep everything running smoothly and ensure a quick response time for your actions. These tasks might include tracking changes in your game library, verifying storefront connections, updating filters & badges, or scanning folders for new ROMs to add. By doing these tasks in the background, LaunchBox helps keep your experience seamless, so when you open a new game or add a title, the necessary metadata is already in place. Additionally, automated imports and metadata updates run periodically to ensure that your game library is current, especially if you’ve enabled storefront integration or automatic ROM imports. While these background tasks require some CPU, they’re essential for maintaining an up-to-date and responsive library and the system is designed to perform these tasks quietly. Does the storage location of LaunchBox affect performance? Yes, the storage location can impact performance: Solid-State Drives (SSD): Installing LaunchBox on an SSD is highly recommended, and can significantly improve load times and overall responsiveness. Network-Attached Storage (NAS): Running LaunchBox from a NAS can result in slower performance due to network latency. Installing LaunchBox on a local drive is recommended for optimal speed. Cloud-Based Storage Locations: These include local folders synced with services like Dropbox or Google Drive. While they have minimal impact on performance, storing LaunchBox in these locations is not recommended. If the sync service is active while LaunchBox is running, it can cause conflicts and lock files that LaunchBox needs to access. However, if the sync service is paused or disabled while using LaunchBox, this setup should work without issues. The above also applies if you’ve chosen to move the location of your games, emulators, and/or media to a separate location ------------------------------------ Troubleshooting 🤔 ------------------------------------ Next, we’ll explore some troubleshooting steps that may help improve performance. To make it easier to follow, we’ll break these down into three sections: LaunchBox, Big Box, and General Tips. Each section will cover specific adjustments and optimizations tailored to the unique aspects of each application. ---------------------------------------------- LaunchBox Troubleshooting: ---------------------------------------------- Turn Off Storefront Imports: Automated imports allow LaunchBox to scan your installed storefront games and add them to your library during startup and in the background after LaunchBox is open. This feature can lengthen start times & use CPU after start up. If you prefer to import your games manually, you can turn this off. To disable this feature: Go to Tools > Manage > Storefronts. Turn off Enable Automatic Imports on Startup. If you still want to import storefront games occasionally, you can do so manually based on the same Manage Storefronts configuration: Tools > Scan > For Storefront Games Turn Off Non-Local Related Games: The Related Games feature in LaunchBox and Big Box highlights games similar to the one you’re playing, including possible ports or related titles. This can be accessed through the Game Details bar in LaunchBox or the Game Details page in Big Box. By default, this feature includes games not in your library, allowing you to discover unowned titles. To provide these recommendations, LaunchBox loads a local copy of the games database into RAM (the metadata.xml file). If you don’t use this feature or prefer recommendations limited to games already in your library, you can turn off this setting: Go to Options > Related Games > Similar Games / Recommended Games / Possible Ports Turn off Include games not in my library. Turn off Metadata.xml from Loading into Memory During Startup If reducing the startup time of LaunchBox is your primary objective you can disable both Automatic Storefront Imports AND Non-Local Related Games (described above). This will then negate the need to load the Metadata.xml file into memory during start-up and quicken the time it takes for LaunchBox to open. If you use LaunchBox a lot and always want it ready to use, you can turn on the option to keep it in the system tray under Tools > Options > General > System Tray. Now when you go and try and open LaunchBox, it will be ready for you in a second! Optimizing Playlists for Performance Playlists in LaunchBox are calculated dynamically at runtime. While this process usually has minimal impact on startup times, having a large number of playlists or complex auto-playlists can increase processing demands. To maintain optimal performance, it’s a good idea to monitor the number of playlists in your library. Although LaunchBox is designed to handle extensive collections, users with hundreds of playlists per platform should be aware that each playlist requires additional processing at runtime. Focusing on creating purposeful, high-quality playlists rather than sheer quantity can help streamline operations and reduce startup times. Disable save management In version 13.16, LaunchBox introduced the ability to manage your save files and states automatically. This feature operates through background processes to keep your save data organized. While the CPU usage for these processes is manageable, we understand that not all users may require this functionality. As of 13.18 you can find this setting under Tools > Options > General > Save Management, which will remove some of the background CPU usage required for LaunchBox to function. Turn on "Close to System Tray" to reduce startup times By default, when you close the LaunchBox application, it will go through the full startup process the next time you open it (e.g., preparing playlists, loading the local database file, scanning storefronts, etc.). However, you can change this behaviour so that, even when closed, LaunchBox runs in a low-power state in the background. This allows for significantly reduced startup times the next time you open it. To enable this, go to "Options > General > System Tray" and turn on Close to