Widescreen SNES Guide

Widescreen SNES Guide

Last updated: 22FEB2023 (see Changelog for details)

In this guide I’ll show you how to set up widescreen for many beloved SNES games. Not every game will work with this setup, but many do, including some of my personal favorites.

To enable widescreen, you must use the BSNES standalone emulator or the BSNES HD Beta core within RetroArch. For this guide we will focus on the BSNES HD Beta RetroArch core.

You will need a somewhat powerful machine to run the BSNES RetroArch core. For retro handhelds, I recommend something like the Retroid Pocket 3+ at the very least, but the AYN Odin or Logitech Cloud will work even better.

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Steam Deck Emulation Starter Guide

Steam Deck Emulation Starter Guide

Last updated: 05MAR2024 (see Changelog for details)

Valve’s Steam Deck is the perfect storm of handhelds: it has an exceptional price-to-performance ratio, a large game library thanks to its Steam integration, and it is becoming more readily available every month. In this guide I’ll show you how to play your favorite retro (and modern) game systems via software emulation.

This guide will primarily use an app called EmuDeck to set up your emulation experience, but I will also touch on other solutions like RetroDeck and Batocera. If you are looking for a general setup guide for the Steam Deck itself, I recommend this comprehensive Steam Deck guide from GitHub user mikeroyal.

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NexDock Review

NexDock Review

The NexDock is a laptop without a laptop — it’s basically a screen, keyboard, trackpad, and battery. But you can plug any number of devices into it, like a smartphone, Nintendo Switch, or yes, the Steam Deck, to give your devices new functionality. So in this video we’ll test one out and see if it’s worth considering as a travel-friendly solution.

More info here: https://nexdock.com/

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My Ultimate Steam Deck Emulation Setup

My Ultimate Steam Deck Emulation Setup

After a few weeks of tinkering, I finally have my Steam Deck set up exactly the way I like. This video will show you my setup, which is a combination of EmuDeck, EmulationStation, Xbox Cloud Gaming, standalone Linux games, and my Steam library.

EmuDeck
EmulationStation
Xbox Cloud Gaming setup
Itch.io Linux games
SteamGridDB

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EmulationStation on Steam Deck! Showcase and Guide

EmulationStation on Steam Deck!  Showcase and Guide

Well, that didn’t take long. The desktop version of EmulationStation works really well with the Steam Deck, and allows you to streamline your emulation setup on this impressive handheld. Plus it works in perfect sync with EmuDeck, allowing you to have preconfigured emulation settings AND multiple options when it comes to organizing your ROM library. In this video we’ll go over basic setup, add artwork, and improve how it displays in SteamOS.

Download EmulationStation Desktop Edition here, and be sure to check out their extensive user guide.

Other tools used in this video:
EmuDeck for emulator auto-configuration
SteamGridDB for posters, heroes, grid, and logo images
ScreenScraper.fr to sign up for a free account for scraping images

Note that while I didn’t show it in the video, you can go into Main Menu > Other Settings and adjust the default emulators to your liking. This is helpful if you have a preferred RetroArch core or want to use a standalone emulator.

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Introducing EmuDeck: Steam Deck Emulation Configuration Tool!

Introducing EmuDeck: Steam Deck Emulation Configuration Tool!

Let’s check out the new tool called EmuDeck, which will preconfigure all of your Steam Deck emulators and also set up the Steam ROM Manager for you, too. You can have your whole retro library up and running within SteamOS in 20 minutes, complete with fancy game art, customized controls, universal hotkeys, and more.

Check it out here
EmuDeck discord
EmuDeck discussion on Reddit

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Steam Deck Emulation Showcase & Guide

Steam Deck Emulation Showcase & Guide

At this point, what CAN’T the Steam Deck do? In this video we’ll look at the emulation performance of the Steam Deck within its stock SteamOS operating system. We’ll also discuss my findings with getting Batocera running on the handheld.

Links mentioned in the video:
Steam ROM Manager
Batocera installation guide
RetroArch starter guide

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Valve Steam Deck Impressions: Size, Weight, and Controls

Valve Steam Deck Impressions: Size, Weight, and Controls

I finally have a Steam Deck in hand, and so in this video I will walk you through the experience of holding this popular new device. Is it too big? Why are the controls so high up? Why did they use so much space for those trackpads? Let’s find out together.

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