Steam Deck Emulation - EVERY New Switch Exclusive Tested

Summary

В этом видео репортер эмулирует эксклюзивные игры Nintendo Switch 2022 года на Steam Deck, чтобы определить, насколько хороша эмуляция. Он делится своими находками о том, какие игры работают хорошо, а какие нет, и как настроить Steam Deck для оптимальной эмуляции. Также репортер благодарит спонсора dbrand за создание Switch-тематической обложки для Steam Deck и предоставляет ссылку для покупки. В видео описываются шаги по установке и настройке необходимых эмуляторов и утилит, а также результаты тестов производительности для каждого из 11 игр.

Takeaways

• 🕹️ В видео рассматривается эмуляция эксклюзивных игр Nintendo Switch, выпущенных в 2022 году, на Steam Deck.
• 🔍 Авторы проверили производительность эмуляции для определенных игр и предоставили рекомендации по настройке Steam Deck для лучшей работы.
• 🚫 Некоторые игры, такие как 'Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope' и 'Splatoon 3', не работают на Steam Deck из-за технических проблем с эмулятором.
• 🎮 Для оптимальной эмуляции рекомендуется использовать специальные инструменты, такие как EmuDeck, CryoUtilities и PowerTools.
• 🛠️ В видео описывается процесс установки и настройки эмулятора Yuzu, включая использование ранних доступных версий и плагинов.
• 💻 Рассмотрены рекомендации по настройке BIOS и VRAM, а также использование swap-файла и других параметров для улучшения производительности.
• 📊 Представлены данные о среднем FPS и минимальных значениях для игр, которые работают на Steam Deck, показывая сравнение с нативной производительностью Nintendo Switch.
• 🚀 Успешные эмуляции включают игры, такие как 'Bayonetta 3', 'Kirby и Забытая земля', 'Xenoblade Chronicles 3' и 'Dragon Quest Treasures'.
• 🤔 Авторы заметили, что производительность и совместимость эмуляции могут варьироваться в зависимости от версии эмулятора и настроек.
• 🔄 В видео упоминается, что эмуляторы и сообщества продолжают работать над решением проблем совместимости для игр на определенных движках, таких как Snowdrop.
• 🌐 В конце видео авторы благодарят спонсоров, участников и советуют подписаться на каналы, где будут продолжены тесты и обзоры эмуляции.

Q & A

Что автор видео сделал, чтобы проверить эмуляцию Nintendo Switch на Steam Deck?

Автор эмулировал каждую эксклюзивную игру Nintendo Switch, выпущенную в 2022 году, чтобы оценить, насколько хороша может быть производительность.

Какие игры были включены в тесты эмуляции Nintendo Switch на Steam Deck?

В тесты были включены игры, такие как Bayonetta 3, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Pokemon Legends Arceus и другие.

Какие игры из списка не были воспроизведены на Steam Deck?

Из списка Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, Splatoon 3 и Switch Sports не были воспроизведены на Steam Deck из-за технических проблем.

Какие оптимизации были проведены для улучшения эмуляции на Steam Deck?

Для оптимизации использовались инструменты, такие как EmuDeck, CryoUtilities и PowerTools, а также были проведены настройки BIOS, изменение VRAM и другие.

Какую роль сыграл dbrand в этом видео?

dbrand спонсировал видео и создал специальную тему оформления Steam Deck в стиле Nintendo Switch.

Какие эмуляторы использовались для тестов?

Для тестов использовались эмуляторы Yuzu и Ryujinx.

Какие игры из списка работали близко к нативному опыту на Nintendo Switch?

Из списка Bayonetta 3, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Pokemon Legends Arceus и Dragon Quest Treasures работали близко к нативному опыту.

Какие проблемы с производительностью были замечены в играх на Steam Deck?

В некоторых играх, таких как Bayonetta 3, были заметны скачки частоты кадров, а в играх, таких как Splatoon 3, производительность была очень низкой.

Какие дополнительные настройки были предложены для улучшения эмуляции?

