
lemmy.worldDeveloper interview: my Q&A with the team behind RetroDECK - Lemmy.WorldIn case you missed it from my last gaming news round-up post, I’m conducting
interviews (perhaps Q&A’s is a more apt term though) with my friends. These will
be with the individuals and teams behind the programs you might use on the Steam
Deck, but also in the Linux, gaming, YouTube and other similar ‘scenes’. Coming
up I’ll be chatting to AA from Decky Loader, imLinguin from Heroic Games
Launcher, Eben who makes Junk Store, some YouTubers whose content is Linux and
Steam Deck-based, and far more. But, one warning: I’m not a professional, nor
are these meant to be very hard hitting. I just like the idea of people getting
to know those who are behind the programs they’re used to using. They rarely get
any spotlight – they’re sometimes just a faceless username behind a project, and
I feel like they deserve attention for what they give to us. I was lucky that my
friends behind RetroDECK were more than happy to agree to this first one, so –
let’s go! ------------------------------------------------------------------ #
What is RetroDECK?
[https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/0f90acff-a586-4d06-9341-40142148aed9.png]
RetroDECK is my choice for retro gaming on the Steam Deck. It’s an all-in-one
retro gaming platform designed specifically for the Steam Deck and Linux
desktops. It integrates so many emulators, systems, and game engines into a
single application, providing a seamless retro gaming experience without the
need for extensive configuration. Their design philosophy is that everything
must be included inside the application itself. Key Features: * Flathub
Distribution: As a Flatpak application on Flathub, RetroDECK is sandboxed:
Ensuring system stability, that all the files are contained, and it updates easy
through standard Linux package managers. It is easy to install and also easy to
remove if you want to. * Pre-configured Emulators: RetroDECK comes with
emulators for systems like NES, SNES, Game Boy, PlayStation, PS2, Wii and many
more. * Pre-configured Game Engines: RetroDECK comes with support for game
engines like Solarus, GZDoom, IkemanGO / M.U.G.E.N, and Pico-8. Its GZDoom
integration also has a custom .doom format for easy mod loading and management.
Simply populate the mod load order, save it as a .doom file, and go kill some
demons (there is a guide on the wiki). * Pre-configured Systems: RetroDECK’s
front-end is ES-DE, and they have collaborated since the beginning of both
projects. ES-DE can automatically download game artwork, descriptions, and
metadata, enhancing the visual appeal of your game library. RetroDECK has
recently added built-in SRM, allowing you to have games as separate entities
with artwork by simply favoriting your games in ES-DE and enabling SRM via the
Configurator. RetroDECK also worked together with the PortMaster Team to
integrate PortMaster (a system to handle various game ports) into RetroDECK. *
RetroDECK Configurator: The RetroDECK Configurator, accessible from the ES-DE
main menu, allows you to change and configure settings across many systems from
one interface. It’s a ”multi-tool” that offers several ”tools” for:
Compressing games, File management, BIOS Checker, Multi-File Structure Checker,
Partial or full reset of functions, RetroAchievements Multi Login, Borders,
Widescreen Mode, Swaping A/B X/Y and much more. * Steam Input Controller
Layouts: It includes tailored controller configurations for the Steam Deck and
Linux Desktop via Steam Input, ensuring an intuitive gaming experience. Their
radial dial is a literal game changer for me (turning your left-side trackpad
into a hub of options while you game). * All the standard stuff: Standard
features like save states, fast-forwarding, shaders, mods, and cheat support are
built-in for a customizable gaming experience. Finding these folders on a
regular setup can sometimes be difficult, but RetroDECK exposes them all under
the main retrodeck folder. RetroDECK offers a user-friendly alternative to other
emulation solutions like EmuDeck and Batocera, focusing on simplicity and
integration within the SteamOS environment, while still giving ‘power users’ all
the options they could ever want to tweak everything. You can also find the
entire run-down of what it is, and what it can do on their website (I’ll also
include some other links at the very end of this post)
[https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/8c63b2c3-4633-4fac-b3fc-3f6db81bd441.png] So
without any more nonsense from me, let’s get to this Q&A!
