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Touch Gesture Support for Handheld PCs

📋 Summary

Add support for touch swipe and pinch gestures in LaunchBox and Big Box on Windows handheld PCs. While touch targets (like tapping to select or double-tap to launch) already work, swipe scrolling and zoom gestures are not currently supported.


❗ Problem

  • On devices like the ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go and other handheld PCs, users often rely on touch input instead of a mouse.

  • Windows itself supports swipe gestures (e.g., scrolling in File Explorer), but LaunchBox doesn’t recognize them.

  • Without gesture support, navigating large libraries or zooming into artwork/videos is clunky and unintuitive.


💡 Proposal

  • Add support for touch gestures across LaunchBox and Big Box:

    • Swipe/drag to scroll through platforms, playlists, or game lists.

    • Pinch-to-zoom for images, box art, and screenshots.

    • Smooth scrolling in both list and grid views.

    • Double-tap/tap to launch a game (already supported).


🧩 Use Cases

  • Browsing a large NES library on a Windows handheld by swiping left/right or up/down, without needing a mouse or controller.

  • Flicking through platforms like PlayStation, Arcade, or SNES quickly using touch.

  • Pinching to zoom into cover art or screenshots for a closer look.

  • Sitting in tablet mode on a Surface or handheld and navigating your library entirely with touch gestures.


📦 Benefits

  • Provides a more natural navigation experience for handheld PC users.

  • Makes LaunchBox more competitive with frontends that already support touch navigation.

  • Improves accessibility and usability for players who prefer touch over controllers or keyboards.

Status: Open To Community

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