Для улучшения эмуляции предложены настройки, такие как изменение размера VRAM, использование CryoUtilities для создания 16ГБ файла обмена и изменение swappiness, отключение SMT и настройка частоты GPU.

Что автор видео считает о Fire Emblem Engage после тестов на Steam Deck?

Автор считает, что Fire Emblem Engage работает на Steam Deck с некоторыми минорными графическими глюками, но в целом играется без значительных проблем.

Outlines

00:00

🎮 Эмуляция эксклюзивов Switch на Steam Deck

05:01

🔧 Установка и настройка эмуляторов и утилит

10:03

📊 Тестирование и производительность игр

15:06

🎬 Заключение и благодарности

Keywords

💡Эмуляция Nintendo Switch

Эмуляция Nintendo Switch относится к запуску игр, изначально разработанных для консоли Nintendo Switch, на других устройствах, таких как Steam Deck, с помощью программного обеспечения, которое имитирует работу оригинальной консоли. В видео подробно рассматривается, как улучшить производительность при эмуляции Switch на Steam Deck, а также обсуждаются совместимые игры и настройки.

💡Steam Deck

Steam Deck — это портативное игровое устройство от Valve, которое способно запускать игры на основе операционной системы SteamOS. В видео рассматривается использование Steam Deck для эмуляции игр Nintendo Switch и обсуждаются настройки, которые помогают улучшить производительность игр на этом устройстве.

💡Yuzu

Yuzu — это эмулятор Nintendo Switch с открытым исходным кодом, который позволяет запускать игры Switch на других платформах. В видео обсуждается использование Yuzu для эмуляции игр на Steam Deck и отмечаются некоторые специфические настройки, такие как повышение точности работы GPU, для улучшения совместимости и производительности.

💡EmuDeck

EmuDeck — это инструмент для автоматической настройки эмуляторов на Steam Deck. В видео рекомендуется использование EmuDeck для упрощения установки и настройки эмуляторов, таких как Yuzu, для эмуляции игр Nintendo Switch на Steam Deck.

💡CryoUtilities

CryoUtilities — это набор инструментов для оптимизации работы Steam Deck, разработанный для улучшения производительности и продления срока службы SSD. В видео рассматриваются шаги по установке и настройке CryoUtilities, включая изменение файла подкачки и настройки VRAM, чтобы добиться наилучшей производительности в играх.

💡PowerTools

PowerTools — это плагин для Steam Deck, который позволяет пользователям изменять низкоуровневые настройки системы, такие как отключение SMT и закрепление частоты GPU. В видео обсуждается, как использование PowerTools помогает улучшить производительность игр при эмуляции Switch на Steam Deck.

💡SMT (Simultaneous Multithreading)

SMT, или одновременная многопоточность, — это технология, которая позволяет одному процессору выполнять несколько потоков одновременно. В видео рекомендуется отключить SMT через PowerTools для улучшения производительности при эмуляции игр Switch на Steam Deck, что помогает добиться более стабильных кадров в секунду.

💡VRAM

VRAM (Video RAM) — это память, используемая графическим процессором для хранения данных, необходимых для рендеринга изображения. В видео предлагается увеличить объем VRAM до 4 ГБ через BIOS Steam Deck, чтобы улучшить производительность эмуляции игр Nintendo Switch.

💡Режим док-станции

Режим док-станции (Docked Mode) на Nintendo Switch позволяет повысить разрешение и производительность игр при подключении консоли к телевизору. В видео обсуждается использование этого режима на Steam Deck, чтобы улучшить качество изображения при эмуляции игр Switch.

💡Switch эксклюзивы 2022

Эксклюзивы Switch 2022 года — это игры, выпущенные только для платформы Nintendo Switch в 2022 году. В видео рассматривается, насколько хорошо эти игры можно эмулировать на Steam Deck, включая такие названия, как Bayonetta 3, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, и Pokemon Legends Arceus.

Highlights

Emulation of all Nintendo Switch exclusives released in 2022 on the Steam Deck.

Performance optimization techniques for the best emulation results on the Steam Deck.

Potential legal issues with Nintendo regarding Switch emulation.

