LaunchBox Premium (Big Box) review: Is it worth it

Hey all! In this video I take a look at whether or not to buy LaunchBox Premium (Big Box). If you want to know how to install LaunchBox, check out my other video: • LaunchBox free emulato...
Check out LaunchBox here: www.launchbox-app.com/premium
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#LaunchBox #LaunchBoxPremium #emulation #emulator #RetroGaming

[@MrSujano]

Aesthetically, Big Box is really nice. What are your thoughts about LaunchBox Premium?

[@100Bucks]

If you have premium version and enable controllers. You don't have to config the controllers, it does it for you.

[@tommycaldwell6953]

Can you do a video showing an install on an external hard drive to make the whole launchbox build portable. Also can you show how to fix control lag? Thanks

[@Y0oUrMama]

I hope it's on pirate bay

[@KatRollo]

If you're going to build an arcade cabinet or emulation boxes with no access to standard keyboard/mouse, BB can make sense. Otherwise, the rest is eyecandy.

[@AngryCalvin]

Yes this was a surprise for me I wasn't expecting. Configuration for each system is a lot of work. I've had to do that for Retrobat, Batocera, Lakka, and a few other frontends I used or tested for Android. I didn't pay $75 for out of the box control configuration but for visuals. I got a lot more than I was expecting so I wasn't disappointed at all for what I paid for it which was my reluctantance for why I waited so long.

[@Azurantine81]

I got it a few years ago now back when it was still in early dev, don't regret it even though I don't always use it that often, its just a really good looking front end that is incredibly easy to use (especially with the number of tutorials online now).

[@RemoWilliams1227]

EXCELLENT video and review. Very helpful as I'm just getting into emulation and exploring the options. I'm hearing Launchbox is amazing but try it out before paying for a license. Thank you and subbed.

[@XeroHertz]

Launch box is my main front end!.. I've also had Big Box since early 2017.. Still the best in my opinion.. It updates quite frequently with better functions every time..

[@Chris-HC]

Just started to run the big box version. They have made it so easy to build your own arcade. Thanks for the review.

[@Andulvar]

While I do think the price is a bit expensive, being able to just buy the license once is nice and not the typical subscription that a lot of companies now want to do. I've seen a lot of themes that I like and having Steam on there is nice as the majority of the games I play are on there.

[@gefbuneri4427]

Thanks for your videos mate; clear and straight. THe combo LB + BB can show only locally installed Steam games, or it shows always all the library? and on Win 10 there's a way to launchBB at startup, so the PC boots up directly in BB?

[@MithosDagon]

Bought the lifetime license and worth every penny for me. I just love using big box as the front end for my emulated games. When I bought mine it was $60 I believe.

[@UltraGodAzgorath]

$50

[@VideoGamesNYC]

Same here I love BigBox. The support from the team its good $75 for lifetime is not much.

[@AngryCalvin]

I didn't want to pay $75 especially since Retrobat is free and had really good updates recently. I ended up getting it anyway a few days ago and didn't regret it at all. I have an arcade kiosk with real arcade parts I put together. I have over 1000 legal copies of arcade and console games from the 80's and 90's. Maybe the $75 is pricey. Maybe not even worth that much but I'm not regretting it either. It's better than I ever expected and I'm having a lot of fun with it. Perfectly ideal for cabinets and arcade setups.

[@chrisc2252]

Does it downlade all the emulators for you or do you habe to do all the leg work?

[@AdamsOlympia]

@@chrisc2252 Just set it up with Retroarch and let Retroarch do most of the emulator leg work ;)

[@mrams1]

Its absolutely worth it. One of my best purchases. After workin with many frontends for so long, LaunchBox/BigBox are the best.

[@scott3805]

I love it. I got it years ago when it was only $20 for lifetime license 👍

[@lordmemist]

The regular license is not a subscription. You keep access forever when you pay the upfront fee, but you need to pay $15 to update the service and access new features when they release. This does not mean you lose access after one year.

