Upcoming features in experimental builds include:

This is the core area for visual upgrades. It replaces blurry original PS2 textures with sharp, modern visuals.

It can dramatically boost fluid framerates in demanding titles.

While there is no official "AetherSX3," the community often uses this term to refer to highly optimized, unofficial mods or specific "extra quality" configurations of the original —widely regarded as the premier PlayStation 2 emulator for Android. These advanced setups focus on pushing modern mobile hardware to deliver a visual experience that exceeds the original console's capabilities. Visual Enhancement Settings

: Removes advertisements and experimental "anti-piracy" measures found in later official builds.

. It typically provides better performance and fewer glitches on modern Android hardware than OpenGL. Internal Resolution or higher (up to

| Feature | AetherSX2 (v1.5‑4248) | NetherSX2 (v2.1) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Present (intrusive) | Completely removed | | Frontend support | Removed in v4248 | Fully restored | | RetroAchievements | No official support | Hardcore mode fixed in v2.1 | | Resolution scaling | Basic list | “Better Resolution Scaling list values” | | Game‑specific fixes | Minimal | Extensive – includes fixes for GTA:SA, MGS3, Jak series, Digital Devil Saga, etc. | | Performance | As originally released | Improved through cpuCLUTRender and other optimizations | | Interface | Older Android UI | More modern Jetpack Compose (varies by build) |

The benefits of Aethersx3's Extra Quality mode are numerous and far-reaching. Some of the most significant advantages include:

Enable this option. It forces the game to render in a native 16:9 aspect ratio instead of stretching the old 4:3 box format.