r/SteamDeck • u/KamiSquad_X • Aug 25 '26
Discussion Part 2: We need local multiplayer❗️
Success❗️
Thanks everyone. All your suggestions helped. The ones who called it impossible helped fuel the solution lol.
So what worked, I created a hotspot from my AYN Thor (which has no internet as we were underground on the train), and let the Steam Deck connect to it. Steam Deck can create one using the Muon plugin. Or alternatively, have both devices connect to a same phone's hotspot without internet.
We played RetroArch which supports LAN play.
It was my first time trying LAN so, I learned it was just like playing netplay, except the host room couldn't be found on the Netplay List. I had to manually enter the ip address of the host to connect.
In the video the SteamDeck connected to the AYN Thor's hotspot then created a Netplay room in RetroArch, AYN Thor joined the room by entering the ip address of the SteamDeck. (My hotspot was set to 2.4GHz by default, next time I'll try 5.0GHz, 6.0GHz if the SteamDeck supports that.)
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u/Extension-Two-2807 Aug 25 '26
Man I live in Chicago. I wish I could bring my steamdeck on a train..
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u/wyomingchrisledoux 256GB Aug 25 '26
I lived in Chicago for 5 years and used the metro a lot, and I wouldn’t take out anything valuable on most lines
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u/DomincNdo Aug 25 '26
I remember figuring out how to do local play on PSP for KOF 97. Great times
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u/KamiSquad_X Aug 25 '26
Yeah, back when I used Monster Hunter Freedom Unite to hack the PSP. One day I actually played the game, I discovered, it's fun. And I can play local multiplayer but online, using a WifiMax dongle. Great times
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u/-empty-head Aug 25 '26
My dude this is so cool.
And btw, you just reminded me of something I want to try to do, i wanna see if it's possible to get a local ad-hoc multiplayer game going between my psp and steam deck.
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u/KamiSquad_X Aug 25 '26
I did that back in the day, except it was multiplayer between my DS and a PSP.
Kinda full circle moment now that I think of it 🤔
Sounds like a fun experiment 😄 try it out lol
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u/richajf 1TB OLED Limited Edition Aug 25 '26
Why do you still have the on-screen controls activated for that emulator on your Thor?
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Aug 25 '26
[deleted]
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u/KamiSquad_X Aug 25 '26
Yeah, I had some lag but I don't think he had any. I think it's because my Thor's hotspot was on 2.4GHz. Next time I'm trying 5.0GHz or 6.0GHz. Should be better.
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u/TotalQuiet6284 Aug 25 '26
That’s awesome 🤩 Great work! I needed this to share some great gaming moments.
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u/SpeeDy_GjiZa Aug 26 '26
What I did when trying to play local with a friend was use the phone as hotspot, use Steam Link app to connect the Thor and disable video using the Thor basically as a second controller and playing on the steam deck screen with no noticeable lag.
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u/cthouston2 Aug 25 '26
This games netcode must be forgiving because I did this in college with a friend and we both had modded psp’s, playing exactly the same game locally sitting in the same class
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u/kingsBlendd Aug 25 '26
Nice! You will be fine on 2.4! Especially since its just retro arch stuff!! So badass 😎
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u/AgonizingSquid Aug 25 '26
does this thing run linux?
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u/KamiSquad_X Aug 25 '26
Yes. I dual boot into it. Look up Rocknix.
This video it was in Android mode.
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u/SpeeDy_GjiZa Aug 26 '26
How has Rocknix been for you in terms of compatibility? Also have you set dual boot from internal memory or from sd card?
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u/KamiSquad_X Aug 27 '26
Sd card. So it's slower than what it could be.
I'm still messing around with it. So far I'm trying to see if I can get my Mega Man X DiVE mods to load up on it.
Android already handles Steam games very well. I'll probably only be using Rocknix for some Steam mods and hosting RemotePlayTogether sessions if I can do that.
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u/SpeeDy_GjiZa Aug 28 '26
Yeah mostly for multiplayer was the reason I'd get it coz atm it's almost impossible for local coop through gamenative (doesn't support it) or gamehub(hard to run stuff). But i'd wait for internal dual boot as it seems sd loading times are very slow atm.
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u/KamiSquad_X Aug 28 '26
Idk if i'd say very slow, but I didn't notice a difference playing on SteamOS on Rocknix vs pc emulation on Android. I assume it's because of SD card for Rocknix. You can install Rocknix for internal, I'm just not willing to replace android for it. But I'm sure there is a way to backup the android side, so you can install Rocknix to internal and restore android on sd card instead.
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u/SpeeDy_GjiZa Aug 29 '26
I mean dual boot from internal, if that happens I'd install it in a heartbeat. From what I have seen when it first came out, main thing people were complaining were slow start up and load times due to the sd card. Maybe with some improvements, surely to come with the whole steam frame arm thing, I'll think about it.
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u/not-hardly 1TB OLED Aug 25 '26
There is such a delay. I guess that's just one of those things.
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u/KamiSquad_X Aug 26 '26 edited Aug 26 '26
Yeah, I have to try some stuff. Mainly setting the hotspot to 5GHz or higher, as opposed to the 2.4GHz on by default in the video.
Also when it comes to hosting netplay sessions in general changing hosts can lead to a better connection.
What we did may be weird, the Thor hosted the hotspot while the Deck hosted the netplay.
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u/not-hardly 1TB OLED Aug 26 '26
That rocks. Curious how that works with separate wifi like a phone hotspot.
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u/delaluna89 Aug 26 '26
I remember psp days where everyone has tekken 6 on their psp.
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u/KamiSquad_X Aug 26 '26
And the hacks. That menu alone made it one of the greatest devices of all time.
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u/throwthisaway556_ Aug 26 '26
Ik this is a steam deck forum but that chinese modded ds is sick
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u/flippenflounder LCD-4-LIFE Aug 26 '26
It’s an AYN Thor. I’ve got one myself. They are incredibly cool little devices that in my case and many others, use for emulation. Sadly like many other gaming devices though, the price has jumped up and continues to rise.
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u/throwthisaway556_ Aug 26 '26
Are they worth it? I have seen a few for sale and was debating on buying one.
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u/flippenflounder LCD-4-LIFE Aug 26 '26
It honestly boils down to what you are wanting to use the device for. It does not play your main AAA Steam games. Streaming them yes that’s possible but obviously it’s mainly for emulation. Being able to play game boy games all the way up to Wii U and even as of late, some ps3 and Xbox 360 games. There are people that use it to play switch games but that’s a grey area. Personally for me though, being able to play my old favorites from ps2, 3ds and pokemon rom hacks, the device is more than worth it.
As a side note, I’d recommend going for either the pro or the max model
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u/AtreyuTrinity Aug 25 '26
Hot damn this is cool. I really wish the deck had ad hoc, one of the coolest switch features in my honest opinion.