Why should I choose LaunchBox before any other FE?

[dannyboyswe]

Hey guys! I've had my eye on LaunchBox for some time now, and it does really look nice. I've been a member over att Hyperspin for a few years, and even though I've tried multiple times, I've never really finished any of my Hyperspin projects :( Hyperspin looks amazing, but it's too much tinkering for my taste. Compared to Hyperspin and other frontends, why should I choose LaunchBox? Hoping to get some answers! Any will do really, but tell my why you like LaunchBox if you really can't answer my question above :)

[Jason Carr]

In all honesty, LaunchBox kind of sucks; you should probably stick with Hyperspin. Just kidding lol. I'm the developer. :) The biggest reason why most people give it a shot at first is just because you don't have to tinker with stuff so much. For the most part, it just works. Then people stick around because of the community, the new features coming out all the time, the ease of managing your games, etc. Just my guesses/observations as to why most people choose LaunchBox. Some people prefer it visually too if they prefer a cleaner and less flashy/less in-your-face look over Hyperspin.

[niglurion]

Hey ! For me that's, by order: - Two front-ends in one (Launchbox + BigBox) - updated frequently - Good looking FE - Easy to configure - Great features (like managing everything with only one controller in BigBox) - Good scraper & linked to emumovies (very easy to import cover/screenshots/music & videos) - Not too closed, we can do much more than only boot a game (ex: launch any .exe, use .bat files, and so on...) - it rarely crashes and it's fast. - Very nice and listening community, not aggressive I've tried Hyperspin... But... Not for me... I've tried EmulationStation, good looking FE but limited and totally outdated. I've tried Lakka, but, eh... no. I haven't tried Ice because I don't want to use multiple FE at the same time, specially Steam. I've tried GameEx.... But I really don't like it (meh interface...). And others are too "simple". Not enough options/bad UI... MehStation is visually really close to BigBox but very young, I think it worth a try. I'm done

[dannyboyswe]

Thanks for your replies, guys :D LaunchBox sounds like something I would like! I'll have to give it a try, and eventually chip in for the upgrade to Bigbox-mode :D Thanks again!

[SentaiBrad]

niglurion said - Very nice and listening community, not aggressive />

I am glad someone thinks so. ;) Though seriously, Jason hit the nail on the head. We have to go by what people tell us and what we read ALL the time on the forums, on YouTube, on Reddit... is that they love that it is a lot easier to play your games, and it just works. When you want to do a bunch of power user stuff though that ability is there, we want everyone from top to bottom to enjoy their experience with LaunchBox. After a user has stayed for any amount of time or needs / wants to contact us, we also hear "Wow, that response was fast!!!!". Jason and I just love what we do, we love our jobs. We have a community who loves the software and also want to help because they've been in that spot a user needing help is in.

[spacegoathlz]

What they said. I've pestered this community with everything from "how do I use this for something you never intended it for" (videos w/no hope of scraping info) to advice on upgrading my rig, and Brad and Jason are all over it whether I post at 8AM, 3PM, or 3AM. The amazing ease of importing games, being able to add a script, the community sharing solutions, (sometimes even people other than Brad and Jason ;) and the constant updates and improvements that are so often based on what the users are asking for just make this the FE that should be either used, or envied by all.

[craiganderson]

for me....i really like the way the game names look in launchbox (text) better than the images (.png) in hyperspin

[fromlostdays]

I've tried a bunch of front ends, and: I use both HyperSpin and LaunchBox. For me they serve different functions. I like tinkering, and my HyperSpin setup is an ongoing hobby of mine. If I want to show off to friends, I'll run HyperSpin. Main Wheel with over 180 systems. However, I also like actually playing games, and here LaunchBox/BigBox shines. I'll use a new PC game as an example. I just got a new game and I'm excited and about to Launch it for the first time. On the one hand, I wouldn't even dream of trying to hurry up and integrate it with HyperSpin before my first time playing it. In fact, it usually won't get integrated until I'm pretty much done with it and tinkering again. With HyperSpin, I'd have to set up the game in PC Launcher in RocketLauncher, regenerate xml, and then go about hoping someone has done some artwork for it, or its just going to be plain text on the wheel. (That isn't to say people aren't doing the art. They are, but it is a toss up sometimes). With LaunchBox its like two clicks, couple seconds wait while it searches and downloads assets, and then I have the game, art, video, and ready to launch. I won't go about saying which one looks better, because for me thats a toss up. I think they both look awesome. HyperSpin certainly gives you a lot more flexibility in how it looks, but for MANY people that isn't necessarily a good thing. Other perks of LaunchBox: Dev is active on the forum Some really good users on the forum who are always quick to help you if they can VERY easy integration with KODI/Bigbox For me, integration with RocketLauncher was a must For others, RocketLauncher not being necessary is a must Video tutorials which probably helped eliminate a lot of forum clutter Beta testing / constant updates

[Jason Carr]

Wow, thank you guys for all the support. There's a heavy emphasis on the community here, and that's because *you guys* are such a huge part of making this all successful. Thanks again and thanks for being such a great community.

