Daijisho is a relatively new front-end that combines an attractive customizable interface with some neat extras. Unfortunately, it’s not super intuitive and documentation is fairly sparse. In this guide, we walk you through how to get Daijisho up and running on your Android device in no time.
What Is a Front-End?
In the realm of video game emulation, the term “front-end” refers to software that acts as a graphical user interface (GUI) for the organization and launching of various video game emulators and the ROMs associated with them. In layman’s terms, a front-end is an attractive way to display your ROM collection and provide an easy way to play them – all from a single app. A front-end is not an emulator itself, nor does it download or provide ROMs for you to play. Instead, it is an appealing way to tie all of those things together. Therefore, you’ll need to provide your own ROM files as well as the emulators you want to use.
Install the Daijisho App
Head over to the Google Play Store and download the Daijisho app. The app is completely free; however, be aware that it is still being actively developed. New features may be added in the future, and there is the possibility that you may encounter some bugs, but we did not experience any hiccups in our testing. Launch the Daijisho app once it has downloaded and been installed on your device.
Download Platforms
FIrst, “install platforms” on Daijisho. In this case, “platforms” refer to the consoles you plan on running.
Download Emulators
Since Daijisho is only a front-end, you’ll need to source emulators for your chosen platforms. Fortunately, there are many available Android emulators. Daijisho is not compatible with every emulator. However, since the app is in active development, emulator compatibility grows with each update.
Add ROMs
Once you’ve downloaded your platforms, you’ll need to add some games. You can use your device’s internal storage or external storage like a microSD card or USB. We recommend using a microSD card if your device supports one. It doesn’t matter how you organize your games, but our advice is to place your ROMs in folders based on console to make it easier when you’re telling Daijisho where to find your ROMs. If you’re already into video game emulation, you probably have ROMs you can load onto your device and use with Daijisho. However, if you’re jumping into video game emulation for the first time, you’ll need to source them from somewhere.
Select ROM Path for Each Platform
Now that you have your ROMs on your device, you need to tell Daijisho where to find them. Note: you can tap “Add More” to select an additional directory if you have ROMs that correspond with that platform in more than one place on your device.
Build Game Library
Now that Daijisho knows where to look for your ROMs, you need to tell it to build the game library so that you can actually play the games.
Customize With Wallpaper Packs
Out of the box, Daijisho looks pretty good. But if you want to customize the look by changing the default wallpapers for each platform, you’re in luck. Daijisho allows users to download wallpaper packs from within the app.
Configure Widgets
Daijisho has its own widgets, though they’re more of a novelty than anything. The widgets are totally optional, so feel free to skip this section. There are widgets for retro achievements, favorite games, and many more. To install widgets: All images and screenshots by Ryan Lynch.
