Bowser (not documented yet)

• Unidirectional Displayport Male → HDMI Female
  • UGREEN 4K DisplayPort 1.2 to HDMI Adapter
• Bluetooth USB Dongle with 5 Devices Pair Simultaneously
  • UGREEN Bluetooth 6.0+EDR Adapter
• Wi-Fi 5 USB Adapter (AC / 802.11ac)
  • TP-Link Archer T3U Plus

Reboot and press F10 → Computer Setup (BIOS)

Main

• System Information

• System Diagnostics

• Update System BIOS

• Change Date And Time

• System IDs

• Replicated Setup

• Save Custom Defaults

• Apply Custom Defaults and Exit

• Apply Factory Defaults and Exit

• Ignore Changes and Exit

• Save Changes and Exit

Security

Administrator Tools

• Create BIOS Administrator Password
• Create POST Power-On Password
• Password Policies
• Security Configuration
  • TPM Embedded Security
  • BIOS SureStart
• Physical Presence Interface
  • Smart Cover
  • Trusted Execution Technology (TXT)
  • Intel Software Guard Extensions (SGX): Disable

Utilities

• Hard Drive Utilities
• Absolute Persistence Module Current State
  • Activation Status: Inactive
  • Absolute Persistence Module Permanent Disable : No
  • System Management Command

Advanced

• Display Language
• Scheduled Power-On
• Boot Options
• Secure Boot Configuration
• System Options
• Built-In Device Options
• Port Options
• Option ROM Launch Policy
• Power Management Options
• Remote Management Options

UEFI Drivers

This will restart the system into the 3rd Party Option ROM Management application. You can get to this application directly by pressing F3 during startup.

• Download ISO and burn to an USB Key
• Skip root password
• Local user: bhdicaire

Install modules:

• Debian Desktop Environment
• GNOME
• SSH server
• Standard System Utilities

Confirm that we have all the required commands and install missing packages

which fwupdmgr sudo inxi fastfetch
sudo apt update; sudo apt full-upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y  lm-sensors inxi fastfetch flatpak intel-gpu-tools mesa-vulkan-drivers 
sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
sudo apt install gnome-software-plugin-flatpak

Please note that that the directories /var/lib/flatpak/exports/share & /home/bhdicaire/.local/share/flatpak/exports/share are not in the search path set by the XDG_DATA_DIRS environment variable, so applications installed by Flatpak may not appear on your desktop until the session is restarted. All available packages are identified on FlatHub.

Ensure that all local users are configured for proper hardware access then log out and log back in. For your information, account badicaire is blocked for SSH and sudo.

sudo usermod -aG video bhdicaire
sudo usermod -aG audio bhdicaire
sudo adduser --disabled-password badicaire
sudo passwd -d badicaire
sudo usermod -aG video badicaire
sudo usermod -aG audio badicaire

Check supported devices and apply available updates

Debian 13 works very well with fwupd,a project that automate firmware update on Linux.

sudo fwupdmgr get-devices
sudo fwupdmgr update

Sensors / thermals

sudo sensors-detect
sensors

Install Debian Wi-Fi & Bluetooth firmware packages

sudo apt install firmware-linux firmware-linux-nonfree firmware-iwlwifi firmware-realtek -y

Disable IPv6

sudo vi /etc/default/grub
sudo update-grub

Find this line GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet" and replace with : GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet ipv6.disable=1 intel_idle.max_cstate=1"

Performance

Prevents all forms of sleep for an arcade or a media center.¹: sudo systemctl mask sleep.target suspend.target hibernate.target hybrid-sleep.target.

Disable Gnome UI animations: gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface enable-animations false

Reboot sudo shutdown -r now

WIFI Setup

Scan for available networks: nmcli device wifi list

sudo nmcli device wifi connect "Le voisin" password "9wef3-gorb8ust-2inn"
sudo nmcli connection modify "Le voisin" connection.autoconnect yes

You can confirm the connection with nmcli connection show --activeor ip a

• sudo inxi -Fz
• fastfetch¹

Verify you’re actually getting full speed

watch -n 1 "grep \"MHz\" /proc/cpuinfo"
intel_gpu_top

Check thermal throttling: sensors, if CPU hits thermal limits: clean fan, replace thermal paste and improve airflow.

GameMode temporarily boosts CPU & I/O when games run such as gamemoderun dolphin-emu

Confirm that storage is properly configured

lsblk --discard

Based on the expected value above, the SSD accepts TRIM:

• Linux can issue discard commands
• The controller passes them correctly
• Partitions inherit TRIM capability

For your information, sdc (e.g., USB device or a Card Reader) and sr0 (e.g., Optical Drive) are not expected to support trim.

Online TRIM vs periodic TRIM

Enable periodic TRIM : sudo systemctl enable fstrim.timer to discard unused filesystem blocks once a week.

