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The news of the Yuzu team agreeing to pay Nintendo $2.4 million in damages and immediately shut down all operations sent shock waves through the emulation landscape. Quite awkward for the likes of EmuDeck, who announced that it would no longer support Yuzu or Citra as of the recently released Version 2.1.5.

For those not aware, EmuDeck is a utility that uses scripts to download and configure emulators in the hopes of making things easier for those unfamiliar with emulators. A massive help for those who don't want to spend time learning how to make emualtors work. Due to the deletion of Yuzu and Citra from GitHub however, it's simply not possible for EmuDeck's scripts to download the emulators. So this update, while painful, was of high importance and it is recommended you update as soon as possible.


News taken from the EmuDeck Discord

If you are upgrading from a previous version however then your installs of Yuzu and Citra won't be deleted. So there's no need to fear upgrading to the newest version. New users to EmuDeck however will be completely out of luck.

For now Ryujinx will be the default and only Nintendo Switch emulator for EmuDeck while the Nintendo 3DS will simply have no support sadly. The team has stated that they will look into Panda3DS as a solution and will provide updates when available. Luckily if the memes are to be believed it's surprisingly easy to mod a Nintendo 3DS.

You can check out Liam's older video on EmuDeck 2.0 here:

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A humble Steam Deck owner and fledgling Linux user in general. I've always been interested in Linux replacing Windows as the primary PC gaming OS. But it was always a mess of frustration, drivers, and not knowing which kernel was best. When SteamOS3 and Steam Deck hit the scene however, I realized the true potential of Linux as a gaming platform.
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34 comments
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TheSHEEEP Mar 5
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Understandable.

Too bad for those using those emulators.

Personally, I restrict my emulation on the Deck to older hardware. Only up to PS2.
After that, it becomes nigh impossible to have reasonable collections anyway due to sheer size.
Pretty annoying really

I love to use emudeck on my ubuntu desktop machine, just makes setting up EmulationStation so seamless

I just hope and pray they don't pursue after other developers like ryujinx, or even worse go after older emulators like maybe go after dolphin again :(
Ehvis Mar 5
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The interesting thing will be what they do next. The code to both has been preserved and deleting all mirrors is something even Nintendo money can accomplish. So it's only a matter of time until builds will pop up somewhere (possibly under a different name). Will Emudeck pull those in?
Liam Dawe Mar 5
The interesting thing will be what they do next. The code to both has been preserved and deleting all mirrors is something even Nintendo money can accomplish. So it's only a matter of time until builds will pop up somewhere (possibly under a different name). Will Emudeck pull those in?
I think the EmuDeck developers would be pretty stupid if they did pull in some fork, they would be opening themselves up to lawsuits for facilitating what has already been basically declared illegal.
I can honestly say that in Yuzu's case I only used it w/ games I already owned on the switch. That being said, Nintendo hasn't done anything but given piracy a challenge. Try all they want, but piracy always finds a way. It just won't be as simple as the bundled-in solutions like Emudeck, which sucks for the average user.
Ehvis Mar 5
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The interesting thing will be what they do next. The code to both has been preserved and deleting all mirrors is something even Nintendo money can accomplish. So it's only a matter of time until builds will pop up somewhere (possibly under a different name). Will Emudeck pull those in?
I think the EmuDeck developers would be pretty stupid if they did pull in some fork, they would be opening themselves up to lawsuits for facilitating what has already been basically declared illegal.

The case was settled. Nothing was declared illegal.
Liam Dawe Mar 5
The interesting thing will be what they do next. The code to both has been preserved and deleting all mirrors is something even Nintendo money can accomplish. So it's only a matter of time until builds will pop up somewhere (possibly under a different name). Will Emudeck pull those in?
I think the EmuDeck developers would be pretty stupid if they did pull in some fork, they would be opening themselves up to lawsuits for facilitating what has already been basically declared illegal.

The case was settled. Nothing was declared illegal.
I think you understand what I am saying though. Maybe illegal is not specifically the right word, but the settling and the statement make it pretty clear it's tainted and should not be distributed by anyone.
AsciiWolf Mar 5
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While I can understand their fight against Yuzu, taking down Citra (3DS emulator) does not make much sense and sets a dangerous precedent against other retro emulators.
doragasu Mar 5
Nintendo wanted to send a message to the community, and they delivered
doragasu Mar 5
The interesting thing will be what they do next. The code to both has been preserved and deleting all mirrors is something even Nintendo money can accomplish. So it's only a matter of time until builds will pop up somewhere (possibly under a different name). Will Emudeck pull those in?
I think the EmuDeck developers would be pretty stupid if they did pull in some fork, they would be opening themselves up to lawsuits for facilitating what has already been basically declared illegal.

I suspect a **clean** Yuzu fork (other dev team outside USA, no Patreon or any other revenue source, strong anti piracy statement, no support for leaked ROMs, etc.) could maybe stay safe. But of course who is brave enough to take on this task? Don't count me in


Last edited by doragasu on 5 March 2024 at 12:43 pm UTC
Ehvis Mar 5
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The interesting thing will be what they do next. The code to both has been preserved and deleting all mirrors is something even Nintendo money can accomplish. So it's only a matter of time until builds will pop up somewhere (possibly under a different name). Will Emudeck pull those in?
I think the EmuDeck developers would be pretty stupid if they did pull in some fork, they would be opening themselves up to lawsuits for facilitating what has already been basically declared illegal.

