Short answer: Mix V2 wins for most people. It layers in more artwork per image, and tools like ReadyCade's prebuilt media packs already mark it as the recommended default.
Mix V1 still wins in one case: older or low-power hardware, where a simpler three-layer image loads and renders faster.
What ScreenScraper Actually Is
ScreenScraper isn't a single app. It's a community-built database of game metadata: titles, box art, screenshots, logos, and short clips.
Volunteers upload and curate this data at screenscraper.fr. Frontends like RetroBat, Recalbox, and EmulationStation then query that database when you "scrape" your collection.
Here's the part most articles skip. Mix V1 and Mix V2 are not two competing tools. They're two predefined artwork templates the database can hand back to you, according to a RetroBat community forum thread on the topic.
Think of them as two settings on the same camera, not two different cameras.
Mix V1 vs Mix V2: The Real Difference
Both mixes exist to solve one problem. A screenshot alone looks plain in a game list, and nobody wants to browse five separate image files per game.
So ScreenScraper composites several images into one file. The two versions differ in how many layers go in, per the DroiX game-scraping FAQ.
Original diagram, not a screenshot of the ScreenScraper interface: Mix V2 keeps every Mix V1 layer and adds mock physical media.
| Element | Mix V1 | Mix V2 |
|---|---|---|
| Screenshot | Included | Included |
| Box art (3D render) | Included | Included |
| Logo / wheel art | Included | Included |
| Mock physical media (disc, cartridge) | Not included | Included |
| Visual density | Simpler, three-part layout | Denser, four-part layout |
| Best fit | Lightweight themes, older hardware | Modern themes, higher-res displays |
Which Frontends Support Each Mix
Support isn't universal. Here's what the documentation and community wikis actually confirm.
| Frontend / Tool | Mix V1 | Mix V2 | Custom mixes |
|---|---|---|---|
| RetroBat | Yes | Yes | No, template only |
| Recalbox (built-in scraper) | Yes | Yes | No, template only |
| EmulationStation-based systems | Yes | Yes | No, template only |
| ARRM (third-party GUI scraper) | Yes | Yes | Yes, via its Mix'Me module |
Sources: RetroBat's official scraping wiki, the RetroBat forum thread above, and the ARRM release notes on the Recalbox forum.
RetroBat itself doesn't build custom mixes internally. It relies on ScreenScraper's ready-made V1 and V2 templates, alongside three other built-in scraping services: TheGamesDB, HFSDB, and ArcadeDB.
How to Pick Mix V1 or V2 in Your Scraper
- Open your frontend's scraper menu (Main Menu > Scraper in RetroBat, for example).
- Select ScreenScraper as your scraping source.
- Find the image or media type setting.
- Choose "Mix V1" or "Mix V2 (Recommended)" from the list, following the labelling used by prebuilt media packs like ReadyCade's.
- Run the scrape on one system first to check how the artwork looks on your actual screen.
- Rescrape the rest of your collection once you're happy with the result.
V1 or V2: Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons | |
|---|---|---|
| Mix V1 | Simpler composite, lighter on older devices, still clearly shows box art and screenshot | Looks plain next to newer themes, no physical-media flourish |
| Mix V2 | Fuller, more polished look; recommended default in several prebuilt packs | Busier composite; one extra image layer to fetch per game |
Going Beyond V1 and V2: Custom Mixes
Neither V1 nor V2 is the ceiling. Built-in scrapers stop at those two templates, but third-party tools go further.
- ARRM ships a "Mix'Me" module for building and saving your own composite templates, per its official project page.
- Some independent scrapers use different naming entirely. The open-source sselph/scraper tool, for instance, offers a "3-image mix" and a "4-image mix" instead of "V1" and "V2."
- Naming varies by tool, so always check your specific scraper's documentation before assuming "mix" means the same thing everywhere.
Translation: if V1 and V2 both feel like off-the-rack suits, custom mixing is the tailor.
Account Tiers and Scrape Limits
ScreenScraper throttles anonymous requests when server load climbs. Community reports on the RetroPie forum describe a tiered system: anonymous access gets the least headroom, free registered accounts get more, and paid supporter accounts get the most.
