EmuDeck 2.1 Released - Homebrew Store, New Emulators, and More!

If you are a fan of emulating on the Steam Deck, then you have most likely heard of EmuDeck. This application downloads and configures emulators on your Steam Deck and provides extra tools to play them through Steam directly or a graphical frontend. And their next big update is here which brings in a plethora of new features including the Homebrew Store, new emulators, UI tweaks, Steam Rom Manager themes, a USB transfer wizard, and more.

Before we begin, if you haven't gotten EmuDeck and you'd like to, you can follow our guide which takes you through the installation and set up process. You can also check out the huge 2.0 update that came before it, which overhauled the UI entirely to what it is now.

To update, all you have to do is launch EmuDeck on the Desktop. It will automatically install once itWith that out of the way, let's dive into what is new with EmuDeck 2.1.

EmuDeck 2.1 Update Features:

EmuDeck/Homebrew Store

First up is the addition of the Homebrew store! This is an easy spot that will allow you to download homebrew games directly on to your Steam Deck. These games are free non-commercial applications created by the community, now in one spot. These games are sorted by the emulator they are played on, which you can see below.

Currently, these games are only playable through EmulationStation-DE, the graphical frontend EmuDeck downloads, so you have to boot that to play them. This could change in the future though!

New Emulators

With this update comes the addition of new emulators! Most of them are alternative emulators to consoles that are already included within EmuDeck, but it is still nice to have the option! Here are the new emulators included in this update:

• MelonDS (Nintendo DS)
• mGBA (GBC and GBA)
• Rosalie's Mupen GUI (Nintendo 64)
• Cemu AppImage (Wii U)
• Yuzu Early Access (Switch)
• Pico-8 and tic8o Retroarch Cores

UI/UX Revamp

While the 2.0 update brought in a brand new user interface, the EmuDeck team has been refining the experience and this update continues that trend! With everything now on the main menu and in their own boxes, with descriptions, finding what you need to is easier than ever. The "Tools & Stuff" tab is now on the main menu.

Personally, I am a huge fan of the new layout. I like having everything on the main menu and having descriptions helps understanding exactly what does what and where to go for it.

USB Transfer Wizard

Another great new feature added with this update is the USB Transfer Wizard! This tool will make transferring games and BIOS from a USB drive much easier by automatically detecting and moving the games over to their respective spots!

All you have to do is plug in your USB drive and run the wizard. It will do the rest and give you a prompt to use Steam Rom Manager if you'd like to add game shortcuts directly to Steam. If you are someone who has your roms on another computer and you're moving them over, this will be your best friend.

A New Way to Manage Emulators

With the UI changes, a new way to manage individual emulators was added and makes handling them much easier. With this new way to manage the emulators, you can reset configurations, uninstall, or individually update as you see fit. You can also install experimental emulators, like Xenia, or ones you don't currently have installed.

You will also have the option at the top to do bulk updating for your emulators so you don't have to do it individually. You can manually check and update AppImages or Flatpaks as you see fit or EmuDeck will detect when they need updates and you can click on a box that will update all the ones it has detected. This will make managing significantly easier and accessible in general.

Cloud Services Manager

One of the features I didn't expect is the addition of a cloud services manager. This option will allow you to add cloud streaming or remote play services directly into Steam. These include Hulu, YouTube, Xbox Cloud Streaming, Chiaki, Moonlight, and many many more. You will need to go to Steam Rom Manager and add them manually after selecting them, but this isn't too hard and can make adding and dealing with them much easier.

I tested this with Hulu and Xbox Cloud Streaming and it was awesome seeing how easy it was to add and use them. Hulu worked like a charm, but Xbox Cloud Streaming wasn't as easygoing. Due to some of the extra steps it needs, I would still use the recommended method on our Xbox Cloud Streaming guide, but using EmuDeck is a great option for other streaming services.

Migrating EmuDeck Installation

A new option will allow you to easily migrate your installation from wherever it is now to a different storage device you have. It is small, but makes moving installations easy if that is something you want to do, like moving from an internal storage to an external MicroSD.

Steam Rom Manager Themes

This one isn't necessarily new with this update, but 2 new themes have been added to Steam Rom Manager for users who want a simple experience and a more advanced one. The "EmuDeck" theme is designed to keep things sweet and simple, making the UI accessible with a minimal amount of buttons. The "Deck" theme is more for advanced users and similar to the old UI but with a nicer color scheme.

You can change these themes in settings when you first boot up Steam Rom Manager. You also have the option to revert the theme back to the classic one if preferred. I got used to the old UI, so I won't change it up much, but I like the color scheme for the "Deck" theme so that's the one I will be using.

Automatic Steam Input Profiles

When adding games with Steam Rom Manager, it will also now automatically detect and select the corresponding Steam Input profile. These will include hotkeys and other necessary buttons you may need to use. This will only apply to new games added with Steam Rom Manager, so you will need to re-add games you want to use those profiles for, but its a nice touch regardless!

EmulationStation-DE 2.0

This wasn't really an update that came with EmuDeck, but it does include a little tidbit about it in the changelog! The ESDE update comes with a lot of improvements, but the biggest one is the new themes! You can view the details for the update and more from our article on it.

Various Bugfixes and Small Features

Along with all of these features, EmuDeck 2.1 features some bugfixes, new parsers, and a bit more. Here is what was included:

• Fixed PS3 Pkg parser so it doesn't grab discs in the hdd
  
• GyroDSU working at last.
  
• Steam Shortcut path bulk update
  
• Fix DOSBox-pure config directory
  
• Fix Vita3K Launcher
  
• Fix EmuDeck Compressor tool with rvz files
  
• EasyRPG SRM parser
  
• Recursive SRM parsers are back
  
• Added ESDE 2.0 beta
  
• CSO Format support for PPSSPP

And that is all for this update! It is a pretty big one and adds some awesome new features. I definitely recommend looking around and checking out the update for yourself.

If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check out the rest of the content on SteamDeckHQ! We have a wide variety game reviews and news that are sure to help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for news, tips and tutorials, game settings and reviews, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got your back!