Sponsorship by dbrand for a unique Switch-themed Steam Deck skin.

Introduction of Kyle from CryoByte33 for expert guidance on Steam Deck optimization.

Use of EmuDeck, CryoUtilities, and PowerTools for optimal emulation settings.

Instructions on installing Early Access builds of Yuzu emulator for better compatibility.

Recommendation to disable SMT for improved performance in emulation.

Detailed steps for setting up the Steam Deck for emulation, including BIOS and VRAM changes.

Analysis of 11 major Nintendo Switch exclusives and their emulation performance on the Steam Deck.

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope found unplayable on the Steam Deck due to emulation issues.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land runs remarkably well on the Steam Deck, close to native performance.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Pokemon Legends Arceus emulate with near-native performance.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have identical performance to the Switch, despite being poorly optimized.

Splatoon 3 deemed unplayable on the Steam Deck due to severe framerate issues.

Dragon Quest Treasures performs nearly identically to the Switch on the Steam Deck.

Kirby’s Dream Buffet experiences varied performance, with some users having a better experience than others.

Mario Strikers Battle League has mixed emulation results, with some users experiencing crashes.

Switch Sports found unplayable on the Steam Deck due to various bugs and shader issues.

Fire Emblem Engage, a late addition, shows promise for emulation on the Steam Deck despite initial issues.

Overall success of the emulation experiment, with several games offering a good experience on the Steam Deck.

Call to action for emulation developers to address compatibility issues, particularly with the Snowdrop engine.

Transcripts

I emulated every Switch exclusive that was released in 2022 to see how good the performance

can get.

So if you see everyone talking about how great Switch emulation is on the Steam Deck and

you’re wondering how you can get the best results or you’re trying to emulate the

very latest games and having questionable performance then this video is going to help

you tremendously because I’m going to tell you about how to squeeze the most out of your

Steam Deck when it comes to emulation and which games work well and which games don’t

so you’re not wasting your time.

Now here’s the thing, this is a Switch emulation video and like I said, it’s all about the

latest games, and this means Nintendo may try to take this video down.

If they do try to take it down, I will re-upload with blurred visuals or something like that

but I thought you all deserved to see Switch emulation in all its glory.

Nonetheless, because of this, I decided to seek some support from a sponsor and nobody

would touch this video with a ten foot pole.

Nobody would be crazy enough to do it except… dbrand.

So shout out to dbrand for sponsoring this video but also for going the extra mile to

make sure my Steam Deck not only played the part of the Switch but looked the part too.

This is a one-off Switch themed Steam Deck skin that is launching right now and you can

buy it at dbrand.com/switchthedeckription.

I wish I could explain to you how excited I am that dbrand agreed to make this one-off

skin based on my video idea.

The look of this Switch themed skin is incredibly clean and it even has a funny blurred out

logo on the back.

I love the entire look and I paired it with this history of a handheld boot video so that

my Steam Deck really plays the part of a Switch in this video.

So once again shout out to dbrand and don’t forget you can get one of these for yourself

using my link in the description or just go to dbrand.com/switchthedeck.

Alright so let’s talk about Nintendo Switch emulation on the Steam Deck.

Here’s the thing.

I wanted to get the absolute best results for you but I’m not the best when it comes

to optimizing stuff like this.

So I used all that dbrand money to recruit the best.

Literally every dollar.

This is Kyle and he runs an awesome Steam Deck channel, CryoByte33.

The best way for me to pitch it is: it’s like Digital Foundry for the Steam Deck.

So you can see how that’s going to be really helpful for this video.

Among many other things, he’s outlined exactly what I needed to do to get the best performance

for each of these games and so I’ve followed his instructions and to no one’s surprise,

they worked like a charm and they’re pretty easy too.

First, let me set the stakes.

What’s good, Deck Gang?

I’m making a late edit to this video.

The original idea was to emulate every Switch exclusive from 2022 and that’s what I’m

about to describe in this next portion of the video but I make one addition to the list

at the last moment.

Fire Emblem Engage came out last week and I got it to run pretty well on Steam Deck

so I talk about that near the end of this video.

