I want a device that will work with SteamOS but will also run Linux so I can run native recomps from ROMs like Banjo-Kazooie.

Is the 512GB OLED Steamdeck the way to go? Or is there a better option?

Not looking to spend over $1K on this

I love my Steam Deck, but at current prices it's really hard to justify. If you could snag one when/if they ever do another drop of refurbs i think it would be worth it. Or if you find a good deal on a used one, i see them pop up on FB marketplace pretty regularly.

The Steam Decks just have more dated hardware than all the other handhelds on the market, but the prices are still pretty similar.

I don't know enough about any of the other devices out there to suggest one that'll do everything you're wanting it to do.

Thanks for this info. After researching the Steamdeck 512GB OLED is really all I need. I don't need to have the latest heavy pc portable to play AAAs. I want something I can run recomps via Linux and also access my Steam library.

I had also looked at the Retroid and AYN Thor but the Android OS isn't compatible with a lot of those good N64/Gamecube recomps from what I'm seeing.

I was also looking at the Evercade Nexus. Those things are cool but very underpowered. The licensed cartridge collection aspect is neat but don't like the fact it's a walled garden.

That retroid is pretty damn cool though. Just wish it weren't only android

I haven't really played a lot on my steam deck OLED, but I have enjoyed it. I tried docking it to the TV and was very underwhelmed (maybe I should have messed with the settings, but didn't feel like messing with it.)

I really wanted to get the Steam Machine for the living room, but after seeing the price for the performance, I just went PS5 Pro instead.

A big % (maybe most) of my Steamdeck time is spent emulating old games (80's thru early 2000's). It's absolutely fantastic for that.

The rest of my time is spent playing Indy games (as you said, accessing your steam library). Even though there are a lot of AAA games that are very well optimized for the deck, I don't personally enjoy playing modern 3D games on a handheld... I'd rather just wait until I'm sitting in front of my OLED TV pumping out the best graphics possible.

My opinion, the Steam Deck is absolutely worth it. If you are super tight on budget, no. But if you have disposable income, I wouldn't let the current prices stop you. Who knows when/if prices will come down. I have the 512 gb OLED model. All of my retro/emulation stuff I have stored on a microSD so my internal drive is reserved for OS and Steam games. I've never had any storage issues.

I just saw a used 512gb steam deck oled on FB marketplace near me for $600. Just to kind of give you an idea of the price range you're looking at for that. That's a bit easier to swallow than $800 for a brand new one.

Ghost of Bisbee said:

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Thanks for this info. After researching the Steamdeck 512GB OLED is really all I need. I don't need to have the latest heavy pc portable to play AAAs. I want something I can run recomps via Linux and also access my Steam library.

I had also looked at the Retroid and AYN Thor but the Android OS isn't compatible with a lot of those good N64/Gamecube recomps from what I'm seeing.

I was also looking at the Evercade Nexus. Those things are cool but very underpowered. The licensed cartridge collection aspect is neat but don't like the fact it's a walled garden.

That retroid is pretty damn cool though. Just wish it weren't only android

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I have a couple of AYN devices that run Android and I play all these recomps you're talking about on them without issue. They usually have an Android APK that you just run and point to the ROM file and you're good to go. I've played the Perfect Dark, Super Mario 64, and Star Fox 64 recomps recently. Not sure what GameCube recomps you're specifically targetting, but if you're talking Dusk (Twilight Princess recomp essentially) then yeah that works great on Android.

But you can also run Linux on Retroid and AYN devices if you want. You just make a bootable Linux SD card. There's a ton of good videos out there on it. Russ with Retro Game Corps is a HUGE recommendation for me, I watch his videos on stuff I don't even plan to buy or do. Link below to a video he made 5 months ago about booting Linux on some of these Android devices, there's probably some more recent stuff I just grabbed this after a 2 second search on his videos.



Check out GameNative for Android while you're doing all your reserach... I play a bunch of my non-AAA Steam on my Android devices through it and it's been an awesome experience. Steam on Android has exponentially improved over the last few months, it's been a shocking development.

Wow. You're saying I can run this harbour masters recomp on the retroid by booting up Linux on an SD card? That sounds complicated but maybe not? My level of tech knowhow for native recomps and emulation is probably 2 out of 10 lol



I wonder how much performance difference there would be in running on the retroid vs the steamdeck

It's all good, it takes some getting used to how all of this stuff works. Happy to help answer any questions you have, I've been in this hobby for a few years now.

