It's becoming a job in itself to keep up with the sheer ammount of new emulators, ports and frontends coming to fruition recently. In all of my years in the emulation space, I've not seen this many announcements and new apps come to be. I think we all know why that is by now... Yup, AI.
As mentioned in many of our posts previously, I don't have a problem with it, as long as it's used ethically. So, not infringing on IP or stealing the work of other creatives. I also hope it doesn't affect the developers' passion for the projects, nor the ability to continue development and support its users through decent customer service, which I'll admit lacks in many of these "vibe-coded" apps that have come to be.
Another application that has caught my attention recently is called DigiBitPlay, a frontend for emulators that focuses on cartridge and box art, just like Socket, a frontend that I love, which was made a few months ago and is still in Alpha development. So it's no wonder that this one piqued my interest because it makes your library feel like a real collection by allowing you to show the boxes, even going as far as adding neat animations of the cartridges and discs being popped out of the boxes and into the consoles.
These animations make the frontend look playful and nostalgic in a way that makes you appreciate real boxes, even going as far as adding in manuals that you can flick through if you're willing to sync the application to ScreenScraper. The app isn't just for Android either, although that's where you'll get the best use out of it; syncing it with an Android retro handheld, it's also available on Windows and Mac too.
Though, like any independently made frontend, most of the features are currently locked behind a Patreon Paywall. There is a free version available for those who become a "free Patreon member", but you don't get the latest builds; that is available to paid, premium members only.
Free Version Features
- Systems: PS1, PS2
- Real case models with correct proportions
- Manuals scanned as PDF open in 3D, page by page (Only for PS1 and PS2)
- Rotate the manual by dragging it, zoom in with the right trigger and pan with the left stick, zoom out with the left trigger — the UI fades out of your way as you zoom in
- The booklet in the case shows the manual's actual first page, not the box art — and only appears if a manual exists at all
- PlayStation and PlayStation 2 open with their own animation — lid or disc tray, played and reversed frame-accurately
- The disc in the tray/drawer is your own last-played game's actual cover, not placeholder art
- Some System has its own open/close sound instead of one generic click — disc tray, lid, and case sounds are now separate
- PS1's lid sound starts mid-swing instead of on frame one, matching when the real hinge actually makes noise
- Consoles open and close as a straight reverse of the same motion — no more mystery rotation partway through
- Back (B / Escape) now closes an open console instead of doing nothing
- Rotating a console in Settings goes the full 360° now, not a cramped quarter-turn
I have spoken with the developer, Chris, to ask if AI has been used for this project, and he has stated the following: "I've primarily used AI for initial concepting and temporary visual ideas while focusing on frontend development, as well as assisting with repetitive coding tasks". "I have used AI for imaged editing to help concept what I want, later i'll contact a graphic designer". In the same message: "Other than that, I build everything myself, and work in 3D software to ensure the models function properly and fit what I need in the frontend".
First of all, I appreciate the honesty, and I think all developers should be when charging for software. It seems this is indeed AI-assisted, and openly. I did find an image or two on his Patreon page that still has the "ChatGPT" file name, so it's clear that there is a sprinkling of AI here, which I'll leave to you to decide whether that is a dealbreaker or not.
Chris also mentioned to us that there will be some upcoming features like adding stickers to your 3D consoles so that you can make the console feel more like yours, alongside, alongside minor customisations to the consoles so you can get it as close to "limited edition" variants as possible, which I think is a really cool touch, as i'd love to see a Crystal XBOX or a Glacier GBA for example.
There's also a bunch of customisations you can do to the UI, for those wanting to change background colour, typography, theming, direction of the 3D light and even graphical settings that allow lower-end devices to work as smoothly as possible, because some of this 3D animation will require a handheld or PC with a little bit of oomph.
Overall, it's a neat-looking frontend that's already available to explore. I like how it's highly customisable, I like the 3D animations and I like how it makes users appreciate the manuals by allowing them to add them in, it's how we all remember experiencing these games, so getting as close to the nostalgic hit as possible in a decent frontend is one I am excited to explore, though the use of AI is a little bit dissapointing, especially the image generation. We'll be keeping an eye on this frontend and will update you regularly about it should it have any large updates in the future. Join our free weekly newsletter to not miss out.
Credit: DigiBitPlay
