Why did nobody tell me that Android Emulation was so great?

[iareharSon]

I honestly had no idea.

I was an Android user from 2010 when I got an HTC EVO 4G through 2018 when I left off with a Samsung S8+, until I ultimately switched over to iPhone to align with the fact that I was already neck deep in the Apple ecosystem. But as a diehard Android user prior to that, I never bothered to give emulation a try. Was I just clueless, or is Android emulation just recently coming into its own with the onset of modern mobile CPUs, bluetooth controller integration, telescopic controller availability, and emulator maturity?

I was annoyed at the fact that Apple was barring xCloud from their ecosystem, so I bought a cheap Android phone and a Razer Kishi controller. xCloud works wonderfully on it, but I was surprised to see that I could run everything from 8bit to Dreamcast without a hitch. With ATV Launcher Pro I could launch into a handheld like OS, and a frontend like RESET Collection I was able to carve out a nice little machine to do some retro gaming on. I've got a seamless well constructed experience, and the damn thing has infinitely better battery life then I could expect from something like a Vita.

Have to give props to ETA Prime for educating me on what I had been missing out on, and for making me drop money on stuff I absolutely don't need.

 

[nsilvias]

phones are the most enjoyable place for ds emulation.

 

[NoKisum]

Because Era thinks all emulation talk is piracy gloating, so the overall subject is a little on the hush side.

 

[nsilvias]

Because Era thinks all emulation talk is piracy gloating, so the overall subject is a little on the hush side.

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its mostly trolls that say that tho especially in nintendo threads

 

[Deleted member 11626]

I don't know, because emulation and gaming are about the only things Android runs laps around iOS on.

 

[iareharSon]

phones are the most enjoyable place for ds emulation.

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You're not lying, DraStic is probably one of the best emulators out there - Android or not.

 

[louiedog]

I don't know, because emulation and gaming are about the only things Android runs laps around iOS on.

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No one needs a fanboy to ruin the thread with OS war nonsense.

 

[Runwhiteboyrun]

I just retired my Nvidia Shield Tablet and that thing ran tons of emulators really well. Super easy to use.

 

[iareharSon]

I just retired my Nvidia Shield Tablet and that thing ran tons of emulators really well. Super easy to use.

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Yeah, I'm contemplating purchasing a cheap entry level tablet to game on as well - but I may wait until there's a better telescopic option for a controller. I'm weirdly all about form factors, so I don't want to use an Xbox / PS4 controller.

 

[Runwhiteboyrun]

Yeah, I'm contemplating purchasing a cheap entry level laptop to game on as well - but I may wait until there's a better telescopic option for a controller. I'm weirdly all about form factors, so I don't want to use an Xbox / PS4 controller.

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I do usually focus on games that didn't need the full controls, but I did pick up a decent clamp bluetooth controller that held up well with Gamecube games.

 

[Deleted member 11626]

No one needs a fanboy to ruin the thread with OS war nonsense.

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Right because that hasn't been the entire site over the past year, but somehow I'm the only one you're getting on about it.

Used Android for a good ten years and I'd go back to it if I had to. It's got a lot of great features. But with both operating systems being so similar these days, Android distinguishes itself by hosting the premier mobile gaming experience and it's not particularly close at all. Sorry you feel the need to mouth off about fanboys specifically to me and not the multitude of posts made in the past 8 hours you could have had a go at.

 

[louiedog]

Right because that hasn't been the entire site over the past year, but somehow I'm the only one you're getting on about it.

Used Android for a good ten years and I'd go back to it if I had to. It's got a lot of great features. But with both operating systems being so similar these days, Android distinguishes itself by hosting the premier mobile gaming experience and it's not particularly close at all. Sorry you feel the need to mouth off about fanboys specifically to me and not the multitude of posts made in the past 8 hours you could have had a go at.

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We're in this thread talking about a comment you made that serves to do nothing on the topic.

You're not a victim.

 

[iareharSon]

Damn bruh, I just wanted to discuss android's emulation scene

 

[Dphex]

I´ve had an Xperia Play in 2011, even back then emulation was already great.

 

[Deleted member 11626]

My experience with Android has been how much better all of the streaming apps run, particularly Steam Link. But Android has been at this for a while. I remember back in 2011, downloading a PS1 emulator and SNES emulator. Shit ran flawlessly and I finished some old favorites on an HTC Evo. The Evo. That's how good all of this stuff runs.

We're in this thread talking about a comment you made that serves to do nothing on the topic.

You're not a victim.

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OP says "why did nobody tell me Android emulation was so great". I said "I don't know, it's basically a big part of what makes Android, Android, and it runs laps around the competition".

Nobody is a victim here lmao.

 

[Oldmario]

phones are the most enjoyable place for ds emulation.

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does it work at all with chromecast mirror but i guess it'd have to be with much slower paced games to turn it into some sort of massive DS with the TV as the top screen?

 

[iareharSon]

I´ve had an Xperia Play in 2011, even back then emulation was already great.

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I think I'm just weird. I'm all about form factor and having a consumer grade experience. Like you were able to plug a computer into a television to serve media for the longest, but it wasn't until XBMC / Kodi came around and I could serve my ripped DVDs and Blurays from a NAS that I dove in. I could have probably saved a lot money building an HTPC/emulation PC by buying a cheap second hand desktop and throwing some parts into it, but I wasn't interested in having one until Mini-ITX and small form computers were more commonplace.

I guess the same is true for here. The only reason this has my attention is the fact that I can create a makeshift PSP/Switch with a sleek UI? Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have bothered.

 

[ArjanN]

I don't know, because emulation and gaming are about the only things Android runs laps around iOS on.

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Well that and being half the price for the same functionality.

 

[LordFlash]

Ok. Random bump, I know. But holy shit, I am genuinely shocked at how decent emulation on Android is. Especially when you pair it with a attachable controller.

I picked up a Razer Kishi for like 30 bucks, mostly to use for Steam Link. I thought I would try and see what the emulation scene was like and I am genuinely floored at how well it all comes together. The Kishi fits like a glove on my phone and it is a very decently built controller (especially considering I paid 30 bucks for it) which even folds to make it super portable. Every emulator I have thrown at it recognises it as a gamepad, you can remap buttons, your phone can even emulate rumble as vibrations and it all is very customizable (you can even set it up to do Wii motions stuff with some tweaking and remapping, something I was absolutely not expecting to work). You also dont really need a very powerful phone. My pixel 6A is doing great with everything up to and including the Wii.

If (like me) you feel like touch controls was what was holding you back, I cannot recommend picking up a controller attachment enough. Absolute gamechanger.