EmuDeck 2.4 Released With Possible Issues
Emulators are a dime a dozen, but not all operating systems can run the same ones, or they need help to do so. EmuDeck is specifically designed for SteamOS so gamers with a SteamDeck can better run emulations of older games, including PSP and DOS titles.
EmuDeck’s 2.4 release brings with it a slew of updates including integration selection, an improved BIOS checker and support for Azahar, a 3DS emulator. However, it’s also been noted that version 2.4 doesn’t work properly for all users.
“This update totally broke the Windows version. All file paths across the software have reset to default. Emulator configs, rom locations, save file symlinks…” said user Jacksaur in the Emulation Reddit.
Teething Problems
EmuDeck combines a variety of related tools, so it’s not unreasonable that changes to one part of the software affects something else. The developer is transparent, on the official EmuDeck website, about which other tools EmuDeck uses. This transparency has also extended to release notes in the past, in terms of jumping on problems caused by updates.
This was the case for the 2.2 release, but the developer hasn’t yet responded to user complaints for 2.4. However, there is an official EmuDeck Wiki which lists known issues and FAQs, so users who might be unsure about installing it can check these things first.
Open Source Development
EmuDeck is free and open source, meaning it can be downloaded from GitHub and iterated upon by other developers. This is handy because it means that new features can be added by multiple people, whether that’s support for new emulators or better overall SteamOS integration.
The 2.4 release includes updated support for various emulation frontend applications, like ES-DE and Pegasus, so users customize their rom browsing experience. There’s also now support for retro game systems that aren’t normally talked about, like Sega’s Model 2 and the Atari Jaguar (via BigPEmu).
The 2.4 update trailer also ends on a tease of what looks like N64 support, which is covered by a few emulators already on EmuDeck, so it’s currently unclear what changes will happen regarding this.