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RetroDECK

RetroDECK is a self contained application package that uses EmulationStation as a frontend for RetroArch and many other standalone emulators. It is primarily designed and optimised for the Steam Deck.

BIOS

Because RetroDECK uses RetroArch under the hood, the instructions are generally the same as RetroArch. By default, the RetroDECK BIOS directory is /userdata/bios/:

You can copy BIOS files from a USB drive named "USB-Drive" like this:

igir copy extract test clean \
  --dat "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/libretro/libretro-database/master/dat/System.dat" \
  --input /media/USB-Drive/BIOS \
  --output /userdata/bios/

Other emulators may use other names for their BIOS images but all reside in the same BIOS directory. RetroDECK has a convenient tool that handles BIOS checks in the bundled RetroDECK Configuration app.

ROMs

RetroDECK uses its own proprietary ROM folder structure, so Igir has a replaceable {retrodeck} token to sort ROMs into the right place. See the replaceable tokens page for more information.

You can copy ROMs from a USB drive named "USB-Drive" like this:

igir copy zip test clean \
  --dat "/media/USB-Drive/No-Intro*.zip" \
  --input "/media/USB-Drive/ROMs" \
  --output "/userdata/roms/{retrodeck}" \
  --no-bios

Warning

MAME, FinalBurn Neo, and FinalBurn Alpha DATs will sort into their respective directories, but each arcade emulator only supports a specific ROM set version. RetroDECK is built on ES-DE, so check the ES-DE user guide for which DATs to use, otherwise games may not run. See the Arcade docs for help with building a ROM set for a specific emulator version.