The launch of the PlayStation 2 coincided with a golden age of video games, where a series of already legendary titles appeared that gave us all great moments of fun and entertainment. Today, those who are nostalgic for those years and those who want to enjoy these games for the first time have the opportunity to do so from the mobile phone screen thanks to AetherSX2.
It must be said that this is not the only emulator that exists for play ps2 games on android phone, but not all of them are up to the task: some do not offer the quality and gaming experience that we expect, while others are loaded with annoying advertising. Instead, AestherSX2 strikes the right balance we're looking for.
What is AetherSX2?
This PlayStation 2 emulator for Android has been offered completely free of charge in the Google Play Store since mid-2021. Its creator (or creators) is anonymous and hides under the nickname of Tahlehrt. We don't know much about him or them, beyond the fact that they are big fans of the mythical PS2.
It is a project that uses the source code of PCSX2 (that of the same PS2 emulator on PC). Let's see what its minimum installation requirements are, as well as its strengths and weaknesses compared to other emulators.
where to download
AetherSX2 is only Officially available on the Google Play Store. This is the link:
Important: It is not at all advisable to download this emulator outside of the official store. Almost all the APKs we find by doing a Google search are fake or contain viruses, so it's better to forget about them and not take unnecessary risks.
Installation requirements
The recommended requirements are not too different from those needed to install other emulators. The most important is that the mobile device has at least 4 CortexA75 cores, which will guarantee good performance and good speed.
It is also important that the mobile has a good CPU and a powerful GPU, with RAM memory being a less decisive aspect when making the decision.
PS2 BIOS
Important: To use this emulator you need an image BIOS (the basic boot system of any device), essential to start it without errors. What does this mean? Basically, it implies that in order to start AetherSX2 it is necessary to extract the BIOS of the PlayStation 2 and load it in the mobile. If you don't know how to do this, with a simple Google search you will find numerous tutorials on the Internet on how to execute this process.
Reasons to use AetherSX2 and not other emulators
Although we have already pointed out some of the reasons that make AetherSX2 such an interesting option, we summarize all its advantages in the following list:
- Use the authentic PCSX2 code, not obtained illegally. That means that, in principle, it has the support of the PCSX2 team.
- Been frequently and regularly updated, which in other emulators happens every 3 or 6 months.
- Es price quotation, but despite this, it is ad free.
- does not contain spyware nor any other kind of malicious software, something that does happen with other emulators.
- Your installation requirements are not as demanding like those of most emulators of this type.
What are those games that we can enjoy on our mobile screen through AetherSX2? The list is long, and contains titles as popular and recognized as for example Max Payne, Resident Evil 4, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, the entire saga of Grand Theft Auto, Final Fantasy XIII, Prince of Persia: The Two Crowns and many others. Imagine how many hours of fun await us at our fingertips, simply on the screen of our mobile phone.
no new updates
Unfortunately, all the reasons listed in the previous section may be out of date soon. And it is that now it is time to tell the bad news: at the beginning of 2023, the developer of AetherSX2 announced that he was leaving the project through the following statement:
Apparently, he did not have enough time to take care of the maintenance of a free application that did not bring him any financial benefit. And as if that were not enough, this thankless job was also a source of conflicts and problems. In its goodbye letter, reference is made to identity theft, complaints, demands and even threats. Better leave it.
The result of this is that there will no longer be technical support and there will be no more updates (two of the great advantages that we cited in our list above). Besides, AetherSX2 has closed all its communication channels, including their profiles on Twitter and Reddit
However, the app is still available and working. So, to play PS2 games on our mobile, let's keep enjoying it while we can.