AstroBob

Version 1.18 - Released May 8th 2025 Release Summary Full Changelog: https://www.launchbox-app.com/android-about/change-log Check out the release video: New Features: Orientation Lock has been added, allowing users to lock the app's orientation to either Landscape, Portrait, Reverse Landscape, and Reverse Portrait, overriding the device's global orientation settings Scoped Storage framework support has been integrated as an option for all emulators. This enables enhanced folder and file permission settings, addressing requirements for certain emulators Updated the emulator launch framework for improved flexibility, easier condition handling, and easier maintenance The following Emulators have been added: Azahar, Citron, DroidArcadia, Infinity P8 Player The following Cores have been added to RetroArch: Dirk Simple The following platforms have been added: BBC Microcomputer System, Emerson Arcadia 2001, Atari Jaguar CD, Epoch Super Vassette Vision, Fujitsu FM Towns Marty, Interton VC 4000, Mega Duck, Nokia N-Gage, Oric Atmos, Philips Videopac+, PICO-8, ScummVM, Sega Pico, Sony Playstation Vita, Nintendo 64DD, Sega Triforce, Sony Playstation 3, Microsoft Xbox Improvements: Many emulators that had launching issues were fixed, notably: DuckStation, DraStic Video downloading from streamed content is now functional. The application will now combine the video and audio streams and save them as a single file to your local drive Video streaming functionality has been restored; however, please note that only video will be streamed at this time due to the limitations of YouTube The application framework has been upgraded to .NET 9 (from .NET 8), providing enhanced performance and stability Additional Apps on a Network Share should once again download and play Significantly reduced the frequency of application crashes during video playback by addressing underlying stability issues Implemented functionality to automatically delete partially downloaded files when a game download is canceled over the network Fixed: Resolved an issue where platform theme videos would unexpectedly restart when the device orientation was changed Updated the "Video downloading..." indicator text to "Video Stream loading..." to better reflect the process of streaming video content Touchscreen controls are now fully functional on the "Browse for New Games Database Image" page Added a visual loading indicator to provide feedback during shared drive connection attempts Fixed a bug that caused incorrect search results when canceling a game search Fixed an issue in the Manage Emulators section where Dolphin incorrectly displayed as not installed Fixed a crash when launching games into the AetherSX2 emulator Fixed a rare crash occurring during game imports Fixed a rare crash that happened while showing images Fixed a rare crash when clearing the platform image view

I've gone ahead and created an official request for this over on our feature request board. Please feel free to upvote it and share any examples and use-cases that are particularly important to you. 🔗 Multilingual Support for Game Metadata

With the release of LaunchBox 13.21, we’ve officially switched our default video playback engine to Windows Media Player (Legacy) and are deprecating VLC. This change should improve stability and compatibility going forward, but if you’re experiencing black screen issues or missing playback, we’ve put together a detailed support article to help you out: 👉 Read the full article here Feel free to use this thread for any questions, feedback, or discussion!

Hi Folks, Apologies for the confusion regarding this issue. I'd jumped the gun here announcing that this was fixed, as we'd addressed part of the issue in an earlier beta, but it is still affecting some users. For full details on the issue, you can follow our known issue report for this over on our bug tracking board: Out of Memory Error When Waking from Sleep I'll be updating that report with updates, but have also taken note of these posts to update once we have a fix in place. Thanks for bearing with us there, and apologies for any confusion caused there.

Hi there, Apologies for the confusion regarding this issue. I can confirm it is indeed present in 13.21 (I'd jumped the gun a bit there as we'd addressed part of the issue in an earlier beta), but it is still affecting some users. For full details on the issue, you can follow our known issue report for this over on our bug tracking board: Out of Memory Error When Waking from Sleep Thanks for bearing with us here, we hope to have this nailed down soon, so please follow the post for updates on it's progress. Cheers,

Big Box comes pre-installed alongside LaunchBox, there is a BigBox.exe application in the same directory as the LaunchBox application. As long as your license file is in the root of this directory, you should be good to go. If you’re still seeing the trial screen when Launching Big Box, then it means you’re license isn’t installed properly. You can check this in the LaunchBox app in the top right it will either say free version or licensed to your name. Let us know how you get on. Cheers,

Hey @Glauco Fox So sorry for the delayed reply here—I’d been meaning to reach out, especially since your proposal sparked a lot of internal discussion on our end. First off, thank you for the incredible thought and effort that went into structuring this. We completely agree that, over time, the menus have become a bit unruly, with overlapping items and a structure that doesn’t fully reflect all the new features we’ve added. UI changes are always tricky, and something like this would likely need to be tackled all at once—better to rip the bandage off than slowly shift things around and cause ongoing confusion. That said, while we don’t have any immediate plans in this area, I’d hate for your proposal to go to waste. So, I’ve gone ahead and fleshed out a request on our new feature request forum, using your examples as inspiration. You can view the request below: Reorganize Tools Menu for Improved Usability It’d be great if you could give it an upvote, and feel free to add any additional use cases or suggestions there too! Hopefully the community can chime in too Thanks again for the incredible write-up!

