Exploring Hidden Capabilities of the Steam Deck: Unveiling Unchartered Territories
The Steam Deck, a popular gaming device, is known for its association with the PC games market and its role in popularizing modern handheld consoles. Primarily designed for playing games from the Steam library, it also boasts the capability of game emulation.
This portable powerhouse runs on a Linux distro centered around Steam, known as SteamOS. For those new to the Linux environment, the user-friendly interface of the Steam Deck makes it suitable for newbies.
If a game can run on a PC, it can likely run on a Steam Deck with some hassle. However, using the Steam Deck may involve more hassle compared to other devices due to its unique system requirements.
For Linux-based game emulation, there are several tools and emulators that stand out. Lutris, widely regarded as essential for the Steam Deck, is a powerful game organizer and launcher that supports a large variety of emulators and game platforms on Linux. It integrates well with SteamOS and makes managing non-Steam games straightforward.
Heroic Games Launcher, a user-friendly third-party client, provides easy access to games from the Epic Games Store, GOG, and Amazon Prime Games on Linux and Steam Deck. It's available as a Flatpak and AppImage, making installation simple.
For retro console emulation, RetroArch is a versatile multi-system emulator available on the Steam Deck. Using the Flycast core, it provides arguably the best Dreamcast emulation experience across platforms.
ES-DE (EmulationStation Desktop Edition), a frontend designed for organizing and launching a large collection of emulated games on Linux, supports over 150 game systems, has a modern UI, full controller support, and comes preconfigured for many emulators. While it’s more of a launcher, it’s highly useful for managing large emulation libraries on the Steam Deck.
The desktop interface on the Steam Deck is familiar to Linux users and easy for Windows users to understand. Running emulators and non-Steam content on the Steam Deck is possible. Streaming from a PC or another console is also possible on the Steam Deck.
The Steam Deck now has two years of use and a refresh (Steam Deck OLED). Accessing Desktop Mode on the Steam Deck is simple: hit the Steam button, go down to Power, then choose Desktop Mode.
In conclusion, the Steam Deck offers a unique gaming experience, combining the power of PC gaming with the portability of a handheld console. With the right tools and emulators, it can also serve as a powerful platform for Linux-based game emulation.
- The Steam Deck, with its association with Linux-based gaming, offers users the ability to run various emulators and game platforms using Lutris, a powerful game organizer and launcher that stands out for its compatibility with the Steam Deck and SteamOS.
- Heroic Games Launcher, a user- friendly third-party client, enhances the Steam Deck's versatility by seamlessly providing access to games from multiple stores such as the Epic Games Store, GOG, and Amazon Prime Games, making it convenient for Linux and Steam Deck users to manage their game collections.
- For retro console emulation, RetroArch - available on the Steam Deck - offers a versatile multi-system emulator experience, particularly notable for its Dreamcast emulation capabilities using the Flycast core.
