Easy Emulation on Windows! EmuDeck Starter Guide

EmuDeck has been released as a public beta for Windows, so in this video I'm going to go over all the reasons why this tool makes the emulation setup process so easy, and how to set it up yourself on any Windows machine -- desktop, laptop, or handheld!
Download it here: www.emudeck.com/
EmuDeck wiki: emudeck.github.io/
EmuDeck discord: / discord
Ways to support this channel:
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Timestamps:
00:00 introduction
00:45 why EmuDeck is great
03:54 installation process
06:14 setting up EmuDeck
09:45 adding ROMs and BIOS
14:56 EmuDeck interface
16:43 adding games to Steam
22:49 EmulationStation desktop edition
25:38 extra features
27:19 summary and conclusion
Find me on Discord! / discord
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ourghosts.bandcamp.com/track/...
More music here: / posts
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This video is for entertainment and educational purposes only.
#EmuDeck #Windows #PCgaming #emulation

[@VeshSneaks]

Just the other day I was trying to set up Emulation Station in Windows and could not for the life of me figure out how to get it to see my Retroarch installation. Everything I could find about was like 5 year old Reddit posts about RetroPi. I tried EmuDeck a while back when Windows was still a part of the Patreon. I’m so hyped to give this another try, this guide makes it look WAY simpler than it ever seemed until now. Thank for another great video Russ!

[@gumbyx84]

They put so much work into this. I normally would setup emulators manually since I prefer to tweak settings but I've recently gotten burned out on it. From the video, EmuDeck included all the tweaks I would normally make. I'm probably going to set this up tonight. I wish there was native support for Playnite but a dev in the Playnite community made an extension to configure Playnite to work with EmuDeck.

[@ln836]

Can you link to this Playnite extension?

[@sergio_henrique]

I find Playnite to be really neat. It's the first frontend I've been inclined to actually try using and I like it so far. I don't know why it's not more widely known.

[@GhsVilela]

​@@sergio_henriqueI have the same feeling, playnite is awesome but I have a different configuration that for me is the best one, I use steam big picture as my frontend but the non steam shortcuts are from playnite, since playnite is way better at importing games and I also configured playnite to close itself when a game closes, this way I got steam hook to work always, so it will always go back to steam interface after closing a game, since what steam is actually listening to is playnite app and I can also keep track of play time trought it. To add the playnite games to steam I use Boilr

[@Seanbo88]

Playnite is the king of Windows front ends. More open than BigBox, and fullscreen mode makes any Windows device so much more console like.

[@chronometer9931]

Me too, but while I was trying it I realized that it simplifies that process. Emu Deck handles most of the setup. Then go to your user folder, open up the emudeck folder and your emulators are in there. You can launch them and tweak your settings that way.

[@BrianJones-wk8cx]

Great guide, as always, Russ! While I’m set on my Windows box with Retrobat, I am loving the work that the folks over at EmuDeck are doing. First class emulation experiences are becoming more and more accessible for all!

[@retrohandhelds]

Totally using this on a dedicated Mini PC. Thanks for all your hard work EmuDeck team & Russ! - Stubbs 🎉

[@dave.thedev]

After diving deep into emulation and experiencing all the frustration of organizing, tweaking, reorganizing, etc I've been waiting so patiently for this! I love it!!!

[@geekatari4391]

I just bought a 2 in 1 laptop I want to use as my emulation machine, and this tutorial will be an excellent tool. Thank you for sharing!

[@GreenLeefMusic]

This is exciting to see for Windows devices and is a great setup guide. I eventually will set this up on my Ally just as it was on my Deck. The only thing holding me back now is that i already manually setup most of my emulators, roms, tweaks, PS3 Dualshock 3 controller support, etc. and to set this up will require me to re-configure a lot of it all over again.

[@platinum9898]

Flawless video. Thank you. This is what makes pc, android and these new handhelds so exciting and worth it

[@Xilors]

Your guides are always so in depth and straight to the points it's really amazing. You've become my go-to KZbinr in Hardware/Software Retro and i cant thanks you enough for the work and quality you put in your videos. We need more content creator like you.

