Delta emulator – how to play classic Nintendo games on iPhone

On 17 April 2024, an emulator officially appeared in the iOS App Store for the first time. New territory. Previously, you needed to jailbreak. But that’s all in the past now. I tried Delta emulator and love it.

The App Store opens its doors

Why is Delta emulator coming to the App Store now of all times? Apple has adapted the guidelines for its App Store under pressure from various regulatory authorities. With this, emulators are now permitted in the App Store. These programs imitate the behaviour of another app or device. In this case, Delta emulates various Nintendo systems.

Specifically, these consoles and handhelds:

• Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
• Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
• Nintendo 64 (N64)
• Game Boy/Game Boy Color (GBC)
• Game Boy Advance (GBA)
• Nintendo DS (DS)

How do I get my games into Delta, and is it legal?

In Switzerland, I can simply download the emulator from the App Store. If you live in an EU country such as Germany, you have to download the free Delta emulator via alternative platform AltStore.

Emulators aren’t illegal. Nevertheless, they were banned from Apple’s App Store until recently. No more. However, they’re only permitted under certain circumstances. Emulators aren’t allowed to offer games. The rights to them are still held by Nintendo and Co.

When you download the emulator, it has to be empty. You have to get the games yourself and copy them to your mobile phone. You can do this, for example, with a cartridge dumper such as Retrode or Open Source Cartridge Reader, which allows you to read game files from the module. Alternatively, you can do this with modded consoles or handhelds such as the 3DS. However, you’ll also need the original game modules for this. With those, you can transfer the roms to your iPhone via Dropbox, Finder, iTunes, etc.

First, I try out Pokémon Red Edition. The game is ideal for touch controls, as it doesn’t require quick reactions. Pokémon Red Edition feels wonderful to play and looks beautiful on the high-resolution iPhone display. The 160 × 144 pixels of the Game Boy can’t keep up. Thanks to the useful save function, I can put my phone aside at any time.

Complex controls don’t work with the touch display

I’m less convinced by games that require precise controls. Super Mario World is perfectly playable with a virtual directional pad. Nevertheless, the platformer is less suitable for the emulator than the chill Pokémon.

I go one step further and try out the 3D Super Mario 64. I’m surprised that camera controls with the virtual N64 controller cause fewer problems than expected. What’s more, it took some getting used to even on the original. I actually navigate my way through Princess Peach’s castle fairly elegantly and enter the first level – Bob-Omb’s Bomb Mountain. There, too, I climb King Bob-Omb’s mountain without any problems. Once I reach the top, however, the boss battle shows me the limits of a phone-based control system.

I just can’t manage to get behind King Bob-Omb in time and miss my attack window. A few attempts later, I find a workaround: I tap the virtual joystick at short intervals instead of swiping my thumb over it, as I would in other games. This gives me enough precision to defeat my enemy. However, this control scheme takes some getting used to.

More gimmicks through controllers, AirPlay and co.

Fortunately, you don’t have to put up with manual control. Delta offers a simple solution: you can connect many Bluetooth controllers to your iPhone and assign the buttons as you wish. So I connected my original N64 controller for Nintendo Switch Online directly to my phone and played Super Mario 64 just like on the console.

You can go one step further. If you connect your iPhone to your TV via AirPlay, you can play the games from the emulator on your television. How cool is that?

Unfortunately, not as cool as I’d hoped. Super Mario 64’s picture quality deteriorates significantly for me via AirPlay. The graphics look washed out compared to the Nintendo Switch Online version. The controls are also extremely laggy – so much so that Super Mario 64 is unplayable for me.

The Delta emulator provides additional functions. For example, you can customise the user interface with skins. A fast-forward function is also included. You can view the entire list on the official Delta page.

Six Nintendo consoles in your pocket

I’m very happy about the latest change in the regulations of Apple’s App Store. At last, I no longer have to keep digging out my dusty hardware when I want to play an older game. I don’t know what your gamer cave looks like, but I can’t connect ten consoles to my TV at the same time.

Delta offers an easy way to play Nintendo classics in an uncomplicated way. Unfortunately, not all games are suitable for touch controls. As soon as I need precise movements or quick reactions, I’m at a loss. But since I can simply connect a controller, the problem can be avoided.

I can recommend Delta emulator to anyone who wants to casually play a round of Super Mario Land or Goldeneye. You won’t get the physical experience of inserting a cartridge, but it’s definitely enough for a short dose of nostalgia.