GoConsoleOS — SteamOS-Style Console UX for Windows 11

GoConsoleOS transforms any Windows 11 PC into a living-room console experience — inspired by SteamOS and Steam Big Picture. It runs entirely from a portable USB drive, leaving the host Windows installation untouched.

Built by GoStudios.

Features

Fullscreen Console Shell — immersive, controller-first UI that hides the Windows desktop
Controller-First Input — native XInput support, mouse emulation, on-screen keyboard
Game Library — scans and aggregates games from Steam, Epic Games, Xbox/Game Pass, GOG, and custom EXEs
GoStore — browse and install themes, plugins, overlays, and controller layouts
Performance Modes — Quiet, Balanced, Turbo with Windows power plan integration
In-Game Overlay — FPS counter, system stats, performance mode switcher (triggered by Guide button)
Multi-Profile Support — per-user profiles with achievements, playtime tracking, favorites
Built-in Server (port 39210) — every console hosts its own HTTP server with the ACC (Account Center) REST API + a web dashboard, reachable from any browser on your LAN
ACC Account System — register/sign in, profiles, devices, security (2FA), GoPoints wallet, subscriptions, friends, activity
GoConsole Game Pass — subscribe to Pro / Plus / Premium / Ultimate tiers by day, month or year, or redeem gift card codes (GC-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX) generated on the console or the ACC web portal
Console Map — the ACC dashboard plots where your USB consoles and devices are right now (IP-based, privacy aware)
GoAI Gaming Assistant — an on-console AI that answers questions about your library, recommends games, and helps with USB health / performance (press GOAI in the nav bar)
Portable USB Gaming Console — the server and GoAI run from the USB drive, no cloud required
Fully Portable — runs from USB, no Windows installation modifications

Folder Structure

X:\GoConsoleOS\              (X = USB drive letter)
├── boot\                    Boot files
│   ├── gocore.exe           Core boot service
│   ├── init.cfg             Boot configuration
│   └── splash.png           Boot splash image
├── launcher\                Main shell
│   ├── GoConsole.exe        Console shell executable
│   ├── launcher.json        Launcher config
│   ├── home\                Home screen data
│   ├── library\             Game library data
│   │   ├── library.json     Scanned game database
│   │   └── custom\          Custom EXE definitions
│   ├── store\               Store cache
│   ├── settings\            Settings cache
│   └── profiles\            Active profile data
├── profiles\                User profiles
│   ├── user1\               Example user profile
│   ├── user2\               Example user profile
│   └── guest\               Guest profile (no permanent storage)
├── system\                  System services
│   ├── logs\                Application logs
│   ├── cache\               Cached data
│   ├── performance\         Performance profiles
│   │   └── profiles.json    Performance mode definitions
│   ├── services\            Service configurations
│   ├── controller\          Controller mappings
│   ├── ui\                  UI resources
│   └── hooks\               Event hooks
├── apps\                    Add-on applications
│   ├── browser\             Web browser
│   ├── media\               Media player
│   └── tools\               Utility tools
├── plugins\                 Extensible plugins
│   ├── themes\              UI themes
│   ├── extensions\          Functionality extensions
│   ├── overlays\            Custom overlay HUDs
│   └── store\               Store catalog
│       └── catalog.json     Item catalog
├── assets\                  Static assets
│   ├── icons\               Application icons
│   ├── fonts\               Custom fonts
│   ├── sfx\                 Sound effects
│   └── wallpapers\          Background wallpapers
└── src\                     Source code (for development)
    ├── GoConsoleOS.sln      .NET 8 solution file
    ├── GoConsoleOS.Shared\  Shared library
    ├── GoCore\              Boot service (gocore.exe)
    └── GoConsole\           Console shell (GoConsole.exe)
└── web\                     ACC Account Center website (served on port 39210, mirrored to GitHub Pages)
    ├── index.html           Dashboard markup
    ├── acc.css              Styling
    └── acc.js               API client + auth flow

Quick Start — Copy to USB

Prerequisites

A USB 3.0+ drive with at least 1 GB free space (500 MB minimum)
A PC running Windows 11 (x64)

Setup

Download the release or build from source (see Building section below).
Copy the entire GoConsoleOS folder to your USB drive:
```
D:\GoConsoleOS\   →   X:\GoConsoleOS\
```
Replace D: with your download location and X: with your USB drive letter.
(Optional) Add a boot splash image:
- Place a splash.png in X:\GoConsoleOS\boot\
- Recommended size: 1920×1080

Launching GoConsoleOS

Method 1 — Boot Service (recommended):

X:\GoConsoleOS\boot\gocore.exe

This shows the splash screen, initializes services, and launches the console shell.