[@loganomarpr]

Thank you, the video is great! Had it on my deck and now installed it on the PC without any issues. Great content and detailed explanation.

[@ttoms96]

Bro i have been wanting to set something like this up on my computer, the timing of this video is perfect!

[@lucipher4082]

I wish it was 12 hours earlier 😩😩😩

[@TheExtremeElementz]

I’m 90% sure inside the Rom folder at the very bottom there is a text file that identifies every single system so you don’t really need to go to the wiki but it’s always good to know where else to find this information. Man I love these videos! Thanks.

[@ExecutionerDan]

You are correct. I was looking to emulate my original ds games and couldnt find the ds folder. Saw the nds folder and wasnt sure so i read the txt file and realized i was in the right folder.

[@technohighlander608]

Thank you Retro Game Corps, clear and concise tutorial, very easy to get things running!

[@antoni21pr55]

Omg!!!! Russ I Know this is off topic but I just got myself a Samsung Fold 5 been trying it for a week as a streaming/emulation device And what a beast this is!!!! I can only imagine what somebody like you could do ❤

[@bgomz]

Just finished setting up Emudeck! I’m very excited to try this out on my ROG Ally! I would not have gotten into any of this emulation if it wasn’t for your channel. I finally get to play games I loved as a kid, games I never finished, and games I’ve always wanted to play but couldn’t! Thank you so much for all the work you do to put such informative videos out 🙏🏽 you make it so easy to follow! I hope you have a wonderful holiday season with your family and I hope you get to enjoy some time off 🎉

[@Usafle]

How'd you get the buttons to work on the Ally? Every game I try to load up, I can't move/shoot...etc.

[@bgomz]

@@Usafle I just worked from the get go, but I always make sure to have the Ally set to gamepad mode instead of desktop mode so that way the emulators can use the DPAD, buttons, triggers, etc

[@Usafle]

@@bgomz thanks. I'll have to pay attention to that. Just got the Ally for Xmas so I'm mudding my way through everything at once

[@Usafle]

@@bgomz I checked and double-checked that it's in game pad mode. Some buttons work, some buttons don't do anything. Damn strange and damn frustrating

[@paulfg5230]

Thank you!!! this is a free little upgrade you can give yourself for the holidays 🙂

[@Flipbug_The_Whimsical]

Amazing video, been waiting for Emudeck for Windows for a long time. Finally a one-click setup experience AND one-click UPDATE experience for emulators! Really looking forward to the android version as well, this'll make stuff like the Retroid Pocket easier to get going.

[@TheSoledee]

you are a legend brother, i'm getting the steam deck Oled in a few days so i decided to watch a couple of videos first then i came across your channel now i'm hooked your videos are awesome and excellent much love ❤

[@TechDweeb]

Epically epic tutorial as always!

[@RetroGameCorps]

Thanks, my friend!

[@paulfg5230]

@@RetroGameCorps You two should do something together 🙂

[@_vek]

Thank you Russ. I love how informative your videos are!

[@mannkeithc]

EmuDeck simplified the retro game installation and management process on my Steam Deck and made playing retro games feel like a natural extension to my Steam library, often including an optimised controller mapping, or simplifying the process for adding gyro support to emulators such as CEMU. So, I plan to try it out on my Windows PC.

[@huskyspade3461]

Excellent stuff! I'm really enjoying your channel. Your Emu Deck tutorials have helped me get set up on both my Steam Deck and Windows PC! Thanks for keeping it straight forward. Keep up the good work!

[@wardgrimes2279]

Another GREAT video Russ! Thank you Sir, your work is much appreciated.

[@hugotipple]

I've just bought my Beelink SER5 Max. I'm following the step by step right now. I already have all my rooms and bios files on the micro sd of my Ambernic RG531MP. I'm transfering them to the mini pc as I type this comment. Can't wait to make this work. I'm also eager to try out my new 8bitdo Ultimate controller when it's done. Life is good. Thank you, my friend.

[@CptMunta]

Pretty excited for this. Gonna install this into my arcade machine.

[@melcrose]

THANKS! Ordered an Ayaneo Slide, this will come in handy!