------------------------------------------------------------------ # The Team
Behind RetroDECK
[https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/7e2aa51c-7084-40ce-93d2-b73333710f95.png]
------------------------------------------------------------------ # 1. So who
is the team behind RetroDECK? Introduce yourselves! The Team consists of five
people and a build-bot / Mascot called Rekku. Not everyone is a part of this
interview. Xargon: Pleased to meet you, I am Xargon, founder of the project. I
am a father, a gamer, and a FOSS and Linux lover. I am actively maintaining the
project, the code, and the automation alongside the rest of the team and our
internal mascot, Rekku the Genie (the build-bot). Lazorne: Hello, I’m Lazorne.
I’m also an ageing father, FOSS enthusiast, passionate gamer, and collector of
technical doodads and game consoles. I handle various aspects of the project,
including community management, project and issue management, outreach, Steam
Input, system configurations, user feedback, and the entire wiki.
------------------------------------------------------------------ # 2. What
inspired you to create RetroDECK, and how did the project come together
initially? Xargon: Back then, I was contributing to 351ELEC, now AmberELEC,
after the founding member Fewt moved on to his new project. Me and Cebion did
our best to keep it alive, and eventually, the project flourished again.
[https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/5883e207-1e3b-4e6e-b0ea-e9e7ae23c95a.jpeg]
Everything started when the Steam Deck was announced. I preordered it, but due
to server overload, I could only enter the second batch, so my Steam Deck would
be shipped around March. I closely followed the Steam Deck news and subreddits.
I thought the Steam Deck would be a GREAT retro gaming device. I did some
research, and there was nothing that could make emulation easy on the Steam Deck
back then. As a fully featured PC, I believed that configuring multiple
emulators, game engines and systems would be difficult in the handheld format
unless docked with a mouse and keyboard. Unlike the tiny retro handhelds I where
used to work on. My new vision was that I wanted to contain all the “custom
firmware” (emulators, engines and systems) inside one application. As I thought
this would be a better approach than rebooting every time to access the
“Emulation OS”. I first reached out to the Batocera Team to understand if they
were interested in making something with this device, but at that time, they had
no plans for it, nor to repack Batocera “application” of sorts. I decided to use
a spin-off of 351ELEC to do the job. I proposed my idea to the AmberELEC Team.
Did a POC of “RetroDECK”, initially called “351EDECK”, but the team’s reply was
that they thought it was off scope. So, I started to work on it as an
independent project. Cebion also later started to help out with PortMaster
(where he still is ❤️).
------------------------------------------------------------------ # 3. Is there
one particular aspect of the RetroDECK project you are most proud of or that
resonates with you the most personally? Xargon: I would say the automation and
the framework, but this might not be very understandable to most users out
there. Another thing that I am proud of is when you open RetroDECK: after a
brief loading, everything is inside there. I feel like I am in this pocket
dimension with all my old or non-PC games that just work. No tweaking is needed;
it is just as it is. Lazorne: In addition to the technical aspects of the
application itself, I’m personally very proud of the community and philosophy we
built around this little project. That we adhered to certain moral guidelines
and design principles. The team has a very humane approach to the project and
the community at large. We strive to be as transparent as possible, although
sometimes we hold things back to create a big surprise later. There are no
premium subscription tiers to access developers or other money-gathering
schemes. Everyone can join Discord, Revolt, or Matrix and talk to us. It’s a
very flat and open organization by design, and we want it to remain that way.
------------------------------------------------------------------ # 4. How can
the community help? I like to think of it as ‘honorary team members’ – for
example, do you ever take a suggestion from the community of users and then
implement it into RetroDECK? Do you require testers? Xargon: The scope of the
project is so vast that we are always in need of more contributors and testers.
