RetroDECK/wiki-rtd/FAQs-Frequently-asked-questions.md

General questions:

What is the scope of this project?

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Read the "Whats the long term vision and goals" on the Home page of this wiki.

Do you include any games, firmware or BIOS?

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No, this can never be done for legal reasons.

Can you at least point me towards where I can get them?

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Again...no, this can never be done for legal reasons.

Why are games call ROMs?

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ROM stands for "Read Only Memory" and was a common method to store games.
The games where later dumped from their ROM chips into digitalized files that can be played with an emulator.
Read more on wikipedia

What is sudo?

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The command stands for "superuser do" and in the windows world it is called "run as administrator". Su in "sudo" refers to the "superuser" or in the windows called the "administrator".

Retrodeck is a flatpak, what is it?

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A flatpak is generated from a manifest, our manifest is this: https://github.com/XargonWan/RetroDECK/blob/main/net.retrodeck.retrodeck.yml There is a software named flatpak-builder that is reading that manifest and downloads and builds everything that is needed.

This is creating the RetroDECK.flatpak file that can be distributed as a file or be included in the official Flathub repository accessible from Discovery.

Flaptak is like a sandbox, with its own read only filesystem that is different from your computer's filesystem, that's why flatpak is safer than installing something directly in your filesystem, moreover it persists after any SteamOS update.

What is RetroDECK cooker?

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Cooker is a bleeding edge snapshot of the current commits, the action of uploading code to GitHub is called commit.
As you can understand, the code may not be always reviewed and so the cooker it's unstable by its nature, it's just suggested to testers or developer to try bleeding edge function or to contribute.

More info on the pinned post in #💙-i-want-to-help on our Discord Server. I don't support the cooker user side.

Why the name cooker? 🍲

Click here to see the answer

That's what cooking in the pot at this moment and not yet ready to be served (released).
This name was also used by Linux Mandrake and Mandriva for the bleeding edge channel.

Updates, feature requests and more devices/OS questions:

Will you support the general Linux desktop and not only the Steam Deck?

Click here to see the answer

Technically it is working, but the user experience might not be that great it could contain desktop specific bugs and other issues. You will also need to manually configure the input to match your desktop and might need to tweak more settings. If you want to try it make sure that your distribution has native flatpak support else, you might need to install it. We will start to tackle desktop bugs and have a bigger desktop focus after the beta period is over.

Will you support other SteamOS or Linux handheld gaming devices with flatpak support?

Click here to see the answer

We do plan to support other SteamOS based devices in the future. But during the BETA we are focusing on the Steam Deck. You can get it to run on other Linux based devices it is not just as seamless as we want it to be and does not live up to our higher standards. You will need to manually configure the input to match your device and might need to tweak more settings if you try it on a none Steam Deck device. There might also be some hardware specific bugs.

Will you support Windows or Windows based devices like the ROG Ally?

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No, RetroDECK doesn't support Windows, but the project is fully open source so you can port it if you wish. As an alternative you could try https://www.retrobat.ovh/ that offers similar functionality.

Will you support MacOS?

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Not supported and not planned.

Will you support Android/IOS?

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Not supported and not planned.

Will you implement X/Y/Z emulator?

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Our goal is to implement and configure a selection of the best emulators for each system. If your favorite system is not integrated you can request its integration by opening an issue on this github page.

Will you implement none emulator software inside of RetroDECK like Batocera?

Click here to see the answer

Nothing in the short term but maybe in the future. It also need to fit inside the scope of project for example: GZDoom would be ok. But another project like a multimedia center solution like Kodi would not fit.

When does the next version of RetroDECK come out?

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> When it's ready.

When does the version after the upcoming version come out?

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After the upcoming version.

When does the version 1.0 of RetroDECK come out?

Click here to see the answer

Some time in the future.

Documentation questions

I see ~ refereed in documentation and examples, what does it mean?

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The tilde character ~ is the a short way of saying the logged in users home directory in the UNIX world.

