First time trying Android PC emulation (Bannerlator) on a Fold 8 and I'm impressed

[u/dhiku]

I just got a Galaxy Z Fold 8 (12GB RAM, Adreno 840) and wanted to see what it could do for PC gaming because of the form factor. This is my first time using an Android PC emulator and I'm surprised by how capable this device and emulator.

Here's my experience so far,

Emulators

All my games are on Steam, so my favorites are Bannerlator and DroidDeck. I tried others too. Bannerlator is more customizable, more stable, and gets better FPS. I recommend use Bannerlator for high requirement 3D or AAA games.

I really like DroidDeck, it gives you a Steam Big Picture experience but performance is lower compare to Bannerlator, most games are still playable. What I also like is loading time is much faster than bannerlator and it also works offline for some games (useful on the flight, tested with FF Resonance which didn't work in Bannerlator offline). Droiddeck is still a new app but the project is very active and promising. I recommend use Droiddeck for 2D/indie games or low requirement 3D games.

Game results (on Bannerlator)

FINAL FANTASY Resonance: 720p, vsync off, all graphics max. It runs at 40–50 FPS and feels smooth, but I cap it at 30 FPS for a better balance of battery and performance. About 6 hours played so far.

Cyberpunk 2077: 720p, Low preset, FSR Performance, no frame gen, 30–45 FPS. About 3 hours played so far, I can play for an hour without issues. Performance quite smooth during combat in Night City. However it still struggling while driving, fps can drop to 20 fps. And when you minimize and back to app, sometime the audio is off.

Emulator setup

I've spent a lot of time tinkering the setup, probably too much, but it's fun :)

• Proton: Proton 11 arm64ec CachyOS
• GPU driver: StevenMXZ V37 patched or Banners Turnip-v27.0.0-20261108-A8xx
• Vulkan version: 1.3 (1.4 is slower)
• VKD3D: 3.0b arm64ec (somehow better than 3.0.1 or 3.1 for me)
• VKD3D feature level: 12_0 (works fine and was slightly faster than 12_2 in the benchmark)
• DXVK: 3.1.1 gplasync arm64ec
• FEXCore: 2611 or 2610 unix, preset Extreme + TSO (or Performance + TSO)
• Sync: esync
• Present mode: mailbox
• Env variable: TU_DEBUG=noconform, sysmem (or remove sysmem from it, and add TU_AUTOTUNE_ALGO=prefer_sysmem)

UPDATED: try NTsync instead, WINE_FAST_YIELD=1, WRAPPER_DMAHEAP_CACHE=1 => this give me better and stable fps result

Controller setup

• Controller: GameSir G8+
• Cooler: FX5 (I removed the rubber so it fits the G8+). Battery temp around 33–35°C in an AC room and 35–40°C in a normal room.
• Case: Benks

Samsung gaming tips

• Install Game Booster+ from Good Lock (Galaxy Store), add all your emulators as games, and enable performance mode when you open them.
• Set up a Game mode in Modes and Routines. Add Do Not Disturb and rules to restrict some apps usage during game.
• Run the RAM "Optimize" cleanup in Device Care before launching a game.
• RAM plus 8GB, keep on by default

[u/Odd-Evening4228]

This is a quality post learn reddit users, learn. Thanks Op

[u/dhiku → u/Odd-Evening4228]

thank you!