iPhone users may have recently noticed the surge in popularity of a new iOS app called Delta. Soon after launch it became the number one free app in Apple’s App Store.
But what exactly is Delta, and is it worth all of the hype? We’ve created this guide to explain everything you need to know about the iPhone app.
What is Delta?
Delta is one of the very first Apple-approved emulation apps to be made available to download via the iPhone’s App Store.
As an emulation app, it gives iPhone users the means to play video games from retro consoles such as the Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo Game Boy, and Nintendo N64.
Delta even provides an overlay on the iPhone, showing classic controls for each system which you can interact with via the iPhone’s touch screen. Prodding a smartphone screen won’t quite feel the same as a proper game controller, but it’s still an intuitive way to replicate the controls of those classic consoles and you do at least get Haptic Touch support.
Delta also supports a range of game controllers, including those from the PS4, PS5, Xbox One S, Xbox Series X and more.
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Like with any emulator, Delta doesn’t come with any games installed. The user must instead acquire the games separately, either by loading their own ROMs, via iTunes file syncing or through a cloud library hosted by the likes of Google Drive or Dropbox.
Many retro games are protected by copyright, which makes it difficult to acquire and download them legally. It’s this reason why Apple has previously been so reluctant to allow emulators on its App Store.
Apple has now seemingly changed its policy following pressure from the United States and European Union regarding its App Store rules.
Delta was created by independent iOS developer Riley Testut who previously launched the GBA4iOS emulator. However, this emulator was not made available through the App Store, and so had to be downloaded and installed through the Safari web browser in order to avoid Apple’s strict restrictions. The newer Delta emulator meets all of Apple’s latest regulations, and so is available to download through the App Store instead, making emulation legitimate on the iPhone for the very first time.
Delta almost certainly won’t be the last emulator to arrive on iPhone, and if Apple decides to stick to its new App Store rules, we’ll likely see an influx of alternative options arrive in the near future.
