LaunchBox 13.28 Beta Thread

[MysterNybble]

2 hours ago, skizzosjt said:

I 2nd this complaint, it's a step backwards for VLC. Transitions are not the same anymore.  But the problem is not just with VLC, seems to be with the other media engines too. 

 

Transition points that no longer work as expected with all media engines, but VLC is the worse offender perhaps. This is what I noticed reviewing Colorful theme.

-from platform wheel to game wheel
-from game wheel to game details
-from game details to game wheel
-from game wheel to platform wheel
-from platform wheel to system menu
-from system menu to platform wheel
-from categories wheel to platform wheel (sorry forgot to put this one in the videos)
-from platform wheel to categories wheel (sorry forgot to put this one in the videos)
-frame rate for VLC and FFMPEG playback looks poor. for ex I watch a video I know is 60FPS, it sure is not looking like 60FPS with either VLC or FFMPEG selected. you can see this in the videos I captured too.

The same above issues can be said about FFMPEG, and WMP, but some small differences too so I list them below rather than make the same lists with just 1 or 2 changes.....
 

Specific to FFMPEG
-from game wheel to platform view seems to transition as expected
-shows what looks like a single frame of what I would assume is an image for the currently selected game before video starts for game videos (game wheel and game details). Note this doesn't seem to occur for platform videos though. 

 

Specific to WMP
-from game details to game wheel view seems to transition as expected
-frame rate is EXCELLENT (it has actually always looked excellent with WMP) and makes it more noticeable how poor frame rate/playback is with the other two media engines right now

 

It's like there is zero transition at all anymore. As if it's going from one view to the other in a span of 1 frame. 

 

Video examples of the above issues for all three media engines:
-VLC

-FFMPEG

-WMP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm still needing to do multiple attempts of opening LaunchBox to get it to actually load. I do not notice any improvements on this front. This should be priority #1 on the needs to be fixed immediately list. I'm quoting my previous post below, which has logs included there. This time around, I zipped the entire log folder to provide whatever ones you need for not only the Big Box transition issue, but also LaunchBox getting hung up during launch so often. 

 

 

Logs.zip 2.65 MB · 2 downloads

 

 

 

The positives (confirming previous issues are resolved)

-No more focus issues from hitting B on the controller when playing a game launched from Big Box
-No more extra/unintended animations occurring when exiting games and returning to Big Box

 

Good news is beta 6 (coming soon, likely tomorrow) should restore missing video transitions and fix the vlc thumbnail flash. We've also improved the startup handling to be more resilient (not confident this will fix your issue, but it could, and if it doesn't, it should produce better diagnostics to help us figure it out). I am also looking into your fps report for vlc to see what we can do there, likely not in time for beta 6 but maybe before release if I can figure it out. Thanks for all of the reports, videos, and logs, they really do help us find issues or at least find limitations in our diagnostics.

[TheNewClassics]

8 hours ago, skizzosjt said:

I 2nd this complaint, it's a step backwards for VLC. Transitions are not the same anymore.  But the problem is not just with VLC, seems to be with the other media engines too. 

 

Transition points that no longer work as expected with all media engines, but VLC is the worse offender perhaps. This is what I noticed reviewing Colorful theme.

-from platform wheel to game wheel
-from game wheel to game details
-from game details to game wheel
-from game wheel to platform wheel
-from platform wheel to system menu
-from system menu to platform wheel
-from categories wheel to platform wheel (sorry forgot to put this one in the videos)
-from platform wheel to categories wheel (sorry forgot to put this one in the videos)
-frame rate for VLC and FFMPEG playback looks poor. for ex I watch a video I know is 60FPS, it sure is not looking like 60FPS with either VLC or FFMPEG selected. you can see this in the videos I captured too.

The same above issues can be said about FFMPEG, and WMP, but some small differences too so I list them below rather than make the same lists with just 1 or 2 changes.....
 

Specific to FFMPEG
-from game wheel to platform view seems to transition as expected
-shows what looks like a single frame of what I would assume is an image for the currently selected game before video starts for game videos (game wheel and game details). Note this doesn't seem to occur for platform videos though. 

 

Specific to WMP
-from game details to game wheel view seems to transition as expected
-frame rate is EXCELLENT (it has actually always looked excellent with WMP) and makes it more noticeable how poor frame rate/playback is with the other two media engines right now

 

It's like there is zero transition at all anymore. As if it's going from one view to the other in a span of 1 frame. 