System Tray. You can also enable "Always Show System Tray Icon" and "Minimize to System Tray" based on your personal preference. Turn off Filter Counts LaunchBox includes an option to display the number of items for specific platforms, playlists, and other sections. These counts appear as numbers next to each item. While this feature can be helpful for quickly understanding how many games are in each section, it has a drawback: the counts are calculated each time you enter a section. For users with large libraries containing hundreds of playlists or platforms, this calculation process may significantly increase the time it takes to load those sections. If you are experiencing slow load times when navigating into platforms or playlists and have the Show Counts option enabled, try disabling it to see if it improves performance. To enable or disable this feature, go to: Options > Visuals > Filter Side Bar and toggle the Show Counts option. --------------------------------------- Big Box Troubleshooting: --------------------------------------- Big Box offers a high degree of customization, such as detailed themes, high-resolution images, and transition animations, all of which require processing power to render smoothly. Even on powerful PCs, complex themes or large libraries may lead to slower performance if they are heavily resource-intensive. To enhance performance in Big Box, try the following: Experiment with Different Themes Big Box’s powerful theming engine is one of its standout features, allowing you to make your collection look visually stunning. However, as with any program, themes need to be optimized to deliver the best performance, and while it is important for us to keep Big Box as optimized as possible, theme developers play as crucial a role when using a custom theme. Even on a high-powered PC, the combination of your library’s size, media, and how the theme processes them can sometimes lead to performance issues. If you’re experiencing performance issues in Big Box experimenting with themes can help you strike the perfect balance between visuals and performance. Here’s what we recommend: Use a Vetted Big Box Theme From the System Menu, go to Manage Themes. Here, you can browse and install themes that have been vetted and verified by our team for optimal performance. These themes are designed to look great while minimizing resource usage. Use the Default Theme While many vetted themes prioritize showcasing media with flashy effects and transitions, the default theme focuses on simplicity. If performance is your main concern, the default theme will deliver the smoothest experience, as it minimizes graphical demands without sacrificing usability. Tweak CoverFlow Quality: Wheels inside of Big Box can sometimes be visually impressive. Some themes choose to add many images per-game inside of one item, or choose to make the wheel take up the entire screen. When your computer has the power, they look stunning, but if you need some relief you could tweak down the image quality of the wheel itself to see if you get better results. To do so go into Options > Images > CoverFlow Image Quality, and adjust the setting to something lower. You may need to then clear your image cache by going to Options > Image Cache > Refresh All Images. Disable Wheel Easing: If you find that Big Box’s wheel can sometimes be a bit sluggish, it’s possible that the easeness Big Box uses to smooth out the transition between one game to another could be a bit much for your system to handle. You can test this theory out by going to Options > Views and unchecking Wheel Easing. Try it out and see if it helps. If not, it’s easy to turn it back on! Disable 3D Models in CoverFlow Views: Cover Flow Views can be one of Big Box’s most visually impressive features, allowing you to browse your collection with stunning box art and even “spin the box” using 3D models for a full view. While it’s a fan favorite, the 3D rendering required for these views can be demanding on certain systems. If you frequently use these views and you notice that your computer cannot handle rendering all the 3D Models, some of these views can revert back to the old CoverFlow style which ran lighter. You can turn off 3D Models in these views under Options > Views by unchecking Use 3D Models in CoverFlow Views. Turn Off Transition Effects: Disabling or adjusting transition animations can make menu navigation much smoother by reducing the demand on your system’s resources. To change or disable transitions: Open the System Menu in Big Box. Navigate to Options > Transitions. Here, you can customize the transitions used for various effects. While this depends on the theme you’re using, a general rule of thumb is: Fade/Quick Fade: These are the least taxing on your system and provide smooth transitions. Complex Transitions: Effects like slides, flips, and explosions look impressive but are more demanding. If transitions aren’t important to you, setting all transitions to Off will provide the best performance, especially on systems with limited resources. Adjust Big Box’s Frame Rate: Located under Options > General > Frame Rate, it is recommended to match the framerate to the monitor you are using. If your monitor runs at 60Hz, set the framerate to 60 FPS, but if your monitor runs at 120Hz, change the framerate to 120Hz. Note: the higher the framerate of your monitor the more your computer needs to do, which in turn does impact performance. If you have a low-powered machine, but a fancy 4k 144Hz monitor, you may benefit from downgrading your monitor or upgrading your machine. Check for freesync/gsync: Big Box is not a game. Seems straightforward enough, but using a game technology like freesync or gsync on an application like Big Box, could negatively impact your experience. Make sure you navigate to your freesync/gsync settings and force disable this technology from being used with Big Box. Ensure you are using your Dedicated GPU (if applicable): When things move in Big Box, your video card can play a big role in how smoothly those things move. If you’re using a machine with both integrated graphics and a dedicated GPU (e.g., a laptop with an eGPU or a hybrid system), ensure that Windows is set to prioritize the dedicated GPU for Big Box. Using integrated graphics instead can result in slower performance, lag, reduced visual quality, and/or driver-related bugs. To check or change this setting in Windows: 1. Open Settings and navigate to System > Display > Graphics Settings. 