We actively engage with the community, listen, and work together. We implement
what we believe are good ideas or contributions. I appreciate the community that
has formed around RetroDECK. Lazorne: As I mentioned earlier, our organization
is very flat. Sometimes a new person drops in suggests a minor change, and we
evaluate it. If we think it is a good idea, we create an issue to implement it
later. We have community tester roles and a community tinker team to facilitate
more community engagement in both testing and tinkering. It is always hard to
find testers for unstable cooker releases; they like us are volunteers that are
putting their free time into it.
------------------------------------------------------------------ # 5. Are
there any notable challenges you’ve faced as a team while working on RetroDECK?
Maybe challenges in building (or maintaining) Retro, or perhaps in the emulation
scene as a whole? Xargon: Yes, that happens from time to time, but I remember
the first time: RetroDECK was so huge to be built as a flatpak that the free
runners of GitHub weren’t enough. Not having any funds to pay for a build
server, I thought I had hit a dead end. But as you can see, here we are.
Lazorne: The technical challenges are numerous, as what we are doing is quite
unusual and I’m sure not something others had in mind. We are putting apps
inside an app, to run them via an app to create an app (Yo Dawg). In emulation
or rather FOSS at large, there is always something happening, but we do our best
to monitor it. There are tons of passionate people out there.
------------------------------------------------------------------ # 6. I can
imagine the video made by Russ (of Retro Game Corps) made a significant impact
in downloads and installs, can you tell me how that went? This is a link to that
video, if you’re interested in seeing the full breakdown on what RetroDECK is,
how it works, and a full set up [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXS00Wcbwt4]
[https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/271a1bb6-03bb-43ae-8761-d78751a8cf3e.jpeg]
Xargon: I have known Russ since the days of 351ELEC when he was creating content
related to our firmware. We often discussed making a RetroDECK video, but the
opportunity never arose until one day he surprised us with one. We were not
expecting it at all! In the following days, our download meter quadrupled, and
our user base possibly increased as well. Usually, I don’t care about the
numbers; I tend to forget them. RetroDECK was created because I wished to have
something like it that was not available back then, and also to contribute to
the FOSS community by delivering the best software that I (or we) can. However,
I have to admit that I was very excited when it happened. I always fear that the
more widespread we become, the more effort is required to support the users, and
the more bugs are found. And you know what? We managed it, and we even learned
that we don’t have those huge hidden bugs, just a couple of minor issues here
and there but nothing major. Lazorne: STONKS
[https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/d2d5ed2a-d3e3-47a5-9014-c05041cfba0b.jpeg] But
to further comment on Xargons worries about the user spike: How you design a
community is important, with a suddenly increased userbase things can quickly
get out of hand in both issue management and communication. But I thought of it
more as setting up an IT-Support Desk for a major company and I had already put
those structures in place. For me the community is our stalwart supporters and
biggest critics, but also our first line of support. By leveraging the community
itself most of the non-issues can be solved directly via community helpers. Then
with the community’s help we can filter out the “real” issues and address them
in either the code or documentation.
------------------------------------------------------------------ # Linux & the
Steam Deck:
[https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/4a728ca1-9b32-4345-bd11-510bee6607f6.png] # 1.
What was your first impression when you got your hands on the Steam Deck, and
how did it shape the direction of RetroDECK? Xargon: ”Man, this is surely HUGE!”
However, like love at first sight, the Steam Deck was not just a technical
marvel; it was also strategic for the growth of Linux. Maybe I was more excited
about that than the console itself. Imagine what it would mean for Linux to have
access to all the Windows games… And that’s what’s happening. A lot of people I
know have now migrated to Linux. Needless to say, the Steam Deck is now my
primary gaming device. I spend more time developing RetroDECK than playing it.
Lazorne: I directly preordered my Steam Deck and got it in the second batch.