You could definitely boot this up in Linux that way... but if it were me trying to run this Banjo Kazooie native port in the easiest way possible, I would just do it on Android. Super easy, post about it below.

Reddit Post about Native Android Port of Banjo Kazooie

You're going to have tradeoffs going with something like the Steam Deck versus an Android device like something from AYN or Retroid (same parent company by the way). If your #1 purpose is access to Steam Library, I'd absolutely go the Steam Deck route. But if that's a little further down the list of wants, one of the Android devices is well worth considering IMO. Android's battery life is incredible, it'll run circles around the Steam Deck in that department. And the pause/resume features of Android devices are really awesome too. I hit my power button on one of these ports or even a Steam game and it'll put the device to sleep, and when I want to resume exactly where I left off I hit that power button again.

Ghost of Bisbee said:

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Wow. You're saying I can run this harbour masters recomp on the retroid by booting up Linux on an SD card? That sounds complicated but maybe not? My level of tech knowhow for native recomps and emulation is probably 2 out of 10 lol



I wonder how much performance difference there would be in running on the retroid vs the steamdeck

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I feel like I'm missing out on the party... already have a SteamDeck and I'm not doing this. I'm just running these games through emulation. N64 emulation in particular is somewhat janky with some games, plus the 64 controller layout doesn't translate well with some games.

Banjo is an all time favorite, I should watch some how-to videos on this.

Buddy, you gotta get on these native ports, it'll change your life. It's wild how much a difference you'll notice in something like Super Mario 64 or Ocarina of Time when it's a buttery smooth 60+ fps.

Most of these recompilations will add quality of life stuff too. Free look for games like Ocarina, twin stick support for games like Perfect Dark, etc... It's awesome.

You've opened my eyes with this. I've gone down a rabbit hole with the retroid pocket 6. I think that does everything I need it to do and after factoring in shipping, MicroSD card, grip for ergonomics, and screen protector I'm still paying half of what the steamdeck would cost me with a much longer battery life to your point.

The Retroid Pocket 6 16bit design with the famicom color buttons looks so good.

Have you tried the retroid pocket? I'm probably going to order one now.

My only pause is I have some business partners at Valve and I'm seeing if they have discounts. Fat chance lol

The Retroid Pocket 3 was my first "retro handheld" device I ever bought, it was an awesome little product.

I have two devices with the same chipset as the Retroid Pocket 6 and I absolutely love them both (Odin 2 and Odin 2 Portal).

It's such a fun niche rabbit hole to go down.

If you want to do some advance research on what Steam games the Pocket 6 can handle, check out the database below. There's a huge community of people who test games and report settings and what not.

https://www.emuready.com

Will definitely check that out, thanks

What are you mostly using now?

There has got to be some sort of surveillance software in that retroid lol
At that price, even with modest 8gb RAM and 128gb hard drive, that price is really hard to believe. I don't know how they're making money on these devices.

That Odin 3 is kickass too. Apparently the retroid pocket 6's gen 2 snapdragon chip is better for retro gaming emulation when compared to the Odin 3's Snapdragon Elite chip as the gen 2 has more mature drivers for retro systems.

These products are impressive.

Yeah the Odin 3 is the move if you are primarily focused on PC gaming, it's a beast. The elite drivers are catching up fast. 8 gen 2 driver maturity is great though, I can emulate 95% of the switch 1 library flawlessly to give you an idea on the power of these things.

The Retroid and AYN stuff feel like premium devices in the hand too, you'll be blown away by the quality. There's some tinkering and setup to be expected but it's nothing too crazy.

Assuming you have a gaming PC you can always just stream the game locally using Apollo/Artemis to an Android device. On an absolute latency dependent game it may not be up to your standards, but for most games the latency is not noticeable for me. Celeste is a pretty latency dependent game and it is entirely playable for me via streaming over WiFi.

Having owned a Steam Deck and Retroid device if you're not desperate for a smaller device for portability I'd opt for something like an Odin as an Android device over the Retroid. Retroid is not nearly as comfortable as a Steam Deck for my hands, I imagine the Odin is similar in comfort.

Can anyone post links for downloading games on the emulators for the steam deck? I know it's not moral, but i would love to play some old Nintendo games on my steam deck. I do have a VPN if that matters at all these days.

Have been waffling between the Odin 3 Max and the 12GB ram Retroid Pocket 6. I will probably go with the RP6 with the grip. I don't really need all that power with the Odin 3.

