DuckStation is back on Android as a full rewrite that matches the desktop app

The PS1 emulator DuckStation is back on Android, and it's not a small update. Developer Stenzek has rewritten the whole Android app in Jetpack Compose so it lines up with the desktop versions. It's been in public testing since an alpha on October 11, with near-daily builds since, and the newest beta landed on October 31.

What's new

• Settings search. Search every settings page at once and change a setting right from the results. Advanced settings are hidden until you turn them on.
• A rewind timeline in the in-game menu, with screenshot previews so you can jump back to a specific moment.
• A touch layout editor with per-controller layouts and separate portrait and landscape arrangements, plus NeGcon and JogCon touch controllers.
• Offline achievements in casual mode, with badges and progress you can browse from the library without launching a game.
• Big Picture Mode, aimed at TVs. The developer warns not to use it on phones yet, since it doesn't fully switch off when you change apps and wastes battery.
• Slang shaders and presets, new scanline shaders, more texture filters, CloneCD image support, more themes including AMOLED, and translations into 19 languages.

The Oct 31 build

The latest update brings the core up to date with performance and compatibility fixes and new cheat formats, delays cheats and achievements while a game boots, improves disc swapping and memory card safety checks, and adds post-processing options, custom border overlays and an SFX volume control.

Before you install

This is beta software and the developer expects bugs, so back up your data with the app's data transfer tool first. The beta uses the same signing key as the Play Store build, so it installs over it without an uninstall. Your saves, memory cards and BIOS files carry over, but your settings don't, so plan to set things up again. The rewrite now needs Android 7 or newer, up from Android 6. You need a PS1 BIOS dumped from your own console and your own games; Overclocked doesn't host or link BIOS or game files.

Where to get it

The developer doesn't allow the APK to be shared elsewhere, so grab it only from the official DuckStation Android beta page. Compare it with other Android emulators on our emulators hub.

Source: DuckStation Android beta downloads page. Facts verified against the original report; written by Overclocked.