Adrian holds a BA in English Studies and an MA in Philosophy and Contemporary Critical Theory. He has been writing about technology for a few years now, working both in Poland and with English-speaking publications, such as PCWorld, TechAdvisor, and now Pocket-lint.
He is particularly interested in sustainable tech, loves all things second-hand, but also enjoys writing all kinds of guides, how-tos, and comparisons. When not working, he is pursuing a Ph.D. in Philosophy -- so, essentially, doing some more work. Whether you want to talk about phones, aesthetics, or critical theory, he's glad to have a chat!
If you're like me, the concept of "gaming smartphones", or generally gaming on your smartphone, is a little bit odd. On Apple's App Store or Google's Play Store you'll find millions of games, but a significant portion of them are extremely simple. Whether you're into idle clickers, Candy Crush-like match-three games, or something similar, most of these games do not require beefy specs or anything these gaming phones offer.
Sure, there are more fully-fledged games that you can find on the app store, but these are a diamond in the rough. However, it doesn't mean that your phone's beefy processor should go to waste. The true gaming potential of any smartphone truly shines when you turn your head towards emulation. Thanks to just a few apps, you can have libraries from a few classic consoles always in your pocket.
What is an emulator?
Your smartphone can be any console you want
Emulation is a fabulous thing, and thanks to the rapid improvement in mobile hardware, it has finally made its way into your smartphone. Thanks to various emulators, you can make your device (in this case a phone) work as if it were a different kind of hardware. In terms of gaming, it means you can turn on an emulator and use it to open games that would normally only work on the specific console that it was designed for.
Emulation is, in general, quite demanding. You need much beefier hardware than the original console's processing power in order to emulate it. However, seeing as new phones are unimaginably faster than past generations of consoles, there is quite a lot to choose from.
There are some strings attached
Performance and legality can be problematic
There are a few things to keep in mind before starting your emulation adventure. In general, performance can be hit-or-miss, as there is no guarantee that an emulator will be able to run every game from the same console. Sometimes, certain titles are just moody and they do not cooperate with emulators. Keep in mind that, in general, the more popular the emulator, the more titles it should run. If more people are working on it, you can expect the app to be optimized for more games, while newer or more obscure emulators might struggle a bit with less popular titles.
Furthermore, these programs live in a bit of a grey area. They are not technically illegal, but some companies, especially Nintendo, can be quite protective of their hardware, and there have been cases of legal action against developers of emulators.
Even though emulation is, in general, legally accepted, game ROMs are another thing completely. In order to legally play games on an emulator, you need to have a physical copy of the game (on the same platform) and acquire the ROM by ripping it from your disc onto your hard drive. Downloading ROMs or any other way of acquiring them without your own physical copy is illegal.
What else will I need to start gaming?
A few gadgets to make your gaming even more fun
All the emulators in this list are fully-fledged apps that come with their own touchscreen-friendly inputs. That being said, a physical controller is always a bit better. You get more screen real estate, as you don't have to touch your screen and reserve parts of it for input. Not only that, but tactile feedback from real buttons is always a bit more accurate, letting you be even better in all your favorite games. Whether you choose a standalone controller, or one that incorporates your phone in the middle, making it look all Nintendo Switch-like, is simply your preference.
Other than that, you really don't need much. If you want to keep gaming on the go, a magnetic powerbank might be a good idea, letting you have that extra juice without occupying the USB-C slot with an awkwardly-positioned cable. If, on the other hand, you often game at home, you can also get yourself a USB-C dongle with a video output. That way you can plug it into your screen, grab a controller, and quickly transform it into a fully-fledged home console.
There is an emulator for (almost) everything
In general, emulators are single-purpose. This means one emulator is specialized, and works for one specific console. So, here are some great choices that will expand your game collection beyond your wildest dreams.
Dolphin is the classic choice
Contrary to the paragraph above, Dolphin is the emulator which takes care of two consoles at once. It works with both GameCube and Wii, and if you know what games were released for both of these machines, you know how many excellent titles you can play on your phone thanks to Dolphin. Plus, it's easy to run, game compatibility is one of the best among emulators, and it's really easy to use.
You need to bring a GameBoy Advance to your phone
My Boy! is an excellent, tried-and-true GameBoy Advance emulator. It excels in performance and compatibility. It means the emulator runs well on any phone you can find, and it's rather light on the battery, so your gaming sessions can be as long as you want. What's more, it plays virtually every game from GBA's catalog. Speaking of the catalog, GBA is absolutely iconic, offering so many classic games that this console alone can last you a lifetime.
Xbox 360 is the seventh-gen console to have with you
Xbox 360 is, arguably, Microsoft's biggest console achievement. Thanks to Xen Droid you can always have it in your pocket. The emulator is rather new, so compatibility is a bit hit-and-miss, but the performance (and the ability to have Halo always with you) is amazing.
Sony's mobile console goes mobile again
PSP was Sony's foray into mobile gaming, and it didn't really end well (monetarily at least). However, it's living its best life thanks to PPSSPP, an emulator for PSP. It's absolutely the best way to experience PSP games, as it offers great performance and excellent upscaling, as well as good compatibility. Plus it lets you rediscover PSP's amazing, and a bit forgotten, game collection.