I Spent the Weekend Emulating Games on My iPhone, Here's What I Learned

howtogeek.com:

You can now turn your iPhone into a retro gaming machine, no jailbreak required. But just because you can, doesn’t necessarily mean you should. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.

Emulators on My iPhone?

Just in case you missed it, Apple now allows emulators on the App Store. The first emulator to arrive was Delta, a multiple-system emulator that focuses on Nintendo platforms from the NES through to the DS. Previously known as GBA4iOS, the project combines mature emulator cores in a single package that has been in development since 2019.

Once upon a time, you’d need to jailbreak your iPhone or compile and sideload the emulator yourself, using a copy of Xcode and a Mac. Now you can download it from the App Store and go hog wild. Delta is the first of many emulators that are bound to arrive on the iPhone, using the power of Apple’s mobile chips to mimic classic gaming hardware.

The first time you run an emulator like Delta feels like taking a bite out of a forbidden fruit. Apple has prohibited apps like this since the App Store arrived in 2008. For that reason alone, you might want to download and try out Delta just because you can.

Playing Emulated Games on Your iPhone Is a Mixed Bag

Emulating platforms like the SNES or N64 on your iPhone is more than a novelty. For many, the iPhone is now the most accessible way to play old games. Everything I threw at the emulator on my iPhone 13 Pro worked perfectly. Even if you have a much older device, platforms like the NES, Game Boy, and SNES should give you very little trouble.

It’s the experience that retro gaming enthusiasts who also happen to own an iPhone have dreamed about. If you had previously considered switching to Android to play older games on the go, you no longer need to do that. If you’re sick of mobile games and would rather level up your Charmander on the bus, you can.

Unfortunately, there are a few drawbacks to playing retro games on your iPhone. On-screen touch controls are still bad for