Having a full Linux Desktop powered gaming device with multiple Input Types
instantly sold it to me. I had developed a fondness for Valve and their hardware
as I knew even if it would not succeed, the community would be there to develop
for it. Another reason was Valve’s commitment to their hardware, even my old
Steam Link was still getting updates even though it had been discontinued for
years (it is still getting updates!). For me all these inputs that were possible
via Steam Input were extremely fun to tinker with. I also wanted to showcase how
complex you can make things with Steam Input and leverage it to an extent I had
not seen any other application done before. The touchpads, back buttons,
touchscreen, and gyro made it a beast.
------------------------------------------------------------------ # 2. Were
there any specific limitations of the Steam Deck hardware or software that you
had to work around when developing RetroDECK? Xargon: Well, I was used to
working on Anbernic embedded devices, so for me, it was like running free. So,
nothing hardware wise… However, Flatpak comes with some limitations that I have
learned to wrangle and think through over the years. But it brings more benefits
at the end of the day. I really like the project, and I cheer for them. Sorry,
Flathub team, maybe you hate me, but you’re doing a great job! :) Lazorne: Steam
Input is still quite buggy in Desktop Mode; there are tons of issues that only
exist on Desktop Mode / Linux Desktop to this day. Steam Input is also prone to
crashes when building our complex VDF files and that is quite annoying. Several
bugs exist; for example, we still cannot render radial menus properly in Linux
Desktop. Another challenge was the lack of documentation from all the projects
out there and even from Valve, our wiki has more information on what controllers
Steam Input support than the official Steam Developer portal. Being a “None
Steam Game” also caused several issues, with randomized folder ID’s, how the
input profiles were stored and many other things that there simply was no
documentation for (RetroDECK wiki got it!).
------------------------------------------------------------------ # 3. Steam
Deck users often experiment with alternative software and emulators. How do you
ensure RetroDeck remains stable and user-friendly while allowing flexibility for
power users who may want to customize or tweak their experience on Linux?
Xargon: I wanted to give RetroDECK a console-like experience: you buy your
console, connect it to the TV (similar to downloading the Flatpak), turn it on,
and answer a couple of questions—just a few, not too many. Then you can start
playing after adding your games. Everything is already pre-set and ready. If you
don’t like the preset, you have some options: go into the settings and change
what we expose, or for more advanced users, open your emulator and tweak it.
Every component that comes with RetroDECK defaults, tweaked for our environment,
Steam Deck, and generally what we and the community believe can provide the best
experience out of the box. However, this might not fit everyone (but almost it
seems), so they can tweak it. If you misconfigure or break some components, no
problem: RetroDECK can reset them to factory defaults, making experimenting easy
and safe. I know there are alternatives now, but honestly, I don’t look at my
neighbors’ gardens; I cultivate mine with passion and care, so everyone will
have their beautiful garden! Lazorne: To add to what Xargon said: Our plans are
still to make several aspects that are currently prompts into a nice Godot
version, to make it even easier. We also plan to expose more features to
advanced users from the get-go. We also facilitate tinkering by providing guides
on the wiki for those really who want to tinker, showcasing all the creativity
in the community (check the May 2025, blogpost).
------------------------------------------------------------------ # 4. Steam
Deck’s unique hybrid design is a standout feature – desktop and gaming mode. We
don’t see that on Windows handhelds. What are some of the challenges you faced
in making RetroDECK work smoothly on such a device? Xargon: Tweaking the
high-end emulators to get maximum performance is quite a challenge. It’s really
easy to get full framerate on a 90s console, but what about the modern ones? Of
course, Steam Deck hardware is what it is, and in my opinion, it’s already a
miracle that it exists. Lazorne: I find RetroDECK and several controller-heavy
native Steam games work best in Game Mode. It’s also why I run the Bazzite-Deck
image on my gaming PC at home to get Game Mode there as well.
