How to turn your Android phone into a portable SNES

If we look back and compare today's games with those of old, the evolution is astounding. In addition, we have become accustomed to playing anywhere from our mobiles, which are increasingly capable of running more elaborate titles. But it's also possible to enjoy retro games, in case nostalgia invades you.

Do you remember consoles as emblematic as the Super Nintendo? Born in 1990, the 16-bit SNES (its best-known name) gave many hours of fun to gamers of yesteryear.It is possible to relive that era by installing emulators on our Android devices.

What is an emulator?

The first is the first. It is a type of software that is capable of executing programs, in this case videogames, on a device for which they were not developed. As its name indicates, its function is to emulate a platform on a different one.

There are emulators of all kinds and for different platforms. From the computer to the smartphone. For example, we can reuse apps and games from 1984 with this Mac emulator.

But, without a doubt, the Android system is the great friend of emulators, since we find a fairly wide variety. There are paid ones, but we are going to see those that are available free on Google Play.

Snes9x EX+

A heavyweight in the catalog of emulators for Android.It has long been considered the best for playing SNES titles. Snes9x EX+ is open source and they are updating it to be compatible especially with those terminals that are getting old.

A very interesting feature of this emulator is that it allows to connect peripherals such as the Super Scope gun from the SNES, as well as compatible controllers via Bluetooth. Thanks to this, the gameplay improves and the feeling of using the old Nintendo console is even more real.

Highlights among its features the possibility of being able to save our games at any time, something that is appreciated if, for example, we are playing and have to leave the mobile. In short, it is the best emulator if we want one focused on the Super Nintendo.

RetroArch

A veteran of the sector and perhaps the most complete From its beginnings it managed to put gamers in their pockets thanks to the wide range of consoles that it allows to emulate. An interesting detail is that if we connect a control to our device, it detects and configures it automatically.

Although its interface is not very intuitive and can take a while to get used to, it is the only emulator that claims to be an “all-in-one” In other words, with RetroArch we can run titles from all types of consoles, SNES included. But if we want to play PlayStation titles, for example, it's also possible.

Works with modules, so it will be enough to download the kernel of the desired platform. For this, the application itself has a specific section to choose the heart of the team that we want to emulate.It is perhaps the best free option if you want to have a lot of consoles on your smartphone.

SuperRetro16

This emulator is very popular because of the options it offers. It has a paid version but also a free one, called SuperRetro16 Lite. According to its creators, it presents very fast gameplay, in addition to having a Turbo Mode that advances the titles.

Just download ROMs (games) and the emulator scans the smartphone's memory to find them. Compared to the others, here we do see an intuitive interface and very easy to understand. In fact, we see on the screen a recreation of the legendary SNES controller.

Among its features, it stands out that it has support for external controls, a multiplayer mode via WiFi or Bluetooth, a controls editor andcheat codesA point in favor is that its developers update it frequently to improve it and fix bugs, offering support to users.

SNESDroid

Another veteran. This emulator is capable of running all Super Nintendo games on any Android device. SNESDroid has the functions typical of this type of app, such as configuring on-screen controls and saving games at all times.

Like the others, it is compatible with peripherals and allows you to modify the graphics options to improve performance. We simply have to add the game in compressed format (zip) in the corresponding folder so that it appears in the list of ROMs. Simply click on the desired title and start playing.

Thanks to these emulators, you can spend hours reminiscing about that golden age of video games. When 16 bits were more than enough to keep us glued to the screen. What Super Nintendo game do you miss?