Using HyperSpin

HyperHQ manages your library and settings. HyperSpin presents the frontend used to browse systems and launch games.

Finish system, game, media, and control setup in HyperHQ before daily use in HyperSpin.

Start HyperSpin

Launch HyperSpin from the desktop shortcut or from HyperHQ.

For desktop login startup, open Settings > Startup > Apps in HyperHQ. Set HyperSpin to Time-based and choose a Launch delay for drives, controllers, and companion apps.

Linux Full screen startup is an optional dedicated login session with separate prerequisites and administrator authentication. The current alpha targets Desktop Mode; Steam Gaming Mode compatibility is not confirmed. See Linux startup.

Linux desktop setup

Start in Desktop Mode on the Linux alpha targets: Bazzite, SteamOS Desktop Mode, and Ubuntu Desktop. Install core apps through HyperHQ, configure one system, then launch HyperSpin from HyperHQ.

The default library root is ~/HyperSpin/ on Linux and C:/ProgramData/HyperSpin/ on Windows. Use your selected root if different. Keep extracted Linux application files together and confirm executable permission before launching a manually downloaded package.

Configure controllers in HyperHQ and displays in your Linux desktop before testing HyperSpin. See Linux distribution setup for runtime prerequisites and package-specific steps.

Browse and launch

Fresh installs start with these Player 1 controls.

Action	Keyboard	Controller
Move through the wheel	Arrow Up / Arrow Down	Left Stick or D-pad Up / Down
Jump by letter	Arrow Left / Arrow Right	Left Stick or D-pad Left / Right
Select or launch	Enter	A
Back	Escape	B
Search	F1	Right Bumper
View details	X	Y
Previous / next detail item	Minus / Numpad Plus	Left Trigger / Right Trigger

Saved keyboard and controller mappings replace these defaults. See Controller Setup for mapping steps.

Exit Menu and frontend settings

Press 1 or controller Start to open Exit Menu.

• Yes closes HyperSpin.
• Menu opens frontend settings.

Press M or your mapped Menu action to open frontend settings directly.

The frontend settings menu includes:

• Volume
• Wheel
• Metadata
• Display
• Marquee

Use the Wheel menu for layout, artwork style, visibility filters, opacity, fade timing, and single-system menu behavior. Use Display for window output, transitions, and the Quality Profile.

RetroAchievements on a marquee

HyperSpin shows a selected game's RetroAchievements progress on the marquee when progress data is available. The summary includes earned and total achievements plus earned and total points.

Open Menu > Marquee > Achievement Summary to turn the summary on or off. The setting starts on for new installs.

Favorites

Open the mapped Favorites action while a game is selected.

• View Favorites filters the current system to favorite games.
• Add to Favorites adds the selected game.

The add action stays unavailable on system and collection rows.

Wheel layout and artwork

HyperHQ separates wheel placement from artwork style.

Wheel layouts include curved, straight, angled, centered, and horizontal choices. Artwork styles include classic system and game logos, box art, cards, and coverflow options.

Set the global style under Settings > HyperSpin > Wheel. Open a system's Wheel Settings for an inherited or custom style.

Wheel Fade Delay sets how long the wheel stays fully visible after movement stops. A value of 0 starts the fade without an added delay.

System entrance behavior

Two wheel settings control the first selected game after entering a system.

• Return to Last Game restores the last launched or selected game.
• Start on Random Game picks a random game.

The options are mutually exclusive. Each system supports Inherit, On, or Off overrides from HyperHQ.

Attract mode

Attract mode moves through games and systems after an idle period. Any keyboard or controller input returns control to you.

Configure attract mode under Settings > HyperSpin > Attract Mode in HyperHQ.

• Enable or disable automatic browsing.
• Choose an idle timeout from 5 seconds to 10 minutes.
• Set the number of games shown before a system change.
• Turn on Advanced for direct timing values.

Transition quality

HyperSpin offers three Quality Profile values under Display.

Profile	Behavior
Basic	Uses lighter background transitions.
Auto	Starts with enhanced transitions and switches to Basic after sustained slow frames.
Enhanced	Keeps enhanced transitions active.

Use Auto first. Move to Basic when background changes stutter. Use Enhanced after confirming steady performance on the cabinet display.

Pause and exit a game

HyperOverlay owns the in-game pause and exit flow when enabled.

Fresh installs use F2 or Modifier + Start for the pause menu. Use Delete or Modifier + Back to close the running game.

The pause menu includes supported actions for resume, restart, manuals, disc or version changes, and save states. Available actions depend on the selected game and emulator.

See HyperOverlay for setup details.

Troubleshooting

HyperSpin opens on the wrong display

Open Settings > HyperSpin > Display in HyperHQ. Check HyperSpin Display and Window Mode.

Wheel controls feel reversed

Open Settings > HyperSpin > Wheel. Turn on Disable Controls Inversion to keep the original wheel and letter-jump actions after a layout change.

A system opens on an unexpected game

Check Return to Last Game and Start on Random Game at both global and system levels. A system override takes priority over the global value.

Background transitions stutter

Set Quality Profile to Auto or Basic. Keep Enhanced for hardware with steady transition performance.