------------------------------------------------------------------ # 5. How do
you see RetroDECK evolving alongside future updates or new models of the Steam
Deck? Will it be heading to other handhelds in the future? Xargon: Other
handhelds? Well, yes, it runs on every x86_64 Linux distribution, including
SteamOS, so technically it’s already working on all those kinds of handhelds. Is
it optimal? Until now, it has worked out of the box as far as I know. One huge
limitation is, of course, that all those handhelds are expensive, and we cannot
afford to buy them all. The actual donations are just covering the server costs,
so we rely on the user’s experience and reports like with the ROG Ally. Steam
Deck 2 is on my wishlist, so yes, RetroDECK will surely support it when the time
comes. And about future updates, yes, as we usually release a minor version
every month or two on average, I don’t see myself retiring from the project in
the future. Lazorne: As Xargon said, we are heavily reliant on user reports.
Cost is always an issue with new hardware, and I’m spending my hard-earned cash
on hunting down secondhand versions of various inputs to test RetroDECK with. My
original Steam Deck broke down recently, so I had to save up and got myself an
OLED now (YAY). But for me, it also feels wrong to ask for donations. As long as
we can pay the yearly build server and the hosting fees, I’m fine with it.
------------------------------------------------------------------ # Gaming
Preservation & Emulation: # 1. Do you feel like RetroDECK contribute to the
broader mission of game preservation? Xargon: In some ways, yes, we are not the
Indiana Jones that searches for artifacts, nor the professors that can study
them and explain them in detail. Instead, we are the museum curators who can
make the general public aware of the art and history that would otherwise be
lost. We are trying to do it in the most accessible way possible Lazorne: I
think so. Our goal is to make it easier to play your backups and develop tools
to easily manage your collection and present it in the way you want. We also get
feedback from other projects, and they give feedback to us; it is a
give-and-take situation. We are, in essence, just a complex meta-app with
various integrations, and we want NO CREDIT for all the effort that emulators,
game engines, ES-DE, and others are doing. We point out to our users that THESE
projects make it all happen and to donate to them if they can; they deserve the
credit, not us. We also emphasize NOT to go directly to the emulator/game
engines/etc for support. Our dependencies should not bear a support burden
because we have decided to integrate their application and caused issues.
------------------------------------------------------------------ # 2. How does
the team feel about the idea that emulating games, and making them available for
emulation is important for games preservation? Xargon: Nowadays, we have the
technology to save everything we do, but often this technology is used
improperly. I personally see video games as a medium equivalent to movies or
books: they are a snapshot of their times, an artistic expression of a group of
individuals (sometimes a single person) who want to communicate something.
Unfortunately, big corporations often see them as mere money investments and
returns, but this happens with other media and artists as well. The main problem
with preservation nowadays is not technology, but corporate greed. Those who
hold the licenses for their products are not always willing to donate them to
human history; in fact, they are often against it, even when they are no longer
generating significant revenue. Imagine if today the families of Picasso or Da
Vinci locked away every piece of art created by their predecessors, or if the
owners of old historical texts did the same. This is what’s happening to games:
we have already lost some games because of DRMs. So please, companies, after a
game has sold enough and enough time has passed, free it. Make it available for
all of humanity. Lazorne: Many of my consoles have died, but I still have my
games as digital backups and several thousands in boxes. For me, it is important
to be able to play them, but also to experience them in new ways with mods or
romhacks. I think several emulation projects out there are the unsung heroes;
they saved obscure arcade cabinets, consoles, and thus retro gaming in general.
They prevented us from suffering the same fate as the first movie industry,
where most of the art was lost. But I do agree with Xargon that we need
copyright reform and a way to preserve video games moving forward. The Reuters
report was quite alarming, stating that 90% of all games from the PS3, Xbox 360,
Wii era and earlier are unplayable today on modern hardware and access to them
is non existent. Right now, emulation and the pure hope that my old consoles and
games don’t turn into dust are the only ways for me to share the games I own and
grew up with my kids.