And if I come across a bad ROM or brick the thing, I won't feel as bad

Did the math, was not anticipating how much microSD cards have risen this year.

So after getting the 12GB ram RP6 to about 385GB in total storage with a microSD card, together with the grip, screen protector, and case, I'm at $415 all in after shipping.

Meanwhile, the 16GB ram 512GB AYN Odin 3 Max with the accessories, I'm at $604 after shipping.

$189 difference. Now I'm back onto Odin 3

Are you looking at buying directly from the Retroid and AYN websites? That's more often than not the cheapest way to buy but AliExpress has some killer sales here and there. I swear I saw a back to school sale earlier this week on there.

If you're a Reddit guy, r/SBCGaming is an incredible resource for stuff like that. If you really want to go down the rabbit hole go browse that subreddit.

You are a wealth of knowledge!

I purchased it direct, but then I saw a better deal on AliExpress to your point with the 29% Rakuten cashback deal.

After the Rakuten cashback, I'm paying about $350 for the 16GB ram 512GB Odin 3 Max.
Thank you, this deal is unreal!

Now I just need AYNtech to refund my earlier order with them.

Let's go!!! This was a thrill for me today

Reddit Roms Megathread.

Awesome! That's an insane value at that price.

I've had nothing but good experiences with AYN's customer support. Sometimes they move a little slowly but you're not going to get screwed or anything, I'd just say be patient. I changed a pre-order like 4 times on a device and they always accommodated.

Once you get this thing in hand, if you want any help feel free to DM me, post here, or whatever. I really enjoy the tinkering with these things. You can use the stock AYN system if you want to just load some games and play, but man you can really "console-ify" your device if you want. Do some searching on Android front-ends. I've personally used Daijisho, ES-DE, and Retrohrai and they all have their pros and cons but really make the game navigation such a cool and sleek experience.

For setup, I'd follow Russ from RetroGameCorp's Retroid Pocket 6 guide, I think that's his latest Android device guide. Setup is 99.9% the same for Retroid and AYN devices, I used that one for my Odin 2 Portal setup not too long ago.

https://retrogamecorps.com/2022/01/16/retroid-pocket-2-starter-guide/

Absolutely, I'll let you know when I receive it!

I read over the setup guide you linked, and this honestly sounds like a fun side project to build it to how I want.
The only other time I've stepped into emulation was when I used Hakchi and installed retroarch on my licensed NES Classic Mini and SNES Classic Mini consoles via a 2009 Toshiba laptop lol. That was 8 years ago, wasn't too challenging, and from what I've read that process is much more cumbersome and less streamlined than what setting up the Odin will be (knock on wood).

What I really like about this is I can do my entire setup directly on the Odin device.
With how expensive microsd cards are right now, I'm not going to buy another quite yet and will see if any holiday deals pop up.
My approach is generally going to be downloading all the setup apps, emulators, recomp APKs, texture files for said recomps, frontend, a few of my Steam games through game native and drivers I guess first to the Odin, then fitting as many of the roms and bios files I can onto the device. Once I get a microsd, figure I'll transfer roms at that point to make room for more recomps and texture packs to install natively. All ears if you think there's a better approach

For front-end, seems like ES-DE is a favorite? Which is your favorite and why? (You only use one front-end per device, right?)

I absolutely love my steamdeck. One of the best purchases I have ever made and would absolutely recommend.

Have two newborns to go with two other young kids which makes it impossible to sit down and game on my pc. I can at least find moments in the couch with my steamdeck while holding a baby

You can actually put multiple front ends on a single device. But what I've found myself doing is a single different front end on different devices to make them feel unique.

I think Daijisho has been my favorite, but currently using Retrohrai and loving it.

AgsWin2011 said:

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Can anyone post links for downloading games on the emulators for the steam deck? I know it's not moral, but i would love to play some old Nintendo games on my steam deck. I do have a VPN if that matters at all these days.

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Did you get yourself sorted out?

Not yet. Didn't really have time to mess with it this weekend. I may mess around with it this weekend.

If you need ROMs, happy to share.

can you DM me?

If I were to get something today it would be a ROG Ally. There's a new one that is supposed to be pretty good. Other than that the steam deck oled can be found on facebook market place for decent prices.

No, no capability because I'm not premium. But I'm around tonight if you want to post e-mail real quick.

Thanks! Let me know when you send it and I will delete my email.

Got it - sent you an e-mail. Curated collection up through neo-geo. Should be enough to keep you busy.