The Best Emulation Frontend For Windows? - LaunchBox / Big Box
Вставка
- Опубліковано 26 лип 2024
- In my opinion, LaunchBox is the best Emulation front end for windows.
Easy to set up and packed with awesome Feature.
In this video, I go over some of my favorite things in the newest releases of LaunchBox and I also show you how to quickly set up your first system.
Get LaunchBox Here: www.launchbox-app.com/
EmuMovies: emumovies.com/
Easy Game Set Up Video: • Easy MAME Install Setu...
Follow Me On Twitter: / theetaprime
Follow Me On Instagram: / etaprime
Equipment I Use:
Screen Capture Device: amzn.to/2STpX4C
Tool Kit: amzn.to/2M6l9WS
Soldering Station: amzn.to/2FtdVeu
Camera: amzn.to/2M6KFLB
Tripod: amzn.to/2CmdYVY
Raspberry Pi 3 B Plus: amzn.to/2DTF0Db
Flirc Case: amzn.to/2OBQTXz
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you!
THIS VIDEO IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY!
#LaunchBox #Emulation #Windows DISCLAIMER: Under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. No Games Or Applications Are Included Or Added On Or To Any Device In This Video - Ігри
![Lp. Последняя Реальность #107 РОДНОЙ ДОМ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/IK3QKzKUlHM/mqdefault.jpg)
Best emulation channel on the tube! Love what you do!
I've used launchbox and big box for like 2 years. Bought the forever license and I'm glad I did. My collection looks totally dope. I love the themes you can change it up with. I'm not into getting every game ever made. I just grab the best games for ever system that I actually want to play. Scrolling through big box with all my games in coverflow with the emumovies looks incredible. It has gotten a lot smoother scrolling since the beginning. Here's two things I personally swear by in Big box: 1use random game video as platform video. 2 use a theme with a video background and change the background vid to whatever you want. As long as it's named the same as it is in the theme folder it'll work. It's an easy and fun customization.
Are bigbox and launchbox the same thing?
@@datquietkid5397 Judging from the video, they run the same and work through Launch Box. I'm about to try it out myself and get a license.
I had no idea something this simple existed. Excellent video. Anyone doing emulation on Windows should look at this.
Love Big Box, can't wait to build a full cab with it.
Thanks! I knew nothing about emulated rom files until I bought the atgames arcade. I have been able to figure out how to add roms to this. I’m quickly realizing I want a pc based arcade. With what I already learned in the last week and this video I feel very comfortable not only building my own but setting everything up with the software! This video pulled it all together for me. You sir earned a sub from me. I can’t wait to check your other videos. I can tell you’re a step above the rest!
Thank you so much man I really find this useful, it's amazing and worth getting Big box.
Thank you, I'm going to try this out.
Loving the launch box! Thanks for the info!
I am really glad that you posted this video because i was starting to wonder if you still used BigBox. I have been using the free version, and it works nicer than all of the other ones I have tried. I think it is about time I stepped up to the premium version.
With Hyperspin and other front ends you can do basically the same and maybe even more... but Launchbox/BigBox is easy to use, has integrated download of databases, images, etc... yes, you can use steam to launch your games, but for an arcade setup, or retro look, this is the best by far! Hope you make a Jukebox or Rockola tutorial that i've been waiting for
Thanks to your videos I use LB since 1 year, I paied forever and it's the best frontend. Thank you ;)
Great tutorial as always thanks 👍
The pause screen has to be my favorite new feature, with it, I have no reason to access retroarch at all unless I am tweaking settings
+Cyrus Nagisa yeah I’ve never really used the save function in the past but with this I got tons of states now.
Launchbox really is great. Been using it myself for a while, never really had the need to upgrade to big box.
Premium version has been one of my BEST money spent! It is an awesome software and It is incredible in a bartop or arcade machine. Could you make a tutorial for pinball fx2 tables? Regards from Spain 😁
I use it mainly as a launcher for pc games, since i have STEAM, GOG,Uplay,Origin,Twitch.
What do you think of gog galaxy 2.0?