------------------------------------------------------------------ # 3. Do you
have a personal favorite retro system you feel most passionate about? Xargon:
Yes: PC-DOS/WIN, Sega Megadrive, and later on Game Boy Advance, as these were my
beloved systems that I grew up with. I had many more, but these are special to
me. Lazorne: I love the: PSX to PS3, PSP, SNES, MegaDrive, Dreamcast, Saturn,
PC-Engine, PC-DOS/WIN, C64 and Amiga.
------------------------------------------------------------------ # Bonus
Questions: # 1. What are your favorite games? Both retro (emulated) and modern
(not emulated!) Lazorne: It is a very hard list to make (my own note here,
Lazorne wrote me a few times after sending their completed responses, wanting to
add more games - this is a dedicated gamer who wanted their list just-so before
posting): * Little Big Planet series (PS3, PS4) (Bring them to Steam Sony! With
Steam Workshop for Creations and levels! Let Steam host it! DO IT!) *
Timesplitters series (PS2, GC) * Alundra (PSX) * Suikoden series (PSX, PS2) *
Final Fantasy series (multi) * Little Big Adventure 1 & 2 (DOS / PC) * Heroes of
Might and Magic series (DOS / PC) * Doom series (DOS / PC) * Elder Scrolls
series (DOS / PC) * Minecraft Java (PC) * Black & White (PC) * Dwarf Fortress
(PC) * Lightgun Games (Point Blank, House of Dead etc) * All mods and romhacks
out there! Honorable mentions: * The Addams Family Pinball (Pinball) * World of
Warcraft (MMO) * Dungeons and Dragons (TRPG) * Drakar och Demoner (TRPG) * Mörk
Borg (TRPG) * Monkey Island series (DOS/PC) * Space Quest series (DOS/PC)
Xargon: Oh man, this is heavy. I will do a non-numbered top 10, else I would
include too much: * One Must Fall 2097 (PC-DOS) * Little Big Adventure 2
(PC-WIN) * Duke Nukem 3D (PC-DOS) * Jazz Jackrabbit (PC-DOS) * Sonic The
Hedgehog (MegaDrive) * Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow (Multi) * Fallout 3 (PC) *
Fallout New Vegas (PC) * Skyrim (PC) * Cyberpunk 2077 (PC) Honorable mentions: *
Ragnarok Online (MMO) * World of Warcraft (MMO)
------------------------------------------------------------------ # 2. Do you
feel any lack of enthusiasm for gaming itself? A lot of my friends are devs for
various projects for the Steam Deck, and a common thread for them is that while
a lot of their personal time is spent making the avenues for people to game…the
spare time they have themselves to play the games can also end up as a chore. Do
you feel this? Xargon: I kind of go through phases: there are times when I don’t
feel like playing games and want to develop, other times when I am tired of
developing and want to play, and other times when I just want to watch movies or
shows. It’s always been a cycle. Lazorne: As Xargon said there are phases but
there is a difference between working on something out of passion and doing it
as part of your daily grind. I think it is the same in some ways; I play less
and tinker more, but sometimes the journey is what is fun and not the result
itself. I think many people can relate to that, almost like car enthusiasts who
restore an old car but never drive it and move on to the next project. The good
thing about FOSS development is that it never ends. You are always tweaking the
“car” until you call it quits yourself, and the best part is someone can take
over from you as you have shared it with everyone.
------------------------------------------------------------------ # 3. What
other projects, be they Linux, Steam Deck or generally open-source are you most
enamored with? Xargon: Well, Linux and Steam Deck, as I said before, I think is
a winning duo as Valve did a lot for the Linux community because of the Steam
Deck. I believe a new desktop era has silently started. Then I love, of course,
all the emulators and Retro Handhelds, although I took a brief distance as I
feel that the environment is starting to become overcrowded by the continuous
hardware releases. I mean, do we really need a constant iteration of the same
chipsets? I really like hacking things: like taking a device and following some
guides (as I don’t have the skills to improvise) to hack the software and unlock
its hidden potential. For me, it is a hobby. I’m also really interested in UMU
Launcher. Lazorne: ES-DE and ROMM are the ones we create internal memes with,
but we try to maintain good relations with as many people as possible from other
software projects, OS, and hardware developers. Personally, I really like Input
Plumber, UMU Launcher, OpenGamePadUI and Bazzite.