[@Gotsta]

to make a dedicated gaming console running from a pc this is a must and your paying for the time it would take to organise how polished big box looks im in

[@felixgijon8621]

I need to try this. My pc is going to be plugged to my TV from now on.

[@b4ds33d]

BigBox is awesome. Lifetime license holder- best $75 I’ve spent on pc stuff.

[@timsebast8305]

today on blackfriday the premium costs only 45 dollars but unfortunately I don't have a credit card :( why is no paypal accepted, what a shame

[@twosquirrels6997]

If you get the premium package or the forever license if your computer crashes does it save all your roms and game kind like a cloud that I would pay 100 for

[@gatway100]

Hi I have A1X player menu how do you reconfigure the terrible button and how do you move the buttons around?

[@fonsecord]

How do you get the menu system with the controller in BigBox?? in batocera is (hotkey + start) save states etc?

[@jpVari]

This is really unbelievable. I'm glad I downloaded a boatload of roms two years back even though I hadn't used em. I am immediately imagining if this could be set up to auto download roms the way Fightcade can... Also wondering where to find n64 and gnc roms now after the examples on their website. Ultimately thanks for this never heard of it but absolutely have to at least give it a try sometime soon.

[@TheAverageTourist]

Great video!

[@arcaderacer586]

The launchbox team have been updating since day 1. I have been a bigbox user since the start and its amazing! It keeps getting better and better and the updates do not require any type of reinstall from scratch. All your settings and games stay the same with each update.

[@Red-Revolution708]

It’s rubbish, I got Steam I don’t need that rubbish, just keep your consoles and hack them lol.

[@M_CFV]

@@Red-Revolution708 not even remotely close to being able to upscale and increase the FPS of consoles like the PS3. I can even mod the games heavily, like Demons Souls.

[@BoringLoginName]

I've bought the lifetime license some 5+ years ago. Never regretted it. They are still adding features. Also big box is awesome when I'm gaming on TV. Much like steam Big Picture, but also for my emulation setup along with PC. Still great if you are using free, though.

[@bambiboses3643]

I am looking for a way to get my hands on a forever license for months... since I dont got a credit card and only got a german amazon account I can´t buy it. :/

[@Kiragamii]

please, can you do a comparison in regards of ram usage and performance??

[@issorden]

I have it for a year, very handy application.

[@RealSantinoblack804]

I need help I've been trying to install this front end but it's saying the exe can harm my laptop so i can't install it is anyone else having this problem

[@yourmaninlondoncollecting5749]

Hi. How does Launchbox cope with Antivirus on PC. I know Hyperspin do not like Norton, that I have installed. Thanks for any answer 🙂

[@davescobedo]

It doesn’t

[@benjaminapeterson]

The best out there and I've tried 'em all.

[@logout010]

i install it but there in no games in it and they need too many download i dont know how to pu games in it ?

[@jessycruz2465]

I have the premium. Big box is pretty cool and a must have but I also don't think it's worth the 75 bucks price tag.

[@MonsiourPotatoHead]

can you use launch box as a boot drive like batocera?

[@hummens44]

I'm undecided about going to the paid version, as it is pretty steep. I do like the integration features of Launchbox, though.

[@bmoresgreatest05]

It’s on sale. I just bought my forever license😃

[@jammin2070]

In 2 short months I’m glad I bought a CRT, snes and nes with all the light guns. However I started down the path on emulators and wish I found this in the beginning, now I have multiple PCs stacked up with wiis, usb drives everywhere. Yuck. Cry once they say, love this ! Thanks for making the video

[@AdamsOlympia]

I just started using LaunchBox with the eXoDOS collection (7k+ DOS games archive) .. Not really something I'd use in big box, since most of those don't have good controller support. Very tempted to link the basic Launchbox to my Steam library though --- Seems like the app would be a great way to organize a very large collection (over 3k games here) showcasing the gems and hiding the lemons.