[Antropus]

I'm a long time user of Maximus Arcade and I love the look of it and I thought it was pretty easy to configure... before I tried Launchbox. Years later, Maximus doesn't look dated, but it hit a dead end and is no longer being updated. Also, treating lists as binary files was a big mistake of their part in my opinion. Hyperspin is overly complicated and those themes are like a disco club, with too much going on, to the point that it distracts from the experience of simply playing the games. Don't show those themes to children or they will start fainting and having convulsions! :) Their community and the amount of artwork generated by them is undeniable though. They made a HUGE difference when it comes to artwork, together with Emumovies. Their community is much bigger than the frontend itself and I deeply respect that. Now, when it comes to Launchbox, this is not a hobbyist's project. Jason is working full time on it and really involved with the community. He is constantly updating and making thinks better. It's great looking without being too flashy or cheesy. More in line with Kodi when it comes to the way things are presented and in terms of file lists format as well (xml), so it's easy to edit things and develop tools for it. There are many wizards with the intention of making things as easy as possible to the final user and it really shows. Also, the direct connection to Emumovies is a God sent feature. The brand new database will be HUGE very soon and has the potential to benefit not only this community, but the entire emulation community as a whole and set the bar to where to find quality metadata and artwork. Time will tell, but I have a great feeling about it. Also, Launchbox has a lot of awesome video tutorials already and a very helpful community always available to help. At this point, Launchbox is my favorite frontend for arcade cabinets and PinballX is bar none the very best frontend for pinball cabinets. The best way to find out if we are saying is true is: install ALL of them and spend only 20 minutes in each one. The one that gives you a combination of speed, flexibility when it comes to filters and good looks will come on top and I have a strong feeling that it will be Launchbox. Good luck choosing! -Kris

[CADScott]

I very much agree with what Kris has said above! I have tried many front ends in the past. I started with Mala in my arcade machine, which I spent an incredible amount of time getting working well, and have moved through GameEx and Hyperspin. getting both working well, but hating how much time I spent doing it! I discovered LaunchBox completely by accident, downloaded it, and was hooked almost instantly. I purchased a lifetime licence within a few days, and have never regretted it. The ease with which I can get LaunchBox setup is amazing, and while it does not have the customisation and fancy graphics that some of the other frontends have, I think this can be a good thing. I have spent way too much time getting a frontend setup the way I wanted in the past, agonising over every graphic and transition, and actually don't end up playing many games! With BigBox, I can pick up a controller and see all my games with videos in one place, and easily select and play every system possible. As Jason has said, the community here is fantastic, very friendly and helpful, and willing and able to answer any and all questions quickly.

[squeak450]

I have no problem at dropping $50 for the Premium if everything works and i can get my controllers working on my game systems when launched. I spent 50 on Hyperspin and 50 on EMC with tons of awesome looking stuff that i can only get to play from off my keyboard. I'm not a keyboard player i prefer a controller or a joystick. I even bought joytokey to try to help me out with stick no luck. if i can get the free version up and running i will def buy the premium to help Jason out on keeping everything up and running. Can anyone tell me if controller setup is included in the free version and if its hard to setup up, as i am a noob when it comes to setting up thing on my computer and Simply Austin said that this is the system that i should try to use if i failed at Hyperspin. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank

James

[fromlostdays]

Well, I don't know if the launchbox interface supports controllers. Even if it doesnt, would not be hard to map to joy 2 key. Having said that, bigbox (which comes with premium) is a godsend for controllers. It supports key combo buttons for exiting emulators. A couple of days ago I navigated to play super metroid, then without taking my hand off the controller I closed it, navigated to re7 in big box, launched it and was playing it, xbox controls the entire time. And if you us RA you can do most if not all of your emulator configuration with the controller too, after initial setup. We live in the future haha

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

[squeak450]

OK so Basically i would have to buy the Premium an get bigbox and i should be OK. Man i don't want to spend the money and just be mad because i still can't map things. UHHH why can't things work like they are supposed to after buying all the stuff watching the YouTube videos and reading the forums for hours upon end with no avail. Thanks FromLostDays. I'll consider dropping another 50 to see if i can get it working after i check out the free part of it.

 

Thanks

James

[DOS76]

LB does work with controllers and only the controller automation part is premium so you can set up and control LB with the controller however unless the emulator supports exiting with the controller you will not be able to use the ahk solution built into LB without a premium license

[squeak450]

DOS76, OK so have you successfully been able to setup the xbox 360 wireless controllers to it? I'm waiting on my X-Arcade tankstick to come in and just trying to use the 360 controllers as a stand in until my tankstick comes in. Then i want to use the 360 controllers for like player 3 & 4 if i get a group of friend over to play a few of the 4 player games.

 

Thanks

James

[neil9000]

@squeak450

 

[squeak450]

OK so I'll trust yall and get the premium. Thank you. I just hope i don't wanna waste more money.

[neil9000]

That is in the free version. Premium just lets you use the automation part.

 

Edited February 7, 2017 by neil9000

[squeak450]

OH ok awesome. Like i said if i can get this to work i'll gladly donate the $50. I've just been messing with hyperspin and rocket launcher with joytokey for a month now and can only get the 360 controllers to control those two programs. to play any of the emulators  i got to use the keyboard