/art-book-next-batocera

A simple theme for Batocera + EmulationStation based around the look of a coffee table book

Art Book Next (Batocera Version)

A simple theme for the version of EmulationStation used in Batocera.
Based on the style of a coffee table book.

This version of the theme works with all distributions that leverage the Batocera version of EmulationStation. This includes AmberELEC, JELOS, EmuElec and RetroBat

Preview

System View Gamelist View
Screen Shot 2022-07-21 at 12 51 34 Screen Shot 2022-07-21 at 12 47 54

Video Walkthrough

Video Walkthrough

Configuration Options

  • The theme has a simple set of options that can be changed directly through the UI Settings > Theme Configuration menu in EmulationStation

    • Options:
    • Distribution - sets the distribution you are using (e.g. Amberelec, Batocera, EmuElec, RetroBat, JELOS). This setting is used to define the folder where User Customizations will be stored.
    • Aspect Ratio - sets the aspect ratio the theme will render at. If needed, this should be changed to match the aspect ratio of your screen.
    • Color Scheme- sets the color scheme that is used for the overall theme on all views.
    • Scroll Sound- sets the sound effect used for scolling in the gamelist view.
    • Status Bar Display- allows you to turn the Wifi/Battery indicator on or off
    • System View Style- sets the layout used for the system view
    • Gamelist View Style- sets the layout used for the gamelist view when media & metadata are scraped for your games

  • 16:9, 5:3 and 4:3 aspect ratios are currently supported

  • there are 3 gamelist layouts to choose from (metadata-on & metadata-off & metadata-off-zoomed)

  • and 4 pre-built color schemes are currently available with the option of creating your own customized color scheme through a simple XML file (details below)

Preview of the Aspect Ratio & Layout Variants

Aspect Ratio Gamelist - Metadata On Gamelist - Metadata Off
16:9 art-book-next-16-9-metadata-on art-book-next-16-9-metadata-off
16:10 art-book-next-16-10-metadata-on art-book-next-16-10-metadata-off
4:3 art-book-next-4-3-metadata-on art-book-next-4-3-metadata-off

Preview of the pre-built Color Schemes

Color Preview
Art Book Next art-book-next-16-9-metadata-on
Art Book (based on my original theme from 2017) Screen Shot 2022-07-21 at 12 11 33
Steam OS (being used as the default for RetroDeck) Screen Shot 2022-07-21 at 12 13 12
SNES (simply made for fun as the SNES was my first console) Screen Shot 2022-07-21 at 12 12 26

User Customizations

When using the theme on Batocera you can make the following changes through UI Settings > Theme Configuration to tailor the look to your setup

Aspect Ratio...

Change this value to match your screen aspect ratio (default is 16-9)

Options:
5:3
16:9
4:3

Gamelist Style...

Change this value to match your preferred gamelist layout (default is Metadata On)

Options:
Metadata On
Metadata Off
Metadata Off (Zoomed)

Color Scheme...

Change this value to match your preferred color scheme (default is Art Book Next)

Options:
Art Book Next
Art Book
SNES
Steam Deck
Custom

If you change the color scheme option to custom then you can provide an XML file with your customizations to match the colors you prefer. I am happy to add additional colors to the pre-built list too; so if you create one that you are comfortable with sharing please post it here: https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/33010/theme-art-book-next

To-Do

(a quick list of items I am looking to add)

  • Add 3:2 Aspect Ratio
  • Create and add any missing background art

Additional Notes

Scraping:

  • To create the layout in the metadata-on variation i rely on the md_thumbnail, md_video and md_marquee tags. So to get the same look these are my recommended scrape settings:
    • md_image = screenshot
    • md_marquee = wheel (the transparent wheel art)
    • md_thumbnail = 2D boxart
    • md_video = video (though this is optional as the theme also works with just md_image)

Versions for other ES forks:

  • If you use Retropie... then check out the version here. The Retropie version has all the same base features but you have to change them through the XML directly (as Retropie's theme engine does not have a menu for changing theme options)
  • If you use ES-DE... then the retropie version here will work out of the box with that distribution. When used with ES-DE the theme comes with additional support for navigation sound sets. I'm also working on a version to support the 2.0 theme engine that the ES-DE team is working on and will post that here when available.

Acknowledgments

  • Most system logos were sourced and modified from the excellent work done by Dan Patrick here. I modified each to be compatible with EmulationStation's current SVG support.
  • ChangaOne font is by Eduardo Tunni
  • Oxygen font is by Vernon Adams

License

Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/ You are free to share and adapt this theme as long as you provide attribution back to me (and the above credits) as well share any updates you make under the same licence terms.

Thank you for taking a look at this 😄