Exact numbers shift over time, so treat any figure you read, including older forum posts, as a snapshot rather than a promise. Check your account's quota directly on screenscraper.fr before a large scrape job.
One practical tip either way: register a free account first. It costs nothing and immediately reduces the odds of your scrape stalling mid-collection.
The Verdict
Winner Mix V2, for most builds, most themes, and most modern hardware.
It packs more visual storytelling into one file, and it's already the suggested default in prebuilt media packs.
Runner-up Mix V1, when you're running older hardware, a minimalist theme, or you just prefer a cleaner composite.
Neither is objectively "wrong." A gamelist.xml file has never rejected a game over its thumbnail choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ScreenScraper free to use?
Yes. Anonymous scraping is free but rate-limited. Registering an account raises your daily quota, and paid support raises it again.
Can I mix Mix V1 and Mix V2 in the same collection?
Yes. The setting applies per scrape job, not per collection. You can rescrape a single system with a different mix at any time.
Does Mix V2 slow down scraping?
It can, slightly. Mix V2 pulls one extra image layer than Mix V1, so each composite takes marginally longer to assemble.
Which frontends support these mixes natively?
RetroBat, Recalbox, and EmulationStation-based systems all support ScreenScraper's built-in Mix V1 and Mix V2 templates.
Can I design my own mix instead of choosing V1 or V2?
Yes, through third-party tools. ARRM's Mix'Me module lets you build and save a fully custom composite template.
Sources
- ScreenScraper.fr — the official community game metadata database.
- RetroBat Wiki: Scraping & Metadata — official documentation on supported scraping services.
- RetroBat Community Forum: "Custom Mixes possible?" — confirms V1/V2 are predefined mixes.
- DroiX: RG351 Game Scraping FAQ — defines the exact image layers in Mix V1 and Mix V2.
- Recalbox Forum: ARRM release notes — confirms Mix RB V1/V2 buttons and custom template support.
- ReadyCade FAQ — shows Mix V2 marked as the recommended default in a prebuilt media pack.
- sselph/scraper Wiki — example of alternate mix naming used by a third-party scraper.
- RetroPie Forum discussion — community reporting on ScreenScraper's tiered access limits.
Short answer: Mix V2 wins for most people. It layers in more artwork per image, and tools like ReadyCade's prebuilt media packs already mark it as the recommended default.
Mix V1 still wins in one case: older or low-power hardware, where a simpler three-layer image loads and renders faster.
What ScreenScraper Actually Is
ScreenScraper isn't a single app. It's a community-built database of game metadata: titles, box art, screenshots, logos, and short clips.
Volunteers upload and curate this data at screenscraper.fr. Frontends like RetroBat, Recalbox, and EmulationStation then query that database when you "scrape" your collection.
Here's the part most articles skip. Mix V1 and Mix V2 are not two competing tools. They're two predefined artwork templates the database can hand back to you, according to a RetroBat community forum thread on the topic.
Think of them as two settings on the same camera, not two different cameras.
Mix V1 vs Mix V2: The Real Difference
Both mixes exist to solve one problem. A screenshot alone looks plain in a game list, and nobody wants to browse five separate image files per game.
So ScreenScraper composites several images into one file. The two versions differ in how many layers go in, per the DroiX game-scraping FAQ.
Original diagram, not a screenshot of the ScreenScraper interface: Mix V2 keeps every Mix V1 layer and adds mock physical media.
| Element | Mix V1 | Mix V2 |
|---|---|---|
| Screenshot | Included | Included |
| Box art (3D render) | Included | Included |
| Logo / wheel art | Included | Included |
| Mock physical media (disc, cartridge) | Not included | Included |
| Visual density | Simpler, three-part layout | Denser, four-part layout |
| Best fit | Lightweight themes, older hardware | Modern themes, higher-res displays |
Which Frontends Support Each Mix
Support isn't universal. Here's what the documentation and community wikis actually confirm.
| Frontend / Tool | Mix V1 | Mix V2 | Custom mixes |
|---|---|---|---|
| RetroBat | Yes | Yes | No, template only |
| Recalbox (built-in scraper) | Yes | Yes | No, template only |
| EmulationStation-based systems | Yes | Yes | No, template only |
| ARRM (third-party GUI scraper) | Yes | Yes | Yes, via its Mix'Me module |
Sources: RetroBat's official scraping wiki, the RetroBat forum thread above, and the ARRM release notes on the Recalbox forum.
