As kids growing up in the nineties, we have nostalgia for Nintendo DS and the games we used to play on it. Heck, even the new kids on the block will find those games to be awesome and fun. So what if you were able to play all those memorable titles again? No you will not have to buy a Nintendo DS and carry it around with you. You can simply emulate the console on your Android phone. So, here is a list of best Nintendo DS emulators for Android.
To use NDS emulators for Android, you need to download some apps from the play store, and then you have the option to Play Nintendo DS games on your Android Device. However, you will have problem in deciding which emulator to pick. There are many emulating software pieces, which can get you confused, but your entire gaming experience will depend on the emulator you choose. So here is a comprehensive read on Top 5 Nintendo DS Emulators for Android.
Best Nintendo DS Emulators for Android in 2017
#1. DraStic DS Emulator
DraStic DS Emulator is hands down the best Nintendo DS emulator you can get for your Android Devices. But the app also comes at a price: $4.99 to be exact. If you don’t mind the price tag, then get this app to run all your NDS games.
Now if you are planning to get the best here, then these are the features that are provided with it. Primarily you will enjoy customization options over the screen layout, controller style, and the support for hardware controllers. There is also a feature for fast forwarding the game play, Google Drive support and ability to improve graphics rendering if you have high end hardware.
The application is powerful enough to handle mostly all major NDS titles and only a couple of games have ever been reported with rendering issues.
#2. NDS Boy
If you are looking for some free alternatives, then NDS Boy is a good bet. It is in fact a new application on the store for emulating NDS games, but this is not a bad thing as the app improves over many shortcomings on its predecessors.
NDS Boy supports all basic necessities you will need from your Nintendo DS. It has Save and load states features, includes customizable options, and supports all major NDS game titles. However, this was all the good stuck. The cons for the application includes that it will fail to run not so popular or uncommon NDS games. Furthermore, the user experience i.e. the game play is very slow and is a very common complaint by most of its users.
Download NDS Boy
#3. AseDS
AseDS is an alternative to NDS Boy for your gaming preferences. As discussed, one of the drawbacks of NDS Boy is that the game play is rather slow. If you are willing to trade that off with some ads displayed on your screen, then go ahead with AseDS. The application is also able to play most NDS gaming titles and displays trouble with a selective few.
Some of the features offered by AseDS include the functionality to emulate dual touch screen interface and also input GameShark, Actionreplay and CodeBreaker cheats. Besides these you get the basics like save and load game, support for wireless controller, custom button layout along with key bindings. You also get some level of control over the display with customizability features like auto rotate screen to landscape and portrait, stretch to fit screen, and automatic frame skipping and flicker reduction.
Download AseDS
#4. Nds4droid
Nds4droid is a pretty old Nintendo DS emulator for Android, and it also hasn’t received any updates in a while. If this is not a turn off for you, then go ahead and download it because the app is great. If you don’t want to pay and also don’t want annoying ads, then this app will also be your heaven.
But there are some issues here and there while playing some NDS titles. It is also a bit slow, but there is a frame skip option and that sort of manages the issue. Primarily, the app is open source, hence it can be and has been used as a base for many NDS emulators for Android.
#5. RetroArch
RetroArch, like nds4droid is another open source project for emulators for Android. But unlike nds4droid, which is specified to be solely used for emulating Nintendo DS games, RetroArch supports a great variety of gaming systems.
Some of the names of the major systems the emulator supports includes Game Boy, SNES, Game Boy Advanced and plenty more. The performance of the application is also top notch. But only problem with it is that it can get overly complex for first time users. Now if that is not a problem for you, then go ahead and quickly download the application. If you are a dedicated tech savvy gamer looking for some retro fun, then this will be a great app to keep on your Android Device.
Which among the five Nintendo DS emulators are you going to download on your Android device? Share your feedback with us on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.