If the stock DraStic app on your RG DS stops launching, loses its configuration, or you just want to reset it to the way it shipped, you can put back the exact app and default config that GammaOS installs on first boot, plus the DraStic system properties, from a computer over ADB. This page is the end to end procedure.

Do you need this page?

Since GammaOS 1.4.2, DS games from the Game menu run on the built-in DraStic Nano, which ships everything it needs in the system and does not use the DraStic app at all. Its saves live in /sdcard/drastic-nano, not in the app's folder. So reinstalling the app will not change how DS games from the Game menu play, and you do not need it for DraStic Nano.

This page is still useful when:

• you want the stock DraStic app itself back (for example to open it from Applications), or its configuration has broken;
• DS games from the Game menu open the stock DraStic app instead of DraStic Nano. That means the DraStic Nano switch property was lost: Step 2 puts it back.

If a DS game misbehaves in DraStic Nano, look at the DraStic Nano page first (for example turn the experimental GPU 3D renderer off).

This restores the DraStic app and its default config (the files under the app's own data folder) and the DraStic properties. It does not touch your games or DraStic Nano's saves: ROMs (/sdcard/ROMs) and the drastic-nano folder are left alone.

What you need

• A computer with ADB installed and your RG DS connected over USB with USB debugging on. New to this? ADB Setup and Logs gets you set up in a couple of minutes.
• Root ADB. The steps write to protected system folders, so they run adb root first. This works on the standard GammaOS builds.

The files used below (drastic_r2.6.0.4a.apk and drastic.tar.zst) already live on the device in /system/etc, so you do not need to download anything.

Step 1: reinstall DraStic and its default config

Open a terminal or Command Prompt on your computer and run:

adb root
adb wait-for-device
adb shell 'pm install -r /system/etc/drastic_r2.6.0.4a.apk'
adb shell '
u=$(stat -c "%U" /data/data/com.dsemu.drastic)
g=$(stat -c "%G" /data/data/com.dsemu.drastic)
zstd -dc /system/etc/drastic.tar.zst | tar -x -P -C /
rm -f /data/data/com.dsemu.drastic/files/DraStic/shaders/SMAA.dfx /data/data/com.dsemu.drastic/files/DraStic/shaders/Scanline.dfx /data/data/com.dsemu.drastic/files/DraStic/shaders/scanline.dsd
rm -rf /data/data/com.dsemu.drastic/files/DraStic/shaders/smaa
chown -R $u:$g /data/data/com.dsemu.drastic
pm grant com.dsemu.drastic android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO
pm grant com.dsemu.drastic android.permission.BLUETOOTH_CONNECT
appops set --uid com.dsemu.drastic RECORD_AUDIO allow
'

What each part does:

• pm install -r ... installs (or reinstalls, keeping data) the DraStic APK.
• zstd -dc drastic.tar.zst | tar -x -P -C / unpacks the default DraStic configuration into the app's data folder. (Builds before 1.4.2 shipped it as drastic.tar.gz; on those, use tar -xf /system/etc/drastic.tar.gz -C / instead.)
• The two rm lines remove the SMAA and Scanline shaders. SMAA forces a desktop GLSL path that does not exist on the Mali GPU, so DraStic crashes if it is selected; Scanline is unwanted. GammaOS ships without them, and this prunes any left over from an older install.
• chown -R gives the unpacked files back to DraStic (a tar extract lands them as root, and DraStic cannot read its own data until the owner is fixed).
• pm grant and appops set restore the microphone and Bluetooth permissions DraStic expects.

If pm install reports that the file does not exist, your build may ship a different DraStic version. Find the exact name with adb shell 'ls /system/etc/drastic_*.apk' and use that path.

Step 2: restore the DraStic properties

These are the DraStic-related system properties GammaOS sets on the RG DS. They persist across reboots.

adb root
adb shell '
setprop persist.gammaos.nano.drastic_nano 1
setprop persist.gammaos.nano.triple_buffer 1
setprop persist.gammaos.nano.vsync 1
setprop persist.gammaos.ultra_low_power_saving_freeze_exclude_packages com.dsemu.drastic
'
adb reboot

DraStic Nano runs as a GammaOS Nano overlay, so it also relies on the Nano overlay being enabled (persist.gammaos.nano.overlay=1), which is the default on the RG DS.

Step 3: verify

After the reboot:

• Open DraStic from the Applications category and confirm it starts. Launch a DS game from the Game menu and confirm it opens in DraStic Nano (a short tap of Back shows the DraStic Nano menu).
• Confirm the properties took, if you want to double check:

adb shell getprop persist.gammaos.nano.drastic_nano
adb shell getprop persist.gammaos.ultra_low_power_saving_freeze_exclude_packages

Full reset (optional)

Step 1 keeps any files you added to DraStic's own data folder. To wipe DraStic's internal data back to a completely clean state first, uninstall it before Step 1:

adb root
adb shell 'pm uninstall com.dsemu.drastic'

Then run Step 1 and Step 2 as above. Your ROMs on /sdcard/ROMs and DraStic Nano's drastic-nano folder are not affected by the uninstall, but any DraStic app settings, cheats, or save states kept inside the app's own data folder are removed and replaced with the defaults. If you still have saves there that you want in DraStic Nano, use Import DraStic saves on DraStic Nano's General page before uninstalling.

Troubleshooting

• adb root says it cannot run as root. Make sure the device is actually running GammaOS, not stock firmware. See ADB Setup and Logs.
• DraStic installs but has no sound or cannot record. Re-run the pm grant and appops lines from Step 1; the microphone permission is what DraStic uses for the DS microphone.
• DraStic starts then closes when you pick a shader. An old SMAA or Scanline shader is still present. Re-run the two rm lines from Step 1.
• DraStic will not launch after a restore. Confirm ownership was fixed: adb shell 'ls -ld /data/data/com.dsemu.drastic' should show the DraStic app user, not root. Re-run the chown -R line from Step 1 if it shows root.

Related pages

• DraStic Nano
• DraStic Nano Controls
• ADB Setup and Logs