Nintendo game emulator currently top free download on iPhone App Store

eurogamer.net:

An emulator that lets users play thousands of Nintendo games is currently the top free download on the iPhone App Store.

The Delta app currently supports downloaded versions of countless classics from the NES, SNES, N64 home consoles, as well as Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS handhelds.

The app's rapid rise in popularity follows Apple's recent change in app store policy to officially allow video game emulator apps onto its storefront for the first time. The move has been linked to growing pressure on the company by European legislators to make Apple allow third-party app stores and the use of emulators on iPhone without the need to jailbreak devices.

Notably, Nintendo has yet to comment on the decision, despite its typically firm stance towards piracy.

Officially, Nintendo provides access to a limited catalogue of NES, SNES and Game Boy games through its Nintendo Switch Online subscription, with access to N64 and Game Boy Advance titles included via a pricier Expansion Pack tier. There's no method of playing emulated DS titles.

Unofficially, emulators like Delta allow users to download countless video game ROMs from internet sites free of charge.

Earlier this week, Apple pulled another Nintendo game emulator app after it was discovered that the app itself was based on another emulator's code.

At the time, a report suggested Apple's stance on emulators extended only to support for 'retro' consoles — though no specific definition of what this included was provided.

Delta's support for Nintendo DS, later models of which were not formally discontinued until 2013, suggests that this definition is being applied to hardware only 10 years old.

Eurogamer has again contacted Nintendo for its stance on the matter.