AetherSX2 is a ps2 emulator recently released released for android. If you have an android phone, it’s simple enough to get it by going to the Google Play store. However it’s not readily available for the Nvidia Shield. Luckily the Nvidia Shield is an android device, so it’s simple enough to side load it. Check out my YouTube video review.
Why would you want to go through the trouble of getting it on the Nvidia Shield?
If playing PS2 games on the big screen is something you would be interested in. Then let’s continue.
First, we need to download AetherSX2 apk from www.apkpure.com website. The latest is AetherSX2_valpha-702_apkpure.com.apk . Or you can download directly from this link .
You will also need to find your ps2 roms. and PS2 bios file. For legal reasons I cannot provide links to these. A simple google search can point you in the right direction. Just google “PS2 roms” and “PS2 bios“. PS2 games are “BIG”. Get your self a usb drive, preferably a 256GB. Nvidia Shield is a bit finicky with which usb drives it prefers. I’ve had a good experience with these.
Once you have all the required files mentioned above and your flash drive. We can continue.
First, let me start by saying AetherSX2 is still in beta phase. Which means somethings are still not quite there yet. Don’t let this deter you though. It’s just a few extra steps to glory.
Make a folder on the flash drive and call it PS2. Drag your roms in there. You can also put your PS2 bios in that folder.
put your AetherSX2_valpha-702_apkpure.com.apk file in the root of the flash drive. It should look like this.
Now, on your Nvidia shield. Download an app that can install apk files. I liked APK Installer. It’s super simple to use.
You will also need to get Shield tv app on your phone.
Open APK installer. Click on “Install apps” button. install AetherSX2_valpha-702_apkpure.com.apk .
From here either AetherSX2 will launch automatically or you will have to manually launch it. Because this is a beta build the app isn’t even visible on my normal apps menu. If it didn’t open automatically. Go to “settings”, then “Apps”, then “See all apps”. AetherSX2 should be visible there.
This is where the Shield tv app will come in handy. You need a mouse pointer to properly set up AetherSX2 . Connect to your Shield tv app on your phone to your Nvidia shield tv. Launch “Shield tv” app on your phone. It should automatically look for the Nvidia shield on your network. Make sure both the phone and the Nvidia shield are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Look for your Shield tv , input in the code it gives you, and your set.
Now on the Shield tv app, click on the “remote” button on the lower left hand side. That’ll bring up the track pad. Now you have a pointer on your Nvidia Shield tv.
Now either AetherSX2 automatically launched or you manually had to launch it. Use the pointer from your “Shield tv” phone app to finish setup. Click next on the first couple of pages until you come up on the “Import BIOS” page. double click on it and look for your bios. Once you find it, double click on it to select it. That will take you back to the Import Bios page. Make sure to highlight the bios by clicking on the circle to the right. Click next. Now you will see “Game Directories” page. Double click on the “+” sign. Look for your directory and “SELECT” it. Click Next. Then click “FINISH” , the app will populate your games.
Now comes the fun part! Testing your games. For this part, I chose to pair my ps4 Dual shock controller to the Nvidia Shield tv through the use of an 8-bit do. You can just pair them through bluetooth, but the lag makes the gaming experience horrendous. Save your self the headache and spend the $20 for it. You’ll thank me later. Pick one up here.
If you got the 8-bit do. The controller works right out of the box, no need for set up. I couldn’t find the select button, but the games I tried didn’t need them.
I played Silent Hill 2, it played great!
Kingdom Hearts played good. I did notice a drop in frames when looking straight at a water fall.
God of War was unplayable . However I changed a couple of settings to make it playable.
In the System tab. I changed “EE Cycle Rate to 60% (-2)”, and “EE Cycle skip to moderate Underclocking (2)”.
This made God Of War playable
From there you can play with the settings that best fit your games. I did change the “Upscale Multiplier” to 2x and it made the games more crisp. I also removed the virtual control pad, since I was using an actual game pad. I do recommend getting PAL version of the games if you can. Since they run on native 50 frames, they can be less intensive on the emulator. If you find other settings that help the gameplay out, hit me up. Other than that. Enjoy.
