EmuDeck coder pivots to hardware with Linux-based “EmuDeck Machines”

If you're familiar with the name EmuDeck, you're likely a Steam Deck owner looking for an easy and user-friendly way to run emulators on your Steam Deck handheld. Now, one of the coders behind that software suite is dipping their toes into branded gaming hardware with the EmuDeck Machines project, now seeking funding on IndieGogo.

The EmuDeck Machines obviously come with EmuDeck software preinstalled to let users easily "play your retro games from your couch." But they also promise to let you run games from Steam and other popular PC launchers through the Linux-based, gaming-focused Bazzite OS. The vibe is definitely similar to that of Valve's own aborted Steam Machines effort from years back, albeit in a less "official" capacity.

"I used to be a PC guy but in the last 20 years I switched to the Mac and in the Apple ecosystem choosing a computer is easy," project lead DragoonDorise told Ars in an email. "But then I found myself wanting a gaming rig so I started my search and boy oh boy I was lost. The PC industry seems to be trying to trick you every step of the way, gazillions of options, hard to understand what's good and what's not. If you are tech savvy it's not hard, you know what to get and what to avoid. Then it hit me, I made emulation easy with EmuDeck, why not make hardware easy too?"