How to Set Up Zelda: Majora's Mask PC Port on Steam Deck

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Today, as I was scrolling through X, I noticed a very interesting post come up. Someone had discussed how they used a project called RT64 to port The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask to PC. When I read about the better gamepad support, high framerate, widescreen, and more, all with a high level of accuracy for the emulation, I was intrigued and really wanted to try it out. So, I did, and I was blown away by not only how fantastic it feels to play on the Steam Deck.

This is all made possible by Mr-Wiseguy's Zelda 64: Recompiled project. The project aims at using RT64 to port over both Majora's Mask and Ocarina of Time with a ton of improved features like instant loading times, low input lag, auto-saving, gyro aiming, and the wonderful effects coming from RT64 like high framerate and widescreen support. While Ocarina of Time support is coming soon, along with ray tracing, mod support, texture packs, randomized, and even a dual analog control scheme, it still feels amazing to play on Deck and is definitely worth the little amount of time needed to set it up!

So, here is our guide on how to set up Zelda 64: Recompiled to play Majora's Mask (and soon Ocarina of Time) on the Steam Deck:

NOTE: You will need a NTSC-U (USA) copy/ROM of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask to use this. We will not provide the game or links on where to get it. While SteamDeckHQ completely supports emulation for game preservation, we don't condone piracy in any way, shape, or form.

How to Set Up The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask PC Port on Steam Deck

As I mentioned, the process is relatively easy, and as long as you have a copy of the game, this will be an extremely simple guide to follow.

Step 1:

Head to Desktop Mode, go to Zelda 64: Recompiled's GitHub release for 1.0, and scroll down to download the "Zelda64Recompiled-v1.0.0-Linux.tar.gz."

Step 2:

Now, we have to extract what we just downloaded into a new folder. I recommend creating a folder on your Desktop to put it in for ease of access, but as long as they are in a folder, there shouldn't be an issue.

Step 3:

Then, take your copy of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask and put it in the same folder.

Step 4:

Finally, all you have to do is right-click on the executable and click on "Add to Steam." This will automatically put the shortcut in Steam, allowing you to easily access it via Game Mode!

Now, we can head to Game Mode and set everything up.

Step 5:

Open Zelda 64: Compiler and click on "Find ROM." Once you do, you will be taken to a new window to find and select the game. Once you select it, hit "Open" and you should see a new option to "Start Game."

Step 6 (Optional):

Now that this is done, you should be all set to play the game. Gamepad controls and resolution will be automatically set up, and you can play already. But, if you want gyro aiming for the bow and such, you will need to take one extra step.

Go to your controller settings and set the "Gyro Behavior" to "As Mouse." Mr-Wiseguy does recommend changing the gyro behavior, so you don't need to be touching the right stick to allow gyro input. You can change it by clicking the gear button next to the Gyro Behavior settings.

And that's it! You should be all set to play Majora's Mask's PC Port on the Deck. This is an awesome project, and I love seeing things like this pop-up. With how far RT64 has come, we will hopefully see more awesome developers use it to port other N64 games. I have seen something similar with Super Mario 64, which I would need to try out and find again, but this feels like it could be the definitive way to experience classic N64 games on modern devices while staying relatively true to the original's feel.

There are some moments where battery drain can pop upwards to 15W, but for the most part, it will run at 60 FPS at around 6W battery drain for either 6.5 hours of battery life on LCD and 10 hours of battery life on OLED.

I can't wait to see how Ocarina of Time will be, especially with Ray Tracing involved.

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