This launcher turns your Android phone into a Nintendo DS

When it comes to Android phones, there’s a launcher for pretty much every type of user. There are options like Niagara Launcher for a minimal look, Lawnchair for those who want a Pixel experience, and more. Now, there’s even a launcher for those who want their phone to look like a Nintendo DS or DSi game console.

In a new YouTube video, a developer who goes by the name Mr. Rubik has teased his upcoming Android app, and yes, it’s a launcher that brings the old nostalgic vibes of the DS and DSi consoles to your phone (via Retrododo). Check it out:

The video shows both DS and DSi-style launchers running on an Android device, and it looks really good. The developer has clearly done a great job getting the details right, including the NDS clock and the fonts.

It shows an NDS-like home screen, installed apps on your phone, and games, including your local DS, DSi, and GBA library. You can also use custom app icons, and it supports icon packs and notification badges as well. The developer claims the app is completely offline and includes no analytics or tracking features.

It looks like the kind of launcher that would be very well-suited to flip phones and devices like the AYN Thor. In fact, the developer has posted a clip of the launcher running on the Thor handheld on his Discord channel. Mr. Rubik has been taking the community’s feedback into consideration for several new features, including adding a new dark mode for the launcher.

The launcher will also support PictoChat, which NDS players probably remember. However, Mr. Rubik clarifies that the feature will only be supported on local networks, at least for now. It should be available from version 1.0.4 of the launcher. There’s currently no release date for the app, and Mr. Rubik hasn’t mentioned an expected price either. However, I’m hoping it launches sooner rather than later because I really want my phone to look like my old NDS.