Skip to content

README.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
247 lines (200 loc) · 18 KB

README.md

File metadata and controls

247 lines (200 loc) · 18 KB
Raw

CI GitHub release Latest release downloads Total downloads Release date Last commit Commit activity

Stars Forks Watchers Contributors Open issues Pull requests Maintained

Platform .NET Made with C# Built with Avalonia License: GPL v3

Docs: GitHub Pages Wiki Docs deploy

🎮 Simple Launcher

Simple Launcher is an open-source emulator frontend. Designed for both casual gamers and power users, it provides a seamless interface to organize, browse, and launch your retro gaming collection with deep integration for modern emulators and RetroAchievements.

📚 Documentation

📸 Screenshots

System Selection

List Of Games in Grid Mode

List Of Games in List Mode

RetroAchievements Window

RetroAchievements Window

✨ Feature List

🚀 Performance & Core Infrastructure

  • Unified Settings Database: Both apps share one SQLite settings.dat (settings, favorites, play history, systems) with automatic migration of the legacy XML/dat files
  • MessagePack Engine: High-speed MessagePack serialization for near-instant settings loading
  • Native ARM64 Support: ARM64 builds of the app and bundled tools for Windows on ARM (Surface Pro, Snapdragon X Elite) alongside x64
  • Asynchronous Architecture: Multi-threaded game scanning and validation with fluid UI
  • Single Instance Enforcement: Prevents resource conflicts by ensuring only one instance runs — the WPF and Avalonia apps share the guard, so only one of them runs at a time (launching the other brings the running one to the foreground)
  • Elevation Detection: Automatically detects games requiring Administrator privileges
  • Startup Validation: Detects if running from temporary folders and prompts for proper extraction
  • Secure Connections: All metadata and image downloads use TLS 1.2/1.3
  • Resilient Saving: Improved file lock handling with retry logic and exponential backoff

🎮 Deep Emulator Integration

  • Configuration Injection: Manage and inject settings directly into 20+ popular emulators:
    • Ares, Azahar, Blastem, Cemu, Daphne, Dolphin, DuckStation, Flycast, MAME, Mednafen, Mesen, PCSX2, Raine, Redream, RetroArch, RPCS3, Sega Model 2, Stella, Supermodel, Xenia, Yumir
  • Universal CHD Support: Built-in CHDMounter utility brings CHD support to emulators without native support — Dokan/WinFsp on Windows, FUSE 3 on Linux (falls back to on-the-fly conversion when FUSE is unavailable):
    • RPCS3, Xemu, Xenia, Cxbx-Reloaded, Mednafen, PCSX Redux, 4DO, Gens, Blastem, Yabause, Mesen, FinalBurn Neo, FinalBurn Alpha, Raine, CD-i Emulator, Tsugaru
  • On-the-Fly Mounting: Launch games directly from compressed (.zip) or disk image (.iso, .xiso) files using Dokan integration (Windows); Xbox games in every SimpleXisoDrive container (.iso/.xiso/.cso/.zar, plus Xbox-ISO .chd) mount through SimpleXisoDrive for Xemu (virtual image.iso) and Cxbx-Reloaded (mounted default.xbe). On Linux the Avalonia app mounts ZIP/7z/RAR launches through SimpleZipDrive (FUSE 3) and Xbox images through SimpleXisoDrive (FUSE 3), mounts CHD images through CHDMounter/FUSE, and keeps temp-extraction and managed conversion as automatic fallbacks — no Dokan needed
  • Expert Mode: Granular control over launch parameters, multiple ROM paths per system, and custom environment variables
  • Format Conversion: Built-in converters for CHD, RVZ, XISO, 7z/Zip with integrity verification
  • File Mounting Strategies: Advanced strategies for Xbox images (.iso/.xiso/.cso/.zar/.chd), CHD (mount or convert), ZIP/7z/RAR (mount or extract), DOSBox imgmount, PBP-to-CUE, and CHD-to-CUE conversions

🏆 RetroAchievements (RA) Integration

  • Rich User Profiles: View RA stats, recently played games, and global rankings directly in UI
  • Auto-Credential Injection: Automatically syncs RA login to supported emulators (PCSX2, DuckStation, PPSSPP, RetroArch)
  • Advanced Hashing: Built-in logic for precise hashes for complex systems (PS1, Saturn, Dreamcast)
  • Hash-Based Compatibility Filter: The RA filter button matches games by file hash (scanned in the background and cached per system in %LocalAppData%\SimpleLauncher\RetroAchievementsHashes\), replacing unreliable filename matching
  • Nintendo Wii Support: Full support for Wii RetroAchievements
  • Expanded System Aliases: Better matching for NEC PC-FX, SNES MSU1, and many more systems
  • RA Data Fetcher Tool: Separate tool for fetching RetroAchievements data

