Sega Game Gear Games Accessible on Steam Deck

Unleash Your Inner Gamer: Playing Game Gear Games on Your Steam Deck

The Sega Game Gear, a 90s handheld marvel, now finds a new home on the Steam Deck thanks to EmuDeck. This guide walks you through installing EmuDeck, transferring your ROMs, and optimizing performance for a seamless retro gaming experience.

Before You Begin: Essential Preparations

Before diving into the installation, ensure you have the following:

Developer Mode Enabled: Navigate to Steam > System > System Settings > Enable Developer Mode. Then, enable CEF Remote Debugging under Developer > Miscellaneous. Restart your Steam Deck.
External Storage: An A2 microSD card (or external HDD with a dock) is crucial for storing ROMs and emulators, keeping your internal SSD free for Steam games.
Input Devices: A keyboard and mouse significantly simplify file transfers and artwork management.
Legal ROMs: Only use ROMs of games you legally own.

Installing EmuDeck on Your Steam Deck

Let's get EmuDeck up and running:

Switch to Desktop Mode (Steam button > Power > Switch to Desktop).
Open a web browser and download EmuDeck from its official website.
Choose the SteamOS version and "Custom Install."
Select your SD card as the primary installation location.
Choose your desired emulators (RetroArch, Emulation Station, Steam ROM Manager are recommended).
Enable "Auto Save."
Complete the installation.

Quick EmuDeck Settings:

Within EmuDeck, access Quick Settings and configure the following:

AutoSave: On
Controller Layout Match: On
Sega Classic AR: 4:3
LCD Handhelds: On

Transferring Game Gear ROMs and Using Steam ROM Manager

Time to add your games:

In Desktop Mode, locate your SD card (Primary) in Dolphin File Manager.
Navigate to Emulation/ROMs/gamegear.
Transfer your Game Gear ROMs into this folder.

Now, let's integrate them into Steam:

Open EmuDeck and select Steam ROM Manager.
Close the Steam client when prompted.
Follow the on-screen instructions, selecting the Game Gear icon and adding your games.
Review the artwork and save to Steam.

Troubleshooting Missing Artwork

If artwork is missing or incorrect:

Use the "Fix" function in Steam ROM Manager and search for the game title.
Ensure ROM filenames don't include numbers before the title.
Manually upload missing artwork by finding the image online, saving it to your Steam Deck's Pictures folder, and then uploading it through Steam ROM Manager.

Playing Your Game Gear Games

Switch back to Gaming Mode.
Open your Steam Library, go to Collections, and find your Game Gear collection.
Select a game and play!

Performance Tweaks:

To avoid slowdown, adjust the frame rate:

Press the QAM button (three dots below the right trackpad).
Select Performance.
Enable "Use per-game profile" and set the Frame Limit to 60 FPS.

Enhance Performance with Decky Loader and Power Tools

For optimal performance, install Decky Loader and the Power Tools plugin:

In Desktop Mode, download Decky Loader from its GitHub page and install using the recommended method.
Restart your Steam Deck.
In Gaming Mode, access Decky Loader via the QAM, open the store, and install the Power Tools plugin.
Within Power Tools, disable SMTs, set Threads to 4, enable Manual GPU Clock Control (setting the frequency to 1200), and enable Per Game Profile.

Recovering Decky Loader After a Steam Deck Update

If a Steam Deck update removes Decky Loader:

Switch to Desktop Mode.
Download Decky Loader again. Crucially, select "Execute" instead of "Open" to preserve your settings.
Enter your sudo password (create one if you haven't already).
Restart your Steam Deck.

Enjoy your Game Gear classics on your Steam Deck!