Running emulations of older games on phones has been something people have done for years, which is why so many popular titles — like Final Fantasy VII — are now being ported to mobile, since that’s how many people want to play them. But what about the other way around? Now you can run Android 5.0 Lollipop apps on your PC, thanks to the new AMIDuOS 2.0 Lollipop emulator release.
This is a well-timed release, since Microsoft is currently said to be working on a simple way for Android developers to port over their games, apps and experiences to Windows 10. While waiting for that to come to pass though, AMIDuOS should suffice for those keen to see their phone games and apps on something bigger than a few inches of screen.
There’s also no guarantee that when Microsoft does provide that sort of functionality, developers will make use of it, so this system at least puts the power in the hands of the users.
Related: 20 emulators for classic gaming fun on Android phones
The only stipulation for installing the emulator is that it will require hardware virtualization. While not a problem for desktops and laptop PCs, as Winbeta reports, Surface 3 owners will run into the problem of it being turned off by default in the system’s firmware. Someone may figure out how to change that, but for now it’s not doable.
There is of course also a paywall to hurdle over with this emulator, with the developers asking for $15 for full support on Windows 7, 8 and 10. However, anyone can try the release for free if they like and there is always the older, AMIDuOS 1.1 Jellybean if you’re only looking to emulate older applications. It retails at a cheaper $10, though of course it won’t support all of the latest apps.
Are there any particular Android applications that you want to play on your PC or laptop?
