Suggestions for Front End for HTPC using XB360 Joysticks (NO KEYBOARD)

[nipsmg]

I recently just finished an HTPC with the following specs:

Asus P5E-VM HDMI Motherboard w/ Integrated GMA3500
4gb DDR1066 ram (@ 800)
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
500gb SATA HDD (primary)
Burner, etc.


I'm running boxee right now for a theater frontend but may be using XBMC or something else, not sure.

I want to be able to put all of the console emulators on this box, but have them all be controlled from wireless xbox 360 controllers, no keyboard.

Here's the real key:   I need to be able to somehow EXIT the emulators using the same controllers, whether it be through hitting the green XBOX button, or a combination of buttons, or whatever.

Anyone have any suggestions for pulling this off?

[headkaze]

I don't normally recommend FE's anymore as I think people should check out the WIKI and try them all out, but if your looking for a HTPC/FE that can use the XBox 360 controller and exit games using a button combo you can't go past GameEx.

To do a button combo exit just set up an "Advanced Config" in the Setup Wizard.

[Space Fractal]

The Xbox controller have 4 colored buttons and my frontend (MultiFE) was actually designed to use with a Neogeo like layout. Even I use Red (select), Yellow (parent), Green and Blue as a order in the screenshots, they can all been changed (I think Green, Red, Blue and Yellow is a better order here?). You might even use MultiFE for jukebox only and use a other frontend.

For the ESCAPE is still limited which only can use ESCAPE to quit, even you can remap it, but it only works in MultiFE itself. It howover can been overridden by use a Xpadder, Joy2Key or such application (or just create a simple Auto2Key script).

Otherwise as headkaze wrote, they should check out WIKI and try them all......

[gonzo90017]

I'm also working on a project very similar to yours. I'll actually be using Mamewah or Ludopolis Frontend for my HTPC software. It'll be controlled using only a wireless xbox360 controller.
To exit the emulators you can use xpadder along with closemul. That way you can use a combination of
buttons to close the emulator.

[nipsmg]

I don't normally recommend FE's anymore as I think people should check out the WIKI and try them all out, but if your looking for a HTPC/FE that can use the XBox 360 controller and exit games using a button combo you can't go past GameEx.

To do a button combo exit just set up an "Advanced Config" in the Setup Wizard.

I'm with you on "recommending fe's", trust me.  I've been a member here and built 2 cabinets and have used nearly every frontend.  I was more looking for if someone had any direct experience with this specific type of setup, especially using a controller to generically exit the emulator.

@everyone
Thanks for the tip guys, if anyone has any more specific tips for this type of setup or any caveats you came across setting it up, anything that'll save me time I appreciate!

[Space Fractal]

I hope I got fixed some issues a user recently found (the weirdless issues, some was actuelly bugs).

Howover I Just updated MultiFE so it should been perfectly with a X360 joypad, howover I only tested with a PS2 joypad with the new delayed exit code). PS2 use other button colors, but the top toolbar can been changed somewhere to blue, red, green and purple colors for the closest one.

I just diddent notices which user it posted here.

Ludopolis... What kind of frontend is this? Any links, or is this your own?

[Hoopz]

Here's a Youtube video of it.  I hadn't heard of this one before either.

[gonzo90017]

Here's another video of it in action:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjIVzxBdYss[/youtube]

Ludopolis... What kind of frontend is this? Any links, or is this your own?

No it's not mine but I was a beta tester. The frontend is just like any other frontend. There is
no hompage. Only a link on the forum were it was developed http://foromarciano.org/foro/thread/00/37/00037_16.html Here is another link were he talks about using the latest mame version.
http://www.retrovicio.com/foro/showthread.php?t=1025&highlight=ludopolis
(i'll update the link once he posts his own thread for the frontend.)

The author also developed another frontend called MalagaEmulator.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzPsgG22Uv0[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr6f4Ka6VdE[/youtube]

But it was scraped.