[@KRIS__B]

Hello LunchBox is developing incredibly, it is a pity that can: 1.When switching on, you cannot set your own video, intro, just like in Hs, there is only the Big Box inscription 2. not do something similar to Hs on the nested wheel model, i.e. the wheel in the Arcade, Console, etc. I am waiting for such a possibility ;)

[@JC-vk2bj]

Why all my games of all the platform running like slow motion and the audio lauging?

[@chrisc2252]

Does this have all the emulators on it or do you have to do all the leg work? Was looking at botcacera or whatever its called 🤣

[@bar7381]

launchbox premium seems really nice if you want both a desktop and tv frontend, launchbox free and emulationstation are pretty good if you only need one or the other

[@diegol6237]

I have premium and I can say it don't worth it. You need a very powerful computer to run big box without lag. I don't agree some comments saying it is easy to setup, for instance if you have 20 platforms you need to import it one by one. Not saying it is bad, but having free alternatives like batocera, pegasusfe, even retroarch which is not a pure frontend, etc, i don't understand why you should pay for something is no even better than free alternatives. I bought it in a promotion or you can share license to not spend too much on it to try at least

[@wilsonicsnet]

BigBox is heading into my stand-up arcade setup

[@angelnobody7137]

My question is: The premium version only works for 1 pc or 1 account? That means... If I want to move of my original pc where I bought BigBox initially, then do I have to pay again? Or just say 'Hey it's me and U want to download BigBox here'?

[@crispynicholls]

It's drm free, so u can have it on as many pcs as u like 👍

[@sipahi61]

Im trying to decide between launchbox and batocera, any opinions ?

[@AngryCalvin]

I prefer Linux based frontends. I get better performance plus they are free. The ones I have paid for are slower and have worse compatibility. Batocera is great if you have an older PC. Retrobat is for windows but can be slower if you don’t have a gaming PC. $75 is a steep price.

[@bryanayers245]

Hey sorry if this has already been stated but also just a heads up I've been using the 1 year license that expired two years ago without renewing and hadn't updated since my license expired. I decided to go ahead and try and upgrade to a forever license and well it let me do it with my license that was already expired

[@franciscooteiza]

Playnite is FREE and a much better frontend

[@plaguedoct0r]

Can't kodi do all of that for free?

[@subhranilbhunia9236]

In my country 70 usd is equivalent to more than 5 thousand rs...which is kinda absurd amount to buy a digital software that makes your game list pretty considering other softwares just do it for free(but ofc the themes arent that good like bigbox). I really dont think its worth it for me :(

[@zenmastakilla]

It's not aimed at third worlders...

[@YaowBucketHEAD]

Sorry about your predicament. At least you got the free stuff to be able to enjoy old games.

[@CrystalLynn1988]

​@@zenmastakillaIt's not aimed at poor "first worlders" either. It's for people with money to spare.

[@rajatgarg3]

bhai tu india se hai na. mai le rha hu. update de,tune leliya

[@djliquidsmoke]

i got the black friday sale of Forever, it was $45

[@opoxious1592]

I mean, it looks very nice and fancy. But at the end of the day, it's all about how this program performs regarding emulation. I rather have all emulators for free with good gameplay, instead of all this extra conent, what i'm not really interested in.

[@NIJ.]

You dont HAVE to pay each year, you just wont receive updates after one year if you no longer want to pay but youll still have the premium version.

[@kingspina1781]

Is this try? 30 bucks would be bad

[@jimmyfallon4237]

@@kingspina1781 yes it’s true

[@rajatgarg3]

finally someone says it

[@nathanixslade]

Every year on blackfriday you can buy for half of the price.

[@ksbhattiksb]

the paid version is worth the money your spending and one interface for all your collection

[@IzzyMann]

i get it but its hard to TRULY know if its worth the license if you aint paid for it, imagine paying for it and risking your hard earned money and you might not have the same experience as you have had with little to no risk due to a gifted license. not the same thing imo. i get that you are tryna show care the product but with little risk it isn't a " is it worth it" video, its more of a do YOU like the free gift and how does it add to your already existing gaming experience.