Looks clean. Gonna give it a shot.
Wow... Legit pretty awesome. I'll give this a go Thx :-)
Preaching to the Choir here, bought this last year after seeing one of your videos about it, superb front end, been enjoying some old BBC model B games like the classic "Citadel" with BeebEm, thanks for sharing :-)
also the best copy protection I've ever seen, share it and Dox yourself :-D
Every time is see a video on LaunchBox. The more I want a arcade cabinet.
Dont get a cab trust me use xbox controllers and a pc much more user friendly
I would have never known about launchbox or big box if it wasn't for you soon as I saw it I fell in love I'm a forever member and all of your tutorials here and on launchbox's UA-cam channel are great thank you
Thanks for another great video. Could you do a tutorial in how you can update the emulators you use in launchbox without messing up existing settings etc please
You just need to go to Tools/Manage Emulators and point Launchbox at the new .exe, you dont need to change any settings other than telling it where the updated emulator is.
neil9000 thank you. I’ll try that.
I 100% agree with you that it's the best windows front end available. I tried to set up hyperspin and it was a nightmare and time consuming to set up, I used attract mode and it was ok but didn't look all that good in my opnion in my arcade set up. I was on the fence about paying for Big Box but I bit the bullet and I love it, there's no need for rocketlauncher like other front ends and it's a lot less time consuming to set up. I only found out about Big Box because of watching your videos so thank you ETA :)
New sub thank you for launch box will be buying soon just need a pc 1st
Prime these tutorial videos are as great as they are helpful.
Here's an idea for a future tutorial, and one that I think would be very helpful.
There's plenty of tutorial videos out there that help you get started, however there is nothing to help iron out the wrinkles once you're done.
Common issues such as similar game titles with duplicate videos, missing wheel art for certain consoles and games, etc.
Keep up the good work!
@Scratch Looper I've looked at his videos, haven't seen anything pertaining to some of the tweaks I mentioned.
Then again, maybe I didn't look deep enough?
@Scratch Looper thanks man.
Mame, I have the Neo Geo version of Double Dragon showing up as the arcade version (wrong video theme and wheel art etc). I was wondering if there was an easier way to correct aside from hunting down the correct media and then applying in the right locations.
Funny thing is the actual arcade Double D populated correctly.
@Scratch Looper Yes everytime I do that, it updates both versions for some reason. This time I went further and re-updated the arcade version back to its initial version (which was arcade) and it worked. The Neo Geo version stayed as the correct version. However the video theme stays the same for both versions. If I then update the video for one version, it also updates the other version 😐
Scratch Looper I have an official release of 203 Mame roms.
This pops up with an older version too (201). Lol I thought this is common for Mame roms. Thanks for your help dude 👍
@Scratch Looper it's probably a good idea to do that.
Arcade Punks would be the place to keep an eye out for it?
I've never regretted buying the lifetime license but the only problem I have with LB/BB is how slow and sluggish it is if you have a HUGE collection with a TON of artwork and videos on a NORMAL hard drive. However, installing LB/BB and all the videos and artwork to an SSD instead, gives a MAJOR speed boost to performance so thats recommended. I have also bought a yearly license for mgalaxy and gameex just to try them out and I love where mgalaxy is going with its current and future features. If only they would release more updates more often though. Gameex is ok but combining Kodi with BB plugin is a better option.
thats what am looking for . i really like it and an gonna purchase the life time license .
Once I finish my HTPC I'm putting BigBox on there immideately. Couch gaming will be so great on this thing.
YOU ARE THE BEST BIG THX !!!!
I need to go back in and drop my extra thirty
So it’s your favorite front end for windows. Would that include a living room HTPC setup running windows mostly controlled with a controller, too?
Definitely replacing my hyperspin front for this.
I agree! I’ve messed with many of the front end programs, and LaunchBox is the easiest IMO. Slowly saving funds to buy the premium version. I know they do a give away once in a while, but have been unlucky so far😁
Awesome video!! Just got a few questions. Is there a way to boot straight to Launchbox on startup?