2. Find or add Big Box to the app list. 3. Set it to use the High-Performance GPU (dedicated graphics card). This adjustment ensures that Big Box takes full advantage of your system’s graphics capabilities, providing a smoother and more enjoyable experience. -------------------------------------------------------- General Troubleshooting Tips -------------------------------------------------------- Manage Media Content: Across both LaunchBox and Big Box, limiting the media you download can help keep things running lean and snappy. While it may be tempting to download “all the media,” if you don’t use a specific image type, it’s better to avoid downloading it altogether. This prevents your theme from processing media you don’t want to see, and reduces the amount of hard drive space required, which can lead to improved performance. To check the types of media you currently have, go to Tools > Audit. This tool provides a clear overview of your media files. Consider cleaning up any image types that aren’t utilized by your selected theme in LaunchBox or Big Box for a more efficient setup. Keep an eye on background resources: Both LaunchBox and Big Box rely on a combination of system resources to function smoothly. Background applications, open browser tabs, or other resource-intensive programs running simultaneously can negatively impact performance. To ensure a smoother experience, consider closing unnecessary programs while using either app. If you’re using a dedicated gaming machine, you may also want to explore guides on “debloating Windows” to remove unnecessary background processes. This can free up resources and optimize your system specifically for gaming and performance-heavy applications. Laptop / Handheld Performance Profiles: Many users run LaunchBox and Big Box on Windows handheld devices or laptops, which rely on power profiles to manage performance, especially when running on battery. While both apps can function on power-saving or lower-performance profiles, the complexity of your theme and the media in your library may require additional resources. Adjusting the power profile to a higher setting can ensure smoother operation by allocating sufficient system resources. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reporting a performance-related Issue 📑 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you’re experiencing a specific performance issue, please open a post in the Troubleshooting section of our forum. However, before posting, ensure you’ve followed the troubleshooting steps outlined in this guide, as they address the most common performance issues. To help us assist you effectively, follow these steps: Subject: Provide a brief description of your issue. Tag: Include the “performance issue” tag. Item Prefix: Change the prefix from “None” to “Performance Issue.” Diagnostics: Please include the requested diagnostics (see below) Please note, to ensure an efficient diagnosis, we kindly ask that you provide ALL of the diagnostics below, as we won’t be able to investigate properly without them. Files to provide Screen recording that clearly shows the issue Windows built-in utility (Snipping Utility) will easily let you do this Description of the issue Please include full details on how to reproduce the issue Can it be reliably reproduced? When did the issue start occurring? What is your expectation of how it is supposed to behave, VS the actual result Other Required Details LaunchBox Version Windows OS Version Number of games in your library What theme are you using (both Big Box & LaunchBox) PC hardware specs (GPU, CPU, RAM, Storage) Number of monitors + specs of each (resolution, GSync or Freesync enabled) Location of LaunchBox directory Is your LaunchBox directory fully portable? If no, the full file path location of anything outside of the LaunchBox directory (games, media folders etc) Are any third-party plugins installed? Have you tweaked any of the following with your LaunchBox instance: Symlinked any of your LaunchBox folders to another location Adjusted the .NET runtime configs Manually modified any .xml data files Any other configurations you think would be good to know about Be ready: We may ask you to send us your Data files (located in LaunchBox > Data) to try and reproduce the issue on our end ------------------------------------ Important Notes ⚠️ ------------------------------------ After investigating a performance report, we aim to categorize the issue into one of the following three categories: Widespread Issue The issue is reproducible with clear steps and affects a majority of users. User Data-Specific Issue The issue is reproducible but only occurs with specific user data or configurations unique to the report. User Environment Issue The issue is not reproducible for our team and is likely caused by factors such as user-specific hardware, software Limitations While we will make every effort to find a resolution, the wide variety of PC configurations and unique setups means we cannot guarantee a solution for every issue. As a small team, our resources are limited, and not all troubleshooting posts will lead to a definitive resolution. If we have investigated the issue to the best of our ability and cannot replicate it on our end, and the issue is categorized as User Data Specific or User Environment Specific, we may have to conclude our efforts. We appreciate your understanding in these situations and encourage users to continue to share insights with the community, as others may be able to offer helpful advice or solutions.