[@AngryCalvin]

Probably not worth the $75. But I love it anyway. It's really advanced in every way compared to free versions and is customable. Wasn't going to fork out the money after the really good updates free Retrobat put out. Because I have a fully loaded arcade kiosk loaded with real arcade parts and everything I decided it needed to be even more special. I put a lot of work into my homebuilt multi-arcade and this is awesome really!

[@rajatgarg3]

can you do a video showcasing the arcade i also would like to build it

[@cipher893]

Short answer, yes.

[@ryangalvatron4451]

I got the free version to use on my android phone. I wanted to see if it was better than DIG. Aside from appearance it is not any better than DIG in my opinion. I still run into the same issues when using standalone emulators like M64 FZ or Redream. It is not always a seamless. It has better scraping for roms but DIG is not too bad. If your rom has something like "V1001" in the title, you are going to face issues with finding box art in DIG as well as Launchbox.

[@prestongower7800]

I got the premium version for free on my Android

[@CrystalLynn1988]

I know this is an old comment but I'm very interested in getting launchbox for my tablet. What is the difference between launchbox and just getting an emulator from Google play store? Would you recommend launchbox? You're the only person I've seen mention an Android device so I thought I'd ask. Thank you

[@raskal8578]

Can launchbox stream on the Shield?

[@smash461986]

Just make your desktop an executionable file in the nvidia game stream library. Can stream everything you can see on the computer then. Though aren't nvidia getting rid of game stream?

[@APEXGuerilla]

My dream was to have Launchbox/Big Box on Steam Deck. Guess I'll have to upgrade to a Windows handheld. Plus I want to play some romhacks of some N64 games which come with pre-built Project 64 packages and there's no way of playing them on Steam Deck afaik.

[@cokesniffing1]

I've been using the free version of LaunchBox for over 2 years now and its perfectly fine. I honestly don't see the point in Big Box and paying $75 which is way over priced for something like that. Paying $75 so it can look and act like Recalbox or Retropie. Its just not worth it, for something you spend a fraction of your time in. Now if I found a cracked copy of Big Box to download, I'd use it, or maybe if they lowed the price to something actually reasonable like $10 at most, then I'd buy it, but until then I'll happily stick with the free version.

[@Thomas-cr2pt]

same i wanted to buy if for 10 euro a year or 25 a lifetime, but seeing those prices i stopped and kept free one. They loose money buy not having a better sale model.

[@DavidDavisDH]

Big box is great for arcade cabinets, that's what I use.

[@pawnslinger1]

Actually, I disagree. If you like Launchbox, then the producers deserve to be supported. Yes, I know you can use if free... but free things often disappear. And I think the forever license is a big business mistake by Launchbox. They can easily go broke, if they are not smart with their money. Several other companies that I have purchased lifetime licenses from have simply changed their name and discontinued support for old customers with the lifetime license. Not good, but businesses need a steady revenue stream, or they can quickly become non-economic. In my opinion, if you like Launchbox and use it, then the company deserves and NEEDS support.

[@HAXRLITSXY]

if it was only 30? yeah id say so. even then its a bit steep but whatever. $75 is just to expensive for my taste.

[@crazykong1967]

It's worth it. $75 bucks may sting for a second or two, but for what you get, it's worth the money.👍

[@Tomweldonsays]

The price is insane

[@chrishalle4534]

Your forgot to include that with the free version you can't have any playable media. Playable videos etc requires use of a premium license.. Can't use them unless you have paid. So no Bigbox till you get the paid version. I have a forever license. Will worth it. Best Front End out there free or paid Including Retropie

[@antboogie6645]

They have the forever license for $25 right now

[@UltraGodAzgorath]

That's for the Android version.

[@Kracov_the_Madman]

actually, it can import steam games.

[@Stabby666]

I don't think Bigbox is good for arcade machine setups. It takes forever to load even from an SSD, showing the desktop for around a minute before appearing. The themes are also difficult to customise. I have a licence, but swapped out the gaming PC I had in the cab for a Raspberry Pi4 with a pre-built Retropie image and it just works much better, honestly. Boots faster, nice interface, and plays all the games I want on the arcade machine (no consoles).

