I am not a great player. When I play something, I tend to pull PPSSPP or some other classic emulator, so this article is going to talk about something that exists, but not about a review complete software. cartridges is a program that a developer created for himself. He had games on different platforms, and every time he wanted to play a different one, he had to quit his app, open the other one, and then launch the game. Besides, he didn't see them all together. That is something that no longer happens to him nor does it have to happen to anyone.
The idea is clear: Cartridges is like a local video game portal where all supported games are displayed in a common library. Translated into Spanish, the name is "Cartridges", referring to how the games were presented on classic consoles. It's based on Libadwaita, so it will work better on GNOME than on other desktops, but that should matter little or nothing to gamers who have the same problem that prompted the developer.
Cartridges supports Steam and Bottles
reminds me a bit of OpenEmu from macOS or other emulators such as RetroArch or RetroPie, but this one is more focused on PC games. Right now it supports importing games from Steam, Heroic and Bottles, but more sources are coming soon. As another positive point, its developer says that it is not necessary to identify yourself to be able to launch the titles, something that, without knowing the precise details, should be possible because we would already be logged in to the original application, such as Steam.
Among the characteristics of Cartridges, it stands out:
- Add and edit games manually.
- Import of games from Steam, Heroic and Bottles.
- Support for multiple Steam install locations.
- Possibility to hide games.
- Search and sort by title, date added, and last time played.
It is available for Windows and Linux, and it is recommended to use the flathub package for installation on computers with the Linus Torvalds kernel.