 

Video examples of the above issues for all three media engines:
-VLC

-FFMPEG

-WMP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm still needing to do multiple attempts of opening LaunchBox to get it to actually load. I do not notice any improvements on this front. This should be priority #1 on the needs to be fixed immediately list. I'm quoting my previous post below, which has logs included there. This time around, I zipped the entire log folder to provide whatever ones you need for not only the Big Box transition issue, but also LaunchBox getting hung up during launch so often. 

 

 

Logs.zip 2.65 MB · 2 downloads

 

 

 

The positives (confirming previous issues are resolved)

-No more focus issues from hitting B on the controller when playing a game launched from Big Box
-No more extra/unintended animations occurring when exiting games and returning to Big Box

 

Just happen to be reading thru this, and was curious: what is your CPU? I have an Intel 13900k, and had this same problem with it only launching sometimes. Turns out the CPU was failing from a notorious bug that affected those specific models. Had to send in and get my CPU replaced, and it has worked since. I could never identify the problem otherwise 

[fianovale@hotmail.com]

On 7/27/2026 at 10:40 PM, AstroBob said:

Thanks, this is already fixed and will be in beta-6

 

Could you elaborate on this, does it happen all the time, or only within certain sections? If you have a screenshot handy showing it that would be very useful. 

Cheers,

Thanks for the reply! The font problem happens when open the program. And it fixes when i close it and re-opened. I hope that this helps. I love launchbox!

[skizzosjt]

3 hours ago, TheNewClassics said:

Just happen to be reading thru this, and was curious: what is your CPU? I have an Intel 13900k, and had this same problem with it only launching sometimes. Turns out the CPU was failing from a notorious bug that affected those specific models. Had to send in and get my CPU replaced, and it has worked since. I could never identify the problem otherwise 

Ahh ok, thanks for sharing. This would be occurring on a Windows 10 system with an i9-9900k. I'm under the impression what you're referring to was issues specifically related to the 13th gen family? I recall reading some widespread issues regarding voltage control on TechPowerUp when it was first rearing its head. If that was the issue you mean, I'm in the clear on that one. 

 

 

8 hours ago, MysterNybble said:

Good news is beta 6 (coming soon, likely tomorrow) should restore missing video transitions and fix the vlc thumbnail flash. We've also improved the startup handling to be more resilient (not confident this will fix your issue, but it could, and if it doesn't, it should produce better diagnostics to help us figure it out). I am also looking into your fps report for vlc to see what we can do there, likely not in time for beta 6 but maybe before release if I can figure it out. Thanks for all of the reports, videos, and logs, they really do help us find issues or at least find limitations in our diagnostics.

I appreciate your response and update!

I know the FPS thing can be subjective to some. I never was sensitive to frame rate until I got a TV that could do 120Hz....now I notice things I never previously gave a crap about lol

 

To clarify, the thumbnail flash, that is something I only noticed and provided a video example with FFMPEG, not VLC, only in Big Box. I know the other fella Heartless1Riku said that it was with VLC, but they also added that was in LaunchBox. I did not test that with LaunchBox since I only use videos in Big Box. So just making sure we are on the same page. In Big Box, VLC did not have this thumbnail flash issue for me. Looking at Heartless1Riku's video example, I would guess it's the same issue but seems there is a difference between which media engine is causing it between LaunchBox and Big Box. Maybe it happens with FFMPEG in LaunchBox too....something I also didn't test.
So a quick summary = VLC in LAUNCHBOX has the thumbnail flash issue. FFMPEG in BIG BOX also has the thumbnail flash issue. 

[Rlad]

im just doing a side by side with mpc-hc and VLC in LB and it's definitely not as smooth (30fps?) in LB.

Edited yesterday at 08:45 PM by Rlad

[faeran]

Hi Everyone,

Beta 6 is now available with the promised list of polish and bug fixes. We fixed as much as we could (thanks to all of the help you guys provided), and even managed to throw in a new 3D model of a Cassette case for you guys to play with. We’ve also removed FFmpeg playback, as the new media engine has proven to be a better fit for where video playback is heading in LaunchBox. Windows Media Player remains the leanest option through its native Windows integration, while VLC - Media Engine offers broader out-of-the-box compatibility and improved resilience through the new media engine infrastructure.