[@JoseRodriguezFrio]

I wanna play Twisted Metal 3 !

[@casedistorted]

Mah bro just gets sent a lifetime premium license with no obligation of a review. Hmm., Wish I could buy the premium but it used to be $40 and is now up to $75. Maybe on a Black Friday deal

[@casedistorted]

Edit: got my lifetime windows and android licenses for free from the developer doing a 10 year anniversary giveaway. He gave away 500 licenses to 470 people in the chat. He’s doing another 500 at the end of this week too

[@TheMaxirino]

Who is the developer???

[@GeorgeWPush]

So you cant use a gamepad in the menus for free launchbox?? Very lame...

[@lancerousey8519]

Isn't the big drawback for the free version is the 100 rom limit? I have over 1k games with all my different emulator's, really only reason I bought the license.

[@KatRollo]

There is no limit on PC.

[@omarguerrero6417]

I don't find it worth it ,too over price

[@Chimpdonger]

Just bougt it today on BF sale and its been installing my mame cover art for last hour, so glad ity removes the slot machines and other useless roms

[@patconroy1874]

This is exactly what I was looking for

[@mattschehr163]

Bought a PC Bundle that has launch box decided on adding big box because of lifetime updates I hope it’s amazing

[@aj3557]

This does not work with Rockstar games, or Ubisoft games well at all. Bigbox gets interupted by all Ubisoft games, you have to grab your mouse to go back to big box then native full screen. Its awful. Rockstar is even worse. It literally breaks your rockstar launcher, tried all the different settings and its still broken, and people on their forums have been looking for a fix since 2020, don't be like me and spend $75 on a forever license. its NOT WORTH IT. You can't have all your games in one place. Its only good for emulators / steam games and THATS IT!!

[@BlackHammer0891]

Disorganization is a sign of genius 🙂

[@Paultimate7]

You only tried bigbox and none of the other features you get, then made a halfass decision. lol

[@PhillyCYOSports]

2:10 - yeah, that’s called “paid promotion”

[@theawesomedude190]

0:39 And android devices.

[@smash461986]

I thought the paid version might be a tenner but then I clicked on the link. Yeesh. Just no.

[@JasonGrantz]

I think I'll stick with Playnite

[@joandarc441]

I wish there was Ben 10 fighting game

[@klwarhouse]

Welp, you sold me.

[@fyuckya505]

Launch box is nice for pc but clearly doesn't care about android users.

[@APEXGuerilla]

Or Steam Deck/Linux users.

[@Dandizz]

Spoiler... IT IS! 😂

[@awttygaming2510]

launch box is over priced way over priced even if it is a one time thing

[@nerb6833]

l lub lunchbox

[@houseandhobby6971]

Your video is vague and does not do a good job differentiating between free and premium. But at least you have your free license and you've got a bunch of followers patting you on the back. Professional video production of course which distracts us from what we really came here for.

[@stephengiacobozzi7785]

that is not lauchbox that is pay box

[@its_loouey9049]

I am the first comment

[@MrSujano]

🏆 well deserved

[@kamm3021]

🔴BIG RIP OFF yes ?

[@juniorhunter7268]

No u can use the free version on a Laptop but if your using a tv u need the paid version for controller support

[@Thomas-cr2pt]

@@juniorhunter7268 do you? you can use a wireless keyboard. Fixed.

[@Red-Revolution708]

Rubbish ! Steam is much better and hack your consoles for retro.

[@fyuckya505]

For all the money people have supported for launchbox you would think they could have aethersx2 yaba sanshiro redream and others to actually launch the games instead of just opening the stand alone emulators. It's ridiculous aethersx2 can be written in about a year here we are entering 2024 and launch box hasn't done anything to fix these issues for android users. Aster paying for 3 years of licenses I'm done with them they clearly only care about pc and not android users.