📂 Library Management & Game Scanning

  • Dual View Modes: Toggle between visual Grid View with customizable aspect ratios and detailed List View with sortable metadata
  • Modern Game Store Integration: Automatic scanning for games from:
    • Microsoft Store (Windows Apps)
    • Steam
    • Epic Games Store
    • GOG
    • Amazon Games
    • Battle.net
    • EA App
    • Humble Bundle
    • itch.io
    • Rockstar Games
    • Uplay
  • Fuzzy Image Matching: Intelligent algorithm to find cover art even with imperfect filename matches
  • Play History Tracking: Detailed logs of play count, total playtime, and last played timestamps
  • Global Search: Advanced search engine supporting AND/OR operators across entire multi-system library
  • Favorites System: Mark and organize favorite games with persistent storage
  • Gamepad Navigation: Full navigation support for Xbox and PlayStation controllers
  • Pagination System: Efficient handling of large game libraries with batch loading

🎨 Customization & UI Features

  • Multiple Themes: Beautiful Midnight (Deep Blue) theme, High Contrast mode, and Adaptive mode syncing with Windows Light/Dark settings
  • Filename Preferences: "Clean Up" filenames in Grid View or hide filenames entirely for pure box-art look
  • Font Size Control: Customize filename and machine name font sizes in game buttons
  • Separate Thumbnail Sizes: Independent zoom controls for system selection and game view
  • Aspect Ratio Control: Customize game button aspect ratios
  • Sound Configuration: Customizable sound effects for UI interactions
  • Tray Icon Support: Minimize to system tray with quick access
  • Right-Click Context Menus: Extensive context menu options for games and systems
  • Filter Menu System: Advanced filtering options for game libraries

🛠️ Bundled Power Tools

Simple Launcher includes a comprehensive suite of specialized utilities:

  • CHDMounter: Automatically handles CHD file mounting for emulators without native support
  • Format Converters:
    • CHDStudio: Convert, verify, and explore CHD images (Windows/Linux)
    • RVZStudio: Convert, verify, and explore GameCube/Wii disc images (Windows/Linux)
    • XISOStudio: Convert, verify, and explore Xbox/Xbox 360 images (Windows/Linux)
    • BatchConvertToCompressedFile: Convert to 7z/Zip format
  • Metadata & Cover Tools:
    • FindRomCover: Intelligent cover art finder
    • RetroGameCoverDownloader: Download retro game covers
  • Batch File Creators:
    • CreateBatchFilesForPS3Games: PS3 game launchers
    • CreateBatchFilesForScummVMGames: ScummVM game launchers
    • CreateBatchFilesForWindowsGames: Windows game launchers
    • CreateBatchFilesForXbox360XBLAGames: Xbox 360 XBLA launchers
  • Validation & Organization:
    • RomValidator: Validate ROMs against No-Intro DAT files
    • MAME.DatCreator: Create MAME DAT files
    • SimpleZipDrive: ZIP file mounting utility
    • SimpleXisoDrive: Xbox image mounting utility (XISO/CISO/ZAR/CHD)
  • File System Tools:
    • 7z integration for compression/decompression

🔧 Advanced Features

  • Easy Mode: One-click automatic download and configuration of emulators for chosen systems
  • System Selection Screen: Visual system selection with customizable thumbnails
  • Gamepad Dead Zone Configuration: Customize controller dead zones for precise navigation
  • Fuzzy Matching Configuration: Adjust matching thresholds for cover art and metadata
  • Play Time Tracking: Refactored from strings to seconds for better accuracy
  • Global Statistics: View usage statistics and play time across all systems
  • Image Viewer: Built-in image viewer for game art and screenshots
  • Debug Window: Advanced debugging and error reporting interface
  • Update System: Built-in updater with a resilient update check (GitHub releases/latest with multi-source fallback to the secondary server when GitHub is unreachable or rate-limited) and one shared Updater.exe that updates either app (WPF or Avalonia) and relaunches the app that started it
  • Multi-language Support: 18 languages with localization system
  • Accessibility Features: Automation properties, access keys, and high contrast mode

📊 Supported Systems (100+ Systems)

The launcher supports an extensive range of gaming systems including:

