Ok, so I'm building my daughter a custom gaming PC. Here's a quick rundown.

I have an IBM 286. I'm modding the case a little and sticking the guts of an intel duo laptop in there. I'm going to load it down with emulators and my ROM backup collection and plug it into an old CRT tv.

Then I'll give it to my daughter who just turned 4. Every day she asks if she can play this game or that and that's fine. She can play whatever. But she never asks to play the system that's currently plugged in to the tv. So with this custom box, she'd be able to turn the tv to channel 3 and turn the pc on and be playing any game in a few minutes.

My goal is to ultimately have a UI on this machine that
1. Has large buttons corresponding to the various emulators installed, which when clicked go to a 2nd menu of games.
2. Can be loaded onto a CD or even just an iso in a virtual drive, as long as it can be booted straight to
3. Can be operated with an xbox controller, or preferably a PS3 controller the PC thinks is an xbox controller thanks to MotioninJoy.
4. There should be no way to access windows with the aforementioned controller, only with the keyboard and mouse and like, console commands or something.

So that's that. As far as the box mods and everything, I have that under control. I'm a hardware modding wizard. Ok, maybe not wizard. But like, a really good magician.

However, I can't program my way out of a paper sack. So, that's why I'm typing this.

I've tried reading GTK+ tutorials and such. It's so far over my head it hurts. I tinkered with coding and scripting back in the 90's during my AOL warez kid days. Unfortunately all the info I had learned about that was on braincells I've since burned.

I'm hoping that someone reads this and says "ooo that sounds like a fun thing to do this afternoon, I'll help this dude out" or something equally generous. I can only hope.

Well, thanks for reading this ridiculously long post, and thanks in advance for any help!

It sounds like XBMC would be ideal for you. It is designed more or less with a controller interface, with large menus and the like. It even has emulation support (via plugins).

Links:
http://xbmc.org/
http://code.google...collectionbrowser/

In the intricate world of software development, the discovery phase is a critical step that can significantly impact the success of a project. Solar Digital's insightful post delves deep into the nuances of the discovery phase in project management, highlighting its vital role in shaping efficient, effective, and successful software development processes.

The discovery phase, as detailed in Solar Digital's post, is more than just preliminary research. It's a comprehensive process where project goals, user needs, and technical requirements are meticulously analyzed and defined. This phase sets the foundation for the entire project, ensuring that all stakeholders have a clear understanding of the objectives, scope, and constraints.

In conclusion, the discovery phase is an indispensable component of software development, as Solar Digital's blog eloquently explains. By investing time and effort in this initial stage, teams can pave the way for smoother project execution and better end results. For a deeper understanding of this crucial phase, head over to Solar Digital's comprehensive guide on the discovery phase in project management.