Hi there, Please see our article here for issues on missing WMP installs: 🔗 https://feedback.launchbox.gg/help/articles/3227530-understanding-video-playback-for-launchbox-and-big-box-in-1321#p4x8qtkcy4b Let us know if one of those methods isn't able to get WMP installed for you and we can debug further. Cheers,

Hi there, Just to close the loop on this, as of 13.21 this should now be addressed, since dynamic playlists in Big Box now update instantly without caching, so changes are reflected during the same session. Let me know if you're still seeing this issue, and thanks for bearing with us while we got that sorted. Cheers,

Hi there, Thanks for the question! A playlist can have its own sort order that’s specific to that playlist. Simply right-click the playlist and select Edit. You’ll then see an option for Sort Games By—this setting applies only to that particular playlist. Just a heads-up: this applies to the playlist view in both LaunchBox and Big Box (you can’t set them separately). Hope that helps! Feel free to give me a shout if you have any other questions. Cheers,

HI Folks, With the release of 13.21, we're considering these specific issues (Big Box freezing relating to the video playback engine) resolved. Please check out the details on our known issue report for more info. For anyone who is still experiencing freezing, as long as you are NOT using VLC as the playback engine, then this is likely a different issue, and we highly recommend submitting a new post so we can diagnose things separately. Thanks for bearing with us while we got things sorted out here. Give me a shout if anyone has any questions. Cheers,

HI Folks, With the release of 13.21, we're considering these specific issues (Big Box freezing relating to the video playback engine) resolved. Please check out the details on our known issue report for more details. For anyone who is still experiencing freezing, as long as you are NOT using VLC as the playback engine, then this is likely a different issue, and we highly recommend submitting a new post so we can diagnose things separately. Thanks for bearing with us while we got things sorted out here. Give me a shout if anyone has any questions. Cheers,

Hi Folks, Just updating you that, as of Android 1.18 beta-4 and the new implementation of scoped storage, Duckstation "should" now be working correctly. For those interested, you can check out the beta below, We'd love to hear if things are working as expected for you. Cheers,

Version 13.21 - Released April 24th 2025 Release Summary Full Changelog: https://www.launchbox-app.com/about/changelog New Features: New Premium Feature: A new section has been introduced under Tools > Manage > LaunchBox Themes & Media, providing users with the ability to browse and download Media Packs. These growing list of packs, created by both the LaunchBox team and the community, include Platform Clear Logos, Badges, Platform Icons, and Controller Input Graphics Packs. The packs are non-destructive, allowing users to seamlessly switch between them on the fly, and can be applied to both LaunchBox and Big Box independently. New packs will be regularly added, and applying or swapping between them is now just a simple click away. New Feature: Content Creators now have the ability to upload Media Packs for community access through the following page: https://www.launchbox-app.com/media New Feature: A new Xemu Integration Plugin has been added, allowing users to download and set up the Xemu emulator directly from LaunchBox New Feature: The Big Box Default theme now dynamically displays Controller Input graphics based on the currently selected media pack Improvements: MAME Gambling games are now marked as Casino games allowing you to easily filter them out during imports I Star Rating functionality has been updated so that each star rating grouping uses the raw value instead of massaged values. For example 3.8 star games now appear in the 3 star grouping instead of 4 star as they did previously The Star Rating Arrange By functionality now sorts games by star rating within each grouping MAME High Score logic is now more robust, and the following games are now working thanks to the hard work of our community: Batsugun, Bubble Bobble, Dig Dug, Mushihime-Sama Futari Black Label - Another Ver, Viper Phase 1 Enhanced installer/updater to install K-Lite Codec Pack Basic, streamline runtime and DirectX checks, and enable/install Windows Media Player when needed Fixed: The freezing issue experienced by some users in Big Box has been resolved The false out-of-memory error that appeared when a computer awoke from sleep has been addressed The minimize/maximize game launch feature now functions correctly with additional applications Game files containing more than one space in a row now launch as expected The Nintendo 64DD now displays the required dependency files for supported RetroArch cores Long-term stability in Big Box has been improved Searching for a game while in certain areas of Big Box would display no results Playlists with no games were incorrectly appearing in the root of the Platform Categories view Corrupted images cause fewer issues when loading in both LaunchBox and Big Box Several improvements regarding file paths when launching from or pointing to a network location Several stability improvements for Big Box to stop the application from freezing after running for extended periods The Region field no longer clears when selecting a new Games Database entry in the Add/Edit Game window Dynamic playlists in Big Box now update instantly without caching, so changes are reflected during the same session Bezels for vertical MAME games were applying a horizontal layout file

