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Separate Play/install and options buttons in Game Views

LaunchBox for Windows

šŸ“‹ Summary

Add an option in Big Box to split the primary Play/Install action from the rest of the game options. Instead of a single stacked list, the Play/Install button would be its own dedicated control, with a separate Options menu (or panel) for secondary actions. This enables more modern, streamlined layouts and improves controller-first UX.

šŸŽÆ Feature Overview

  • Primary Action Separation: Display Play (or Install if not installed) as a distinct, always-visible button.

  • Secondary Actions Hub: Move items like View Details, Edit, Add to Playlist, Favorite, Rate, Manuals, Achievements, etc. into a separate Options menu/button.

  • Theme Support: Expose UI elements so theme creators can lay out Play/Install and Options independently (e.g., side-by-side, stacked, or docked).

  • Controller Navigation: Left/Right (or bumper) navigation to jump between Play/Install and Options; A/Start to activate Play/Install.

  • Toggle in Settings: Global Big Box setting to enable the split layout; default behavior remains unchanged for backward compatibility.

  • State-Aware Labels: Button reflects state (Play, Install, Resume, Update, where applicable).

  • Optional Quick Actions: Allow a few configurable quick actions (e.g., Favorite, Hide, Mark Progress) near the Play button without opening Options.

šŸ›  Example Use Case

  • A user browsing from the couch lands on a game in Big Box.

    • They press A to instantly Play.

    • If they want to manage the game (Achievements, Add to Playlist, Edit), they tap Right once to open Optionsā€”no long mixed list to wade through.

šŸ“¦ Benefits

  • Cleaner, modern UI that mirrors popular media/game launchers.

  • Faster launches with fewer inputs for the most common action.

  • Better theming flexibility for creators to design sleek, contemporary layouts.

  • Reduced input errors by isolating Play/Install from destructive or advanced options.

šŸ’” Notes

  • Keep legacy single-list layout available for existing themes.

  • Provide theme bindings (data/context) for Play/Install state and Options anchor.

  • Consider an optional long-press or Start button shortcut to trigger Play/Install regardless of focus.

Posted by JiboReid Ā·
Status: Open To Community3 comments

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Comments3

  • AstroBob changed status to Open To Community
    Teamā€¢

    Oct 28, 2025

    Pinned

    Hi there!

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

    Iā€™ve gone ahead and fleshed out the main idea using the info you provided, and Iā€™m opening it up to the community for further discussion and feedback. Please let me know if this fleshed-out version doesnā€™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

  • Shimazu

    ā€¢

    Jan 20

    Upvoting because it would let me create something like this! šŸ˜šŸ˜šŸ˜

  • JiboReid

    ā€¢

    Oct 28, 2025

    Separate Play/install and options buttons in Game Views

    Hey! Huge Launchbox fan, thank u guys for all the hard work.

    I wanted to give a feature request for potentially having an option for a more modern look to individual game views. Specifically having an option to split up the play button from the rest of the menu options which are nested under an options menu box. Essentially the play/install button is one option and then you could navigate to the right to have another seperate options menu which could include the rest of the usual game view options. This could empower theme creators to make some more modern, sleek looking themes.

    I'll attach below a screenshot of a playnite theme which could easily be replicated if we had this option.

    Thanks!