Delta Emulator Brings Retro Nintendo Games to iPhone

On April 17, the App Store welcomed its first Apple-approved emulator, Delta — a refined Nintendo emulator from developer Riley Testut. It’s available for free download on the App Store in many countries outside the European Union. In the EU, it can be downloaded through the newly launched third-party AltStore PAL app marketplace.

In an email to The Verge, Delta developer Riley Testut stated that the app’s version launching with AltStore PAL is identical to the original. It includes adaptive on-screen buttons that adjust their layout and design based on the system being emulated.

The emulator supports a broad spectrum of consoles — from the original Nintendo Entertainment System to the Nintendo 64 and even the Sega Genesis for titles unavailable on Nintendo platforms.

According to The Verge, Delta also supports unique Nintendo input methods, including the gyroscope in WarioWare: Twisted! and the microphone controls in Nintendo DS games like Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.

The app is compatible with a wide range of controllers, including Nintendo Switch Pro controllers, Joy-Cons, and Nintendo Switch Online controllers for NES, SNES, and N64. It also works with PS4 and PS5 controllers, Xbox One S and Xbox Series X controllers, MFi game controllers, and both Bluetooth and wired keyboards.

In addition, the app automatically retrieves box art for games and allows customization with images from its database or your own. Creating original controller skins is also supported. Multiplayer is also supported for NES, SNES, and N64 games for up to 4 players and allows AirPlay streaming.

Delta emulator allows customizing the controller layout and adding extra buttons for functions like quick save states — for example, to pause and resume games at any point — and fast-forward through lengthy cutscenes or startup logos in old-school games.

The emulator supports a variety of cheat codes for each system it emulates, including:

• Game Genie codes for NES
• Game Genie and Pro Action Replay cheats for SNES
• GameShark codes for N64
• Game Genie and GameShark codes for Game Boy Color
• Action Replay, Code Breaker, and GameShark cheats for Game Boy Advance
• Action Replay codes to enhance gameplay for DS

According to The Verge, before Delta, a few emulators like iGBA and an NES emulator named Bimmy were released, but they lasted only a short time. iGBA, which copied code from Testut’s earlier GBA4iOS, was removed by Apple for violations, including spam and copyright issues, while Bimmy’s developer withdrew due to fears of Nintendo’s enforcement against emulators.

Delta itself is not a new entrant; Testut launched its first version in 2019 with AltStore, an alternative to jailbreaking, says the Verge. Having undergone 5 years of development, including feature enhancements and bug fixes, Delta is poised to offer one of the most refined emulation experiences available on the iPhone for some time.