Also, is there a way to pick how big the cover art files will be when you download them? Perfer small, low res (100kb) covers so they will load faster. High res pictures take to long to load.
In addition, is there a way to use multiple displays? My video card will allow me to display to 3 screens. Would like to display to the TV and to another screen that will act as a marquee. Would like this to display cover art of the game being played.
This is the best video to date! I want to setup a launchbox. Can you tell me what is the best PC to buy that can handle all the emulators and games to date. I built a bartop with raspberry pi, but I think launchbox would be my next project. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge!!!
Thank you for tutorial, do you have a link of all retro games of all console?
Man I always thought you were the guy behind Launchbox ! I’m nearly disappointed ^^
I just started experimenting with launchbox. I normally use everything on raspberry Pi like retropie, recalbox, batocera etc. I recently was trying to fix a friend's arcade build that used hyperspin that decided it didn't want to play the games anymore, after I messed around with it for hours trying to figure out the issue, I figured I'd try to maybe transition it to launchbox. I've got 2 questions for you if you could possibly help me with them. #1 is there a way to incorporate his rocketlauncher portion to work with launchbox that's not too painful (I know rocketlauncher is so painful so I doubt it lol) and #2 is there a way of just adding your gaming files to the launchbox folders and then setting them up to with with the emulators, or do I have to spend forever just importing them? Thanks. Love your channel, I watch it constantly and I just bought a refurbished m93p SFF and GTX 1030 to experiment with the PC side of things. I've never messed around with PC's hardware before. I appreciate everything you and others on UA-cam do to help the retro gaming community!
Its beautiful and is my next project. I just picked up a cheaper optiplex specifically to do a big box build. Only thing I wish it would do is include bezel project.
Hey, me too! Picked up a 9020 for a steal after hunting around. Has worked great for LB. One thing I’d recommend is using Windows Media Player as the video player, seems to help maximize performance and not use as many resources as the default VLC.
Best of luck on your build!
could you do a video with launchbox/bigbox with a self made fightstick/arcade stick for windows 10? i would like to see how you set up those buttons as i have problems with it.
I've been using launch box and big box for 4 years never been disappointed. You can't go wrong with it.
Do you know what might cause an issue with box/cover art not showing up in some themes? In my CriticalZone default theme for example, it shows the screenshots for games but there is nothing above them where the box art should be.
If I keep watching these videos I'm either going to have to buy or build a game console. I got the premium version of Launchbox last November but playing the games with a hand held controller just doesn't give the retro arcade experience I'm looking for.
Is there a way to use this front end and set up some kind of wiimote setup for ps2 guncon games?
I wanted to know is there anything I can do to trim down windows 10 for a dedicated emulation PC?
With LaunchBox it will turn up PC into a game console that you'll love. I been using it for bout 5 years and it's my go to
How do u increase games resolution? Like you did on ur others video when testing integrated video vs dedicated
I ran an older version with no issues at all , I updated to the latest build which is v9.9 and am sorry it sucks , everything runs great with in launchbox/bigbox but once game play starts the sound and games lag and sputter so bad its not playable .
Can you do a video on fixing these issues , i have googled this issue and lots of people are dealing with it but not much help on how to fix it .
Hello ETA. I installed everything. At the very end I see my game but when I click on the game box. The game title pops up but no game play? Why is that? THANKS
save and load states works for other emulator than retroarch?
Why is the price now $75 for the forever license, that’s strait up absurd.
Its waaaay to much for me that i live in Mexico and I dont know anyone who can share with me the licence pfft
yeah stupid when retroarch front ends like attract mode or coinops cost nothing and all you have to learn is dropping files into the right folder. Not sure why this is such a big deal. I don't care if other launchers don't get updated as long as they did the job for the build like a bartop.
Paying anything for this pile of crap is just dumb
I have a few questions can you have multiple save states? is it best to use 1 controller for everything (id like to use a few controllers types snes sega genesis playstation xbox etc) and can you set up different emulators for the same system?
Is there a way to make this into a build that turns on directly into the launcher like some of your retropie builds?
Can you use this on an Atomic pi with the Win10 you posted in an earlier video? Does LaunchBox work in Lubuntu? thanks for your videos!
