Let's give the platforms some love!

Currently in Launchbox the focus is almost entirely on the games and their associated media and metadata. Indeed, this has traditionally been the case with most "frontend" applications and is a logical progression from a simple file explorer type view.

I feel strongly however that Launchbox would be improved significantly by adding in some focus on the platforms (systems) themselves. Launchbox appeals to a wide range of users including gaming enthusiasts, rom collectors, gaming historians and those with an interest in old computers, consoles and arcade machines. A focus on the platforms would show the games in their context, add a wealth of associated information and introduce more depth and quality to the whole experience.

What do I mean by a "focus on the platforms"? Well, I am aware that currently you can add in platform notes and a variety of platform details - including title, release date, developer, manufacturer, CPU and more. This is done by editing the platform. This information is however not displayed within Launchbox. BigBox takes things a step further and offers some improvement in this regard - when you select a platform, the main screen area shows the platform details and notes, as well as a platform video.

My proposal is that Launchbox incorporates the ability to show the platform details, notes and video - and also that it expands on this by offering the ability to show a range of platform media as well - such as images of the platform, controllers, box/packaging, manual and accessories. When selecting a platform the user would therefore be greeted with a comprehensive and visual summary of the system information.

I would imagine that the easiest and most obvious way to achieve this would be in a similar vein as to in BigBox - when you select a platform from the platform tree in Launchbox, the main window would then display this associated information. The games themselves would be displayed under each platform in the way you are currently able to do (i.e. "all games", playlists etc).

This would IMHO take Launchbox to another level and differentiate it further from its competitors. As ever, this "view" (it could perhaps be incorporated as a view) could be added as an option so that individual users can choose whether they wish to display this information or not. Also, it could be a premium feature if required.

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