The highly controversial PlayStation 2 emulator for Android devices, AetherSX2, has been removed from the Google Play Store starting from March 10th, 2024.

This doesn't come as a surprise for many, though, as the AetherSX2 emulator halted development entirely back in 2023, with the developer specifically mentioning the "neverending impersonating, complaints, demands, and now death threats". Although, it took almost a year for the actual emulator app to be taken down from the Play Store, following the discontinuation of the project.

While AetherSX2 has suspended development a long time ago, and the Play Store will no longer offer the emulator, there's currently a community effort put into patching certain the latest available AetherSX2 version into a better and more developed application, following the original creator stepping down from the project. This new version is titled "NetherSX2", and has been going strong for the past year for those still seeking to have a followup to the AetherSX2 project.

Source

 

[Guacaholey]

Interesting how development halted sometime around when DuckStation made a comeback. Not to mention that the UI on the Android versions are nearly identical...

DuckStation is only for PS1 afaik

Hope pirate wins over the big Company original emulator is best anyway why they must take everything down like xbox retail modu its stupid i mean that so now I must pay for dev mode how to do that without computer? I have only phone and xbox to do with

Except for when the emulator isn't entirely accurate. Like PCSX2 on a lot of stuff, or Dolphin on certain things.

 

[Marc_LFD]

the ps2 runs like shit on android anyway even on the shield tv pro
you don't go above the n64 emu on android

DC and GCN runs flawlessly on my phone and I love it. Especially DC games.

And ps1

Well, if that's what your Android device can handle then it's still pretty good.

 

[doorbell8423]

This is getting ridiculous now to be honest.

 

[The Catboy]

Sounds rough. I hope you haven't taken them to heart and are feeling better nowadays! (｡･∀･)ﾉﾞ

I’ve kind of grown to expect it these days, but I do have a therapist if it ever starts to get to me.

 

[Afeohtan]

DuckStation is only for PS1 afaik

I know. I was pointing out the user interface similarities.

 

[Jayro]

Another pussy bites the dust. Good riddance.

 

[YoureALoser]

the ps2 runs like shit on android anyway even on the shield tv pro
you don't go above the n64 emu on android

There's your problem, thinking an Nvidia Shield TV is some type of high end device, when in reality it is bottom of the barrel by today's standards. Tegra X1 launched in like 2015 and was out dated/obsolete hardware when it launched, that's why it wasn't adopted by anyone. That's the only reason Nintendo partnered with Nvidia. X1 has been broken since the day it released, supposed to have 8 cores, but only 4 function.

 

[Jaxom]

There's your problem, thinking an Nvidia Shield TV is some type of high end device, when in reality it is bottom of the barrel by today's standards. Tegra X1 launched in like 2015 and was out dated/obsolete hardware when it launched, that's why it wasn't adopted by anyone. That's the only reason Nintendo partnered with Nvidia. X1 has been broken since the day it released, supposed to have 8 cores, but only 4 function.

Indeed, I was running GameCube games fine and upscaled on an Exynos 2200 (Samsung Galaxy S22 series), which is already two years old, so running Dolphin on an up to date Android device is more than doable, especially considering the leap in power there has been on Android SoCs lately.

A device with a SnapDragon 8 Gen 2 (last year) or Gen 3 (this year) will be more than enough to run pretty much everything that has an emulator on Android (I have to test the Switch, though, as it was not that good back in 2022).

 

[KeeperCP1]

Wasn't it already g-
oh.

 

[JoeySyntax]

The developer is a whole ass bitch. Guy went into freakout mode because of a bunch of "complaints, and death threats" from what were more than likely stupid ass kids who don't know how phone hardware work, and to make matters worse, he went back and added ads to an ad-less app just to fuck over the people who supported and downloaded his emulator. I liked AetherSX2, but fuck that guy.

 

[julianuf]

Oh no

Anyway

 

[ATKOtter]

This time it was the community's fault, not the big company's. Much like that time when an English patch for a PlayStation game, Germs: Nerawareta Machi was released, and so many people ranted over it that the author had to delete it from download.

Unforgivable if I do say so myself.

People were mad at the Germs patch because it was a translation of a fan translation by someone with no knowledge of Japanese to account for accuracy, and there's already an English translation project in the works by people who actually know Japanese.

 

[SDA]

People were mad at the Germs patch because it was a translation of a fan translation by someone with no knowledge of Japanese to account for accuracy, and there's already an English translation project in the works by people who actually know Japanese.

Their reactions were still exaggerated anyway. The person behind the patch really got fed up.

 

[ATKOtter]

Their reactions were still exaggerated anyway. The person behind the patch really got fed up.

It's a project that shouldn't have been done in the first place, when they only did it for attention.
Tried to posit itself as an actual fan translation, tricking a lot of people into thinking the actual fan translation project was complete.

 

[PalmeraJam]

the ps2 runs like shit on android anyway even on the shield tv pro
you don't go above the n64 emu on android

Brother have you tried an SD 8 GEN 2? S23 runs practically the entire PS2 catalog, runs GTA V, GTA IV on winlator... watch videos and talk later

 

[Quore]

I really wish this mf release the source code before giving up the project.
But al least we have Neither SX

 

[Retrojunkies]

I'd rather use a downgraded APK of before AetherSX2 introduced ads, instead of using that trash calling itself NetherSX2, even though I despise the dev of AetherSX2 for being so pathetic to not being able to ignore people.

Because of comments like yours, your trash talking the dev and now the folk keeping it alive adding updates for free.

No one owes you anything so calm down, if you want something then make it yourself or play on the original hardware.

Or even use the other ps2 emulator that has always been actively supported and updated.

 

[HalfScoper]

Because of comments like yours, your trash talking the dev and now the folk keeping it alive adding updates for free.

No one owes you anything so calm down, if you want something then make it yourself or play on the original hardware.

Or even use the other ps2 emulator that has always been actively supported and updated.

People on this forum tend to forget that opinions other than their own are allowed and valid, so stick it up your rear end and stop crying about it.

 

[chrisrlink]

question is the site stilll live since they have an aarch linux appimage (I have a pi 5 which is why I'm asking)

 

[spotanjo3]

I haven't forgot about this one. Very sad, indeed but I can always enjoy PCSX2 on DESKTOP instead. Good knowing you, aethersx2.