Just looked up some stuff, and it doesn't look like there is a version of launchbox on Linux. Your best bet would probably be Lutris though, especially since it's got a lot of support as well as nearly one-and-done click installs for the things you need to get up and running properly with Wine, DXVK, etc. for Windows titles.
No idea about theming in Lutris though. Looks like you can do some of that through some tinkering, but it's not going to look as slick as launchbox out of the box (no pun intended). There's probably many tutorials out there on how to do that tho.
RetroFE works under Linux and OSX. You could give that a try.
Are there pillarbox themes for Launchbox? One thing I have seen is that other front ends have themed pillarboxes that match whatever game is being played instead of just the standard black pillarboxes. It adds a nice touch. Something I haven't seen for Launchbox.
Please tell me the min requirements to run easy to pc...thanks
You should do a video on the Pegasus Frontend with GameOS theme. I know it has RetroPie support but Windows PC's are supported. Hope to see a new video soon @ETA Prime
Two years later and Pegasus is still in alpha and very buggy. Crashes with no error messages.
Awesome video as always! One question, can I use my premium license in different builds? I'm planning on building 2 machines, one for me and another for my brother
+Rafa Gonzalez yes you can, as long as you personally own both machines you will have no issues at all.
@@ETAPRIME awesome, thanks for the quick response
I have a question about LaunchBox/RetroArch and since you have so many informative videos about it, I thought I'd ask you:
What is the best way to handle using multiple, physically different controllers for each emulator? For example, I have a USB NES controller that I want to use to play NES games and a Genesis controller to play Sega. When I map the controls for these, the Auto-config is usually way off. When I finally get things how I like them (editing actual auto-config files and making sure it's recognizing right device), I have to change them again just to play another console because the mappings are so different on the platform-specific controller I'm going to use for that particular core/emulator. Any suggestions? Eventually I'd like to build my own cabinet and have the arcade controls to use for controlling the front end and then controllers to play consoles on. Is that possible or will I run into same issues I'm describing here?
Eta- Is there a good video anywhere that shows some brief previews of the themes that are currently available?
Check out the lb download section. Most of the themes have previews.
I love launchbox but i can't play 2 players with epcsxe, when player 1 push a button both players do the same action, any idea here please ? Can't find a solution on the web
IS this good for a 4:3 arcade cabinet with Street fighter control setup?
I was inspired by your video to do the same thing to an old PC that I have. Still has Windows XP on it. Do you recommend somewhere I can buy a Windows 10 cheap since I'm just buying it for this. Keep up the videos love them all
Look for cheap digital key online retailers. Can usually get win 10 for between $10-20.
10's decent but unless you take all the bloat out it's hard on resources also it's taxing on a older system, 7 with no bloat ware is 3 times faster than 10 and Microsoft is still updating 7 as well so are software manufacturers.
interesting video and the software looks pretty solid. but, does a front end really need all the updates this is advertising?
love your videos, mate! and maybe I've missed it, but are there more themes available for big box? or is there a way to convert the themes on retropie to work on the pc version om ES?
personally, I did setup an rpi with retropi and it was bad ass. and there are so many great and more subtle and gorgeous themes out there. but I ultimately wanted to play wii/ps2 games, and I built a mitx-pc just for that recently. now I'm struggling with choices, since I wanted that beautiful front-end that's possible and easy with an rpi setup and I just realized it's not as easy as just downloading a theme. Ä*#ÄÖ¤ÄÖ¤#ÄÖ
this though - seems like a good substitute :) unless, you know, like a better way to do it :D anyhow, I'm kinda bummed out, fixing it all on an rpi and making it look great/as I want it to look, realizing it's not powerful enough for ps2/wii and then realizing the themes are not as great on the pc variants.
I ask you, what is my best option here?
thanks for the great videos either way! super awesome bad ass channel
Any huge differences between premium and free in launch box minus the stuff you said in video?
It is basically the look. Launchbox is basically just a menu system with art and Bigbox is a full blown arcade experience. Which is everything. If your time is worth anything, and you are determined on setting up a top of the line arcade front end... this is it.
