A controller-first console frontend for Windows.
Your games, streaming apps and websites on one couch-friendly screen, without locking the PC down.
Homebase sits on top of normal Windows. Pick up a controller and you get a console-style home screen for your Steam library, Netflix, YouTube, Plex, Spotify and any website you add. Put it down and the desktop, your store clients and your files are exactly where you left them.
Built for the couch
- A 10-foot interface with Home, Library, Apps, Media, Search and Settings, driven by a strict focus model so the highlight never gets lost.
- One press of the Home button returns to Homebase from anywhere; hold it for the quick menu (switch profile, volume, power, close the app).
- Borderless full screen, start with Windows, and a tray mode.
Your whole library
- Finds installed Steam games and local games on its own, and keeps looking in the background so new installs show up without a rescan.
- A Not installed view of your Steam library, with install and hide.
- HD artwork everywhere: Steam library art, published covers by app ID, real app and site icons, or your own image for anything.
Apps and websites that work with a controller
- Streaming apps and any website open in their own full-screen window.
- Left stick moves the mouse pointer, right stick scrolls, A clicks.
- A console-style on-screen keyboard pops up when a text box is selected, including sign-in codes and password boxes (typed as dots), and types straight into the app.
- Start opens the Homebase menu over the app, with Close app. The app stays in front until you choose to leave it.
The controller reaches the rest of the PC
- Desktop mode turns the controller into a mouse and keyboard for Windows itself: X opens the Start menu, Y switches windows, View types.
- Game launchers, store sign-ins, file pickers and other dialogs that pop up over an app or game get the same controls automatically.
- Games without controller support can be set to Mouse & keyboard in their options.
Keyboard and mouse too
- Every screen works with a keyboard and mouse. Right-click opens an item's options, and the mouse Back button goes back.
- Type, paste (Ctrl+V), copy (Ctrl+C) and cut (Ctrl+X) in every text field.
Make it yours
- Pin games and apps to Home or the sidebar, reorder them, and choose which Home sections appear.
- Remap the controller buttons, with a one-step reset to defaults.
- Three themes (Midnight, Graphite, Linen), text size, reduced motion and high contrast.
Family friendly
- Profiles with avatars and themes, age-rating gates, allow and block lists, daily time limits, and PIN-approved requests with a recovery key.
- PINs are hashed with Argon2id; the Steam Web API key lives in Windows Credential Manager.
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| Library with Steam art and filters | Apps: streaming services, music, social and anything you add |
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| On-screen keyboard with paste and shortcuts | Quick menu from the Home button |
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| Media: now playing, volume and media apps | The Linen theme |
| Controller | Keyboard | In Homebase | In an app |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-pad | Arrow keys | Move | Move (arrow keys) |
| Left stick | Move | Mouse pointer | |
| Right stick | Move | Scroll | |
| A | Enter / Space | Select | Click (after pointing) or select |
| B | Esc | Back | Back |
| X | Ctrl+F | Search | App action (e.g. play/pause) |
| LB / RB | Previous / next section | App action | |
| LT / RT | Page Up / Page Down | Page up / down | Click / right-click, or seek in video apps |
| Start (Menu) | Menu key | Options for the selected item | Homebase menu, with Close app |
| View | On-screen keyboard | ||
| Home (Guide) | Ctrl+Alt+Home | Go to Home | Back to Homebase (the app keeps running) |
| Hold Home | Ctrl+Alt+Space | Quick menu | Quick menu |
| Home + B | Ctrl+Alt+End | Desktop mode | Homebase menu (leave the app from there) |
| F11 | Full screen on/off | ||
| Home | Home screen |
Desktop mode, launchers and dialogs use the same controls as apps, plus X for the Start menu and Y to switch windows.
Mouse: point and click anything, right-click for options, mouse Back to go back. Buttons can be remapped in Settings → Controller buttons. The Controls wiki page has the full list, including remotes.
Installer: cargo xtask dist builds installer/bin/x64/Release/Homebase-Setup.msi
and a portable zip in dist/. The MSI installs for the current user and
replaces any older copy. Attach both to a GitHub release to share a build.
From source, straight onto this PC:
cargo xtask installThis builds a release, packages the MSI, closes a running Homebase cleanly and installs the new version for your user.
Requirements: Windows 10 or 11 (x64), Rust 1.85 or newer, the MSVC build tools, CMake and Ninja (SDL3 builds from source), and the .NET 8 SDK for the installer.
cargo build --workspace # build everything
cargo test --workspace # run the tests, including a full controller walkthrough
cargo xtask verify # formatting, Clippy (warnings denied) and tests
cargo xtask dist # release exe, portable zip, sample packages and MSI
cargo xtask install # build and install for this user
cargo xtask pack # package the example .hbpkg files
python scripts/gen_assets.py # regenerate the logo, icons and UI sounds- Wiki: getting started, controls, apps and websites, library, profiles and family settings, troubleshooting and building.
- Architecture: crates, threads and data flow.
- Specification, requirements and the capability matrix.
- Status and the changelog.
app/ the Homebase app: Slint UI (app/ui) and the orchestrator (app/src)
crates/
hb-core shared vocabulary: ids, models, input, settings, themes, errors
hb-store SQLite storage, migrations and the secrets boundary
hb-sys everything Windows: launching, windows, media, audio, power, UI Automation
hb-input controllers (SDL3), keyboard, remotes, bindings and input injection
hb-appexp app experiences: launching apps and websites, window tracking, pointer
hb-providers Steam, local games, the media and app catalog, site icons
hb-session game session state machine and process tracking
hb-policy profiles, ratings, time limits and approvals
hb-audio UI sounds
hb-ext .hbpkg packages: themes, app definitions and input profiles
installer/ WiX MSI
packages/ example packages
xtask/ build, package and install automation
Homebase is © 2026 Rique and released under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later. Game and service names and artwork shown in screenshots belong to their owners and are loaded from the user's own PC and services; none are bundled.