# RetroDECK v0.9.0b - Captain Comeback

<img src="../../../wiki_images/logos/rd-logo-box.png" width="600">

**Release Date: 2025-XX-XX**

## Short summary:

```
Thanks for your patience 
Patch Music for 0.9.0b? 
New Lighter Manifest
Launch with RetroDECK (RetroENGINE)
Launch with games via CLI
Steam Rom Manager & Steam Sync
PortMaster
Ruffle
New RetroDECK ES-DE Theme
New Website 
Updated all components
```

---

## Thanks for your patience 

If you read the announcement we are pushing the Godot Configurator to a later version to implement more feedback we have gotten both internally from team members and from our testers.

We want to thank the community for being patient with waiting for the next update.

---

## Do we get any banger Patch Music for 0.9.0b? 

How about a Sea Shanty about Captain Comeback meeting his friends the PortMaster and Train Driver (SRM).

[Captain Comeback's Shanty](https://soundcloud.com/lazorne/captain-comebacks-shanty/s-n7hBgem7imz)


---


## New Lighter Manifest & Framework changes

We have spent several months rewriting how RetroDECK is built from the ground up with over a `1100+` commits since the last release. 

In doing so we have: 

- Reduced the application size around `600mb` (some of that space have been eaten with new features). 
- Building RetroDECK went from `3.30` hours to about `1` hour. 
- Went from a monolithic build approach to a modular approach (each component is built separately and stitched together into RetroDECK).
- RetroDECK now is migrated to an organization on GitHub that is hosting the new modular structure.
- Rebuilt the `pre_build_automation` script was reworked with additional features.
- Improved logging.
- Implemented changes for the future Godot version of the Configurator. 
- RetroDECK Framework can now pick up logged-in Steam profiles for systems like SRM.

<img src="../scott.jpg" width="300"> 

---


## RetroENGINE - Run with RetroDECK

<img src="../../../wiki_images/systems/retroengine/re-appselect.png" width="500"> 

RetroDECK can be used as an headless engine to run your games.

On the Linux Desktop (or desktop mode) we added the option to associate / run / open various games directly with RetroDECK.

This also comes with the ability to launch the games via CLI.

This is feature is something that have been requested by the wider development community outside of RetroDECK (and maybe a few Linux Wizard Grognards that only want to use CLI for everything).

**Quote from Discord:**

*"Whoa that is a lot of text for saying you can now double click on game files and they open."*

**Read more here:**

[RetroENGINE - Guide](../../wiki_system_guides/retroengine/retroengine-guide.md)




---

## Steam Rom Manager & Steam Sync

<img src="../../../wiki_images/logos/srm-logo.png" width="100">

RetroDECK is now shipping with [Steam Rom Manager](https://steamgriddb.github.io/steam-rom-manager/) and the ability to Sync your games to Steam aka `Steam Sync` built-in. 

**Note: Flatpak Steam not yet supported**

We have not added support yet for the Flatpak version of Steam.


**What is Steam Rom Manager?**

Steam ROM Manager a bulk game importer and artwork manager for Steam.

It adds separate games to Steam, adds artwork from [SteamGridDB](https://www.steamgriddb.com/) and configures the RetroDECK Steam Input layouts.


**Read more here:**

[Steam Rom Manager - Guide](../../wiki_system_guides/srm/srm-guide.md)



---

## New Feature - PortMaster

<img src="../../../wiki_images/logos/portmaster-logo.png" width="100">

RetroDECK is now shipping with [PortMaster](https://portmaster.games/). 

![type:video](PortMaster.mp4)

### What is PortMaster?


PortMaster is a simple GUI tool designed to facilitate the downloading and installation of game ports for Linux devices and is self contained.

One of the goals of PortMaster is to not install or upgrade any existing OS libraries for any ports. Any of the ports that need a particular non-standard library are maintained within the ports' folder and made available specifically to that port during execution. 

**Note:** 

That not all 800+ ports are available for the `X86_64` system, but the list keeps growing all the time.

