FAQ: How to Import from Network Drives on LaunchBox for Android

[AstroBob]

With the release of LaunchBox for Android 1.16, you can now import games directly from a network drive. This article dives into the details of how to set it up and explores the workflows associated with this powerful new feature.

What Are Network Shares?

A network share is a folder or drive on one device (like a PC or server) that is accessible to other devices on the same network. It allows you to store and access files, such as game ROMs, without needing to copy them onto each device.

 

Why Use This Feature?

Android devices, like smartphones, tablets, or dedicated Android gaming devices, often have limited internal storage compared to PCs. If you frequently use your Android device for gaming, you might find your internal storage filling up quickly or end up relying on an SD card to hold your games. For users who also maintain a LaunchBox build on their PC, keeping games in sync between devices can also become a hassle.

This feature eliminates both problems by allowing your Android device to access games stored on a network share without needing to store them locally. When you want to play a game, LaunchBox for Android downloads it from the network share on demand, saving you both storage space and time spent syncing libraries.

Once the game has been downloaded, it remains local to your device, meaning the next time you go to play it you won't need to download it.

 

What Do You Need to Get Started?

To use this feature, you’ll need an existing network share that hosts your games. There are numerous ways to set up a network share and we aren't going to cover all of them here, but here are two common scenarios:

1.    A Shared Folder on Your Windows PC:
Host a network share on the PC where your primary LaunchBox library resides. This can be configured for:

•   Local Access: Accessible only within your home network.
•   Remote Access: Accessible from anywhere via the internet.

Here’s a helpful guide to create a simple network-shared folder:
🔗 How to Create a Network Shared Folder.

Our feature set supports drives that use the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol. Unfortunately, we are not able to guarantee compatibility or provide support with other types of network drives or setups.

2.    A Dedicated NAS (Network-Attached Storage) Device:
If you use a NAS to store your games, ensure the shared folder is properly configured and accessible on your network.

 

How to Configure in Android?

For a step-by-step video guide, check out our release video where ETA Prime walks your through the process: [Insert Link Here].

To set up network share imports within LaunchBox for Android:

1.    Go to Import Games:
From the main menu, choose Import Games and under Folder of Games to Import, select Network Share.

 
2.    Authenticate and Connect:
LaunchBox will search for available shared drives. Depending on your setup, you may need to manually authenticate yourself by providing login credentials.

3.    Select Folder:
Choose the folder you want to include in the import process.

4.    Complete the Import:
Follow the standard import process to finish adding your games to the library.

At this stage, the game entries will appear in your LaunchBox library, but no ROMs will be downloaded yet.

 

What Happens After Importing Games?

After importing, you’ll notice a small download icon next to games imported from your network share. This indicates the game is available on the share but hasn’t been downloaded locally.

 

To play a game:

• Select the game as you normally would.
• You’ll see an option to Download and Play, which downloads the game before launching it.

The initial download time depends on the size of the game and your connection speed, but once downloaded, the game will remain stored locally and can be played offline.

 

Are all Systems Supported?

At the time of writing, all systems except for Arcade are supported for importing over a network share. This is because Arcade games often require additional dependencies to function properly. If you attempt to import Arcade games using this method, you will receive the warning below. However, you can still import Arcade games locally.

 

Recap

Let's recap the advantages and disadvantages of this feature, and why you might want to use it:

Advantages:

• No need to store your entire library on your Android device.
• Games are downloaded locally only when needed.
• Once downloaded, games can be played offline without requiring access to the network share.
• With remote access configured, you can play your games from anywhere.

Disadvantages:

• The host machine for the network share must be active for your Android device to connect.
• Initial game downloads may take time, especially for larger files and slower connections.
• More games means more media. Make sure your device has enough storage to cover this or turn off certain media downloads.

 

This feature is a game-changer for Android users with limited storage or those who want seamless access to their PC-hosted libraries. By leveraging network shares, you can enjoy a vast library of games without the need to store everything locally, while still maintaining the flexibility to play offline once a game is downloaded.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this feature, let us know in the comments below!

[njhilliard]

Does this work for Samba shares on Linux?

Nick

[Uplink]

Is this something that can be implemented on the pc version?

[AstroBob]

9 hours ago, Uplink said:

Is this something that can be implemented on the pc version?

Windows already has native network drive support, so all you need to do is point to your games on your network share during import. The main difference is that it won't download local copies of the games from your network drive like it does with Android; instead, you'll play them directly from the network drive.

[AstroBob]

On 12/24/2024 at 10:34 AM, njhilliard said:

Does this work for Samba shares on Linux?

Nick

Unfortunately, I doubt they would work since we support SMB, which I believe is a different protocol. I'm not 100% sure, as we haven't tested these so would be curious if you're able to test it and let us know the results.

[Uplink]

4 hours ago, AstroBob said:

Windows already has native network drive support, so all you need to do is point to your games on your network share during import. The main difference is that it won't download local copies of the games from your network drive like it does with Android; instead, you'll play them directly from the network drive.

Yes I understand the native support for folders, but, downloading locally to a fast drive would be awesome on handhelds like the Rog ally etc. 

[AstroBob]

Yep, it's definately something we're hearing quite a few people would like since the Android release. Handheld PCs seem to be the primary use-case here or are the least devices with smaller hard drive sizes. We'll certainly keep this in mind as we continue to expand this feature set

[Malakito]

Hi! First of all, sorry for my bad english.

Is it easy to delete the downloaded game, or do you have to go to the file manager on the phone to delete the ROM?

[jacksonjack]

It works on android phones, but fails on chromebooks, I just tested it, it is unable to see network drives on chromebooks

[Sharakk]

First, I want to say I love the Download and Play feature! It has been a game-changer for browsing my library on my Android tablet, and I truly appreciate the functionality it provides.

However, I’ve noticed that the download speeds seem unusually slow. For example, when I use Android Launchbox to download a file (about 1.4 GB), it takes nearly an hour to complete. By comparison, using my Android file manager to download the same file from the same shared folder on my network takes less than 5 minutes.

I’ve tested my network and ensured that both devices and my server are optimized for high-speed transfers. My connection is capable of 2.5 Gbps via Ethernet, and file transfers outside of Launchbox consistently achieve speeds much faster than what I’m seeing within the app.

Could you let me know if there’s a reason for this discrepancy? Does Launchbox throttle transfer speeds, or are there settings I can adjust to improve performance?