For players who miss the classic PS3 menu, there is now a new option. Wave, an Android launcher, brings Sony's iconic XrossMediaBar (XMB) interface to Android handhelds, allowing players to relive the nostalgic user experience. Additionally, it offers many practical features and recently received an update.
Wave is designed for retro gamers, allowing games to be categorized and managed by platform, while supporting game collection organization and multimedia playback. Its standout feature is the interface design, which draws inspiration from Sony's classic XrossMediaBar menu system. Players can switch horizontally between different functional categories and scroll vertically to browse content within each category, just like on the PS3.
Unlike the default Android interface, which requires launching games and emulators individually, Wave allows players to centrally manage their entire game library. Players can set up favorite lists, view recently played games, and import game covers, descriptions, and other images from multiple databases. Additionally, Wave supports tracking game achievements via RetroAchievements and viewing playtime statistics. For devices with dual screens like the AYN Thor, the launcher also provides specialized layout and display options.
Wave recently released version 1.0.4 on October 28, focusing on optimizing the user experience. After the update, the launcher starts up faster, and the game library continues to update in the background without interrupting normal use. Meanwhile, the development team fixed several issues related to game launching and library display, and added iiDB as a source for game covers, images, and related information.
According to hands-on experience from Retro Handhelds, even the previous version 1.0 of Wave already performed well. If you own a Retroid Pocket 6, Odin 2 Pro, or other Android handhelds, and happen to miss the classic menu interface from the PS3 era, Wave is worth trying. However, some Reddit users have noted that early versions still had minor issues, and bugs might occur during actual use.
Wave Launcher allows users to organize games by platform on Android handhelds
The appearance can also be customized