PokeDaisy might just be the best way to relive your retro Game Boy Pokémon games on Android handhelds

Emulation on Android is advancing rapidly thanks to AI, and one GitHub user has decided to expand on the potential of retro emulation, specifically Pokémon games on Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance. PokeDaisy is a new project from GitHub user “lidor30” that aims to run classic Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance games natively on Android, with multiple quality-of-life features tailored for dual-screen handhelds like the AYN Thor and Retroid Pocket series, amongst other options.

What Makes PokeDaisy Different from Normal Emulation?

Unlike traditional emulators, PokeDaisy aims to deliver a native experience and provides an out-of-the-box dual-screen setup for supported devices. These are some of the features PokeDaisy offers:

• Companion on the second screen. The companion gives access to cheats and extra info on the player’s equipment, map, Pokémon, stats, Pokédex, guide, and more. 
• Fast-forwarding of up to 10x
• Save states
• Real-time clock for the game
• Fast-forwarding does not affect the music
• Rewind
• Custom HUD
• Performance overlays
• Themes
• Remappable controls

PokeDaisy, along with Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Color Pokémon games, also supports several ROM hacks and fan-made ROMs. Mobile Android players can use the companion on their HUD. To comply with copyright laws, PokeDaisy requires that players dump their own ROM files. A full compatibility list is available on the GitHub page.

A New Era of Android Emulation

With PokeDaisy, players can enjoy a native-like experience with a real-time clock and all the features of an emulator, plus guides for different cases right in the app. The project is in active development and uses AI assistance, with the developer working to add support for other ROM hacks and improve compatibility for currently supported games. For anyone looking to get into old Pokémon games and emulation, PokeDaisy is the perfect place to start.