EmuDeck might just be the easiest and most complete way of setting up emulation ever created. EmuDeck is an install script that takes care of all the heavy lifting. It downloads, installs and configures your emulators for you. It creates the required folder structures, sets up your hotkeys and optimises your settings. It can even keep your emulators up to date. Most emulators are installed individually, with RetroArch handling a number of older systems. On top of that, EmuDeck also installs EmulationStation Desktop Edition and Steam ROM Manager to make browsing and launching your games smoother and easier. You still have the ability to tweak each emulator however you like, but the default settings are usually solid. Some emulators and cores will require a BIOS file, which you’ll need to provide yourself. And of course, you’ll need to bring your own ROMs.
EmulationStation is a front-end application that acts as a launcher for your ROMs. It gives you a clean, easy to navigate interface with your games neatly organised by console. You can even scrape metadata so each title displays its box art and a brief description of the game. If you have a large library, scraping will take some time. The look and layout is highly customisable and you can tailor the interface to your preference. EmulationStation assigns certain emulators to each system by default, but you can easily change them in the settings. For example, Sega Dreamcast defaults to Flycast, but if you’re like me and prefer Redream you can switch it over and all Dreamcast ROMs will now launch with that.
Steam ROM Manager is another great tool that lets you add ROMs to your Steam library so they appear as individual, launchable games. I definitely wouldn’t recommend adding everything, especially if you have a large library. But it’s great for keeping a few personal favourites on hand. For example, NHL ‘96 for Mega Drive is a mainstay for me so I can easily jump right back into my season. If I’m playing through a particular game, I will typically use Steam ROM Manager to add this to my library and remove it when I’m done. It’s just a simple way to save a bit of time opening EmulationStation, navigating to the console and selecting the game every time.
The emulation capabilities of the Steam Deck are absolutely insane. Playing PS3 and Xbox 360 games is not just possible, it’s actually enjoyable. I’m not exaggerating, you aren’t launching them and they chug away like a PowerPoint presentation. I mean full games running at full speed. I recently completed The Godfather: Dons Edition using RPCS3, the PlayStation 3 emulator, and it didn’t miss a beat. It felt like the real deal. The only issue I ran into was the lack of a Sixaxis controller, but that was easy enough to work around. Xbox 360 is also in a good spot, although can be hit and miss at times with the Xenia emulator. I’ve had luck with games such as NHL Legacy Edition and Forza Horizon 2, both of which ran at full speed and were a blast to play. I haven’t had the time for extensive testing, but what I have tested has either worked well or not at all.
I could write a guide for EmuDeck myself, I could. But Russ over at Retro Game Corps. already has one of the best guides out there. When I first got my Steam Deck OLED, his guide was pinned to my browser ready to roll. If I were to repeat the process, I would absolutely use it again. I also recommend his advice to install EmuDeck on an microSD card. It just makes sense to me to keep your Steam games and emulated games separate. Should anything go wrong, you can simply just eject or format your microSD and be on your way. Below is Retro Game Corps. EmuDeck setup guide for the Steam Deck and I’d also recommend following along with his written guide.
Emulation on the Steam Deck is in a great spot. EmuDeck simply provides you with a solution that removes the long, tedious setup process so you can jump straight into your games. But if EmuDeck just isn’t your thing, there are some alternatives you can explore to get your games running the way you want.
RetroArch
RetroArch, which is included in EmuDeck, is a multi-system emulator which you can install on its own. It would be ideal if you’re only interested in emulating a handful of consoles and it acts as a solid all-in-one solution. Just keep in mind that some manual setup may be required for each individual emulator, or ‘core’ as they’re known in RetroArch, and not every system has a core available. If RetroArch does cover all the consoles you’re interested in, one nice benefit to going this route is that it will only be a single entry to your Steam library to run all your ROMs.
RetroDECK
RetroDECK is another solid alternative which comes pre-configured and also uses EmulationStation as a front-end. It’s fairly similar to EmuDeck but is self-contained, running as a single application in its own package. Like RetroArch, RetroDECK is an all-in-one solution but is packaged with a wider range of emulators and is geared for optimal performance, quality and provides top-notch controller configuration. You can still tinker with it if you want, but if you run into any issues you can easily reset to defaults and undo any mistakes. RetroDECK is still in beta, but is in active development with the latest build being released just a few months ago.
Any of these options are viable, but EmuDeck remains my personal preference as I like to be able to change my emulator’s settings to my liking. You might prefer one of the other two options, or even manually installing individual emulators the specific systems you want. There is no one solution, it all comes down to your own preferences and needs. And of course, that’s perfectly OK. If you’re new to emulation, or emulation on the Steam Deck, I would recommend to go with EmuDeck or RetroDECK as both offer a simple setup and ease of use. No matter which setup you pick, the Steam Deck makes it easy to start playing.
Dad with a Deck 
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