That was all, I just wanted to let you know.

Back to the video.

By my count, there were 11 major Nintendo Switch exclusives released in 2022 - Bayonetta

3, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Pokemon Legends Arceus, Pokemon

Scarlet and Violet, Splatoon 3, Mario Strikers Battle League, Nintendo Switch Sports, Kirby’s

Dream Buffet, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and Dragon Quest Treasures.

I’ll tell you right now that out of these 11 games, Kyle was able to get 8 of them to

run close enough to native to be quite playable but 3 of them were not playable.

So with that, let me tell you about our testing conditions, and therefore Kyle’s suggested

default settings.

We both were using 512GB Steam Decks.

I have a Q1 and Kyle has a Q3.

We used SteamOS 3.4.4 and Kyle tested on an Early Access build of Yuzu, version 3273.

I’ll tell you how to install that shortly.

On some occasions, he also tested Ryujinx 1.1.503 but more on that later.

Then we come to the default settings.

We’re going to be talking about three tools, EmuDeck, CryoUtilities, and PowerTools.

Don’t worry, like I said, I’m going to explain all of these.

In the BIOS, we set VRAM to 4GB, using CryoUtilities, we set a 16GB Swap File with a swappiness

of 1, in PowerTools we disabled SMT and in the Deck Overlay we pinned the GPU to 1000Mhz.

For Yuzu, we used EmuDeck’s selected settings and stuck to handheld mode for a battery life

of 2 hours and 7 minutes.

You don’t need to do all of these.

You can probably get away with not making the BIOS changes or the CryoUtilities changes,

but you absolutely will need to disable SMT for the best performance.

Ok so how do you do all of this.

This is all going to sound a little more complicated than it actually is.

I was able to run all these steps in less than 30 minutes and have a default that works

for me.

First download EmuDeck if you don’t already have that.

All you have to do is go to EmuDeck.com, click the Download button and the EmuDeck.desktop

file will be downloaded.

You can move that to your desktop and install from there.

If you already have EmuDeck installed, you can feel free to ignore this step.

If this is your first time installing EmuDeck, you’re going to need to provide BIOS files,

not to mention your actual games.

You’ll have to source those on your own but they go in the /Emulation/bios folder

and the /Emulation/roms/switch folder respectively.

I have an in-depth video with more information linked in the description below.

While you’re in EmuDeck, feel free to check the Emulator Guides section to make sure EmuDeck

sees your BIOS files and also check out the shortcuts on the right.

These are going to be very helpful.

Next, you want to replace the Yuzu emulator that EmuDeck installed, with a more recent

version.

If you’re going to use Early Access builds of Yuzu, I highly recommend you support the

developers via Patreon.

That said, you can find the latest AppImage build of Yuzu over at PineappleYuzu.

I went here and downloaded the appimage.

Then I found the location of the Yuzu that EmuDeck installed and replaced it with my

new appimage.

This is located in the Home/Applications folder but make sure to name the file exactly the

same.

Next let’s install the plugin manager, DeckyLoader, and the plugin, PowerTools.

If you already have PowerTools, feel free to skip this step.

Technically you can do this from EmuDeck by going to Tools and clicking install PowerTools.

If that doesn’t work, for some reason, I recommend going straight to the source.

Especially now that there is an easier to way to install DeckyLoader.

Just search for DeckyLoader and go to the relevant github page.

From there, scroll down and click Download.

You’ll get another .desktop file that you can move to your desktop and run.

This will install DeckyLoader but you’ll need to install PowerTools from within Gaming

Mode.

We have one more thing to do in Desktop Mode but when you do go back to Gaming Mode, you

can go to the Quick Access Menu and you’ll have a new Plugin Manager menu at the bottom.

Go there, then click the little store icon in the top right.

There are a lot of awesome plugins here - let me know if you want me to do a video on these.

But for now, just look for PowerTools and install that.

Ok and back to Desktop mode, you can download CryoUtilities by searching for CryoUtilities

and going to the relevant GitHub page.

Here you can click on a link that will take you to the contents of the file you need.

