Launchbox startup and performance problem!!!

[Retrogamer4423]

First of all, I greet all retro enthusiasts with respect and affection. I have been working with Launchbox for a long time. After updating to the latest versions, I started experiencing noticeable slowdown issues following the 13xx version. Despite using an M2 SSD, the features added to the latest versions have made both my gaming experience and my development work with Launchbox increasingly difficult. Launchbox shouldn't take 46 seconds to open. On top of that, there are constant freezing and crashing issues. Menu transitions are very slow, and dealing with this sluggishness makes it impossible for me to play games. Please stop adding features to Launchbox. I want a system that opens quickly, doesn't overload my computer in the background, and has fast menu transitions. Especially after opening and closing games on several platforms, the system becomes very sluggish. I have 32 GB RAM, 2 TB M2 SSD, 8 TB HDD, an i7 13700k processor, and an RTX4070 12 GB graphics card, but I'm still unhappy. I want to add a photo below. A user created a Frontend Speed Showdown. Please take this sluggishness into account and focus on speed and performance rather than adding more features.

 

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Edited December 3 by Retrogamer4423

[Jabb3rJaw]

While I’m not experiencing that problem it would be nice to be a little faster and smoother.  With that being said can’t you just roll back to an older version with less features?

[AstroBob]

Hi Folks, 

Thanks for the report. We do have an official troubleshooting guide regarding performance, with multiple steps and optimisations that you can take that may help out. I’m attaching it below: 

- https://feedback.launchbox.gg/help/articles/9454889-troubleshooting-launchbox-and-big-box-performance

It would be great if you’re able to run through that guide and make some of the suggested tweaks to see if that helps, and also please make sure you’re on the latest 13 version (currently 13.24), since we are continuously adding optimisations and improvements around performance. 

Let us know how you get on and if any of those suggestions make a noticable difference for you

[PadeMoNiuM Prods]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share a quick field report after spending some time with version 13.24  as someone who works heavily with videos, cinematics, animated views, and complex interface flows.
This isn’t a rant, just an honest and balanced overview with both positives and negatives.

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⭐ The Positive Points

• Better controller support, especially for the right analog stick (very welcome when navigating Big Box frequently).

• Some transitions and UI behaviors in Big Box feel a bit more stable.

• A few import-related fixes are helpful.

• And as always, LaunchBox remains a solid and feature-rich frontend.

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⚠️ The Negative Points (Real impact on heavy video-based setups)

Since the 13.24 update, several users  including myself and some of my contributors have noticed a significant slowdown, especially for setups that rely on:

• a lot of videos,

• cinematic views,

• intros/outros,

• triggers,

• high-bitrate footage,

• and fully animated interfaces like Nostalgic Bedroom.

Even on powerful machines with top-tier SSDs (980 Pro, etc.), the navigation feels less fluid, transitions take longer, and scenes that used to be instant on 13.22 now show delays or stutters.

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🎬 The Video Player: the Core Issue

The switch to the Windows Media Foundation player has clearly changed Big Box performance.

For creators who push video usage to the limit, the new player shows:

• lower fluidity,

• more latency,

• weaker handling of multiple videos,

• and an overall drop in responsiveness.

VLC, in previous versions, handled all of this without struggling.

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💤 About the Screensaver

In my case, the built-in screensaver doesn’t help  and actually gets in the way.

I already create my own intros, my own moods, my own cinematic loops.
So my “screensaver” is built directly into the experience.

The Big Box screensaver actually interrupts these sequences, so it doesn’t fit the type of projects I produce.
Not a complaint  just the reality for heavily cinematic themes.

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🔍 Conclusion

13.24 definitely brings some nice improvements, but the video player change has a noticeable impact on creators who use Big Box to its full potential.

For now, version 13.22 remains the smoothest option for video-heavy projects.

I hope this feedback helps guide future updates  keeping the useful new features while preserving the video performance that made Big Box so strong.

Thanks for the hard work and for reading.