------------------------------------------------------------------ # 4. Where
can the community find you? Lazorne: The true sources of information are the
RetroDECK Wiki and GitHub. Discord is the most active so far of the social
instances. We always try to put anything relevant that is being said in social
instances on the Wiki or GitHub. You should not need to create accounts on
various platforms to get accurate information. I personally don’t like that some
projects put their entire communication chain and documentation behind locked
platforms. * The RetroDECK Blog
[https://retrodeck.readthedocs.io/en/latest/blog/] (an update on what the team
have been up to) * The RetroDECK Wiki
[https://retrodeck.readthedocs.io/en/latest/] (your one-stop spot to find all
the info you need) * RetroDECK’s Lemmy [https://lemmy.zip/c/retrodeck] (Lemmy
community) * RetroDECK’s Discord server [https://discord.gg/hkEwSMGcvu] (the
space where the most community members congregate * RetroDECK Matrix
[https://matrix.to/#/#retrodeck:matrix.org] * RetroDECK’s Revolt server
[https://rvlt.gg/StVaEc0w] * RetroDECK’s GitHub
[https://github.com/RetroDECK/RetroDECK]
------------------------------------------------------------------ # 5. Why is
Discord the most active social instance? Lazorne: In short, most people are
there. But there are always some people commenting towards us and other projects
that FOSS projects should not use these locked down platforms at all by
principle. In a perfect world that would be true, but the crux of the problem is
that these instances are sometime created by your biggest fans and when that
happens you have zero control over it. Our subreddit for example was first
created by some fans, but that became problematic when users started to ask for
various updates, support and we were not affiliated with it. So, we got donated
ownership over it from the fans (thanks!) and I don’t think it is healthy to
shut down fan efforts to speak about your project where they want to congregate.
We have also seen an up-tick in both Revolt and Matrix users in the past weeks
and that is good :)
------------------------------------------------------------------ # 6. Biggest
challenges RetroDECK has? Problems? Hurdles? What makes this project hard?
Xargon: Well, sandboxing and containerization is certainly challenging, as
safety often comes at a cost. We hope to make some things easier with to deal
with in the backend in 0.10.0b. Lazorne: In addition to development, moderating
a worldwide community is sometimes quite a challenge as we are all volunteers.
We are also always trying to support each other internally, if some tragedy
happens the rest of the team is always there for each other. There have been
many times when life itself takes time from the project dealing with: * Family *
Life / Love / Death * Work / No-work * Other IRL issues But we have so far
always been there for that person who is currently having a bad time, always
trying to help with the best of our ability.
------------------------------------------------------------------ # 7. EmuDeck
feels almost to be the ‘default’ emulation suggestion made to new users on the
Steam Deck. Since they came onto the scene, they almost seem ubiquitous to the
scene. How do you feel about EmuDeck as a project? Lazorne: They have a
different goal and vision than ours, and all can exist in parallel. They are
broad in their focus on multiple platforms with their installer scripts and
extra applications, while we are narrowly focusing just on a Linux Flatpak
application. Xargon: Some people believe we are similar, and yes in a way.
Honestly, I never tried EmuDeck because when I started RetroDECK, it didn’t
exist. If it had, I probably wouldn’t have started RetroDECK. Since then, I’ve
obviously stuck with RetroDECK on my devices, so I don’t have much to say about
EmuDeck. I believe our approach is different: RetroDECK is a single application
that can be installed or uninstalled, whereas EmuDeck seems to have a more
multiple ways approach.