• No runtime stutter (e.g., no I/O spikes during gameplay)
• SSD longevity preserved

You can check the current status: sudo systemctl --no-pager status fstrim.timer

Make sure BIOS is the latest version

sudo dmidecode -s bios-version
sudo dmidecode -s bios-release-date

Azahar is an open-source 3DS emulator based on Citra.

sudo flatpak install flathub org.azahar_emu.Azahar
sudo flatpak run org.azahar_emu.Azahar

Controllers

• XBOX or Ps4 dual shock – TBC

Configuration

• Graphics
  • Graphics API: Use Vulkan if available on your device
  • Async Shader Compilation: Enable this in advanced settings to prevent stuttering
  • Disable Right Eye Rendering: Reduces load by not rendering the 3D effect, improving FPS
  • Upscaling/Filtering: Adjust resolution (e.g., 2x) and filtering for better visuals if your device can handle it.
• Screen Layout
  • Use hotkeys (like F9/F11 on Steam Deck) to swap screens or toggle fullscreen for better interaction
• Controller
  • Map physical buttons to 3DS functions (A, B, C-Stick, Shoulder Buttons)
  • Map the emulated touchscreen to your device’s mouse or right trackpad for games needing touch input

Roms

Game Files: Azahar primarily uses decrypted .CCI files (from .3DS or .CIA), requiring some file conversion for older ROMs.

sudo apt install dolphin-emu -y

Controllers

• GameCube USB Controller & joystick
• Nintendo USB Sensor Bar MAYFLASH W010 (mode #4)
• Nintendo WiiMote and nunchuck

Configuration In Dolphin’s controller configuration, enable “continuous scanning” - I found that it automatically detects your controllers when you restart Dolphin

You might have specific settings per game

sudo flatpak install -y flathub org.flycast.Flycast
sudo flatpak run org.flycast.Flycast

Controllers

• Xbox Controllers (Xbox One S/X, Xbox 360, etc.)
• PlayStation 4/5 Controllers

Source:

• GitHub
• Roms

sudo flatpak install -y flathub org.duckstation.DuckStation
sudo flatpak run org.duckstation.DuckStation

Controllers

• To be confirmed

sudo flatpak install -y flathub net.pcsx2.PCSX2
sudo flatpak run net.pcsx2.PCSX2

Controllers

• To be confirmed

https://archive.org/download/playstation2_essentials

sudo flatpak install -y flathub org.ppsspp.PPSSPP
sudo flatpak run org.ppsspp.PPSSPP

Controllers

• To be confirmed Ps4 dual shock

Configuration

• Graphics
  • Vulkan is recommended and offers optimal performance while OpenGL works well with Nvidia GPUs
  • Rendering Resolution: increase this from “Native PSP” to a higher value like 4xPSP (near 1080p) or 8xPSP (4K) for clearer graphics on a large screen
    • If you experience lag, reduce this setting
  • VSync: enable to prevent screen tearing
  • Post-processing shader: apply visual filters if desired
  • Texture Filtering/Upscaling: Experiment with options like “Auto max quality” or “XBRZ” to make textures sharper
  • Frame Skipping: Set to Auto for smoother gameplay if performance drops
• Controllers
  • The emulator should automatically detect common controllers paired with Debian

1. Put your Bluetooth controller into pairing mode

• usually holding a specific button, like Share+PS button for DualShock 4, or another pairing button

2. Go to your device’s Bluetooth settings and pair with the controller; it should appear as a generic “Wireless Controller” or by its brand name.

• If D-Pad or analog sticks aren’t detected, check your device’s Bluetooth settings or controller instructions to ensure it’s in standard HID (Human Interface Device) mode

3. Launch the PPSSPP emulator

• From the main menu, tap on Settings, then select Controls
• Map Your Buttons
  • Tap Control Mapping
  • If you have a standard controller such as Xbox or PS4/5, select Auto Configure, and PPSSPP might map everything automatically
  • If auto-config fails, tap on each PSP button/axis (e.g., Up, Down, Triangle, Circle, Analog Stick) and press the corresponding button on your Bluetooth controller to assign it
• Configure the right analog stick (If Needed)
  • Edit Touch Control Layout and enable the right analog stick
  • Map its directions (Up, Down, Left, Right) to the PSP’s face buttons (Triangle, X, Square, Circle)
• Once mapped, go back to the main menu and start a game
• Disable the on-screen touch controls to prevent clutter
• System
  • Emulated PSP’s CPU Clock: For certain games, increasing this value (e.g., to 333 MHz) can improve performance and reduce sound issues, though it may be unstable for others
  • Enable Cheats: If you have the necessary cheat.db file, you can enable cheats in this section

Settings –> Bluetooth

sudo systemctl status bluetooth bluetoothctl power on agent on scan on

pair <device_MAC_address> trust <device_MAC_address> connect <device_MAC_address> quit

trust it for automatic reconnection

Roms:

• a

PPSSPP is a PSP emulator that can run games in full HD resolution. It can even upscale textures that would otherwise be too blurry as they were made for the small screen of the original PSP.

To avoid problems, use this command after installation:

sudo snap connect ppsspp-emulator:joystick && sudo snap connect ppsspp-emulator:removable-media

sudo flatpak install flathub com.valvesoftware.Steam

Xbox Wireless Controller 8BitDo Pro 3 with charger Amazon.ca