Hi there, thanks for the report here. If you're certain that the email you've entered is the one associated with your license, then please reach out to support@unbrokensoftware.com and let them know your name & email address. They'll be able to cross-check the system to confirm and get your license re-sent if you need it. Cheers,

Thanks for the report here, it does look like our scheduled task to build new copies of the local metadata file turned itself off last week. I'm not 100% sure when this game was added, but this should be fixed now and you should be able to run a Tools > Downloads > Force Update Games Database Metadata... , then it should appear in your search. Let me know if that isn't the case, and apologies for the issues there. Cheers,

Hi Folks, I just wanted to update this thread that as of LaunchBox for Android 1.18 beta-4, due to the additions around scoped storage, Duckstation should now be working correctly. Feel free to update to the latest beta to give this a go: Thanks for bearing with us there while we got that implemented. Scoped storage has been an ongoing initiative, so do let us know if this still isn't working for you. Cheers,

I really like what you've done there with the mini consoles. I have done something similar for playlists of compilation games, but for mini consoles, it's nice how you've broken those out into the main platform categories view. Couple that with the mini consoles theme in Big Box and that would be :chefskiss

📣 Introduction Hey everyone! Those of you who've joined our streams recently may have seen us refer to a platform called FeatureBase, and today we’re excited to announce the official kickoff! Going forward, we’ll be moving away from BitBucket and using FeatureBase to manage feature requests, bug reports, and certain aspects of our documentation. ❓ Why are we switching platforms? Long-time users may remember we’ve previously used BitBucket to catalogue feature requests and bug reports. After 10 years, that platform has simply become unmanageable and no longer meets our needs. FeatureBase offers everything we’ve been missing—and more. Here’s what it brings: SSO login with your existing LaunchBox Games Database account. No more separate Atlassian registration. Improved tracking and voting tools, giving users better insight into what’s being worked on and allowing you to vote based on importance, usage, and urgency. Greater transparency with public statuses so you can follow feature and bug progress in real time. Integrated help center, tying documentation, bugs, and features together in one central location (WIP) 🔁 What about my old feature requests and bug reports? Feature Requests We won’t be porting over all feature requests from the old system, but we are reviewing the most popular ones and bringing them into FeatureBase. If there’s a request you feel strongly about, please consider resubmitting it in the new system! We understand this may cause some frustration, especially since votes from the old system won’t carry over. That said, after 10 years, the old list had become cluttered with duplicates, outdated ideas, and requests that no longer reflect the current direction of the platform. Starting fresh gives us—and you—a better opportunity to highlight what really matters today, using a system that’s far more visible, interactive, and easier to navigate. Your input will have more impact than ever before, and we’re excited to build a more transparent and community-driven roadmap together. Bug Reports We will not be migrating ANY existing bug reports. Many of them are likely outdated, already resolved, or no longer relevant to the current version of LaunchBox. We know this may be disappointing to those who took the time to report issues in the past, however, to ensure accuracy and focus, we want to start fresh with reports that reflect the current user experience. If you’re still encountering a bug, please resubmit it in the new system so we can investigate it fully with up-to-date context. Your reports remain incredibly valuable, and this new workflow will help us address them more efficiently and directly. 🔄 What happens when I submit a feature request or bug report in the new system? Feature Requests When you submit a request, our team may reach out with follow-up questions to better understand your use case. This helps us shape a clear and useful request for the community. Once it’s ready, we’ll publish it to the board so other users can vote, discuss, and add their own use cases. You can view the various boards, upvote, and add your own comments to existing requests. We encourage users to provide lots of use-cases, so that the team has a better understanding on how the feature will enhance everyone's user experience and address specific needs. 🚨 Please Note: Before submitting feature requests, please ensure one doesn't already exist. If it does, please add your requests to this existing one, rather than creating a new one. The system has tools in place to help recognize duplicates and will prompt you before submission if one already exists You can review similar posts or help articles before submitting a new request Bug Reports Bug submissions are handled privately between you and our team to ensure direct attention. You may be asked for additional context or steps to reproduce the issue—please include as much detail as possible! We’ll also use the Bug Reports board to track known issues, so we recommend checking there before submitting a new report. 📚 What about documentation? You’ve probably noticed that LaunchBox has never had an official help center. Instead, we’ve relied on YouTube tutorials and forum posts—many of which have become outdated as the emulation landscape continues to evolve. We’re now building a proper, searchable help center filled with up-to-date tutorials, FAQs, and guides. This is an important step toward offering more consistent and accessible support for all users. While there isn’t a huge amount of content available just yet, we’re actively working on it—and you’ll start seeing it referenced more often by our team. This new help center will serve as a reliable starting point for users seeking answers to specific questions, and it even includes some helpful AI integrations to quickly surface solutions to common problems. You can view the help center here. 🤷 Why should I care? We understand change is tricky, and we want to ensure this new platform and process provides a much better experience for our users. To summarize some of the advantages we're excited about: SSO login using your LaunchBox account (no extra account needed) Better searching and filtering of requests (top, trending, recent) Enhanced tools for developer and user collaboration Centralized, official documentation that’s easy to access 💬 What about the LaunchBox forum? The LaunchBox forum will continue to live alongside FeatureBase. They’ll serve different purposes, side by side: FeatureBase – For feature requests, bug reports, and read-only documentation LaunchBoxForum – For community discussions, user troubleshooting, file sharing, collaboration, and open conversations 🚀 Okay, I’m sold. How can I contribute? You can access the portal here: Feedback Portal https://feedback.launchbox.gg/ Also accessible via the HELP & SUPPORT link at the top of this page, and within the LaunchBox application Documentation Portal https://feedback.launchbox.gg/help We will continue to iterate on this process, so please let us know if you think there's anything we could add or improve on.