Here are the main areas we’d love feedback on:

• Priority: 3D Cassette Case model - Select the new Cassette Case for a platform or an individual game, then try the Straight Back, Angled Back, and Clear Straight Back types with Automatic, Portrait, and Landscape positioning. Confirm front, back, and spine artwork line up on the case, spine images, clear logos, and plain-text titles are drawn where expected, and plastic color, cover color, title font, and spine and logo toggles all apply correctly.
• Priority: Steam integration and missing-library resilience - Test Steam games and Steam-linked additional applications with custom command-line arguments, including Steam libraries on available and disconnected drives. Confirm content launches through Steam with its expected arguments and LaunchBox starts normally when a configured Steam game drive is missing.
• Priority: Big Box video, transitions, and return from games - Test startup videos, preview videos, VLC and Windows Media Player playback, background transitions, video alignment, and returning from a game. Confirm videos are positioned correctly, transitions play, autoplay does not flash a thumbnail, and audio resumes properly.
• VLC video preview audio - In LaunchBox and Big Box, move quickly between games whose videos begin with speech or music. Confirm the opening audio is not cut off, fades in smoothly, and audio from the previous selection does not carry over.
• Priority: Emulator exit and frontend recovery - Launch and exit several emulators and storefront games, including repeated launches. Confirm LaunchBox or Big Box regains focus without freezing, startup settings persist, and startup-video behavior remains clean.
• Priority: Game List Index and dynamic grids - Test the always-visible Game List Index with large libraries, varied Arrange By fields, dynamically sized grids, mouse wheel input, click-and-drag navigation, and native scrollbar fallback.
• Image Grid editing and selection - Delete games from the Fast Image Grid, edit games while browsing, refresh metadata, and navigate Big Box text lists. Confirm the intended game is deleted, grids remain stable, selections do not stick, and list highlighting remains correct.
• LaunchBox Reader, controller metadata, and artwork resilience - Test global LaunchBox Reader settings from both LaunchBox and Big Box; launch with missing or inaccessible game-controller metadata; and download, replace, and clean up duplicate images while browsing. Confirm settings apply consistently, startup succeeds, and artwork cleanup completes without instability.

Beta 6 changelog:

• New Premium Feature: Added a new 3D Cassette Case model for tape-based platforms, with straight back, angled back, and clear case styles, portrait or landscape positioning, custom plastic and cover colors, and J-card spine artwork that falls back to a clear logo or a plain-text title
• New Feature: Added an option to keep the Game List Index visible at all times, including in dynamically arranged game lists
• Improvement: Steam games and Steam-linked additional applications now launch through Steam while preserving configured command-line arguments
• Improvement: Video playback now uses the LaunchBox Media Engine for VLC or Windows Media Player, and the older FFME playback engine has been removed
• Improvement: VLC now sizes and crops videos correctly for videos that do not use square pixels, such as many console and arcade captures
• Improvement: Big Box background transitions are now smoother and more reliable, with improved handling when videos and other background content change
• Improvement: Big Box video playback now keeps audio correctly synchronized when returning from a game
• Improvement: Big Box video previews no longer briefly flash their thumbnail when VLC autoplay begins
• Improvement: The Image Grid now keeps the selected game in view when changing Arrange By or switching between ascending and descending
• Improvement: Dynamically sized grids now calculate and display their Arrange scrollbar correctly
• Improvement: LaunchBox and Big Box startup handling is more reliable, including safer startup settings persistence, better containment of splash-screen failures, and LaunchBox correctly taking focus once the splash screen closes
• Improvement: Error and crash reporting has been modernized, with separate options for sending automatic error reports and optional performance diagnostics
• Improvement: LaunchBox and Big Box now save additional diagnostic information locally after certain severe crashes, helping the support team investigate problems that previously left no useful report
• Improvement: PlatformHybrid video centering now matches the other Big Box views
• Improvement: Added themeable video alignment support for Windows Media Player and VLC, allowing custom themes to control how videos are positioned
• Improvement: LaunchBox Reader and Media Engine data now live alongside LaunchBox's other system data, and existing beta installs are migrated automatically
• Fixed: Games can be launched again after exiting a game whose startup screen could not finish normally, which was most commonly seen with MAME
• Fixed: LaunchBox and Big Box no longer crash when game-controller metadata is missing, inaccessible, or invalid; missing controller metadata is repaired automatically in the background when possible
• Fixed: LaunchBox no longer crashes during startup when a configured Steam game library drive is unavailable
• Fixed: Big Box no longer freezes when restoring frontend focus after an emulator exits, and LaunchBox and Big Box no longer stay pinned above other windows afterward
• Fixed: Emulator and tool folders no longer leak into LaunchBox's own working directory, which could cause managed emulator updates to install into the wrong folder
• Fixed: The RetroAchievements menu is now available in custom LaunchBox themes
• Fixed: RetroAchievements profile images now load and refresh reliably and stay cached between sessions
• Fixed: Fast Image Grid's delete shortcut now deletes the intended item reliably
• Fixed: Image grids remain stable after games are edited, added, or removed
• Fixed: Selection no longer becomes stuck after a metadata refresh completes
• Fixed: Big Box artwork no longer ends up stale or missing when the same image is generated and displayed at the same time
• Fixed: Duplicate image cleanup is more reliable during concurrent artwork downloads and replacement
• Fixed: Global LaunchBox Reader options are now handled correctly
• Fixed: Big Box text-list selection styling now remains correct while navigating
• Fixed: Big Box Platform Categories and Discovery views now retire preview videos reliably, preventing stale playback and retained video resources
• Fixed: Duplicate LaunchBox instances no longer initialize the full WPF application unnecessarily
• Fixed: VLC video preview audio now begins promptly with a short fade instead of cutting off the opening portion of videos
• Documentation: Corrected the startup-screen API version documentation

