Game Lancher Program

[Joppu]

Is it possible to create a frontend to launch all your emulator games. I know that it relies on the emulator devs to implement such a feature, but would it be technically possible. I would really like the idea to sort all my games by name, platform or developer.

 

[StriderNo9]

Heh, I been asking for this for a while, there are a few of them on the PC but I think first we may want to see the GUI first. I'd like if even if we didn't have a Frontend of sorts that all the emulators look similar and follow suit. Still as you said it's up to the devs.

 

[___]

of course this is possible. the gp2x program gmenu2x already supports a mode like that. It will be done for the pandora aswell if people want it!

 

[magicman5421]

for the record
i want it!

 

[sindbad]

If all of the emulator's launch features can be used from the command line or from dbus (which is true for almost all linux software), it's possible. Having all emulators settle upon a standard set of command line options would help with making this launcher, but it's not absolutely necessary.

However, the pandora gui will most certainly have a way to launch certain apps, which could comfortably be emulators.

 

[schnitzelboy]

i know its a little off topic but what are some of the game launcher out there for windows? i would really appreciate if someone could point me to one ( and i mean a gui for launching games, not roms).

 

[magicman5421]

steam
you can add non steam games, which just makes a shortcut inside steam.

 

[PoisonedV]

Hot damn, a game lancher!

But seriously, mame has some cool frontends that a developers could take ideas from.

 

[sm1988]

To be honest this is the biggest concern for me and one of the big reasons i am getting a pandora. I mean no offense to the devs who devote all this time and effort but it seems kind of dissapointing when you open an emulator and you are greeted with generic fonts and some neon green background that makes you think you are using a computer from 20 years ago. couple that with each emu having there own buttons to get to their respective menus and you have a confusing experience for some body that just wants to see your pandora and play a quick game. why something like gmenu was not developed for psp still baffles me to this day. I just would like to select a rom file and have it play but on the other hand I think some kind of professional credit screen should show first Because the coders really do deserve it.

 

[realyst]

i know its a little off topic but what are some of the game launcher out there for windows? i would really appreciate if someone could point me to one ( and i mean a gui for launching games, not roms).

GameEx does both.

It's nagware unless you buy it(pretty cheap though) but it auto-updates emulators, has MAME-video screesavers, launchers emus or programs within a wrapper to all escape-as-quit and a few other goodies like video and DVD playback. It's pretty much an instant HTPC app.

Windows only, though.

http://www.gameex.net/

 

[Prophet]

I'm one of those oldschoolers who actually likes individual emus with their own interfaces and personalities.

But there probably will be generalized game launcher apps too for those want them. I think there will eventually be just about any sort of app you could imagine on Pandora, considering it's Linux based, has plenty of resources, and all sorts of devs will flock to it.

 

[Tom`]

I'm one of those oldschoolers who actually likes individual emus with their own interfaces and personalities.

Me too - my favorite interface is that of ZSNES, followed by Meka. :huh:

 

[Rayek]

@ Joppu:
Are you talking about a program that basically lists your Rom files anywhere and when you select one, it launches the correct emulator for it?

That could be done with some folder organization and file associations for certain file extensions... Like .smd and .sms ... But there are many systems that use .bin and .iso as default, which would make this task pretty hard.

I'm with Prophet, personally.

 

[javaJake]

I personally wouldn't waste another couple-hundred KB on a game launcher when all the emulators already have an easy (reasonable assumption) selection mechanism built in.

 

[Bernstein229]

I'm one of those oldschoolers who actually likes individual emus with their own interfaces and personalities.

But there probably will be generalized game launcher apps too for those want them. I think there will eventually be just about any sort of app you could imagine on Pandora, considering it's Linux based, has plenty of resources, and all sorts of devs will flock to it.

I agree with you. It much simpler. If you launch an emu for a certain system you know that the ROMs are only for that system.

 

[Karel Jansens]

I'm one of those oldschoolers who actually likes individual emus with their own interfaces and personalities.

Really? 'coz in my experience they're vicious bastards that'll peck you at a whim. Nasty birds.

 

[Prophet]

 

[Karel Jansens]

 

[Karel Jansens]

sorry

 

[Karel Jansens]

sorry
sorry