In recent years, we’ve seen countless Android gaming handhelds, some with overkill specs and support for multiple game platforms. But one thing that stands out is that most handhelds require initial legwork to set up to your liking. Even as brands such as ANBERNIC and Retroid have started to come with certain popular emulators preinstalled, managing titles can feel clunky because of the archaic and unsightly interfaces on some of these devices. Thankfully, there have been efforts not only to replace them with more appealing aesthetics but also to make discovery much easier, and the most ambitious approach has been iiSU, which draws heavily on the Nintendo DS.

iiSU is an emulation frontend — a launcher, of sorts — that brings a console-like interface for Android handhelds. It is designed to let you keep track of your progress in games and jump back to the last one you were playing, all from a single homescreen. iiSU also gives you access to multiple emulators from the homescreen and offers various options to customize or theme your view to your liking.

While iiSu was first showcased almost a year ago, it is now in alpha. Since the first teaser last year, the developer has added new options to place shortcuts on your homescreen. You can customize icon grids, use animated widgets for your favorite titles across multiple emulation platforms, or switch to a PSP-style list of titles. It’s also built with native controller support, so you never have to lift your thumb off the controls.

In addition to emulator-bound titles, you can also use iiSU to access standard Android apps and games without closing the interface. There’s dedicated support for quickly accessing your Discord server, so you can keep track of which friends are online and available for a multiplayer session, or chat with them without closing the game.

The frontend also supports dual-screen handhelds, such as AYANEO’s Flip 1S and Pocket DS, where you can choose which screen to play games on and which to view and browse your library or chat with allies.

Version 0.0.7.2 of iiSU is available for download on GitHub, and you can update it to future versions directly from the app. While convenient, don’t expect it to circumvent upcoming sideloading limitations on Android.