Windows 98, Launchbox compatability

RetroArch General
#1

I understand this is probably a Launch-box question but I already asked them and nobody has responded so I don’t know if they know or care but I was hoping someone here might. I like to keep my games in a program called Launch-box and it’s really good about using Retroarch with DOS and PlayStation games but is there a way to get Launch-box to run a windows 98 game with Retroarch? I tried making the file Launch-box runs the zip file with Retroarch as the emulator thinking it would at least run Retroarch and I can take it from there but that didn’t work.

I like Launch-box because it collects all my games in one nice, attractive place and it frustrates me that I already need a separate place for classic Mac games and online games through Flashpoint, I was hoping I wouldn’t need another separate place for classic windows games. I know Retroarch can do a lot of things Launch-box does but I already have been using Launchbox for years and only recently started using Retroarch, it would be lots of work to transition my Launchbox games to Retroarch.

Plus I don’t know if Retroarch can play modern Windows games. That might be another question for another time.

#2

You can install Win98 using the DosBox Pure core and then launch RetroArch plus that core from Launchbox. I don’t know how that works from the Launchbox side, though.

#3

Yes, I know I can launch Retroarch, I was hoping I could list my windows 98 games in Launchbox and play them from Launchbox through Retroarch like I can with PlayStation and DOS games. Launchbox allows the playing of those games with the Retroarch emulator but I don’t know how to get it to do that with Windows 98. Nobody and Launchbox seems to want to answer that so I was hoping someone here might know.

#4

Yes, DosBox Pure allows for games to be bundled similar to ROMs (that is, one archive = 1 game) and you should be able to enter those into Launchbox and then use command line switches to make it launch RetroArch with DosBox Pure core for those archives.

#5

That’s great. I don’t suppose you have a guide somewhere detailing that? I’m assuming I use the zip file as the game file and set up Retroarch as the emulator through dosbox pure.

I just need to know how to set up these “command line switches.” I do know about the top menu tools/manage/emulators, then [edit] Retroarch, then there’s a section called “associated plateforms” but I don’t see windows 98. Am I in the right area?

#6

I don’t know of any tutorials, and I’ve never actually used Launchbox, but launchers typically have an area where you can add custom command line switches, as that’s how they’re actually interacting with RetroArch.

In this case, you would be calling retroarch.exe -L /path/to/core.dll /path/to/rom.zip or something like that.

#7

First, LB does not support Windows 9x. Even if it were imported, there would be no database.

Thus, the listing would have no cover image. Not sure you will be happy with that.

If you want to add Windows 9x to LB, fill in the platforum manually. Enter any name you like. Then when you choose RA when you choose Emulator, you will be asked for the core you need below, choose “dosbox_pure_libretro” there. Then you are done.

Scan the Wndows9x folder, the list of imported results will be messed up because of unsupported platforms not in the LB database, leave only what you need and delete the rest. If it’s cue+img, leave the cue one, if it’s iso, leave it, if it’s FD, leave the img, ima, or whatever, if it’s not duplicated, leave it. If it’s a zip game, leave it as is.

When the import is finished, you will see a list with no cover image. And if you are not satisfied with this is to find images one by one from the net and put the images in.

Here is an example of my LB+RA+DOSBOX-Pure.

01
013613×1994 1010 KB

スクリーンショット 2023-12-21 070650
スクリーンショット 2023-12-21 070650986×116 12.2 KB

Keep in mind that Windows 9x is not supported by LB. I don’t think it’s a good idea to try to ask about unsupported platforum things on a forum.

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#8

THAT WORKED! It worked perfectly. Thank you for your help.

Oh, and just so you know, Launchbox does support windows 9x games in their database. Examples include

  1. Diablo and it’s Hellfire expansion
  2. Warcraft 1 and 2
  3. Deadlock: Planetary Conquest
  4. Full Tilt! Pinball (the game you guys were helping me with earlier)

Just to name a few.

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#9

I just realized I didn’t mention what worked. This is what worked. I manually edited the game so it’s plateform was Windows 98 and selected Retroarch as the emulator through Dosbox Pure and windows 98 poped right up when I started the game. I chose the zip file and didn’t even have to select windows 98 through dosbox pure, it just new the windows 98 system was what was needed.

1 Like