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Support Multiple Configurations per Emulator

LaunchBox for Windows

📋Summary

Introduce the ability to manage and launch multiple configuration profiles for a single emulator entry in LaunchBox, allowing users to switch between various setups (controllers, filters, outputs) without needing to duplicate emulator installations or entries.

❗Problem

Many emulators support command-line arguments or config files to launch games with specific settings—like RetroArch and MAME. While this enables different visual styles, controller mappings, or audio/video outputs, LaunchBox currently requires users to create separate emulator entries for each configuration. This can quickly clutter emulator lists and becomes even more complicated with emulators that don’t support easily swappable configurations via command line, often requiring duplicate emulator folders or messy workarounds.

💡Proposal

Add built-in support for configuration profiles under a single emulator entry. Users could create and manage multiple configs (e.g., “CRT Shader Mode,” “High Res Mode,” “Player 1 Arcade Stick”) and choose between them via a “Play With” prompt or right-click context menu.

For emulators that do not support multiple configs via command line, LaunchBox could temporarily rename and swap the active configuration file before launch, and revert it afterward—allowing this feature to work across all emulators, regardless of native support.

✅Benefits

  • Reduces clutter by avoiding redundant emulator entries

  • Makes it easier to switch between controller types, filter presets, or display modes

  • Enables advanced workflows like switching between accuracy and performance profiles

  • Adds consistency to emulator configuration management, even across lesser-known emulators

  • Simplifies setup for users with complex hardware configurations or frontend display needs 🎛️🖥️🎮

Posted by gboava ·
Status: Open To Community3 comments

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Comments3

  • AstroBob changed status to Open To Community
    Team•

    Apr 21, 2025

    Pinned

    Hi there!

    Thanks so much for submitting this request and for taking the time to explain your use case — that context is always super helpful.

    I’ve gone ahead and fleshed out the main idea using the info you provided, and I’m opening it up to the community for further discussion and feedback. Please let me know if this fleshed-out version doesn’t match your original intended request.

    Feel free to let me know if you have any extra thoughts, examples, or edge cases you think might be relevant!

    Cheers,
    The LaunchBox team

    • gboava

      •

      Apr 21, 2025

      That is perfect! Thank you!

  • gboava

    •

    Apr 21, 2025

    Ability to Manage Multiple Configurations for one Emulator

    Imagine a situation where you have multiple game controllers, various audio and video output options, or you simply want to play a game either with graphical enhancement filters or with filters that simulate the original hardware. All of this can be achieved using different configuration files in the emulator and specifying them via command line. However, this solution requires creating a new emulator entry in LaunchBox (e.g., Retroarch Config 1 and Retroarch Config 2). I believe it would be simpler if there were an option to maintain a single emulator (Retroarch) while being able to manage multiple configuration profiles. When launching a game, LaunchBox could display "Play with" options including the emulator and its configurations.

    For emulators that allow easy configuration management via command line (such as Retroarch and MAME), creating a new emulator entry is straightforward. However, with lesser-known emulators, this becomes more complex and often requires duplicate installations of the same emulator. With this new feature, LaunchBox could manage the emulator's configuration file by renaming it before and after launching the emulator. This way, every emulator would support multiple configurations, with LaunchBox handling the management.