I pressed Ctrl+S to save this file and saved it with the name it provided - InstallCryoUtilities.desktop.

You can once again, move this to your desktop, if you didn’t save it there and run from

there.

A quick note here is that these utilities make changes that are somewhat non-standard

and fairly low level.

I highly recommend watching Kyle’s video on the subject to understand what’s actually

happening but his goal with these utilities is to both extend the life of your SSD but

also to boost performance in games.

If you’re really afraid of making a change like this, then go ahead and try everything

else and see if that is good enough for you because there’s a chance it will be.

If you’re willing though, go ahead and run the .desktop and when prompted, you can switch

the swap file to 16GB and the swappiness to 1.

You will need to make sure you actually have at least 16 GB free on your Steam Deck SSD

for that swap file.

The last step is to change the VRAM setting in your BIOS from 1GB to 4GB.

This is once again a somewhat non-standard and low level change.

So if you’re feeling hesitant, I recommend trying everything else.

Still just like CryoUtlilities, this is easy to do.

Just shut down your Steam Deck completely.

Then hold the Vol up button as you press power.

This will bring you to the BIOS of the Steam Deck.

Go to Setup Utility on the lower right.

Go down one entry to the Advanced tab.

And then change the UMA Frame Buffer size from 1G to 4G.

Then press Select on the Steam Deck and hit Yes to save and exit.

The Steam Deck will reboot from here.

So as a recap, I recommend using EmuDeck because it does all of the legwork of setting up Yuzu

in a way that’s best for the Steam Deck.

But then, I recommend using an Early Access build of Yuzu so that you have the very latest

compatibility.

PowerTools is also a must so that you can disable SMT.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to pin the GPU to 1000Mhz in the Quick Access

overlay.

Finally, if you want to extend the life of your SSD and squeeze every last bit out of

performance, I recommend making the VRAM change as well as the changes using Kyle’s CryoUtilities.

It’s also important to note that those EmuDeck shortcuts are extremely helpful.

I found myself using Select + R3 to double check my settings from time to time.

And if a game was performing well but playing at a low resolution, I could use Start+Dpad

Up to switch to Docked Mode and raise the internal resolution.

Alright with all that setup, I want to tell you about how these games actually played.

We’ll go into any special configurations we made, I’ll show you some charts, and

of course we’ll talk about performance compared to native.

Let’s start with one of my personal reasons for this video: Bayonetta 3.

Alright so Bayonetta 3 was probably the game I most wanted to play on the Switch last year.

I never made time for it because I was too busy on the Steam Deck but that’s why we

love emulation right?

I tried to fire it up on the Steam Deck a while back and it was a bit of a slideshow

for me.

That was probably because I was using an old build of Yuzu.

Armed with my new toolbox, I fired Bayo 3 back up and this time, it was running extremely

well.

By the way, with this game you will need to set the GPU accuracy to High to get rid of

some graphical glitches.

Outside of that, iBayo 3 does sometimes have dips that you don’t experience on Switch,

going as low as 45 fps in some areas, so it’s not perfect the entire time.

In fact, you might miss some combos or tight dodges.

But overall, this was definitely playable enough for me.

Looking at the FPS chart that Kyle put together, you can see that the average FPS was above

45 but there are 1% lows that got down to the low teens.

The resolution in handheld mode is quite a bit lower than the resolution in docked mode

so when it comes to real life play, I did feel compelled to go to Docked mode to get

a little more clarity as far as the image goes.

Next up, is Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope.

This was my second most anticipated title for the Switch but unfortunately, this is

not playable on the Steam Deck.

We tried everything for this one.

If you use Vulkan, the emulator just crashes after the opening cinematic.

If you use OpenGL on Ryujinx, the game is unplayably dark and has performance issues.

If you use OpenGL on Yuzu, then it either displays nothing or is too glitchy to even

look at.

Even with GPU accuracy set to Extreme, you will randomly either get unplayably dark or

unplayably bright and flashing screens either way.

That’s not to mention that the glitches get worse with time.

