I’ve been using a Steam Deck for over a year and a half. While I bought it for taking PC games on the road, I find myself using it now primarily for emulating older games. A standout tool for this purpose is EmuDeck, which simplifies the installation of major emulators on SteamOS.
EmuDeck is now available on Windows which is the subject of my latest video.
Like the Steam Deck version it offers a one click install and simple maintenance of just about every popular game emulator out there. It also automatically maps controls across all of the major emulators requiring practically zero configuration of settings to get going. Because it relies on Steam for the controller mapping you’ll need to make sure you have Steam installed on your system first.
For this video, I used a low-cost Intel N100-based mini PC from GMKtec I reviewed recently. The installation begins with downloading a simple command line script from EmuDeck’s website. Because this process involves running a batch file that installs necessary software, users should be cautious about installing it on mission-critical systems due to the level of control it is granted.
Once EmuDeck is set up, users must manually copy ROMs and BIOS files into designated folders that the script sets up. EmuDeck simplifies this by providing a BIOS checker tool that verifies the necessary files are correctly named and placed. After setting up the games and BIOS files, launching them is straightforward through interfaces like EmulationStation or Pegasus, which EmuDeck will install and integrate with Steam.
Testing different emulators, such as those for Sega CD and PlayStation 2, demonstrated EmuDeck’s capability to handle various systems effectively. Performance adjustments, like changing resolution settings, can be done through the EmuDeck interface on a per-console basis. In the video you’ll see me doing a single click resolution adjustment to optimize PS2 performance on the N100 Mini PC.
EmuDeck will also managing version updates for the installed emulators and also offers custom configurations for a variety of Windows handhelds to optimize visuals and perofrmance. While some advanced features like save game syncing require a Patreon subscription, the free version offers most of the functionality of their platform.
EmuDeck on Windows provides a powerful and user-friendly platform for retro gaming, bringing the convenience and capabilities previously enjoyed on the Steam Deck to a wider range of devices.
A number of viewers wrote in to tell me about Retrobat, which offers a similar experience and adds the ability to make the entire installation “portable” so it can be brought to multiple PCs via an external hard drive. I’ll take a look at that one next!