------------------------------------------------------------------ # 8. What’s
next for RetroDECK? Can we get any ‘sneak peeks’ at what you might be bringing
in the future? Lazorne: Version 0.10.0b is a major rewrite of the very
foundation of RetroDECK, which we started back in version 0.9.0b. We are not
unveiling everything, but we can say that it will feature a new modern API
called RetroAPI to make future Godot integration easier (not part of the update)
and will also allow other developers to use RetroDECK in new and interesting
ways. Xargon can give a tiny apéritif from the cooker about the API. All I can
say is that we want to address one of the biggest complaints about how hard it
is currently to add more systems into RetroDECK. Xargon: At the moment, we are
rewriting a lot of code to make it more malleable. Recently, we introduced
RetroENGINE, which makes RetroDECK a headless runner for desktop users and
developers. Just double-click your game, and RetroDECK will take care of
everything else. We are now rewriting the framework to work through API. This
will be the base for the future Godot Configurator, where we suspended
development until this part is ready. Technically, with the API, anyone can
interface with RetroDECK and even write their own Configurator if they wish, as
the Configurator will only be a front end and will not execute backend actions;
the API will do that. This might be fun for developers or power users. I am
excited to see what users will create with it. A lot more is “cooking” in the
pot. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # 9. Any
other gaming related projects you like? Lazorne: I really like: * PrismLauncher
for Minecraft, * VCMI for Heroes 3 and * Fheroes 2 for Heroes 2. Cataclysm Dark
Days ahead I also think is very neat (I’m just bad at it). I love all the
romhacks and modding communities out there. But Moguri Mod for FF9 PC is my
current favorite I would like to highlight it. Xargon: I go with: * RomM *
AmberELEC (of course) * OnionOS * MUOS * Batocera * morganizer2 * FemC mod for
Persona 3 Reload (which I cannot play due to Denuvo, I am glaring at you) …and
the game modding communities, especially the Skyrim one.
------------------------------------------------------------------ # 10.
Anything else?
Lazorne & Xargon: We would like to thank our community, the rest of the team,
former team members, all people in FOSS and all the supporters that make all of
this possible.
------------------------------------------------------------------ # 11.
Anything obscure / last words?! Lazorne: The internal Pizza War is real and is
the number one cause for constant drama inside the team. Xargon: Your “Pizza”
should be classified as a Cardinal sin, my great Italian grandmother is turning
in her grave. If the rest of Italy knew of the monsters you are creating in the
cold north… La Legione Della Pizza Italiana will form and will march against you
northern barbarians. Lazorne:
[https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/f48591d3-340c-4249-b1a1-ce483a1b3b19.jpeg]
[https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/8d0ee222-c970-4cc6-ab11-a6a1f517dd53.jpeg]
------------------------------------------------------------------ one note -
the team tells me that while Russ (Retro Game Corps) video is still entirely
relevant, updates may move some actions, and change some slight aspects. So
please be aware if something feels off - it’s all still there, just perhaps
changed due to updates!
------------------------------------------------------------------ …and that’s
that! I hope you might have enjoyed this little glimpse behind the curtain of at
least some of the team responsible for RetroDECK! Again, I love so many plugins,
so many applications and programs and suites and projects creators and
developers, and so few of the team behind them get to step onto the stage (so to
speak) and let us know their views on gaming. There are many more of these to
come, some more light-hearted, some quite in-depth with the development side of
their projects, but I will be posting more as time goes on. If you’d prefer a
‘prettier’ formatting of these, then I have my friend Noah of SteamDeckHQ
[https://steamdeckhq.com/] posting this early this coming week on his website.
And I guess, let me know what you thought! I really hope you enjoyed this! Any
formatting errors, or spelling mistakes are all mine. Finally? Thanks to my
friends for agreeing to this, I adore RetroDECK, it’s been my only choice for
emulation on my Steam Deck forever now <3