The case was settled. Nothing was declared illegal.
I think you understand what I am saying though. Maybe illegal is not specifically the right word, but the settling and the statement make it pretty clear it's tainted and should not be distributed by anyone.

And this is probably the biggest thing that Nintendo gained and probably was after all along. I suspect the knew that they couldn't really declare the emulator itself illegal and that it was just about the behaviour of the company. That explains why they accepted a tiny settlement. They just wanted to get rid of the emulator itself and put some fear into other parties. Which is a pretty big gain for settling a lawsuit that only applied to the US.

But the world is a lot bigger and not everybody is going to be intimidated, so I expect we will see it again.
melkemind Mar 5
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The interesting thing will be what they do next. The code to both has been preserved and deleting all mirrors is something even Nintendo money can accomplish. So it's only a matter of time until builds will pop up somewhere (possibly under a different name). Will Emudeck pull those in?
I think the EmuDeck developers would be pretty stupid if they did pull in some fork, they would be opening themselves up to lawsuits for facilitating what has already been basically declared illegal.

The case was settled. Nothing was declared illegal.

They didn't have to declare anything illegal. Under the DMCA, it was already illegal.
dpanter Mar 5
a **clean** Yuzu fork
Such a fork could be named Jaså to play on the Swedish word which sounds close to the original name and translates to "oh really?"
melkemind Mar 5
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The interesting thing will be what they do next. The code to both has been preserved and deleting all mirrors is something even Nintendo money can accomplish. So it's only a matter of time until builds will pop up somewhere (possibly under a different name). Will Emudeck pull those in?
I think the EmuDeck developers would be pretty stupid if they did pull in some fork, they would be opening themselves up to lawsuits for facilitating what has already been basically declared illegal.

I suspect a **clean** Yuzu fork (other dev team outside USA, no Patreon or any other revenue source, strong anti piracy statement, no support for leaked ROMs, etc.) could maybe stay safe. But of course who is brave enough to take on this task? Don't count me in

None of the things you mentioned are what needs to be "cleaned." It's the technology that allows the software to circumvent Nintendo's copy protection. I assume it's encryption of some sort. If you're an old librarian like me, you remember that Linux has struggled with this issues for decades. It used to literally be impossible to play DVDs on Linux because of the copy protection. It was illegal for libdvdcss (the software library that allowed you to de-scramble DVDs) to be packaged with distros, so you had to download and install it separately.

This is all because of the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act), which specifically mentions circumventing copy protection as a form of copyright infringement. It doesn't matter if it's done in the USA or other countries because most countries have signed on to copyright treaties that extend those laws beyond their borders.
Moss49 Mar 5
Luckily I already own a switch and of steam deck, so to me seeing yuzu and citra duck out is not a problem for me and never will.
None of the things you mentioned are what needs to be "cleaned." It's the technology that allows the software to circumvent Nintendo's copy protection. I assume it's encryption of some sort..
The initial public filing by Nintendo mentions that they have "three layers of encryption" which are Technological Protection Measures that need to be circumvented in order for Yuzu to play Switch games. The first is the encryption on the console itself, and IIRC the games have two layers of encryption. When you dump the game using other tools, Yuzu still needs to make use of the decryption keys the user provides to decrypt the dumped game file in real-time. So it is technically circumventing the technological protection measure but only if the user provides the decryption keys.

That is Nintendo's argument, anyway. Whether a judge would interpret it that way is 50-50; the legal theory has not been tested in court.
doragasu Mar 5
The interesting thing will be what they do next. The code to both has been preserved and deleting all mirrors is something even Nintendo money can accomplish. So it's only a matter of time until builds will pop up somewhere (possibly under a different name). Will Emudeck pull those in?
I think the EmuDeck developers would be pretty stupid if they did pull in some fork, they would be opening themselves up to lawsuits for facilitating what has already been basically declared illegal.

I suspect a **clean** Yuzu fork (other dev team outside USA, no Patreon or any other revenue source, strong anti piracy statement, no support for leaked ROMs, etc.) could maybe stay safe. But of course who is brave enough to take on this task? Don't count me in

None of the things you mentioned are what needs to be "cleaned." It's the technology that allows the software to circumvent Nintendo's copy protection. I assume it's encryption of some sort. If you're an old librarian like me, you remember that Linux has struggled with this issues for decades. It used to literally be impossible to play DVDs on Linux because of the copy protection. It was illegal for libdvdcss (the software library that allowed you to de-scramble DVDs) to be packaged with distros, so you had to download and install it separately.

This is all because of the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act), which specifically mentions circumventing copy protection as a form of copyright infringement. It doesn't matter if it's done in the USA or other countries because most countries have signed on to copyright treaties that extend those laws beyond their borders.

DMCA does not apply worldwide.
melkemind Mar 5
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DMCA does not apply worldwide.

True, but there's only 7 countries that don't recognize it. They'd have to restrict distribution to only those countries. And that doesn't preclude those countries from having their own copyright laws that might come into play.


Last edited by melkemind on 5 March 2024 at 5:56 pm UTC
DMCA does not apply worldwide.

True, but there's only 7 countries that don't recognize it. They'd have to restrict distribution to only those countries. And that doesn't preclude those countries from having their own copyright laws that might come into play.

DMCA is a US-only law. It doesn't apply abroad. It's true that other countries have copyright laws and there's some moderate amount of cooperation between anti-piracy authorities.
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