sassiestrhihno/boxshelf-beta

What it does

Boxshelf presents emulators, Steam and Epic games, and media apps (Stremio, Nuvio) as physical cases on a 3D shelf. You can flip a case, open it, pull out the disc and read the manual, or browse the whole collection in a Museum view. Setup scans for installed emulators and ROM folders, and box art is fetched on request. It runs on Windows 10/11, Android 7+ (designed around the dual-screen AYN Thor), and experimentally on Linux/Steam Deck.

Quick start (Windows)

1. Download Boxshelf-<version>-windows.zip from the latest release and unzip it into its own folder, e.g. Documents\Boxshelf.
2. Run Boxshelf.exe. The beta is unsigned, so Windows SmartScreen may warn; this is expected for an unsigned build.
3. In the setup wizard click Find my emulators and games (or pick them yourself), tick the consoles you use, then open the shelf.

Android uses the .apk; Linux/Steam Deck uses the .AppImage (run in Desktop Mode, chmod +x first, and add --no-sandbox on Ubuntu 24.04 if needed). On Linux, launching games, the power menu and Gaming Mode are not yet supported per the README.

Requirements and limits

Boxshelf bundles no games, BIOS files or keys; you supply your own emulators and ROMs. Supported systems range from NES and Game Boy through PS5, Switch and Xbox 360, but availability depends on the platform. Settings, play history and caches stay local; the app goes online only for art, manuals, achievements and update checks. The beta is not code-signed. The release line is GPL-3.0, but this repository only hosts builds and issues — development happens in boxshelf-source.

HotRepo's take

The repository is a release-and-feedback shell: it contains no source, only binaries and a README. HotRepo recorded 443 stars by 2026-11-08, with 296 stars gained in the 24-hour window from 2026-11-07 14:15 UTC, placing it on the new-project list. The star curve shows steady growth overnight (about 102 to 168 between Nov 6 and Nov 8) before a sharp jump to 443. Because the source lives in a separate GPL repository, reading code requires following the source link rather than this repo.