The Steam Deck is an incredible device that’s shaking up the handheld gaming space. This is down to a combination of factors. Valve’s impressive dedication to delivering a refined and rounded device paired with the immense game library that Steam has on offer makes the Steam Deck a hot ticket. It’s further improved by the continued support of both the community and developers. Couple this with the recent Batocera release unlocking the Steam Deck Emulation powers and owners are now in for a real treat.

Comfy ergonomic controls, great performance, and a massive library are boons that the Steam Deck boasts. Like a TV advertisement from the early 2000’s “but wait there’s more,” the Steam Deck’s fearsome performance also makes it an epic emulation device. If you don’t know what emulation is, it’s essentially the process of mimicking software and/or hardware in order to run programs and games that we’re never meant for that device and the Steam Deck crushes it.

Now, there are dedicated handheld emulation devices(often Linux based) that exist and they are aplenty. These devices often top out at emulating games from the Sega Dreamcast, PSP, and N64. Although, emulation software and the devices themselves are constantly improving and the upper tier of these devices is now shooting for GameCube and PS2 games at full speed. The Steam Deck, a Linux P.C. by its very nature has already shown itself to be a veritable emulation beast capable of competing with the best of them.

Enter Batocera, a Linux-based operating system that is preconfigured to fulfill your emulation desires. It can be flashed onto a PC’s USB, memory card, or hard drive. It’s a lightweight solution for users that have been dying to play games from their past. The development team responsible for this OS has recently released an image for the Steam Deck.

This firmware image means that the Steam Deck can now emulate just about everything from the NES, SNES, PS1, PSP, N64, Dreamcast, PS2, Gamecube, NDS, PS3, Wii, 3DS, to the Switch and more. There are in fact, too many systems to mention. These systems are now all preconfigured and in one place. All bootable from a micro SD card. There are very few gaming handhelds that are capable of this level of emulation and as a result, Steam Deck owners have an endless supply of excellent games that they can dig into.

Batocera is now enabling gamers to satisfy their nostalgic desires. If you’ve got an extensive library of PS3 games that you’d like to play on the go then you’re in the pound seats! Do you want to consolidate your Nintendo handheld game libraries from every device you’ve ever owned, load up your games and you’re good to go. This is made possible by an awesome device, great community, and excellent open-source support.

The future of handheld gaming looks damn exciting! If you want to know more about the Steam Deck check look here. If you want to learn more about Batocera on the Steam Deck check out ETA PRIME’s video below!