[@zahrankabir6556]

This was crazy helpful for my Legion Go. I installed playnite with the Emudeck plugin and it integrates perfectly as well.

[@MrBillRizer]

Yes me too I found the top left "select"/legion store button still brings up Legion Go system shortcuts as well as do Retroarch hotkeys. Will no doubt figure it out.

[@theMeshtar]

Yasss, finally this vid. Been waiting on it since you asked whether to make it. Thanks Russ!!!

[@JamieR]

Found your channel after stumbling across NerdNest. Really enjoying your content! This video couldn't have come at a better time. Got a Rog Ally in the post arriving today or 28th and I'm eally excited to not have to sit in front of a desk to play games.

[@feetenthusiast1015]

This is perfect timing!!!!!! Just ordered my legion go and it's getting here on the 21st!!!! 🥳🎉

[@zenhali7709]

Hey can you update me ? How did you go ?

[@feetenthusiast1015]

@@zenhali7709 um i actually returned it... its a good device and the screen is amazing but the battery is not it.

[@feetenthusiast1015]

@@zenhali7709 i returned it because the battery isnt really good. its kinda what the reviewers say it is but if youre expecting good battery life like longer than an hour then dont get it. the screen is amazing though and i think it feels good to hold in the hands but is on the heavier side so i'd rest it somewhere if i was gonna game on it.

[@stevenguyen22]

Thank you for making this guide!

[@rcinematic]

Nice. Recently got an Ally and got a few retro games to work via retrobat. But was having issues getting xemu to work on retrobat. But recently ordered an hdd with 4 thousand games for $80 via Amazon Warehouse. Will see if I like it. All this emu stuff is kinda new to me since I’ve been a console gamer for years now. The Ally opened my mind. I’m excited.

[@nefariou5]

I've been looking forward to this video (and the public beta release). Thank you for such an informative and easy to follow guide (as always)

[@user-lo7yi4pg3z]

Thanks man for this video I will do it for my computer

[@ButtholioTheGreat]

nice video, perfect timing, I just made a bootable windows drive for my steamdeck

[@videogameiacs]

wow such a great video! thank you so much

[@brettaddy5179]

Awesome guide as always, used your guide on deck, now to try on ally, wish me luck with armory crate🤞

[@csolisr]

As somebody who dual boots often, this looks like a great idea to test later!

[@luisescobedo2630]

Thank you very much Russ for this guide

[@ninjason57]

I've been waiting for this forever! Now I'll consider paying for access to use cloud saves! This is a huge leap for handhelds like the ally and legion go.

[@ComicConScott]

Thanks so much for this!!

[@charsquatch600]

I was just thinking you should make a windows video yesterday! I got it set up quite easily, with some small hiccups over which of the 4 SNES folders I should put my files in.

[@mogerus]

This is a great alternative to Launch Box. I'll give this a try sometime.

[@TheAlvaster]

I'm hoping this vid helps. Somehow, Emudeck, RetroArch, etc always run into unique problems in Windows for me and I end up just getting each emulator manually, haha

[@zZiL341yRj736]

I used LunchBox, with RetroArch and mixed of few standalone.

[@SunnyDeLite]

He completely skips over the part where everyone is getting stuck. Can't get past configure your settings and I have done everything.

[@enriquecarvajal4588]

@@SunnyDeLite@ retrocorps : Russ can you help?

[@SunnyDeLite]

@@enriquecarvajal4588 there is a fix uploaded directly from the creator. Had to hop in discord

[@allhandsonsteamdeck1440]

THE MAIN ISSUE IS ITS FREE ON STEAMOS AND YOU HAVE TO BUY IT FOR WINDOWS 😅😅😮

[@retrogamingnmore2513]

Excellent video Russ love it thank you for this

[@RetroGameCorps]

You're welcome!

[@thanosm.4056]

Hey Ross , very great demo. It really helped me get my onexplayer ready. However, you forgot to mention to click " save to steam" after parsing the games . Hopefully you had another video on the same subject and this is where I found it ! 😅

[@Sadtiric]

Hooray! They finally did the thing!

