Since I can remember, there have been two main easy ways to get emulators on your Steam Deck. The most popular is generally EmuDeck, but we also have RetroDECK. RetroDECK stands apart from the former by putting everything together into a contained download, where every single element is tested rigorously to make sure everything works, nothing is broken, and everything included is working as optimally as possible. This ultimately means slower updates, as they want to make sure nothing is broken and everything is working accordingly, but because of that, we have more security and confidence that it will work as intended.
Recently, RetroDECK had a huge update that changed its internal structure, making it more modular and easier to work on and update behind the scenes, as well as start to move away from only bringing in emulators. Now, they’re planning another massive update that they have dubbed the “Everything Explosion”, and we have a first look at some of the new components they are going to be adding.
The RetroDECK team provided 23 components that they’re going to be adding, ranging from emulators of consoles and retro computers to game engines and even clients for playing classic games online. All of this is built to push forward the idea that they are more than just emulators; they are a “Retro Gaming Platform.”
EmuDeck was the worst thing I installed on my steam deck. Sprays shite and installs things all over the bloody place, and its uninstaller was only marginally functional. Still have bits of it on...
EmuDeck was the worst thing I installed on my steam deck. Sprays shite and installs things all over the bloody place, and its uninstaller was only marginally functional.
Still have bits of it on there to this day, two years later, because I really don’t want to fully wipe my internal and sd card.
Community around it seemed a bit unhinged at the time as well, especially when retro deck was releasing.
Agreed. I see the two as a modern example of the Tortoise and the Hare fable. EmuDeck moved fast and broke things, while RetroDECK went slower and steadier. Consequently, I believe RetroDECK is...
Agreed. I see the two as a modern example of the Tortoise and the Hare fable. EmuDeck moved fast and broke things, while RetroDECK went slower and steadier. Consequently, I believe RetroDECK is winning the race.
Having everything neatly containerized in one Flatpak is, to me, much better than setup scripts that just set everything loose.
And I hear you on the community issue too. Lots of people outright sneered at RetroDECK early on. (They might still be doing it, but I’ve since lost a pulse on those conversations and communities.) All I know now is that the RetroDECK devs have been and are still crushing it. I’ve gotten so much use out of their platform.
EmuDeck was the worst thing I installed on my steam deck. Sprays shite and installs things all over the bloody place, and its uninstaller was only marginally functional.
Still have bits of it on there to this day, two years later, because I really don’t want to fully wipe my internal and sd card.
Community around it seemed a bit unhinged at the time as well, especially when retro deck was releasing.
Retro deck is so much cleaner
Agreed. I see the two as a modern example of the Tortoise and the Hare fable. EmuDeck moved fast and broke things, while RetroDECK went slower and steadier. Consequently, I believe RetroDECK is winning the race.
Having everything neatly containerized in one Flatpak is, to me, much better than setup scripts that just set everything loose.
And I hear you on the community issue too. Lots of people outright sneered at RetroDECK early on. (They might still be doing it, but I’ve since lost a pulse on those conversations and communities.) All I know now is that the RetroDECK devs have been and are still crushing it. I’ve gotten so much use out of their platform.