RetroArch XMB Interface Guide: Navigation, Thumbnails, and Themes

RetroArch XMB Interface Overview

XMB was the default user interface for RetroArch until it was succeeded by Ozone in RetroArch 1.7.6. It is based on Sony's cross-media bar GUI, most widely known from the PSP and PlayStation 3. This guide covers menu structure, navigation, input, thumbnails, and themes based on the official libretro documentation.

Menu Structure

The top-level menus and playlists are displayed in a single primary row running from left to right. When a row item is selected, a submenu column appears below it. The selected item in the column is always the first line under the primary row.

Navigating the Menus

• Press left or right to move along the primary row.
• Press up or down to scroll the submenu column.
• Press the backspace key to go back one step.

Input Devices

XMB is designed for use with a gamepad or keyboard. Content is controlled using a keyboard or gamepad connected via USB or Bluetooth.

Thumbnails

By default, no thumbnails are displayed. Up to two can be enabled. The primary thumbnail appears on the lower right side of the screen when a playlist entry is selected. The secondary thumbnail appears on the left. Press the spacebar key to view the thumbnails full-screen, and press spacebar again to toggle the view off. Thumbnails can be boxart, a title screen screenshot, or a gameplay screenshot.

• Go to Settings > User Interface > Appearance.
• Toggle the Primary Thumbnail and/or Secondary Thumbnail option to enable thumbnails.

Themes

XMB has a number of built-in styles. They can be changed in the Settings > User Interface > Appearance menu. The background color can be changed by scrolling through Color Theme to select a color. The animated background wallpaper can also be changed via Shader Pipeline; the default is a PlayStation-style animated ribbon. XMB also has a selection of icon sets to choose from via Icon Theme.

XMB can show different wallpapers depending on the playlist selected. This is done using external wallpaper files referenced in the documentation.