So, I use my Nvidia Shield TV's and Steam to play Retroarch that is on my PC. Retroarch is not supporting PCSX2. Is launchbox the ultimate solution? Would be great if it has multiple controller support that works with Steam or the Nvidia game stream.
Good evening one question why in the program named Launchbox the background images doesnt look well the boxes of the games look normal but the background images of each Game looks fuzzy you know how to fix that issue im in 10.9 free version of Launchbox thanks 👍🏻
thanks
I tried it a couple of years back and it was cumbersome so gave up and went with the EmulationStation front end.
Hello! From Argentina. I am trying to add super model for the model 3 into LB but in the emulators list it doesn't appear. I saw some videos of people just selecting it from the list but I can't figure out how to add it. ETA o some other genius could help me? Thanks, great video!
How do you combat large collections without running out of space
thanks.
So you happen to have a list of playable Xenia and rpcs3 games?
I am using the free version as my currency's really bad.But it's by far the best emulator program that i used.It's easy and simple that everyone can use it.
I really like Launchbox but it is pretty slow on lower end systems, like the Asus VivoBook E203MA that you showcased on another video.
Is it possible launch Visual Pinball X ? I would like an AIO launcher. And if you're so kind, is there a recommended guide for migrating from my HS+RL Platform?
Thank you very much, @ETA PRIME.
Good job, like always !! ;-)
I'm wanting to build 2 bartop arcades with Bigbox. My question is will I have to pay twice [$100] or can I just get the 1 license and copy the software and games to the 2nd build?
Will this work with a dynamic lcd marquee (HyperMarquee) or with LEDblinky to configure RGB buttons?
LEDblinky yes, HyperMarquee unsure. But I *believe* Big Box has built in marquee support.
Did a test and got the LEDblinky and dynamic marquee functionality to work. Very easy to use compared to Hyperspin. The community on their site seems very active and helpful. Great video!
@@Hymanator absolutely, one of the reasons I support this front end. Both the developer and the community are very active.
I am looking for a Mala replacement for my arcade cabs running CRT's. Mala frustrates me so much but I am used to it's quirks after sticking with it for so long but it looks dated and would love to try Launchbox/BigBox. I can't seem to find anyone that has LB/BB running on a CRT (240P) to see if it's worth investigating as a replacement for Mala. Does anyone have experience of LB/BB on CRT (240P)? is it optimised for higher resolutions etc? I am running Windows 7 64bit and don't plan to change that as I have everything setup nicely.
So gamepad or arcade stick support will only work with the Premium version?
So you can set the Big Box and put it in as many computer as you can? How do you do that? Do you copy the whole folder?
Comes with all the game installed?
does launchbox put the files it finds on your main drive because my secondary is bigger and would be better suited if so how do I fix that
Hello ETA, NEED YOUR HELP. Everything on my Launch/ Big Box 10.10 is working fine except for one thing. In options menu, then to Controller menu, when I try to assign a button to a certain task it's not working. The task is highlighted in blue but when I hold down button to assign it, it simply won't work. Where did I go wrong? I am using MAME for my emulator. Hope you can help. Thanks!!!
Can this all be setup to boot and run from an external usb hard drive or usb stick on windows 10?
Yes. But there can be lag issues.
Probably time for another review of this. Pricing - and probably interface/featureset - are outdated.
