Socom 2 setup guide for Steam Deck and Socom Community server
To install PCSX2 you must be in Desktop mode on the Steam Deck. You can enter Desktop mode by pressing the Steam button and scrolling down until you see the Power option. Select Power and choose "Switch to Desktop Mode"
In Desktop Mode the Discover store icon is on the bottom menu bar - this is where you will find the PCSX2 application.
You can type pcsx2 in the search bar and click Install when it pops up. This will install the most recent version of PCSX2 1.7
Once installed PCSX2 will be located under games in the Steam Decks "start" menu. There will be two builds, the WXWidgets, and newer QT build
As applications on the Steam Deck are installed as FlatPaks they will run in a sandbox. PCSX2 does not come natively with the ability to access the network or filesystem on the Steam Deck so the Flatseal application is used to grant PCSX2 these permissions.
Flatseal can be installed from the Discover store just as PCSX2 is
Once installed Flatseal can be found under Utilities in the "start" menu
To use the network PCSX2 needs the Network permission toggle switched on. To access the host filesystem and add the Socom 2 HDD with maps it will need filesystem permissions. These can be toggled by opening Flatseal, selecting net.pcsx2.PCSX2 and toggling the appropriate switches.
The first swtich is network
And then All System Files to ensure that you can add the HDD for maps
General setup follows a similar path to the Socom Community guide.
For the BIOS I have noticed that ps2-0220a-20060905.bin works and networking works. If you do these steps with a different BIOS and networking is not working then this is a good place to look and troubleshoot
Under graphics I currently use the Vulkan Renderer and select the AMD RADV VANGOH adapter. I have fit to Window/Screen selected as well.
For rendering I have internal resolution set to 2x Native (720p) Otherwise most other settings are pretty much default or turned off.
Finally in Texture Replacement the box for Precache Texture should be checked when using the vulkan renderer per this Reddit thread
For networking check the box for enable and choose Sockets. You can leave Auto or choose the Wlan0 interface
For the HDD Check Enabled and browse to the SOCOM II HDD.raw file and select it
The QT build of PCSX2 can natively detect the Steam Deck buttons so binding should be automatic.
In order to bind a crouch/stand there are a few options. The author used the following steps
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In PCSX2 controller settings rebind Circle to another button (I used clicking the trackpad)
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Still in PCSX2 click the Macros tab
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Check the boxes for Triangle and Apply Pressure
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Bind this macro to B (circle)
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Switch to Game Mode to set up back grip buttons
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Enable the back grip buttons in the controller settings on game mode
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Still in Game Mode - bind R4 to B (circle)
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Bind L4 to Y (triangle)
This step is optional but you recommended as in Game Mode on the Steam Deck you have the ability to force higher GPU clock speeds, and utilize FSR scaling for external displays.
To add Socom 2 to Game mode you want to open your library and click Add A Game in the lower left corner then select Add a Non Steam Game.
From there select the version of PCSX2 you are using (WXWidgets or QT) and it will show up in your library.
Optionally you can launch Socom 2 by editing your launch options. By Right Clicking the PCSX2 game in your library and selecting Properties you can change the launch options as follows - inserting your file path in the angle brackets <>
run --branch=stable --arch=x86_64 --command=pcsx2-qt net.pcsx2.PCSX2 -elf <path-to-your-elf-file> "<path-to-your-SOCOM-2-ISO>"
Once this is complete you should be able to follow the guide on Socom Community to get DNS set up and find the HDD maps.