  • Nintendo: NES, SNES, N64, GameCube, Wii, Wii U, Switch, Game Boy, GBC, GBA, DS, 3DS, Virtual Boy, Famicom, Satellaview, 64DD
  • Sony: PlayStation 1-4, PSP, PS Vita
  • Microsoft: Xbox, Xbox 360, Windows, DOS
  • Sega: Master System, Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, Game Gear, SG-1000, Model 3, Naomi, Naomi 2, Atomiswave
  • Arcade: MAME, FinalBurn Neo, FinalBurn Alpha, Raine
  • Retro Computers: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Commodore 128, ZX Spectrum, MSX, MSX2, Sharp X68000, NEC PC-88
  • Classic Consoles: Atari 2600-7800, Jaguar, Lynx, ColecoVision, Intellivision, Neo Geo, Neo Geo CD, TurboGrafx-16, PC Engine, 3DO, CD-i
  • Handheld/Mobile: J2ME (Java ME)
  • Modern Platforms: ScummVM, Windows Store games, Xbox 360 XBLA

💿 CHD Support Matrix

Emulator CHD Support Notes
4DO ✅ Added 3DO
Blastem ✅ Added Sega Genesis
CD-i Emulator ✅ Added Philips CD-i
Cxbx-Reloaded ✅ Added Original Xbox
DOSBox and variants ✅ Added Microsoft DOS
FinalBurn Alpha ✅ Added Arcade
FinalBurn Neo ✅ Added Arcade
Gens ✅ Added Sega Genesis
Kega Fusion ✅ Added Sega Genesis
Mednafen ✅ Added Multi-system
Mesen ✅ Added NES, SNES
PCSX-Redux ✅ Added PlayStation 1
Raine ✅ Added Arcade
RPCS3 ✅ Added PlayStation 3
Tsugaru ✅ Added FM Towns
Xemu ✅ Added Original Xbox
Xenia ✅ Added Xbox 360
Yabause ✅ Added Sega Saturn

📥 Installation

  1. Download: Grab the latest release for your architecture (x64 or ARM64) from the Releases Page.
  2. Extract: Unzip the contents into a writable folder (e.g., C:\Games\SimpleLauncher).
    • Note: Do not install in C:\Program Files to avoid permission issues.
  3. Run: The single zip contains both apps next to each other — SimpleLauncher.exe (WPF) and SimpleLauncher.Avalonia.exe (Avalonia). Run whichever you prefer; they share the same content and settings files.
  4. Prerequisites:
    • Install Dokan from GitHub for on-the-fly file mounting.
    • Ensure you have the .NET 10 Desktop Runtime installed (both apps are framework-dependent).
  5. Linux (beta): download release_{version}_linux-x64.zip (or linux-arm64), install the .NET 10 Runtime and libasound2 (optional: libsndfile1 for FLAC/Ogg/Opus UI sounds), then run ./SimpleLauncher.Avalonia. Mounting uses FUSE 3 (libfuse3 + /dev/fuse) instead of Dokan. Linux support is beta — issues are welcome on GitHub.

🚦 Getting Started

  1. Easy Mode: Click the Easy Mode menu item to automatically download and configure emulators for your chosen systems.
  2. Add Games: Place your ROMs and cover images in the folders designated during setup.
  3. Select System: Use the visual System Selection Screen to pick your platform.
  4. Play: Click a game cover to launch. Use a Gamepad (Xbox or PlayStation) to navigate the entire interface.

🌐 Localization

Simple Launcher is translated into 18 languages:

  • English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (BR), Russian, Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Bengali, Hindi, Indonesian, Dutch, Turkish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

💻 Technical Specifications

  • Framework: .NET 10 (WPF + Avalonia)
  • Language: C# 14
  • Data Serialization: Unified SQLite settings.dat (settings, favorites, play history, systems), MessagePack (RA/MAME/history databases) & XML (legacy migration)
  • Dependencies: MahApps.Metro (UI), SharpDX (Input), SharpCompress (Archives), DokanNet (Mounting), NAudio 3 + NLayer (Audio; managed MP3/WAV on Linux/macOS), YamlDotNet, Tomlyn, PBPSharp — RetroAchievements hashing is delegated to the bundled RetroAchievementsSharp CLI tool (tools\RetroAchievementsSharp\)
  • Architecture: Modular service-based architecture with dependency injection
  • Storage: Unified SQLite settings.dat shared by both apps; legacy settings.xml / favorites.dat / playhistory.dat / system.xml are migrated automatically on first launch

🤝 Contributing & Support

  • Bug Reports: Use the built-in Support Window to send detailed error reports directly to the developers.
  • Documentation: Documentation site and GitHub Wiki — guides, bundled-tool usage, and parameters.md with official emulator download links.
  • Donate: If you find this project useful, consider supporting the developer.

⭐ If you like this project, please give us a star on GitHub! ⭐

📜 License

This project is licensed under the GPLv3 License – see the LICENSE file for details.

Simple Launcher is an emulator frontend and does not provide ROMs, ISOs, or BIOS files.