In the weeks since Apple announced that it was relaxing its App Store policies regarding emulators, we’ve seen a few emulators for Nintendo systems come and go for various reasons, like iGBA being delisted for using entirely stolen code or an NES emulator that was uploaded and approved before being willingly taken down by the creator in hopes of avoiding Nintendo’s wrath. Today, what tens of thousands of people have been waiting for has finally come to pass, however, as Riley Testut’s Delta Emulator is now officially available for free on Apple’s App Store in the US.
Delta — the app that started it all — is available NOW in the App Store!
Yes, you read that right: our long-rejected game emulator has been approved by Apple themselves 🍎
If you live outside the EU, download now from the App Store — no DMA required https://t.co/jytQgVJFp9 pic.twitter.com/jIN7Ru2alN
— AltStore.io (@altstoreio) April 17, 2024
Delta has been around awhile, even longer if you consider its predecessor GBA4iOS (which iGBA, mentioned above, cloned their code from). To many, it’s the Game Boy Advance emulator on iOS, though these days it emulates far more than just Game Boy Advance games. Delta officially supports ROMs from Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, NES, SNES, and N64 games, with even more on the way, including Sega Genesis, according to Testut.
With Apple’s previous stance on emulators essentially banning them from the App Store up until this month, Delta has instead been available through Testut’s own AltStore, a sideloading service designed around Apple’s Free Developer Program, with beta testing accessible through Testut’s Patreon. Delta’s new availability through the App Store doesn’t mean AltStore is going anywhere, however, as Testut also introduced AltStore PAL today, an official Apple-approved third party app marketplace for iOS users in the EU. Delta’s official home in the EU is through AltStore, rather than Apple’s App Store, interestingly enough.
It remains to be seen if Nintendo will take issue with Testut distributing Delta through the App Store, though it’s important to note that Delta is only an emulator. It’s available for free, no ROMs are provided, and no proprietary code is being used. Theoretically that should keep Delta in the clear, legally, though this hasn’t stopped Nintendo from trying to shut down emulators in the past.
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Written by Jaxson Tapp
As a lover of gaming and the written word, Jaxson currently fills his time not only with playing games, but also writing about them. Ready for anything, Jaxson’s passion for puzzle games, JRPGs, tough platformers, and whimsical indies helps him bring a well-rounded opinion to Nintendo Wire’s reporting.
