LaunchBox frontend and the X-Arcade
LaunchBox was originally built as an attractive frontend to DOSBox, but has since expanded to support both modern PC games and emulated console platforms. LaunchBox aims to be the one-stop shop for gaming on your computer, for both modern and historical games. LaunchBox includes automated import processes for your MS-DOS games, ROM files, and Steam in order to help get you up and running as quickly as possible. LaunchBox is free for the most part, but if you want the premium features including BigBox mode you will need to pay for it.
A few limitations of using LaunchBox with the X-Arcade in mode 1 (keyboard mode):
- You can't bind mouse button 3 (red-lit Exit button) to exit emulator/game. Download our X-Hotkeys program to make it act as the Escape key.
- It doesn't have an option to run another program or AHK script on LaunchBox/BigBox startup. This means you will have to manually run the X-Hotkeys beforehand, or set it to launch with Windows at startup.
- Under Keyboard Mappings it doesn't have a way to bind actions to more than 1 keyboard key (Example: 3+1=Back). Controller Automation does this, but it only works with gamepads, it doesn't work with keyboard keys or mouse buttons.
X-Arcade Mode 1 Recommended Layout:
You can edit the \LaunchBox\Data\BigBoxSettings.xml and copy/paste these settings from here, or just manually set them in BigBox Options.
LaunchBox Support:LaunchBox Forums
Source article: <https://support.xgaming.com/support/solutions/articles/12000054649-launchbox-frontend-and-the-x-arcade>
Tankstick trackball and upper flippers: mouse-style game selection
On a Tankstick with trackball, the trackball moves the mouse pointer, the upper-left flipper acts as a left mouse click, and the upper-right flipper acts as a right mouse click. In LaunchBox, move the pointer over the desired game and use the upper-left flipper as the mouse button; double-click where the frontend normally requires a double-click. A reviewed customer confirmed using the trackball and flippers for game selection. This is mouse-style selection, not a joystick-to-Enter binding.
LaunchBox menu navigation and controls inside an emulator are separate settings. For PC MAME, open a running game and use TAB to check the appropriate input assignments; other emulators can use different configuration screens. Confirm whether you are using LaunchBox or the separate BigBox interface before following BigBox-only layout instructions. If mouse-style selection works but joystick-highlighted selection does not, report the frontend version, controller mode and exact selection steps instead of assuming an in-game mapping will change the frontend.