[@Francis90sss]

thanks for the amazing tutorial!! you are the goat

[@andybarry5315]

You're a star and one amazing teacher....Fantastic app that will bring so much fun into my life....thank you

[@ThisIsSCHPARTA]

Emudeck has been great to set up. Before, I hadn't been able to figure out how to set up yuzu since there were some dependencies that I could figure out where to find. With the emudeck setup, I just had to let the installer check things, and it automatically downloaded and installed a number of dependencies, letting me finally try out some switch games on a powerful pc after playing through TotK on the steam deck at 25 fps.

[@giovannimaldonado2275]

I just received my miniforum pc, and I was preparing myself mentally to install the emulators that I want one by one, but with this option, God is good

[@DrocDoc]

thank you for this!

[@Hisoka22361]

I'm on Launchbox for a few years, and while EmuDeck looks amazing for Steam Deck, for Windows I'm not switching from Launchbox. Thank you very much for your videos, by the way, you are just amazing!

[@joehood732]

I know this is older but I'm going to have to agree with you because EMU deck is still in beta and it does not always launch things such as steamed rom Manager.

[@waynecyr8213]

This looks pretty good. I've been using RetroBat for a long time and it's similar minus the Steam integration. Basically a self contained executable of Batocera.

[@aceyboogie7172]

Thanks, been wanting to use this on my ally

[@Echorax]

Finally i can have all those emulators in 1 place and not like 15 apps great job emudeck

[@anthonycampos7417]

YESSSSSS! the Ad-hoc multiplayer is what was NEEED! I bought a GPD win 4 because i loved the hardware and form factor that was psp and vita inspired and having the multiplayer modes of those systems would complete the nostalgia

[@RushTechSuplex]

Russ! Thanks man. Watching now 👍

[@Cuskuz]

Yeah man, I wanna do it!

[@jrose25_]

just what i needed THANK UUUUUU

[@grzegorz__]

I love EmuDeck concept, It really helps a lot when you just want to setup all of the emulators easily. For example that way I have EmuDeck installed on Windows Host / Main PC, as well as Ayaneo Windows Handheld. However, later I realised that constant development unfortunately introduces bugs. Sometimes very nasty. After one update it literally broke my configuration, replaces all bat files with ps1. As a result it broke some custom icons on home / wallpaper view, then it broke non-steam links, so tiles that pointed to emulators or emulation station stopped working. Also, when the hmm verification step (of installation) before the update was introduced it introduced another bug - some shell script was using ssd drive like 100 % while didn't doing anything, still it didn't let me to this typical emudack management screen, and that was the moment when it changed the structure of the files dramatically. Overall, some updates are just trying to do too many things. My concern is that if you don't update EmuDeck regularly, you may somehow run into big problems. I managed to fix everything but overall I learnt that when all of the emulators are setup, I don't need EmuDeck that much. I prefer to update emulators manually. Also, at some point, you may run into disc space issues and one of the fixes is simply move some roms to ie. some another drives. This can be adjusted manually in ie. emulationstation configuration as well as within certain emulator, BUT yea, when you do something manually, there is even higher risk that the update may break your changes. All in all, i think that purely for maintenance, I have much more control, updating emulators manually. Some developer changes make it a bit unstable sometimes. Anyway, still for initial install it is a timesaver :)

[@6irindra]

Finally, thanks Russ!

[@PinkDan12345]

Nothing like a fresh RGC video in the morning

[@rugmuncher9026]

Legend, thank you

[@fanaticofilmes1]

great great video ... thank you

[@masonreilly_]

“Life’s great mysteries”, I can’t with you 😂

[@cristian15154]

wow, really a lot of work, very profesional 👍

[@MaXLebel]

I wanted to do a general emulation overhaul on my pc to add sync saves with my odin so this video comes just in time. Now if only I'm able to finally finish my odin 2 setup...

[@driftitlikeyouownit]

Thank you russ im gonna watch this completely later when im home and set this up for my rog ally....having every emulator seperate is a pain in the butt.

[@luccas_alcindo]

i f****** love your channel.

