For anyone who isn’t already familiar, LaunchBox is an emulation frontend developed by Unbroken Software. For years, I used LaunchBox as my preferred frontend for my homemade arcade cabinet running on a Windows PC. Since the handheld emulation wave that was the COVID years though, much of the enthusiasm in the space has moved over to those portable devices. It was only natural that the developers threw their hat into the handheld world by offering a version for the Android mobile OS.
The thing is, though, is that I don’t feel like I hear that much about LaunchBox Android compared to other popular offerings like Daijisho or Pegasus. I wrote about the Windows version when discussing options for a home arcade, but that’s been the extent of our coverage. Recently, a friend gifted me an Android lifetime license for the software, so I thought it was only fair to give an overview of my impressions and determine whether LaunchBox is a good solution for organizing and launching your retro emulation collections in 2024.
LaunchBox: The Android History
LaunchBox running on the RG Cube and the Odin 2
LaunchBox for Android had been previously in development, released, and discontinued on the Google Play Store in 2020. The team at Unbroken Software explained at the time that it simply wasn’t feasible to maintain constant development for Android with the amount that the Google Play Store listing was eating into their margins. Without a change in terms or the way that users accessed their content, development would unfortunately have to cease.
As time went on, though, the devs started noticing that (perhaps with the explosion of the handheld market) users in the space were becoming more comfortable with processes like side-loading APKs and obtaining software outside the official Play Store. A post on 08-21-2021 by ADmin Jason Carr to the official LaunchBox Forums announced the official re-release of LaunchBox on the Android platform (see below). Since then, Android development has moved forward, and Unbroken Software has adopted the self-distribution model.
“Update: We are grateful for the changing mindsets lately regarding the app stores. People are starting to realize that they’re not ideal, Google is being forced to make some positive changes, and people don’t mind side-loading apps as much.
The best version of Retroarch is already only available by side-loading it, because the Google Play version is so restricted, so we’re seeing not being on the Play Store as much less of an issue these days. It will still likely hurt the popularity of the app, but we feel that it’s worth the tradeoff to avoid the Play Store and distribute LaunchBox ourselves. We’ve also made LaunchBox for Android free for less than 100 games, which should help to increase the adoption.”
The Cost
LaunchBox License Options
There is a free version of LaunchBox Android available, but it will limit your entire collection to 100 game entries. Now, if you’re someone who prefers a hyper-curated experience this may be a reasonable number for you, but if you’re an insane person like me, you need to know all those extra games are there waiting for you “just in case”.
I think that most users will find the 100-game free limit a little too limiting to work as their primary frontend install, but what it does offer is a great tour of what the overall experience has to offer for your entire collection. I will be looking at the full unlocked version, and hopefully, this might give you some insight into whether it would be a good fit for you.
LaunchBox on Android is a separate license from that of the Windows platform, so don’t assume that just because you bought a forever license on Windows it translates over to Android. I can appreciate why this might irk some people who have supported the platform over the long term, but the massively increased dev costs of rolling out the project on mobile can’t be ignored.
A regular license for the software will run you $15, with a $10 annual license renewal fee after the first year. The other option is to purchase a forever license for $40. As someone who is tired of getting on yet another subscription train for access to something, I always appreciate the option of a “buy it once and be done” option.
It should be noted that all LaunchBox distributions are entirely DRM-free. So once you have a license, you are free (short of distribution) to install it on as many devices for concurrent use as you like. I love the fact that I now have LaunchBox ready as an additional option for all Android devices, and their self-distribution model means that updates go directly out to users ASAP.
If the cost of entry gives you some pause, you may be in luck. Keep an eye out for sales. The team behind LaunchBox will traditionally have a Black Friday sale that sees license discounts up to 50% off. With the holidays fast approaching, it’s safe to assume that we may see deals like this again this year. If you’re already running a free version of the software, you will be emailed a license key that just needs to be dragged and dropped into your existing LaunchBox folder.
The Experience
Various layout options are available
The setup of LaunchBox aims to make things as simple as possible for Android end users. When you launch the software for the first time, you’ll be asked to import ROM files from device storage. Once you point LaunchBox at your games, it takes the wheel. That license that you purchased gets you scraping access to the LaunchBox GamesDB, which they describe “aims to provide perfect game images and metadata for all known gaming platforms.”
Now, scraping game information is certainly nothing new in Android frontends, but LaunchBox will actually take additional setup headaches away as well. If the system detects that you already have an emulator for that game’s system installed, it will automatically default there. Alternatively, if you don’t have an emulator installed for the desired system, LaunchBox will point you toward the right options to be downloaded and incorporated right from the software interface. I found this feature to be especially useful for keeping RetroArch up to date, as the version hosted on the Google Play Store is often behind the times and doesn’t seem to play nicely with certain devices.
One thing that I really enjoy about the LaunchBox experience is that it takes me away from the rest of Android. Daijisho, as great as it is, feels more like an overlay extension of the Android OS rather than a dedicated emulation platform. This might be perfectly fine for you, but it is nice to have an option. LaunchBox feels like I’m launching into a device specifically made for gaming rather than a phone with a controller attached to it.
Say what you will, but I think this takes some of the intimidation factor out of jumping into the pool. You can do everything you need to do from within LaunchBox. That’s comforting. EmuDeck for Android has certainly stepped up in recent times to offer a lot of the same helpful functions, but it’s worth noting that access to that beta will still require a Patreon subscription at this time.
Conclusions
No Obtainium is necessary here
LaunchBox offers an experience for Android users that takes away a lot of the headaches and setup intimidation out of the equation. This alone might make it worth the cost of entry for some people. When you have an active license for the program, you know that your device will be kept up to date with options and support.
Whether the cost of entry seems worth it to you or not isn’t for me to tell you. What I can say is that it’s certainly unlikely you’ll have a bad time. The user interface experience on the frontend is simple, clean, and straightforward, while still offering a near-endless amount of customization options for how you’d like your games and systems presented. In short, it’s a delight to use.
I’m thankful to have the option for all of my Android devices, and I would recommend it to those who are curious. I think that the 100-game free limit gives users the perfect opportunity to dive in and see if it will be something for them. So go check it out, and if you decide you like what you see, support the devs for their hard work!
Have you tried LaunchBox on Android? Let us know in the comments below, and chat with us in our Discord!
This page may contain affiliate links, by purchasing something through a link, Retro Handhelds may earn a small commission on the sale at no additional cost to you.