[YouTube demo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0kRlrkbLo0)
EmulationStation-X (ES-X) is a personal fork of EmulationStation focused on modern theming, runtime customization, and creator-driven UI control, while remaining compatible with RetroPie.
ES-X is inspired by modern frontends such as ES-DE, Batocera, and Recalbox, but follows a different philosophy: 👉 extend the engine, not replace it.
ES-X is experimental as a project, but stable as a platform. Core features are usable today, while new capabilities evolve carefully to avoid breaking compatibility.
🎯 Purpose
ES-X does not aim to replace EmulationStation.
It exists as a sandbox for innovation, focused on:
Extending the theming engine without hacks
Giving theme creators real control through variables
Adding runtime localization (no recompilation)
Exploring modern UI & audio ideas safely
Staying RetroPie-friendly by design
Think of ES-X as:
“What EmulationStation could do if themes were systems, not skins.”
✨ Highlights
🌍 Runtime language system (.ini, no recompilation)
🎨 Theme Options (variable-driven layouts & styles)
🧩 Advanced theme variables (scale, spacing, opacity, layout logic)
🖌️ Text borders & shadows (engine-level)
🎶 Background music & navigation sounds (menu-controlled)
🌙 Dark menu mode
🔊 Sound tags compatible with ES-DE / Batocera (partial)
🛠️ Designed for theme creators first
🖼 Preview
Theme Options
|
Language Demo
|
Variable Grid
|
Menu Styling
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🔑 Current Feature Status
Feature Status
Runtime language system (.ini) ✅ Stable
Menu, popup & scraper translation ✅ Stable
Theme variables (scale, spacing, opacity) ✅ Available
Theme Options (INI-driven) ✅ Available
Text borders & shadows ✅ Available
Dark menu mode ✅ Available
Background music (SDL_mixer) 🟡 Available / evolving
Menu sounds (scroll / select / back) 🟡 Available / evolving
ES-DE / Batocera sound tags 🟡 Partial
Advanced audio mixing / ducking 🔄 In progress
User profiles / avatars ❌ Not part of ES-X
🧩 Theme Options (Core Concept)
Theme Options are the heart of ES-X.
A modern ES-X theme is not a fixed skin, but a configurable system.
Key idea
theme.xml → draws the UI
theme.ini → defines options & decisions
ES-X → connects both at runtime
The XML does not decide. The INI does not draw. ES-X binds them together.
This allows:
multiple layouts with one XML
performance-friendly variants
console-like UX customization
zero duplication
📘 See: THEME_OPTIONS.md for full documentation and real examples (Mini, ArtBook, Alekfull).
🌍 Language System (Runtime)
Languages are stored in:
~/.emulationstation/lang/
Example:
[MAIN]
MAIN MENU=MAIN MENU
YES=YES
BACK=BACK
CANCEL=CANCEL
✔ No recompilation ✔ Editable by users ✔ Loaded dynamically at runtime
🎨 Theme Engine Extensions
Available
1.1 0.20 0.25
000000 000000 2 2
Engine-level features — not hacks — designed to stay compatible with existing themes.
Planned / Proposed
🔊 Audio & Music System
SDL_mixer-based background music
Menu-controlled playback
Navigation sounds (scroll / select / back)
Tag structure inspired by Batocera / ES-DE
The base is stable; advanced behavior is added carefully to preserve reliability.
🧩 Installation Notes (Important)
ES-X uses git submodules (e.g. pugixml).
When building manually, clone recursively or initialize submodules before running CMake.
🚀 Installation ✅ Option A — Recommended (RetroPie)
Use the official RetroPie module:
👉 https://github.com/Renetrox/EmulationStation-X-Module-for-retropie
✔ Handles dependencies ✔ Correct build flags ✔ Clean RetroPie integration
⚙️ Option B — Manual Build (Advanced)
sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential cmake libsdl2-dev libsdl2-mixer-dev
libboost-dev libfreeimage-dev libfreetype6-dev libcurl4-openssl-dev
libvlc-dev libvlccore-dev libasound2-dev
git clone --recursive https://github.com/Renetrox/EmulationStation-X.git
cd EmulationStation-X
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
make -j4
If already cloned without submodules:
git submodule update --init --recursive
🧭 Roadmap Focus Full language coverage More theme-driven layout control Audio refinement & mixing Theme creator documentation Careful experimentation without breaking stability
👤 Author
- Dino René Caballero Márquez (Renetrox)
- Educator • RetroPie Enthusiast • Theme Developer
- Paraguay
- GitHub: @Renetrox
📜 License
Same license as the original EmulationStation (MIT).
Accessibility is not just using it — it’s reading it, hearing it, and shaping it your way.