Hi folks, Thanks for the great discussion here. We’ve definitely heard from many users about the desire to obscure license information—especially when streaming. In previous conversations, we’ve leaned toward a solution that allows for obscuring this information (similar to Discord’s streaming mode). While we don’t have a perfect solution just yet, I’ve added a request to our new feature request system. You can check it out here: 🔗 https://feedback.launchbox.gg/p/option-to-obscure-license-name-when-streaming-or-capturing-content It’d be great if you could add your support to the request and share any additional use cases that aren’t already included. We’re definitely eager to find a solution that respects privacy concerns while still honoring the original intent of displaying the DRM-free license name. Cheers,

Hi there, Just to let you know this has been addressed in 13.21 beta-1. You can find details on this here, or wait until the 13.21 official release to receive this fix. Thanks for bearing with us while we got this sorted

Hi there, One thing to check here is to ensure the Dolphin instance you're opening standalone is not different from the instance LaunchBox is using? You cancheck this by going to Tools > Manage > Emulators and confirm that the path to the Dolphin .exe is in fac,t the same as the Dolphin application where you're saying the controllers work. We've seen instances where people have a standalone version of Dolphin, but then let LaunchBox download and manage a separate instance, which would explain why your controller configurations aren't working when running through LaunchBox (as they haven't been setup yet). Let me know and we'll try to get you sorted. Cheers,

Hi there, Apologies for the delayed follow-up here. This is in fact by design, there is a hard-coded list of image priorities which are as follows: - Steam Screenshot - Epic Games Screenshot - GOG Screenshot - Amazon Screenshot - Origin Screenshot - Background (group priority) - Screenshot - Gameplay The reason storefront screenshots take priorities is that backgrounds from storefronts are notoriously bad for including logos in them, which creates conflicts where we overlay our own clear logo ontop of it. That said, I can totally see the request where it would ideally give the user the choice to re-arrange the priorities for this section of the app. We've had someone request something similar which you can upvote here: 🔗 https://feedback.launchbox.gg/p/separate-out-screenshot-priorities-and-what-is-shown-in-the Cheers,

Hi There, Thanks for the question! LaunchBox does include Series as one of the editable metadata fields for games. However, outside of arcade titles (where that data is automatically populated from MAME), you’ll need to manually assign the series for your games. To do this, simply right-click on a game, choose Edit, and fill out the Series field. You can also apply this in bulk by selecting multiple games, right-clicking, and editing them all at once. Once you’ve assigned series values to your games, you can switch the view in LaunchBox from Platform Categories to Series to browse your collection organized by series. Additionally, the Series field can be used to sort games. For example, when creating a playlist, under the Sort Games By dropdown, you can choose Series to group the games in that playlist accordingly. Lastly, you can even create an auto-populating playlist based on a game series. For instance, if you’d like to create a playlist that includes all Mario games, you could set the filter to Series > Contains, and then list the series names you’d like to include. Hope that helps, give me a shout if you have any further questions. Cheers,

Hi Folks, For those experiencing issues with startup videos after upgrading, it would be great if you could run the following steps to help us narrow down if the issue is with the LaunchBox app or specific LaunchBox builds, since we're unfortunately not able to reproduce this yet. Could you try: Install a brand new LaunchBox build in a separate directory (but on the same drive as your current build). Copy over your startup video to this new build, ensuring that in the LaunchBox\Videos folder, you need to create a directory called startup which contains your videos. If the startup videos work in this new build, it indicates there is an issue with your existing LaunchBox build, which will help us narrow down next steps. Cheers,