[@garywoods1265]

Hi just wanted to say i love your channel, an honest direct unbiased look at tech and thoughtful review process.got myself a ROG ally as a treat and to be honest all I wanted to play was Mortal Kombat/Golden Axe etc. I once owned a Sega Mega drive and was hoping to enjoy these games again. Can you recommend an emulator for the Sega Mega drive i would really appreciate it. Many Thanks.

[@FerinaAryele]

I've been using launchbox for awhile but after seeing this I'm definitely making the switch I just love the interface of everything

[@donp9144]

darn ive been using launch box as well and i absolutely love it but im having issues launching some ps2 titles on the most updated version of psx2 through launch box. i may tag along with you in making that switch lol. windeck user btw lol

[@FerinaAryele]

@@donp9144 I've been loving emulationstation but some systems refused to scrape with the in-app scrapers so I had to download a program called Skraper, it still uses screenscrapers website but it at least works for the ones that didn't for me but sometimes I had to add the correct file extension like chd to find chd games Also I recommend downloading "normalized videos" because I made the mistake of downloading regular videos and they took up a lot of storage space lol but normalized are 30 fps and compressed but are good enough imo

[@lucienpetersen9010]

Did you make the switch? How does it compare?

[@FerinaAryele]

@@lucienpetersen9010 I've been loving emulationstation its way better than launchbox imo but I never had big box to compare the two, it's pretty straight forward but I have ran into a few hiccups like whenever a new update releases you have to manually update it yourself or sometimes certain emulators aren't set up correctly but that could of been my mistake or something I did wrong after updating it manually

[@FerinaAryele]

@@lucienpetersen9010 I guess my comment was deleted but I've been loving it ever since I switched, if you have a large collection it takes awhile to scrape all the data but if you pay them you can scrape more than one at a time I think

[@alainleistikow4800]

So I have a pretty powerful pc that I use remote play on my phone with all the time. I am very excited to be able to install of this on my pc, and then remote in through my phone especially with the new gamesir galileo game pad. Thanks for the video.

[@alainleistikow4800]

Update 12/20/23: I was able to install the software but could only get it to run Steam Rom Manager once. Even with the right file extensions for my roms placed in the right file folders it still could not find them. Then this morning when I tried to start the EMU Deck software to make some changes it got stuck in an update loop. Had to fully scrub my hardrive just to be able to reinstall it. Now it wont go into Steam Rom Manager. I am still so very excited for this software but it is obviously still very much in beta for Windows. Also, I am running win 10 pro.

[@alainleistikow4800]

Update Update: sorry for all of this just excited. After uninstalling it and reinstalling it to a different drive it now works like a charm. Time to move my roms and bios from mass storage to my game drive.

[@kacperkubicki1101]

I've just finished setting up everything to work perfectly using RetroBat, so I don't feel like doing it again. Cloud saves however are definitely something that would change my mind.

[@anthonybarnett5682]

Yeah man! I wanna do it

[@guillaumedevos3057]

bonjour et merci beaucoup 😁trés bonne vidéo.

[@jfh400]

Your advice about where to find ROMs never gets old lololol

[@haygij]

You Rock!

[@charlienewman7496]

Your videos are so good, and this one is a perfect example of your top tier content. I'm building my wife a dedicated gaming rig and emudeck for windows along with windows booting directly to steam big picture, seems like the way to go. Thanks again for all your hard work!

[@jeeroylenkins6625]

This is such a game changer

[@MiguelRodriguez-vx8sm]

Best Video ever

[@KyleRuggles]

NICE!!! I'd love to see this on Android.

[@ikissfutebol12]

Love your videos and guides. Amazing job as always. Knowing your ability to compare and contrast things in a rather factual, unbiased way - can you make a comparison of front ends? I realize that might be a massive ask between Windows, Linux, Android, Mac, etc. It seems like there are certainly favorites in the retro community, but without personally learning how to use them, it is hard to really gauge which one or two to explorer. People often have biased recommendations so it is daunting to navigate that bias vs legitimate pros and cons. I suppose use case also comes into that, too. I ask because EmuDeck alone seems to be a front end that can or does incorporate other front ends…front ends for front ends! I loved your Retroarch guide to help me get that started, yet it seems like that isn’t often used as THE front end, rather just like a middle ground. I know there are a few front ends that can pull your PC store fronts in as well. Seems like a potential huge problem for those that game across retro and modern fronts. Thank you!!