Method 2 — Direct Shell:

X:\GoConsoleOS\launcher\GoConsole.exe

Skips the boot sequence and directly starts the console shell.

Method 3 — Auto-start with Windows: Create a shortcut to gocore.exe or GoConsole.exe in:

%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

GoConsoleOS will then start automatically when Windows boots.

Switching Between Console Mode and Desktop

Action	Method
Return to desktop	Press `Alt+F4` or close GoConsole.exe
Open system menu	Press `F9` or controller Start button
Hide overlay	Press the Guide button again
Close GoConsoleOS	Press `Alt+F4` on the desktop window

Controller Mapping

All navigation is designed for an Xbox controller (XInput).

Button	Action
Left Stick / D-Pad	Move focus
A	Select / Confirm
B	Back
X	Context Menu
Y	Search (on-screen keyboard)
Start	System Menu
Guide (Xbox button)	Toggle In-Game Overlay
Right Stick	Mouse emulation cursor
Right Trigger	Mouse left click
Left Trigger	Mouse right click / Escape

Keyboard Shortcuts

Key	Action
`F1`	Go to Home
`F2`	Go to Library
`F3`	Go to Store
`F5`	Go to Settings
`F9`	Toggle Overlay
`F11`	Cycle Performance Mode
`Escape`	Back to previous view
`Alt+F4`	Close GoConsoleOS
`Enter`	Select focused item

Adding Custom Games (Non-Steam)

Open X:\GoConsoleOS\launcher\library\custom\custom_games.json
Add entries following the existing template:

{
  "Id": "custom_mygame_1",
  "Title": "My Game",
  "Platform": "Custom",
  "ExecutablePath": "C:\\Games\\MyGame\\game.exe",
  "WorkingDirectory": "C:\\Games\\MyGame",
  "Genres": ["Action"],
  "Tags": [],
  "IsInstalled": true
}

Restart GoConsole.exe or rescan from the Library view.

Performance Modes

Three global profiles are available and can be toggled from Settings or via F11:

Mode	Description	Power Plan
Quiet	Low power, quiet fan. 50% CPU, 60% GPU limit. 30 FPS cap.	Power Saver
Balanced	Default. Good performance and thermals. 80% CPU/GPU. 60 FPS cap.	Balanced
Turbo	Max performance. 100% CPU/GPU. Uncapped FPS.	High Performance

Per-game overrides can be defined in system/performance/profiles.json.

Configuration Reference

`boot/init.cfg`

The main configuration file controls boot behavior, paths, and service settings. All paths are relative to the GoConsoleOS root directory.

Key settings:

Section	Key	Description	Default
`[general]`	`auto_detect_drive`	Auto-detect USB drive path	`true`
`[boot]`	`boot_mode`	Boot mode: `shell`, `desktop`, `ask`	`ask`
`[boot]`	`auto_launch_shell`	Auto-start GoConsole.exe	`true`
`[performance]`	`default_mode`	Default perf mode	`balanced`
`[services]`	`xinput_enabled`	Enable Xbox controller support	`true`
`[display]`	`fullscreen`	Start in fullscreen mode	`true`
`[overlay]`	`enabled`	Enable in-game overlay	`true`

`plugins/store/catalog.json`

Defines items available in the GoStore: themes, plugins, overlays, controller layouts, and games.

`system/performance/profiles.json`

Defines global performance profiles and per-game overrides.

ACC Server & GoAI

Every GoConsoleOS host (desktop USB console and the GoConsoleOS Android app) runs a built-in HTTP server on port 39210:

URL	Purpose
`http://localhost:39210/`	ACC Account Center web dashboard
`http://localhost:39210/api/acc/*`	Account REST API (register, login, profile, devices, map, wallet, subscriptions, friends, activity)
`http://localhost:39210/api/goai`	GoAI assistant API
`http://localhost:39210/api/info`	Console info (name, version, features)

Open SETTINGS → Account (or the profile name in the top bar) to sign in / open the portal.
Press GOAI in the nav bar to chat with the gaming assistant.
The Console map card on the dashboard shows this console's approximate location (resolved from its public IP) plus every registered device — great for keeping tabs on a portable USB console from your phone.
The same ACC web site is mirrored on GitHub Pages at https://rhysboxgamestudios.github.io/GoConsoleOS-Web/ (pass ?host=<console-ip> to point it at a console).
The Android companion app (GoConsoleOS-Android) also hosts the ACC API + GoAI on-device at port 39210.