Sparks of Hope is built on Ubisoft’s Snowdrop Engine and in general, any game running on

the Snowdrop Engine has effectively been written off by the Yuzu and Ryujinx communities for

now.

The original Mario+Rabbids still doesn't have support, and the emulator devs don't seem

keen on prioritizing the engine since it's limited to Ubisoft games.

So unfortunately, this is our first unplayable game on the Steam Deck, for this video.

Then we come to Kirby and the Forgotten Land which I’ve actually played on the Steam

Deck quite a bit.

By now, you probably have too.

While there are frame drops, this game runs incredibly well on Yuzu for Steam Deck.

Probably within 5-10% of native Switch performance, depending on the scene.

The average FPS was above 30 and the 1% lows stayed near 15fps.

There’s not too much more to say about this one but I highly recommend it as something

you can play on your Deck.

Similar to Kirby and the Forgotten Land, is Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

This game runs virtually identical to native Switch performance.

Kyle himself 100%’d the game on Switch and was comfortable saying that his time on the

Steam Deck was indistinguishable to the Switch version.

Here’s the framerate chart but honestly, those 1% lows seem pretty close to what you’d

get on the Switch natively.

I played the first hour of this on the Steam Deck.

It was my first time playing it and it was a lot of fun.

This is one again where I’d say you might want to consider setting it to Docked if you

favor image quality.

Alright, let’s keep this identical-to-Switch-performance train going with Pokemon Legends Arceus.

Just like Xenoblade Chronicles 3, we have an RPG that feels right at home on the Steam

Deck.

There were rare graphical glitches but they were so rare that Kyle couldn’t really replicate

them enough to test potential fixes like raising the GPU accuracy.

I’ll show off the chart again for posterity but again keep in mind that this performance

is going to be very similar to what you’d encounter on the Nintendo handheld.

This is a good game, with great performance and well worth a play on the Steam Deck.

But then we come to Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet.

The performance was… identical to Switch.

But if you know anything about this game, it’s probably that the Switch performance

is horrendous.

Interestingly, this game has graphical glitches on the Switch that actually go away on the

Deck if you raise the GPU accuracy from Normal to High.

This comes at a cost of 5% of the performance but is certainly something to consider.

That performance by the way, gives us an average of 25 frames per second but with 1% lows in

the single digits.

Kyle, and his wife Crystal, said they still prefer to play this on the Steam Deck and

I agree but it’s very unfortunate that this game isn’t better optimized.

And with Splatoon 3, we have the second unplayable game.

Technically it is playable but the framerate is so bad that I wouldn’t recommend it.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

First and foremost, this game crashes on Yuzu using Vulkan and the lighting is completely

broken on OpenGL.

This forced us to use Ryujinx and even then, the initial loading screen hung… for 10

minutes.

Apparently it was building 550 shaders during this time and to be fair, this only happened

during the first load.

It booted normally every time thereafter.

But still, the framerate would get as low as two-thirds that compared to playing natively

on the Switch.

This made the physics way too floaty and it felt like you were playing on the moon.

It was worse in larger environments.

Overall, this is pretty much an unplayable mess.

So let’s move on to some good news, then, shall we?

Dragon Quest Treasures marks yet another RPG released to the Switch in 2022 that plays

nearly identical on the Steam Deck.

This game is a much more light-hearted and honestly shallower take on the traditional

Dragon Quest games.

But I do still find it to be charming and relaxing so this was, once again, a fun one

to try on the Steam Deck.

Interestingly, this is the only game that made heavy use of the GPU, so remember to

unpin the GPU for this game; otherwise your performance will be cut in half.

This is literally the only game we tested that used the GPU this heavily so we found

that really interesting.

But yeah, unpin the GPU and you should get numbers like this.

Kirby’s Dream Buffet was a weird one because Kyle had much better performance than I did.

If you don’t know, Kirby’s Dream Buffet, is Nintendo’s take on the Fall Guys formula

and Kyle was able to get basically identical performance to the Switch version.

For my part, I kept getting single digit framerates on the large tracks.

I spent a few hours on this and then remembered I really don’t think this is a good game

and I decided to give up.