**Read more here:**

[PortMaster - Guide](../../wiki_system_guides/portmaster/portmaster-guide.md)

---

## New Feature - Ruffle

<img src="../../../wiki_images/logos/ruffle-logo.svg" width="200">

Ruffle is a Flash Player emulator written in Rust.

**Read more here:**

[Ruffle - Guide](../../wiki_emulator_guides/ruffle/ruffle-guide.md)

---

## New RetroDECK ES-DE Theme

We got our the first version of our own RetroDECK ES-DE theme!

The theme is a remixed and inspired by the themes: Mini Banner made for Launchbox and ES-DE-Mini made for ES-DE.

The original themes Mini Banner and ES-DE-Mini are made by: `Weestuarty`, `DerSchlachter`, `Dan Patrick`.

The RetroDECK Theme features:

- Other types of sub-menus and layout.
- Icons for RetroDECK features like PortMaster.
- RetroDECK colors / graphics. 

<img src="../RetroDECKESDE1.webp" width="600">

<img src="../RetroDECKESDE2.webp" width="600"> 

The new theme is made by: `Weestuarty`

---

## New Website

We soft launched it before, but we are considering it a part of this update! Have you found the hidden games yet?

<img src="../website.png" width="600">

--- 

## Framework / Configurator

### RetroDECK Configurator

<img src="../../../wiki_icons/retrodeck/icon-configurator.svg" width="120">


```
Added: Various compression improvements commits by Cohee to the compression tool.
```

## Emulators / Engines / Systems

All components have been updated to their latest verion (as of the release):

- Emulators
- Engines 
- Retroarch & cores 
- Systems

What follows is a highlight of changes that are more then just a general update:


### ES-DE

<img src="../../../wiki_images/logos/es-de-logo.png" width="100">

[ES-DE: Changelog](https://gitlab.com/es-de/emulationstation-de/-/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md)

```
Update: To 3.1.1 it comes with a ton of features like language support and much more. Check the changelog for more details (above).
Change: Favorites collection is now enabled by default on ES-DE as it is an requirement for Steam Sync.
Change: The ES-DE settings are under a submenu in the ES-DE interface as our tools where making the menu to crowed.
Added: Support for the Panda3DS - RetroArch core in ES-DE.
Added: Support for the LRPS2 - RetroArch core in ES-DE.
Known Issue: RetroDECK's ES-DE submenu don't work with all translations. We hope to implement all translations in the future.

```

### CEMU

<img src="../../../wiki_images/logos/cemu-logo.png" width="100">

- 

### Dolphin

<img src="../../../wiki_images/logos/dolphin-logo.png" width="100">

- 

### Primehack

<img src="../../../wiki_images/logos/primehack-logo.png" width="100">

- 

### MelonDS

<img src="../../../wiki_images/logos/melonds-logo.svg" width="100">


- 

### Duckstation:

<img src="../../../wiki_images/logos/duckstation-logo.png" width="100">

```
Change: Marked as (Legacy) because of licensing changes. 
Update: Updated to the last version before the licensing change.
```


### Ryujinx:

<img src="../../../wiki_images/logos/ryujinx-logo.svg" width="100">

```
Change: Marked as (Legacy) as the emulator has stopped it's development. 
Update: Updated to the last version.
```

### PCSX2

<img src="../../../wiki_images/logos/pcsx2-logo.png" width="200">

-

### RPCS3

<img src="../../../wiki_images/logos/rpcs3-logo.png" width="100">

-

### PPSSPP

<img src="../../../wiki_images/logos/ppsspp-logo.png" width="100">

-

### RetroArch

<img src="../../../wiki_images/logos/retroarch-logo.png" width="100">

[RetroArch Changelog](https://github.com/libretro/RetroArch/blob/master/CHANGES.md)

```
Update: Updated to 1.20.0, check the changelog for more details (above).
Added: Experimental N3DS core: Panda3DS.
Added: Experimental Playstation 2 core: LRPS2.
```