Kwiq Gaming Mode

Activation and Access

Gaming Mode can be accessed in several ways:

• "Gaming" Quick Tool: tap the controller icon in Quick Tools on Home or Desktop.
• App drawer shortcut: use the kwiq_gaming shortcut to open it directly.
• Controller mode button: connect a gamepad and press MODE to open Gaming.
• Rotate to landscape: if configured, rotating the device to landscape automatically opens Gaming Mode.

The activity opens in fullscreen landscape (SCREEN_ORIENTATION_SENSOR_LANDSCAPE), maximizing screen space for games.

Dashboard

When entering Gaming Mode, you see the dashboard with the following sections:

Gamepad Support

Kwiq offers full support for physical controllers:

Connection: Bluetooth or OTG — any Android-compatible controller works.

Diagnostics: open the gamepad diagnostics to see:

• Analog axes (Left X/Y, Right X/Y, Triggers, D-Pad).
• Buttons pressed in real time.
• A log of the last 8 events.
• A list of connected devices.

Auto-detect: Kwiq automatically detects when a controller is connected or disconnected.

Navigation: use the analog stick or D-Pad to navigate the Gaming interface.

Game Library

Kwiq organizes your games into two main categories:

Android Games

Games installed on the device are detected automatically and displayed with their native icons. You can:

• Filter by name or platform.
• Sort by name, install date, or recent use.
• Favorite games for quick access.
• See recents: the 5 most recent games appear in the Quick Tool shortcut.

Retro Games (ROMs)

Kwiq scans the file system for ROMs and organizes them by platform. Platform mapping is based on Daijishou's JSONs, with support for more than 70 platforms (Nintendo, Sony, Sega, Atari, NEC, SNK, Commodore, etc.).

Each platform has:

• Name, unique ID, short name.
• A list of compatible emulators.
• Supported ROM extensions (.nes, .sfc, .gba, .iso, .rom, etc.).
• A custom icon (over 200 console icon mappings).

Supported Emulators

Kwiq automatically detects installed emulators and sets up the integration. When you select a ROM, Kwiq shows the compatible emulators installed.

Extras (LIBRETRO, CONFIGFILE)

Extras (bootPath)

Data URI

The EmulatorRegistry handles detection of installed emulators via PackageManager. If an emulator is not installed, it simply does not appear as an option.

ROM Management

Kwiq makes it easy to manage your ROM library:

1. Automatic scan: when entering Gaming, Kwiq scans the configured folders for ROMs.
2. Organization by platform: ROMs are automatically grouped by their matching platform (e.g., "Super Nintendo", "PlayStation", "Nintendo 64").
3. Search and filters: find ROMs by name, platform, or genre.
4. Favorites and recents: markers for quick access.
5. Setup assistant: helps configure emulators for detected platforms.

Artwork and Metadata

Make your library visually appealing with covers and metadata:

• Local cover: assign gallery images as the cover for each game.
• Metadata: edit information such as name, year, genre, developer, description.

Online search: with API keys, you can look up metadata on:

• IGDB (Internet Game Database) — a comprehensive game database.
• TheGamesDB — a collaborative game database.

ROM Patcher

Kwiq's ROM Patcher lets you apply patches to ROMs directly on the device, without needing a computer. This is useful for:

• Translations: apply translation patches to play in another language.
• Hacks: apply community-made mods (higher difficulty, new levels, etc.).
• Fixes: apply bugfix patches to ROMs.

Supported formats: IPS, UPS, APS, BPS, RUP, PPF, BSDIFF, PMSR, VCDIFF.

How to use it:

1. Open the ROM Patcher from the File Manager or the Gaming menu.
2. Select the patch file (.ips, .ups, .bps, etc.).
3. Choose the original ROM.
4. Set the destination and apply.

See the "ROM Patcher" section in the File Manager documentation for full details.

Cloud Gaming

Gaming Mode also offers access to cloud gaming services:

• Xbox Cloud Gaming: a direct shortcut to open xCloud in the browser or a compatible app.
• Remote Play: automatically detects installed remote play apps (PS Remote Play, Steam Link, Moonlight, etc.).

Cloud gaming services appear as cards on the dashboard, integrated into the library for quick access.

Tips and Customization

Gaming Management (Web Dashboard)

Beyond the on-device dashboard, Kwiq ships a Gaming Management module in the web dashboard (/gaming) and mirrored MCP tools, so you can manage your ROM library from any browser or AI assistant:

• Configure API keys: enable and set your IGDB and TheGamesDB credentials right from the Gaming page, with masked secret fields.
• Upload ROMs: drag and drop or pick files from the browser. Each upload is routed by extension to the correct platform folder (e.g. .gb to Game Boy, .z64 to Nintendo 64).
• Ambiguous extensions: for formats shared by several platforms (.zip, .iso, .7z), the dashboard asks you to pick the platform before saving.
• Download and delete: export any ROM back to your computer or remove it (together with its cached metadata and artwork).
• Edit details: change name, summary, storyline, genres, platforms, rating, release date and website links for any ROM.
• Search and import: look games up on IGDB or TheGamesDB and import full metadata and cover art with one click.
• Artwork: upload, download or clear local covers and backgrounds for each game directly from the detail dialog.
• MCP coverage: every dashboard action is also exposed as MCP tools (gaming_list_roms, gaming_rom_import_url, gaming_rom_cover_url, gaming_search_igdb, and more) for AI assistants.