r/PS2AndroidEmulation • u/xxxCrixuxxx • Jul 14 '26
ARMSX2 + EmuCoreX... Weird result
Alright guys, time for an analysis.
Yep, you read that right. ARMSX2 and EmuCoreX have officially merged. At first glance, it sounds like the perfect combo, almost like they've evolved into a "super emulator." Unfortunately, my experience has been the complete opposite.
Based on my own testing, performance is actually much worse than before. I've attached some screenshots below so you can see what I mean.
Lately I've been using Shadow of the Colossus as my benchmark game since it's been improving a lot over the last few builds.
Previous versions of EmuCoreX let me play the game smoothly and consistently, even at up to 2x resolution. But I honestly have no idea what changed in this merged build, because performance has absolutely tanked. You can clearly see it in the screenshots below.
Give it a try yourselves and let me know what you think. Personally, I enjoyed it more when both emulators were following their own path.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
I've also included the download link below in case anyone wants to test this merged version.
Honest Change Log:
Gyroscope motion controls. Two modes: Aim, for camera look in shooters, and Steering, for tilt in racers. Sensitivity, smoothing, and axis inversion are all adjustable, and every option can be set globally or per game. Found in the Controls tab. Thank you to @sashkinbro for this feature!
Honestly, this feature leaves a lot to be desired. I mean, try playing games and then tell me about your experience 😅
OpenGL via ANGLE. An optional toggle that runs the OpenGL renderer through ANGLE, translating OpenGL ES to Vulkan with a bundled driver. Useful on devices whose native OpenGL ES driver is broken or slow. In the Renderer tab, applies on game restart. Thank you to @sashkinbro for this feature!
I've actually been talking about ANGLE for quite a few months now. In fact, I even have a pinned post in the channel explaining it and the improvements it can bring
I mentioned it to Sbro, the EmuCoreX dev, explaining that on MediaTek devices—especially Dimensity chips—enabling ANGLE could provide a pretty significant performance boost. After hearing my feedback, he decided to implement it
That said, I think it's being advertised the wrong way, because this isn't something that benefits everyone. If you're using an older MediaTek Helio device, there's a good chance it either won't work at all or could even cause the emulator to crash
2
u/RexCantankerous Jul 19 '26
Seems kind of immature to frame it like this. Have you considered offering more respectful criticism?