Thanks for your patience! I can confirm that on Android, the “Download All Missing Media” feature currently needs to be done by platform. While we could explore adding an option to download media for all games at once, there are potential challenges that come with it, such as screen timeouts, storage limitations, and performance issues—especially on smaller or less powerful devices. Essentially, a single button could end up downloading tens of thousands of media files onto a handheld device, which could overwhelm its capabilities. Android is designed to download media dynamically as you navigate, which helps keep things efficient. The “Download All Missing Media” option is meant for users who want to frontload that process for a specific platform, which can save time and improve performance on lower-end devices. Hopefully that helps clarify the situation, give me a shout if you have any more questions.

No worries, I totally appreciate the hassle this is to test out, but just to clarify I'm not suggesting you need to rebuild your primary build from scratch. What I meant was that you can install a new build alongside your current one just for testing purposes in case it can help us narrow things down. That said, I realise it's easier said than done since the issue happens sporadically and you wouldn't want to run for a long time off this test build, but if it's a possibility and you can confirm it does or doesn't happen there then we'll have a good indication of where to look next.

Hi @CommanderDoug Thanks for the report there and sorry for the issues. If it's possible, could I suggest you try the same next steps I mentioned to CyberMonkey, being that we want to identify if the issues occur on a brand new build of LaunchBox. I realise it's a pain to test this, but it will help us narrow down if the issues lies within your Windows environment or the specific build of LaunchBox. You can just install a new instance, install a few games and see if it happens. I realise that is easier said that done since the issue occurs intermittently, but if it's at all possible it will hep us massively narrow down where to look next. Cheers,

Hi @PhoenixCF, Like many of you, I’m a big fan of the Series field and often use it to explore games within a franchise. However, as you’re aware, the Series field needs to be manually populated (with the exception of arcade games, which can pull series information from MAME metadata). Since Series functions like other metadata categories (e.g., genre, play type, etc.), there’s currently no way to add custom icons when viewing the Series section in LaunchBox. As @Sbaby mentioned, the workaround for this is to create an auto-playlist for the series you want. This allows you to customize it with icons, images, banners, and more. I understand this isn’t an ideal solution—it adds extra steps and can be cumbersome to maintain. Internally, we’ve discussed enhancing the Series field, but the challenge has always been that everyone categorizes their series differently. For example, some people group games by the main series, others by sub-series, and some want both. If we were to elevate Series to its own view type with dedicated media, we’d need to ensure an easy way to populate that media. This would require a solution that accommodates most use cases right out of the box, which is no small feat. I know this isn’t a perfect system, but I hope this provides some clarity on why it currently works this way. That said, we’ve seen some fantastic series-based collections created using playlists, complete with custom videos, banners, logos, and more. Looking ahead, we’re actively considering how we can improve and expand the functionality of the Series field. I often dream of being able to select a series, see a nice timeline of all the games, when they were released, maybe some bio's on the series history, characters involved etc. Okay I'm getting carried away now, but we're certainly thinking about it 😉

Fantastic, glad to hear and happy to help. Happy Gaming! 🎮

Oh, my sincere apologies there, that was my bad as I forgot this was for Android (the instructions I gave was for Windows). Let me see if I can find this out and report back.