Building from Source

Prerequisites

.NET 8 SDK (any 8.0.x version)
Windows 11 (x64)

Build Steps

Clone or copy the source to a local folder.
Run the build script:
```
build.bat
```
This restores NuGet packages, builds all projects, and publishes them to the correct output directories.

Or build manually:

cd src
dotnet restore GoConsoleOS.sln
dotnet publish GoConsoleOS.Shared -c Release
dotnet publish GoCore\GoCore.csproj -c Release -o ..\boot
dotnet publish GoConsole\GoConsole.csproj -c Release -o ..\launcher

Copy to USB: Copy the entire GoConsoleOS directory to your USB drive.

Architecture Overview

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              GoConsole.exe                  │
│        (WPF Console Shell UI)               │
│  ┌─────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌─────────────┐  │
│  │ Home    │ │ Library  │ │ Store       │  │
│  │ View    │ │ View     │ │ View        │  │
│  ├─────────┤ ├──────────┤ ├─────────────┤  │
│  │ Friends │ │ Settings │ │ Overlay     │  │
│  │ View    │ │ View     │ │ Window      │  │
│  └─────────┘ └──────────┘ └─────────────┘  │
│              Controller Engine              │
│              (XInput P/Invoke)              │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│              gocore.exe                     │
│        (Boot Service / Core Daemon)         │
│  ┌──────────────┐ ┌────────────────────┐   │
│  │ Splash       │ │ Service Manager    │   │
│  │ Screen       │ │ - Controller       │   │
│  │              │ │ - Performance      │   │
│  │              │ │ - System Monitor   │   │
│  └──────────────┘ └────────────────────┘   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│         GoConsoleOS.Shared                  │
│       (Shared Library / Models)             │
│  ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌────────────┐  │
│  │ Config   │ │ Library  │ │ Profile    │  │
│  │ Reader   │ │ Scanner  │ │ Manager    │  │
│  ├──────────┤ ├──────────┤ ├────────────┤  │
│  │ Perf     │ │ System   │ │ Controller │  │
│  │ Manager  │ │ Monitor  │ │ Engine     │  │
│  └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └────────────┘  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Components

GoConsole.exe — A WPF application that renders the fullscreen console shell. Contains all UI views (Home, Library, Store, Friends, Settings), the in-game overlay, and the controller input engine.
gocore.exe — A console application that handles boot sequence, splash screen, and background services. Can run headless to keep services alive.
GoConsoleOS.Shared — A class library containing all shared models (config, games, profiles), utility classes (config reader, logger, platform detection, library scanner, performance manager), and the native XInput controller engine.

License

GoConsoleOS is developed by GoStudios and provided for educational and personal use. Redistribution or commercial use requires permission.

GoConsoleOS™ and the GoConsoleOS logo are trademarks of GoStudios. Other product names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Support

GitHub Issues: https://github.com/gostudios/GoConsoleOS/issues
Website: https://goconsoleos.com
Email: support@goconsoleos.com

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
assets		assets
boot		boot
gh-assets		gh-assets
launcher		launcher
mobile		mobile
plugins/store		plugins/store
profiles/guest		profiles/guest
publish-dev		publish-dev
src		src
system/performance		system/performance
web		web
.gitignore		.gitignore
Build-USBPortable.ps1		Build-USBPortable.ps1
README.md		README.md
build.bat		build.bat
update.json		update.json

Navigation Menu

Repository files navigation

GoConsoleOS — SteamOS-Style Console UX for Windows 11

Features

Folder Structure

Quick Start — Copy to USB

Prerequisites

Setup

Launching GoConsoleOS

Switching Between Console Mode and Desktop

Controller Mapping

Keyboard Shortcuts

Adding Custom Games (Non-Steam)

Performance Modes

Configuration Reference

`boot/init.cfg`

`plugins/store/catalog.json`

`system/performance/profiles.json`

ACC Server & GoAI

Building from Source

Prerequisites

Build Steps

Architecture Overview

Key Components

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Repository files navigation

GoConsoleOS — SteamOS-Style Console UX for Windows 11

Features

Folder Structure

Quick Start — Copy to USB

Prerequisites

Setup

Launching GoConsoleOS

Switching Between Console Mode and Desktop

Controller Mapping

Keyboard Shortcuts

Adding Custom Games (Non-Steam)

Performance Modes

Configuration Reference

boot/init.cfg

plugins/store/catalog.json

system/performance/profiles.json

ACC Server & GoAI

Building from Source

Prerequisites

Build Steps

Architecture Overview

Key Components

License

Support

About

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`boot/init.cfg`

`plugins/store/catalog.json`

`system/performance/profiles.json`