So for example the Steam Deck

~ = /home/deck

Read more on Wikipedia

I see SA refereed in documentation about emulators what does it mean?

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SA means Standalone and the emulator is not inside RetroArch/LibRetro but a separate program launched within RetroDECK.

I see CLI refereed in documentation what does it mean?

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CLI stands for command-line interface and is often refereed commands you can run in the the Linux Terminal

Other Emulation Solutions questions:

Are you related to EmuDeck?

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No, the two projects are not related.

So what's the difference between RetroDECK and EmuDeck?

Click here to see the answer

Apart of that from the user point of view EmuDeck and RetroDECK may sound similar but technically they're completely different.

EmuDeck is a shell script that you run in the Steam Decks desktop mode that downloads and configures all the separate emulators & plugins for you from various sources using a built in electron based gui.

RetroDECK is an all-in-one application contained in a sandboxed environment called "flatpak", that is downloaded from Discover (Flathub). This is Valves and other Linux desktops recommended way of distributing applications on the Steam Deck and Linux desktop in a safe way. It grantees for example even if Valve makes major changes to the file system in a SteamOS update, RetroDECK and it’s configurations will not be touched and will be safe.

RetroDECK only writes in these two folders: ~/retrodeck for roms/configurations/bios etc.. And an hidden flatpak folder located in ~/.var/net.retrodeck.retrodeck.

As everything is contained within those two folders it will not have conflict if you decide to install an emulator from another source like Yuzu or RetroArch with your RetroDECK setup. Even if you uninstall RetroDECK all your roms/bios/saves/etc.. are safe until you remove the ~/retrodeck folder. So if you for some reason don't like the application after playing for a while you can easily move out your important files after an uninstall (or you can just reinstall RetroDECK again and start where you left off).

This approach of everything is in a all-in-one package will also allow RetroDECK to do tighter integrations with each bundled emulator in the future and expose all those settings when you are inside RetroDECK, so you do not need to go into Steam Decks desktop mode to do changes and tweaks. All things should be, in the long term, inside the application itself and you can already see a part of that inside the RetroDECK Configurator in the Tools menu.

Can I install RetroDECK if I have EmuDeck already?

Click here to see the answer

Yes, as RetroDECK is completely standalone.

Are you related anyway to Batocera?

Click here to see the answer

No, but RetroDECK had some dialog before the project started with some of the Batocera crew if there where any plans to start a Batocera non-OS application (there where no plans at that moment and their focus is to make the best retro gaming operative system). RetroDECK and Batocera also have good dialog together with representatives of each projects inside the internal development channels.

Batocera or EmuDeck or RetroDECK I still don't get it?

Click here to see the answer

• Batocera is a retro emulation operative system that you need to boot into separately (like from an SDCard) or replace your current OS.
  For the Steam Deck you lose access to the SteamOS features and your emulation gaming is separate from your SteamOS gamemode gaming. That said; Batocera has many years of development time, is a great mature OS with a lot of features.

• EmuDeck is a shell script that you download and run. The script downloads & configures all the separate emulators & plugins for you from various sources for various operative systems.

• RetroDECK is an all-in-one application that already provides everything you need without to many extra steps for the user.It is on flathub and thus allows the users to update the application via standard safe operative system update methods. You can see RetroDECK as the in between of EmuDeck and Batocera. We hope that one day we can offer a complete Batocera-like experience right inside your operative system.

What is your relationship with EmulationStation Desktop Edition (ES-DE)?

Click here to see the answer

ES-DE and RetroDECK are separate projects, but we collaborate to give the best possible user experience.
We have a unique partnership where inside the ES-DE code is a section just for RetroDECK specific features.
Read more on ES-DE FAQs

RetroDECK usage questions:

Can I launch RetroDECK from inside of the Steam Decks gamemode?