As always, when reporting issues, please include your hardware specs, Windows version, LaunchBox or Big Box theme, selected video engine, controller setup, any relevant community plugins, and logs or crash details when available.

Thanks everyone for continuing to test and report back. This has been an especially large beta cycle, and your reports have helped us track down a number of difficult issues across very different hardware, library, theme, and controller configurations.

 

[Retrofrogg]

Great that the cassette case has finally been added! 2 things - 

When picking a colour for the plastic, I don't see a way to revert to the clear case again. 

Also, there needs to be a double cassette case as many games utilised this larger size. 

[Drybonz]

2 hours ago, faeran said:

• Fixed: Image grids remain stable after games are edited, added, or removed

I had reported this earlier, and just checked by adding media to a game in beta 6, and after adding the image and the grid refreshes it seems to be back to normal now and the grid does not "jump".  It stays focused on the same spot.  Thank you for the fix.

Also, just an unrelated general observation... I notice how fast and smooth the grid can scroll now, even with a large number of games, I compare this to my memory of how super clunky the scrolling used to be (talking years ago), and this has come a really long way, performance wise, and it just looks a whole lot better.

Edited 5 hours ago by Drybonz

[MysterNybble]

22 hours ago, skizzosjt said:

I know the FPS thing can be subjective to some. I never was sensitive to frame rate until I got a TV that could do 120Hz....now I notice things I never previously gave a crap about lol

 

22 hours ago, Rlad said:

im just doing a side by side with mpc-hc and VLC in LB and it's definitely not as smooth (30fps?) in LB.

I have low confidence in this actually helping, but I was able to give this a go ... but I don't think it's quite there yet (which is why it's not even in the change log), but I added something I'd like you to test for me:

You'll need to restart your app for it to go into effect. It may actually make playback worse (but will apply to both big box and launchbox), but curious if you can try this out to compare and let me know what you see/feel.

The long of it is that WPF (the UI technology LaunchBox and Big Box are built on) can naturally reach 40 fps (on my machine) for custom rendering, but it offers a lower-level option, that this experiment is trying to replicate. It was a bit of a rush job, and I had mixed results on my very capable machine, so I may not keep it as much more than an experiment until I can figure out what else I can do to improve it.

[TheNewClassics]

Running good so far. I asked before, but probably not correctly. Is there a reason that when navigating a row in the Game Discovery Center and you get to the end, it no longer loops back to the other side? Basically you would push right and it would go back to the beginning of the row (on the left); now it just stops at the end. Felt a little smoother and easier to navigate around the Discovery Center.

[JaredN]

Hey, guys!

Thanks for this new beta, which fixes a lot of issues!
I’m really looking forward to the release of the final version.

However, I’ve noticed that this issue, which I reported earlier, is still present:
“In BB, when ‘Play video audio with background music’ is deselected, the video’s audio plays briefly when the video starts, before being replaced by the background music. It didn’t do this before. It’s a minor issue that can be worked around by setting the video volume to 0, but it’s still there.”

Edited 2 hours ago by JaredN

[Rlad]

cassette case is over-exposed

 

Double jewel case not showing still hasn't been fixed

 

[erebus316]

I tried 13.28 and ran into a few issues.

First dragging and dropping a system.. I used Atari 2600, 790 games, when it go the point of saving games, it took over 10 minutes to actually process and add them.

Once I got all the media I wanted I went to clean the system.  It found about 800 files to delete I clicked delete and it ended up freezing LB, I waited 10 minutes before I crashed it.

I have 40k+ games in my library so maybe that's the issue. 

I downgraded back to 13.21 which is the version I've had the most success with.