ARMSX2 Refresh released: The future of PS2 emulation is looking bright on Android

ARMSX2 launched last year as a promising PS2 emulator for Android. The app uses x86-to-Arm translation, which typically incurs a performance penalty. We’ve known for a while that the company was working on a version with native Arm code, and it’s now released this version on Android. Say hello to ARMSX2 Refresh.

The refreshed PS2 emulator indeed uses native Arm code instead of relying on translation. This should deliver faster performance and improved compatibility as a result.

ARMSX2 Refresh brings a variety of other changes compared to the standard version. This includes an updated emulator core based on version 2.7 of the venerable PCSX2 emulator, improved default settings for better compatibility out of the box, general/graphics/core fixes, game-specific fixes, and a new UI.

The UI seems quite basic right now, while also offering a somewhat unintuitive way of accessing the settings menu (holding down on the center of the screen as opposed to swiping in from the edges). However, the team promises more improvements for the UI. Furthermore, the settings menu itself is well-designed and makes for a refreshing (heh) change from rival emulators. We also see plenty of settings to play with, including a GPU profile option that lets you choose Mali, Adreno, or PowerVR graphics. That’s good news if you don’t have a Snapdragon device.

I briefly tried out a smattering of games (Shadow of the Colossus, Gran Turismo 4, and Burnout 3) on my vivo X300 Ultra, and these titles all worked fine for the most part. Shadow of the Colossus was about as smooth as you could expect this demanding game to be, while Gran Turismo 4 and Burnout 3 both offered great performance with minor car flickering. There was a weird issue when I initially booted up the emulator, as I got stuck on the BIOS menu. I later started the app without my controller connected (pairing it thereafter), and the games booted up just fine. I’m guessing this might be a coincidence, though.

In any event, rival emulators like AetherSX2 and NetherSX2 still offer a more mature, no-frills PS2 emulation experience on your mobile device. But this initial ARMSX2 Refresh release for Android already looks very promising, and you might want to give it a go if you’re having issues with specific games on the other emulators. Granted, I was trying out games on a recent flagship Android phone, so your experience might differ on a budget device.

ARMSX2 Refresh for Android is only available via the project’s GitHub page and Discord channel right now. The standard ARMSX2 release (using translated code) is currently listed on Google Play, but the team says news regarding a Play Store update will come “soon.”