After the success of RecalCards Gen, Bounitos is back with a new community tool: RecalTheme Studio. Accessible directly from your browser, it lets anyone create their own Recalbox theme, from scratch or based on an existing theme, without touching a single line of code.

All formats, all screens

RecalTheme Studio supports every format used on Recalbox: HD16/9, CRT4/3, handheld console, TATE and TATE CRT. You can move freely between these formats and create, then edit, each of the screens that make up a theme: system list, game list, menu, screensaver.

Everything is customizable down to the pixel, right down to the color gradient, so you get exactly the look you have in mind.

Designed for beginners and experts alike

When starting a project, the tool offers three levels: beginner, normal or advanced. That means you can either get going simply if you're new to theme creation, or dive straight into the fine-grained settings if you already know where you're headed.

You can start from a blank page

Or from an existing theme

RecalTheme Studio packs in features worthy of professional software, while staying accessible to newcomers: drag-and-drop, for example, lets you position a screen's elements without any complex manipulation.

Note that the studio's editor has two modes: edit and navigation, letting you switch to keyboard navigation mode (to move through systems, game lists, etc.). This navigation mode is also compatible with a gamepad connected directly to the computer, so you can navigate through your theme's various screens just like on your Recalbox!

Share and collaborate

A project in progress can be exported so it can be shared, whether just for fun or so others can help you polish your theme. And if you feel your theme is far enough along, you can submit it to the Recalbox team for official integration into the Theme Manager, so all users can enjoy it directly on their Recalbox.

That's already the case with the DMD theme, created by serviettzky, which is the very first community theme integrated into Recalbox's Theme Manager. As a reminder, the Theme Manager is available directly on your Recalbox and lets you preview and apply a theme right from that manager.

serviettzky's DMD theme

An already active community of theme makers

A dedicated channel, #themes, exists on the Recalbox Discord. You'll already find a community of theme makers there, ready to exchange tips, feedback and creations. And if you need advice, whether about the Theme Studio itself or a theme you're working on, don't hesitate to reach out to Bounitos — he's often hanging around the Discord channel!

RecalTheme Studio is available right now:

• theme-studio.recalbox.com

To start your creations, you'll need to link your Discord account to Theme Studio in order to sign in.

Note that the full official documentation is available via the "documentation" button in the top right of Theme Studio, or directly at this link.

Do you appreciate the Recalbox team's work? Support the project by becoming a Patron!