[@gusonian8637]

I really hope they streamline the UI a bit and make it a general launcher for all Windows games - connect your Steam, GOG, Epic, Origin accounts etc. Nice and clean but needs some UI upgrades for usability since it seems focused on just being pretty right now.

[@flipninja55]

Love the “subtle” Google tips 😂

[@orakaa]

As a person who HATES configuring and tinkering on handheld devices, this is a blessing. Can't wait for the Android version to try to install it on a Retroid Pocket 4 (or an Anbernic 405M).

[@lars309]

This is why I bought a Miyoo plus....no fuss no mess...the new installer was seamless.

[@3godzilla3]

That's part of the fun, though!! At least for me, who's dealt with these dinky little gems for years, haha

[@lars309]

@@3godzilla3 nah, I can appreciate your enthusiasm ....troubleshooting all day every day...I just want my $hit to work when I power it up. Hence why I went with a device that runs Onion OS. I could have stayed with my RG350...and upgraded to Adam ISO....

[@orakaa]

@@3godzilla3 Good for you (honestly). As a father of two with a full-time job, the LAST thing I want to do is tinker with a device to make it work, especially if I end up being stuck for whatever reason (still can't figure out how to run PSone games on my Retroid Pocket 3, and I don't know where I made a mistake). I just want to plug and play. Copying Bios and roms are fine, but the rest is as fun for me as going to the dentist...

[@3godzilla3]

@@orakaa Oh I totally get that!! I cannot relate when it comes to the father part (praying for that! Hopefully one day 😭) so I can only imagine the juggling of time that has to be done, haha. Blessings to you and your family 🙏🏻

[@BrunoCarvalhomCTM]

Awesome

[@walterzolkin]

your videos were so helpful thx! But what I struggle with is the motion control and gyro stuff with mit game pads. maybe you make a video how to set it up, so it will work every time.

[@stonie6829]

Hi Russ, nice video as always! Quick question, can I add a EmulationStation link to my ROG Ally's "Armory Crate"? I'm not sure I want my games integrated into steam. It would be nice to jump into it from Armory Crate.. :)

[@PotatoButRad]

Ah, nice!

[@gavpool8196]

I paid for the early acsess 2 days before they announced that it was gonna be released :( of course, i don't mind paying, but it was just a shock that it happened so quick after

[@jorelplay8738]

I have no intention of getting or building a windows based emulation machine. Also I mostly play newer games. I just love your videos and your style. Thanks for being here for us, Russ.

[@RetroGameCorps]

Thanks for watching regardless!

[@wilsoncruz149]

Rus!, Thank you so much...I really missed the tutorials...now question...what about if all the emulators are already installed? will emudeck recognise them and skip them (or updsate them if needed)?

[@VicV91]

what's next now Russ, Emudeck for Android? Would be really nice to sync saves between Android - SteamDeck and PC!

[@troystarrett5645]

Ssves synced between EmuDeck and OnionOS would be a game changer!

[@symol30872]

Been running this on my gaming PC and Steam Deck. Only major bug I've run into is the CloudSync doesn't work, but once that's ironed out it's going to be amazing.

[@A1RODzZz_]

Hey I’m fairly new to this, what’s the best websites to find roms ?

[@goyban]

Yeeees finally!!!!!!!!!!

[@spunx44]

I literally got my Ally and subbed to the Patreon (and used the previous vid) the day before it went free 💀

[@manchesterunitedfan9824]

I wonder if will ever get a mac version of emudeck. As someone that uses a mac as my main computer and a steam deck to play "pc" games (ps5 for AAA) having the saves crossover between the two would be so useful

[@emudeck3499]

Yes

[@potato8090]

great video. do you have any interest in making a video on how to sync saves between devices? Windows, steam deck, retroid/ambernic (android)?