i use steam+steam shortcuts+big screen mode for basically this why:
the controller support on steam: Supports NSwitc Pro controller bluetooth/wired, PS3,4 too, even just generic Dinput controllers (without any weird Not working driver: "looking at you gc controller adapter drivers" )
and becuase it almost converts any controller to Xinput(Xbox is already Xinput) if a program/game is launched over steam
so i just have to config the emulator to a Xinput with controller configs
and i can connect controllers in different order and they will automatic be player 1,2,3,4 without i have to reconfig the emulator´s controller settings or those drivers everytime i connect controllers in
i just have to plug them in and they work for everything i have on Steam+steamshortcuts(steam shortcuts for open emulator with a game)
there is even a program for making those emulator Steam short cuts easier: frogthefrog.github.io/steam-rom-manager/
the controller support of steam makes it possible to do like: p1: xbox controller p2: PS3 controller P3: NswitchPro Controller p4:generic usb controller and change what controller is p1,2,3,4 and so on
& if you have 1 of those bootleg NES/SNES/N64 usb controllers they will possible work with this setup too without you have to reconfig the emulator
last time i checked launchbox/big box did not do that
and you needed extra drivers for each controller that often dont work right like Switch one and wont work Wired too
so yeah that kind Controller support Steam has is Very good and very much needed if having different controllers for each emulator or just 4 different controllers overall or having friends who want to play with you and having yet a other different controller
without having you to reconfig the emulators at all
Wait I’m a little confused. Your using big picture mode on steam for your emulators?
@@JorgeHernandez-gq6yy yes
and steam shortcuts made via frogthefrog.github.io/steam-rom-manager/ with all emulators controller settings is Xinput
I have kind of the same setup, but how about Psx2? Does it work with Steam rom manager as well?
Is there a big difference between Snes9x or liberto_snes9x.dll ?
if you buy the premium can you add it to another computer ?
I dedicated 5 years to Hyperspin. I will say that Hyperspin is much more customizable and runs faster but unfortunately BadBoyBill has all but given up on Hyperspin and that's a shame. I have purchased several LaunchBox license's and love the support there. I'm thinking about trying GameEx Evolution as well.
@guyverjay ... EXACTLY!!
ETA, what's the best budget laptop that runs Dolphin well
Any laptop with an Intel 64-bit CPU within the last 5 years will run games no problem. An i5 would be preferable, in general
I’ve wanted to get into this but damn it’s like Japanese to a Spanish speaker lol your vids definitely helped!
Can you add a favorites wheel on bigbox
Launchbox is decent if you have the time and storage to set it up nicely but I've had alot of issues with it. I really would prefer a more minimal steamlined frontend. Just want something I can launch all my games from couch with a controller without months of setup.
Indeed, it took me months to completely set up my launchbox system, but that's just because I have gradually included tons of different systems and some of them require very specific things (such as special BIOS files or proper installation of DOS games etc). Sometimes platforms only run with external emulators (such as Wii U/ Cemu) etc. Then of course you want to have different settings for different platforms (such as different screen settings or overlays) and so on. I HIGHLY doubt that there is a better alternative to Launchbox which can handle all these different systems easier. However, the setup has to be done once and then you have (hopefully) an all-in-one platform for your life. So easyness of setup wouldn't even be my most important criteria. Most important are range of functions/ modifiability, long term support and updates, content database, community and multi-platform support. I'm quite confident that I can still use my Launchbox setup on a modern computer when I'm old.
Try the frontend AttractMode. Although I really like LaunchBox, sometimes I use AttractMode because it uses less system resources and starts up much more quickly
@@mishkatown8625 I do the same thing. I literally spend more time customizing my modded systems to look nice than actually playing the games on them XD
100% agree! LB/BB has been the best front-end experience for me. I've tried a few other FEs and LB/BB definitely stands out as THE best/easiest to setup. I love that the developers continue to release new content/features. I get excited every time ETA Prime or Unbroken Software releases new videos to talk about the new updates. The forever license is totally worth it so if anyone is on the fence, don't hesitate!
Keep up the good work ETA Prime and UB Software!
Folks, if you are on the fence about LaunchBox, go ahead and try it out. I've watched ETA's videos on LaunchBox and getting emulators set up, and with that help, I just finished putting together my 1TB LB build on a portable hard drive.
RC from the NYC dude this exactly what I plan on doing as well! Haha great minds think alike 😆
I don’t know why but I love the way you end your videos with ”but always..*insert dramatic pause*..thanks for watching” it just puts a smile on my face.......but that means....... your the Joker!! 😮🤭
Definitely the best
Have you tried CEMU? If so what are your thoughts on it?
CEMU is OK, some games are almost perfect, others not so much. It is still a early in development emulator that will only get better.