Hi there, thanks for the update and for providing those details. For the Epic Games Store integration, we read the file at C:\ProgramData\Epic\UnrealEngineLauncher\LauncherInstalled.dat to determine whether a game is installed or not. Each game also has to have a local manifest file, which is located here: C:\ProgramData\Epic\EpicGamesLauncher\Data\Manifests Can you verify that those files exist on disk and that the games that are installed have their own manifest file? I'm curious for games that actually aren't installed, if you try to launch them through LaunchBox and it asks you to install them, does that kick off the install in the Epic Games library? Finally, when you enabled badges for installation status, do they all just show up as uninstalled? Keep me posted and we'll see what we can do to get you sorted

Hi @Clads92 thanks for the question. Absolutely, the easiest way to do this is go to Tools > Download > Update Metadata and media for All Games. Then, simply follow the wizard to choose what media you want to download and it will grab them for all of your games. Give me a shout if you have any issues with it. Cheers,

Hey everyone, As we wrap up November, we’ve got plenty of exciting updates and community highlights to share! 🎉 From new streams, playlists & deals, to community contributions. Let’s dive into everything that went down! 🚀 TEAM UPDATES: Annual Black Friday sale + new bundles 🛍️ We wrapped up November with our annual Black Friday sale, offering discounts on everything—from renewals and upgrades to stand-alone licenses for Windows and Android. Before that, we launched something brand new: a bundled package featuring both our Windows and Android apps at a discounted price! 🎁✨ If you’re looking for the ultimate LaunchBox experience across multiple devices, this bundle could be perfect for you. 🚀📦 We're streaming weekly 📹 The LaunchBox Twitch channel has been steadily growing, and we’re now streaming weekly—sometimes even more frequently! Whether you’re interested in workflows and live tutorials, technical deep dives and coding sessions, or simply hanging out to chat about games, we’d love to have you join us live. Plus, we’re giving away LaunchBox licenses during each stream, so drop by for a chance to win! 🔗 Join our Twitch channel here A deep dive into Big Box 📦 Speaking of streams, our very own @AstroBob hosted a special session focused exclusively on Big Box, covering powerful workflows around setup & customizations. If you've never used Big Box before or don't know where to start, this could be the video for you! We built some playlists with the community 📃 While we’ve been releasing monthly seasonal playlists through the Game Discovery Center, we’ve also started creating one-off playlists inspired by the amazing suggestions from our community. 🌟 Two fantastic playlists came out of a recent stream, and you can find them in the Game Discovery Center right now. Check them out! 🎮✨ “I Just Want to Blow Stuff Up” - Games where destruction is not just an option, it’s the point. “The Forgotten Ones” – A tribute to games that time seems to have left behind, with no active franchises or remakes to reignite their legacy. Don't forget, you can contribute ideas for future playlists on our thread here: COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS: While our team has been hard at work, our community has been buzzing with activity. We’re actively exploring new ways to showcase these amazing contributions, and although it’s challenging to showcase absolutely everything, we wanted to highlight a few cool things that stood out this month. We’re actively thinking of ways to expand this and feature more of your fantastic work, so stay tuned for more highlights in the future! New plugin from superstar Joe Viking 🛠️ @JoeViking245 has introduced a new LaunchBox plugin that addresses a common challenge for users managing multiple emulators within a single platform. For example, If you find it difficult to remember which games use specific emulators, this plugin can help. It allows you to view all games associated with a specific emulator, providing clarity and ease of management. Check it out below! New Theme: Featherweight 🪶 If you’re looking for a slimmed-down theme without a lot of bells and whistles, this one might be just what you’re after. 🎨 Created during a recent live stream, PM Fearen strips away certain elements of LaunchBox to showcase what a truly minimalist experience could look like. THIS MONTH: With December now upon us, we’re all starting to wind down for the year, slipping into our cozy pajamas and planning which games to clear from our backlog over the holidays. 🎄❄️ To celebrate, we’ve added a special Christmas Classics Playlist to your Game Discovery Center in Big Box. This curated list features classic games with festive themes, tones, music, or just an overall holiday vibe. You’re guaranteed to find something to get you into the festive spirit! 🎅✨ What kind of content would you like to see showcased here? Let us know in the comments below! Happy gaming! AstroBob