Here is Kyle’s chart.

Again these numbers are great and comparable to the Switch version.

Definitely let me know in the comments if your experience is more like mine or Kyle.

Mario Strikers Battle League is Nintendo’s soccer game that was highly anticipated but

mostly disappointing.

Your mileage may vary with this one.

I had a black screen that came on after the initial load and it just kind of hung there.

Other users reported a crash whenever a match started and there is a mod out there to fix

that if you’re one of those people.

Kyle was blessed by the emulation Gods and had performance identical to the Switch outside

of some initial shader stutter.

He also made a note about Training mode crashing but quick matches and local multiplayer working

just fine.

So it’s something specific to Training mode.

This was another game that was not high on my list to play but in all likelihood, you

should get results that are pretty close to the Switch if you’re interested.

And finally we come to Switch Sports.

This is the 3rd and final unplayable title on the Steam Deck.

Vulkan crashed for both Yuzu and Ryujinx.

OpenGL worked on both emulators but the font was unreadable so you had to know what you

were selecting.

There were really strange bugs.

Like apparently if you press any button within the first 3 seconds of getting to the main

menu, the game will flicker rapidly.

Even once you get in the game, the map is incredibly dark which points to shader issues

even with the GPU accuracy set to Extreme.

Even beyond all that, Kyle did a bunch of research when it comes to pairing Joycons

on the Deck for use with Switch Sports and it was rough.

Basically, you can absolutely pair them, but they read as an individual controller for

each.

There is software to remedy this, called joycond, but installing this involves steps that not

everyone is going to be willing to take on their Steam Deck.

And playing witha single joycon paired gets you into a loop that tells you a full pair

is needed.

Kyle said this could be fixed with some kernel work for the joycon driver as well as some

emulator work to fix the font and shading issues but that this is completely unplayable

on the Deck.

And here is my late addition to this video.

This is Fire Emblem Engage and I got it to work on Yuzu.

It launched with Vulkan and I thought everything was fine but it actually freezes when you

get to the first bit of text and then freezes everytime you start it back up after that.

There’s something about the shader compilation happening here that is causing it to freeze.

I tried a more recent version of Yuzu and still had the same issue.

Still though, I bet this will be fixed in the coming weeks.

In any event, I switched to OpenGL and set the GPU accuracy to High and it worked for

me.

There do appear to be some minor graphical glitches but nothing that hampered my gameplay.

Again, this is a late entry so I’ve only played a bit of this so far; not to mention

I don’t have framerate charts for this so definitely take it all with a minor grain

of salt.

Still, Fire Emblem Engage seems to be getting good reviews and I like the Fire Emblem series

enough so this is yet another RPG I’m excited to emulate on the Steam Deck.

I would say this experiment has been a success.

Kyle was able to come up with a default set of configurations that should work for most

games and Yuzu has made a lot of strides in the last year and this has coincided with

a year where Nintendo was somewhat prolific even if many of the individual games were

disappointing, at least to me.

Still though, I come out of this with a few games I’m really excited to dive into like

Bayonetta 3, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and Dragon Quest Treasures.

I hope that the Switch emulator devs are able to address compatibility issues with the Snowdrop

engine because I do love me some Mario Rabbids games.

And based on Kyle’s notes, I’m confident that Switch Sports can become compatible soon

if they work on it.

By the way, we did do testing on Ryujinx and for the most part, if a game didn’t work

on Yuzu, it didn’t work much better on Ryujinx.

That said, we didn’t go in depth as far as which emulator is best for what.

Kyle is planning on doing a video like that on his own channel so be sure to subscribe

to CryoByte33 if you want to hear about that and consider joining his Patreon since he

does a lot of time intensive testing to bring you really in-depth info.

Thanks again to Kyle and his wife for helping me with this video.

Thanks also to my wife who helped me out a ton with the photography.

And shoot thanks to Jimmy from Deck Ready for help on the thumbnail.

This really was a group effort and I’m excited to do more collaborations like this.

Be sure to check out that dbrand Switch skin at the link in the description.

Deck Gang out.

Goodbye!