Nick Fernandez / Android Authority
TL;DR
- The popular Nintendo DS emulator DraStic has been removed from the Google Play Store.
- The developer has not announced why it was removed, but the official website is also down.
- DraStic was made free in the fallout of the Yuzu case, but remains closed-source.
The emulation scene has been dealt another huge blow as DraStic DS emulator no longer appears on the Google Play Store. The listing now displays an error, with no announcement about what happened or why it was removed. The official website is also down, indicating this is more than a temporary removal.
If you’ve spent any time with retro emulation on Android, odds are you’ve used DraStic emulator. It first landed on the Play Store more than a decade ago, providing excellent performance for most Nintendo DS titles. Despite being out of active development since 2017, it’s still the best Nintendo DS emulator for older or weaker devices.
The app has been on life support for some time now, with the last major announcement from developer Exophage coming via Discord last year. In the wake of the Yuzu case, DraStic was made free, likely in an attempt to avoid legal troubles from Nintendo. The writing was on the wall, though, with Exophage also writing, “I don’t intend to even have it on (the Play Store) for that much longer…”
DraStic has been out of active development since 2017, but it still played most games.
At that point, the developer also promised to make the app open-source, but as of writing, that hasn’t happened. That means there’s no possibility of forks with added features or an updated UI. The app can still be sideloaded normally, provided you can find a reputable place to download it.
While DraStic was still a great emulator, other options have popped up to fill the gap. MelonDS is one, and although it’s still in beta, it has a more modern UI and a few features not found on DraStic. All-in-one platforms like RetroArch and Lemuroid can also use the DeSmuME Libretro core, although performance is mixed.
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