I turned my old phone into a retro gaming machine with this app

I hate the idea of throwing away an old phone, just because it’s not the latest tech or that it doesn’t have enough memory for the apps I use. So when I found this app that can turn it into a gaming machine I had to give it a try.

To turn an old phone into a retro gaming machine, use RetroArch as an all-in-one emulator combined with a front-end launcher like Daijishō or Beacon Game Launcher to organize your games into a console-like interface.Most users on TechEnclave agree that RetroArch is the best core emulator for handling multiple classic systems on Android.

RetroArch is a frontend for emulators,  game engines and media players.

Among other things, it enables you to run classic  games on a wide range of computers and  consoles through its slick graphical interface. Settings are also unified so configuration is done once and for all.

In addition to this, you are able to run original game discs (CDs) from RetroArch.

RetroArch/Libretro is an open-source project and has been around since 2012. It has since served as the backend technology to tons of (unaffiliated) platforms and programs around the world.

If you’re repurposing an old phone into a gaming machine, you probably don’t need all the fluff of other apps getting in the way, and you may want to attach a controller to the phone. I don’t have one of these mobile controllers, but I do have an Xbox controller, and iiSU is designed to work perfectly with it.

Every aspect of the initial setup, all the way to each element of iiSU’s UI, works just as well with a touchscreen as it does with a controller, and it might be even better for the latter. It’s very natural to navigate, and button actions are always made clear, so navigation is as easy as it gets.

iiSU is also designed to replace your home screen altogether if you want it to be your main focus, which makes sense if you’re looking to repurpose your old phone exclusively for gaming. It’s obviously focused on gaming, but it can actually still do some work as a proper launcher. You can add Android apps and widgets to the home screen, in addition to enabling notification access, so iiSU can relay system notifications through its UI.