Click here to see the answer

Yes, RetroDECK currently only supports Steam Deck's gamemode as it relies on Steam Controller configs.
To add it into Steam please check the second step of Steam Deck: Installation and updates.

Do I have to partition or format my disk/sdcard to install RetroDECK?

Click here to see the answer

No, partitioning or formatting is not needed at all. RetroDECK (differently from AmberELEC, Batocera and others) comes as a flatpak. Just install it as any other application and launch it from your desktop and/or Steam library.

Can I move the ROMs folder to another place?

Click here to see the answer

Yes, you can do so inside the configurator and the Move RetroDECK option.

Is there a way to reset RetroDECK?

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Yes, you can reset various parts of the software using the RetroDECK configurator under the option reset

Or you can use CLI arguments in the terminal.

Resets the whole RetroDECK at factory defaults:

flatpak run net.retrodeck.retrodeck --reset-all

Resets RetroArch configs at factory defaults:

flatpak run net.retrodeck.retrodeck --reset-ra

Resets all the standalone emulators configs at factory defaults:

flatpak run net.retrodeck.retrodeck --reset-sa

How do I uninstall RetroDECK?

Click here to see the answer

On the Steam Deck:

Put the Steam Deck into Desktop Mode Steam button > Power > Switch to Desktop

• Go into Discover
• Press the Installed tab and find RetroDECK
• Press the Uninstall button
• Manually backup then remove the ~\RetroDECK folder. Warning! Make a backup your data roms/bios/saves etc if you want to save them else they will be gone.

Does uninstalling RetroDECK remove my roms, bios and saves?

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No, as long as you don't manually don't delete the ~\RetroDECK folder and it's content your data is safe. You could uninstall RetroDECK and install it again and keep going.

Where can I find the logfiles?

Click here to see the answer

> In `~/retrodeck/logs/retrodeck.log`

Can I add a single game to my Steam Library or with Steam Rom Manager?

Click here to see the answer

Not yet but might be in the future, it is technical possible but quite complicated and needs to be done via launch script. We hope we can simplify this in the future via an API call or inside the Configurator.

Example of a launch script to launch to launch a Wii game called Baloon World:

flatpak run --command=dolphin-emu-wrapper net.retrodeck.retrodeck -e "/run/media/mmcblk0p1/retrodeck/roms/wii/Baloon World.rvz" -b

If I installed RetroDECK from outside of discover, do I need to uninstall the application to update?

Click here to see the answer

If you previously installed from outside of Discover, you can find the instructions here to

install from discover

or here

to install .flatpak file.

After installing RetroDECK manually, Discover is not opening or giving me some errors?

Click here to see the answer

This bug is appearing only when installing RetroDECK manually and not from Discover. The discover release is suggested for all the users. However you can run this to fix it: flatpak remote-delete retrodeck-origin

General emulation & games questions:

What emulators and software is included in RetroDECK?

Click here to see the answer

You can check this wiki what emulators are currently bundled. We plan to have support for most of the emulators ES-DE support in the long term.

How can I set another default emulator?

Click here to see the answer

The ES-DE interface allows you to change emulators for systems that has many different emulators. In the main menu go to Other Settings - Alternative Emulators to set other defaults.

Game X/Y/Z is not working or showing black screen

Click here to see the answer

Some emulators needs BIOS and/or firmware files, first you can check if you got the needed ones.

Then you can check if your got a bad dump by comparing your hash with the ones of the official lists on the internet, such as no-intro or even RetroAchievements if your game is supported.
Moreover please mind that some emulator require very specific roms, please read here. If it still not working you are welcome to ask for support on our Discord Server.

PS2 games are not working or buggy in the RetroArch Core.

Click here to see the answer

It's a known issue with if you are using the libretro core but you can use the the standalone pcsx2 emulator to solve this issue.
Be sure to check that the bios files are in the correct folder. Read more on the Emulators: BIOS and Firmware# page on this wiki.

I configured RetroArch but the configuration was not saved.