RetroBat itself doesn't build custom mixes internally. It relies on ScreenScraper's ready-made V1 and V2 templates, alongside three other built-in scraping services: TheGamesDB, HFSDB, and ArcadeDB.
How to Pick Mix V1 or V2 in Your Scraper
- Open your frontend's scraper menu (Main Menu > Scraper in RetroBat, for example).
- Select ScreenScraper as your scraping source.
- Find the image or media type setting.
- Choose "Mix V1" or "Mix V2 (Recommended)" from the list, following the labelling used by prebuilt media packs like ReadyCade's.
- Run the scrape on one system first to check how the artwork looks on your actual screen.
- Rescrape the rest of your collection once you're happy with the result.
V1 or V2: Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons | |
|---|---|---|
| Mix V1 | Simpler composite, lighter on older devices, still clearly shows box art and screenshot | Looks plain next to newer themes, no physical-media flourish |
| Mix V2 | Fuller, more polished look; recommended default in several prebuilt packs | Busier composite; one extra image layer to fetch per game |
Going Beyond V1 and V2: Custom Mixes
Neither V1 nor V2 is the ceiling. Built-in scrapers stop at those two templates, but third-party tools go further.
- ARRM ships a "Mix'Me" module for building and saving your own composite templates, per its official project page.
- Some independent scrapers use different naming entirely. The open-source sselph/scraper tool, for instance, offers a "3-image mix" and a "4-image mix" instead of "V1" and "V2."
- Naming varies by tool, so always check your specific scraper's documentation before assuming "mix" means the same thing everywhere.
Translation: if V1 and V2 both feel like off-the-rack suits, custom mixing is the tailor.
Account Tiers and Scrape Limits
ScreenScraper throttles anonymous requests when server load climbs. Community reports on the RetroPie forum describe a tiered system: anonymous access gets the least headroom, free registered accounts get more, and paid supporter accounts get the most.
Exact numbers shift over time, so treat any figure you read, including older forum posts, as a snapshot rather than a promise. Check your account's quota directly on screenscraper.fr before a large scrape job.
One practical tip either way: register a free account first. It costs nothing and immediately reduces the odds of your scrape stalling mid-collection.
The Verdict
Winner Mix V2, for most builds, most themes, and most modern hardware.
It packs more visual storytelling into one file, and it's already the suggested default in prebuilt media packs.
Runner-up Mix V1, when you're running older hardware, a minimalist theme, or you just prefer a cleaner composite.
Neither is objectively "wrong." A gamelist.xml file has never rejected a game over its thumbnail choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ScreenScraper free to use?
Yes. Anonymous scraping is free but rate-limited. Registering an account raises your daily quota, and paid support raises it again.
Can I mix Mix V1 and Mix V2 in the same collection?
Yes. The setting applies per scrape job, not per collection. You can rescrape a single system with a different mix at any time.
Does Mix V2 slow down scraping?
It can, slightly. Mix V2 pulls one extra image layer than Mix V1, so each composite takes marginally longer to assemble.
Which frontends support these mixes natively?
RetroBat, Recalbox, and EmulationStation-based systems all support ScreenScraper's built-in Mix V1 and Mix V2 templates.
Can I design my own mix instead of choosing V1 or V2?
Yes, through third-party tools. ARRM's Mix'Me module lets you build and save a fully custom composite template.
Sources
- ScreenScraper.fr — the official community game metadata database.
- RetroBat Wiki: Scraping & Metadata — official documentation on supported scraping services.
- RetroBat Community Forum: "Custom Mixes possible?" — confirms V1/V2 are predefined mixes.
- DroiX: RG351 Game Scraping FAQ — defines the exact image layers in Mix V1 and Mix V2.
- Recalbox Forum: ARRM release notes — confirms Mix RB V1/V2 buttons and custom template support.
- ReadyCade FAQ — shows Mix V2 marked as the recommended default in a prebuilt media pack.
- sselph/scraper Wiki — example of alternate mix naming used by a third-party scraper.
- RetroPie Forum discussion — community reporting on ScreenScraper's tiered access limits.
