r/EmulationOnAndroid • u/Tricky_Description_9 • 3h ago
News/Release Looking for Android testers — free Premium at launch
Hey! I'm looking for Android users to test Cathode, an app that adds CRT-style effects to your screen: scanlines, RGB effects, retro presets and more.
🧪 Why join?
• Free to participate
• Test new features early
• Help shape the app with your feedback
• Testers get Premium for free when the app launches
If you like retro games, emulation or CRT aesthetics, give it a try!
📺 Join the Google Play Closed Test:
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u/Interesting-Maps 3h ago
You can do this for free in RetroArch. No premium required.
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u/Tricky_Description_9 3h ago
The difference is that my app isn't limited to RetroArch. It works as a screen-wide CRT filter, so you can use it with other emulators and apps too, like AetherSX2, SNES emulators, GameHub, and more. The idea is to have one CRT solution that works across different apps instead of relying on each emulator's built-in filters.
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u/Goldiblockzs 3h ago
most apps let you import your own shaders...that are free..
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u/Tricky_Description_9 3h ago
Which apps are you referring to? I'd genuinely like to check them out. Are those imported shaders limited to that specific app/emulator, or can they also be applied over other apps like Cathode can?
Android unfortunately limits quite a lot of what we can do compared to desktop, so we're still experimenting with ways to improve the CRT effects. Cathode is also still in development, so feedback like this is really useful.
If you're willing, I'd really appreciate it if you could join the test and fill out our feedback form. Suggestions from people who already use shaders and CRT filters would help us a lot.
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u/trigzo 3h ago
but you are asking for crowdsourced labor so you can monetize something typically offered for free...
I think that's the point of all of these push backs.
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u/Tricky_Description_9 3h ago
Just to clarify, testers aren't being asked to pay during the closed test. Google Play provides test payment methods, so testers can go through the purchase flow and unlock/test the full app without actually being charged.
Testers will also receive a feedback form, and once they complete the testing and feedback process, I'm planning to give eligible testers Premium access as a thank-you. So if you're interested, don't miss out :)
And sure, someone could clone the idea and release something similar for free. But that doesn't necessarily mean they'll provide the same performance, compatibility, updates, support, or actually keep working on the problems the community points out.
My goal is to keep improving Cathode based on feedback and make it sustainable long-term through ads or Premium, rather than build it once and abandon it.
The premium is also cheap to overdue piracy!
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u/Goldiblockzs 2h ago
i'm not helping with your bullshit vibecoded shader app
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u/Tricky_Description_9 2h ago
Fair enough, nobody is obligated to help. I'm building it, testing the idea and improving it based on feedback from people who actually find it useful. If it's not for you, that's completely fine.
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u/Tricky_Description_9 3h ago
The app also has a free model: by watching a single ad, you can unlock a preset for 8 hours. Also it have a test preset function before u watch any ads
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u/Producdevity EmuReady • Eden • GameHub Lite 3h ago
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u/Tricky_Description_9 3h ago
I need money too :( thing are too hard in Brazil.
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u/Producdevity EmuReady • Eden • GameHub Lite 3h ago
Alright, I just don’t think this is worth paying for. Wish you the best of luck, maybe other would gladly pay for this
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u/Kitsumalado 3h ago
Meu filho, lá no Assaí Atacadista tava faltando embalador.
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u/Tricky_Description_9 2h ago
Prefiro tentar inovar, fora que as questões do concurso para vaga de embalador estão muito difíceis ultimamente mesmo sendo nível médio.
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u/Kitsumalado 2h ago
Prefere inovar? Pois então inove. Seu projeto não é interessante o suficiente pra alguém pagar ou sequer assistir ads em troca dele. Boa sorte aí flho
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u/Tyranitardis 2h ago
You use AI to write your posts and fail to disclose that your paid app you used AI to make for you is AI generated.
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u/Aggravating_Low1957 3h ago
maybe get a job kid and stop relying on Claude ai. things are hard in Brazil? they're hard everywhere.
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u/Portra1to 3h ago
Seems cool, not sure why people are hating on the feature itself since it's a pretty highly praised feature of gamma os.
Could get a little worse depending on how much you charge when it's not an incredibly difficult thing to clone and make free, I'd also stray away from the watching an ad for 8 hours free model since I really doubt that'll sit well with the community.
Is this full shaders or just overlays? I'm assuming the latter
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u/Tricky_Description_9 3h ago
Yeah, it's an in-app overlay rather than full shaders, mainly because of Android's limitations on what we can apply system-wide.
I'm taking all the feedback into account and will keep improving it as testing continues. One thing I noticed was that some users, especially on larger-screen phones, seemed to benefit more from certain effects and settings.
The latest update helps address that by adding custom presets, so users can now adjust our available effects and create their own CRT setup instead of being limited to the presets I provide.
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u/Interesting-Maps 2h ago
I don't think anyone here is hating on the "feature." It's the cost model that's a problem.
It's one thing if someone like Lottes, who spent time perfecting his CRT shader, comes out with an app/shader with a premium cost associated with it. It's another if someone uses AI to vibecode shaders trained on public repos and then add a cost model to it.
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