Click here to see the answer

Configuring RetroArch can be dangerous for an inexperienced user, so RetroDECK is set to don't save the RetroArch configuration upon exiting.
The configuration must be saved willingly by going to: Main Menu -> Configuration File -> Save Current Configuration.
If you find some better configurations however, you may contribute by sharing it on the #💙-i-want-to-help channel on our Discord Server that may be included in the next version.

Will you support Lightguns (Sinden, Gun4IR, Samco etc...)?

Click here to see the answer

The long term answer is yes, but there are several issues that need to be addressed from various dependencies that are beyond the scope of what RetroDECK can do by it self. We are talking to several projects and hope to have those issues addressed in the future. Right now the best way to use lightgun hardware is to use Batocera as they have developed native support in their OS.

Steam Deck emulation questions:

XBOX games are slow on the Steam Deck

Click here to see the answer

Unfortunately on thanks to missing optimizations focusing on the Steam Deck and the hardware is limited in scope makes performance not great. Like most emulators they will get improvements over time and we will follow the XBOX emulators progress with great interest.

The games are stuck at 30FPS on the Steam Deck!

Click here to see the answer

Press the [...] button on the Steam Deck, go into the Power menu and see if the Framerate Limit is set to 30FPS and set it to 60FPS or off.

Fast forwarding is slow on the Steam Deck!

Click here to see the answer

Same as above: Check the Power menu Framerate Limit.

Theme questions:

How can I add more themes?

Click here to see the answer

In the future we wish to include a themes browser and downloader, but for the moment you can put your own themes here:
~/retrodeck/themes

How do you switch between themes inside of RetroDECK?

Click here to see the answer

On the Steam Deck:
you can switch between them by pressing the ☰ button to open the menu and then navigate to UI Settings > Theme Set to select the theme you want to use.

"Why does the theme I am using not work?" or "Why does the layout look broken?" (black screen with blue text)?

Click here to see the answer

• Please make sure you are specifically using a theme that is compatible with ES-DE.
  

• If you are trying to use a theme that was built for Batocera it will likely not be compatible.
  

• ES-DE uses a unique theme engine so themes are not directly portable from Batocera.
  

• Please see ES-DE's User Guide for more details.

Why does the theme layout look squished?

Click here to see the answer

• The Steam Deck has a screen aspect ratio of 16:10 and most themes that you will find are built for an aspect ratio of 16:9. Depending on the theme's design this may cause the layout to appear squished when using it on the Steam Deck's display.
  

• All of the included themes are built for 16:10 aspect ratio so you should not see this issue with any of them; however if you are downloading a theme from another source there is a chance this can occur for you.
  

• There are 2 ways to fix this if it does occur: (1) see if a specific version was built for 16:10 aspect ratio and use that instead or (2) edit the theme to make it compatible with that aspect ratio.

Scraping questions

Can I manually add custom game images/videos/media for games that I can not scrape?

Click here to see the answer

Yes, check the file structure over at Emulationstation DE's user guide on gitlab.

Manually copying game media files

Where is my scraped data?

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In `~/retrodeck/downloaded_media`

I got some weird error message about quota after scraping!

Click here to see the answer

The error message mentions something about quota. You have a quota limit on how much you can scrape each day from Screenscraper.fr where each item you scrape counts as 1 quota of the daily total.
You can pay them to get a bit more daily quota and show your support or just wait 24 hours.

I got some weird error message about about server or service!

Click here to see the answer

The website is down, check Screenscraper.fr when they get back up.

The scraping is too slow!

Click here to see the answer

Screenscraper.fr offers different types of donations that can increase your speed with extra threads.

My systems storage ran out after scraping!

Click here to see the answer

Images and videos takes a lot of space, you can clean some out under ~/retrodeck/downloaded_media

But I still want them!

Click here to see the answer

Delete something else or buy more storage.

Can I move the downloaded_media folder?

Click here to see the answer

You can move it with the the move RetroDECK option inside the configurator.