Popular Delta Retro Game Emulator Officially Comes to iPad

Sunday July 14, 2024 1:21 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

Game emulator Delta, which has been a hit among retro gaming enthusiasts on iPhone, is now officially available for iPad, following an app update to version 1.6.

delta emulator ipad
Delta has been hugely popular since its debut on the App Store and the emulator has been a constant presence in the Top Charts, with users flocking to play retro games that originally appeared on NES, SNES, N64, Nintendo DS, Game Boy, and Game Boy Advance.

With iPad support in v1.6, users can now take full advantage of the device's larger display and play in fullscreen. There are new controller skins designed specifically for iPad, and the app supports multiple windows in Stage Manager and Split View, with games able to optionally pause when switching windows. The iPad version also supports external game controllers, and the developer Riley Testut says emulated games "hand off" seamlessly between iPhone and iPad, allowing gamers to continue playing where they left off.

Testut says the need for BIOS files has now been eliminated, streamlining the setup process. Users should also notice a considerable improvement in the performance of DS games. The update introduces various menu button gestures, providing more intuitive navigation options. An experimental feature, "Reverse Controller Skin Screens," has also been added, allowing users to switch controller skin screens at runtime, offering greater customization and flexibility during gameplay.

Testut previously explained that Delta for iPad had not originally been a development priority because the plan was to limit the emulator's launch to the EU via alternative app marketplace AltStore PAL, which doesn't support iPad.

However, in a reversal of a years-old policy, Apple in April decided to allow retro game emulators on the ‌App Store‌. Delta was therefore made available on the App Store as a free download in the United States and other countries, with users supporting the developer via Patreon. Official download links for the latest version can be found on the Delta website.

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Top Rated Comments

con2apple

30 months ago

Thanks to the EU. Without them, there would be no emulator on iOS in the USA.

In case anyone asks why:
Because Apple had to install the opening for the EU anyway and could not explain why this change should be impossible in the rest of the world.
Compare this with the General Data Protection Regulation and Facebook's lamentations a few years ago.

So face it:
Even if you don't live in the EU, you benefit from regulations for more competition and user freedom.

Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)

neuropsychguy

30 months ago

Thanks to the EU. Without them, there would be no emulator on iOS in the USA.

In case anyone asks why:
Because Apple had to install the opening for the EU anyway and could not explain why this change should be impossible in the rest of the world.
Compare this with the General Data Protection Regulation and Facebook's lamentations a few years ago.

So face it:
Even if you don't live in the EU, you benefit from regulations for more competition and user freedom.

Post hoc ergo propter hoc.

Just because there is a temporal ordering of events does not mean the first caused the second.

There are at least two possibilities. 1. You are correct and this is because of EU regulations. 2. Apple’s allowing emulators again into the App Store is not tied to EU regulations.

Which one is correct? I don’t know. I don’t work for Apple. We just cannot assume that some action is caused by some factor without clear evidence. All I’m doing is pointing out there might be other explanations. Or, it’s because of the EU.

Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

mdnz

30 months ago

So Delta is available for free on the AppStore around the world except on the EU?! What a complete nonsense.

Blame Apple, they don’t allow putting an app on a marketplace and also put it in the App Store.

Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

grovian

30 months ago

The biggest scam is that Apple made people believe the company is the one who decides what people can install on their own devices that they own, not the owners themselves.

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

MilaM

30 months ago

2. Apple’s allowing emulators again into the App Store is not tied to EU regulations.

And what would be the reason for Apple's sudden change of mind/policy? Give us just one that is plausible.

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

purplerainpurplerain

30 months ago

Thanks to the EU. Without them, there would be no emulator on iOS in the USA.

Nonsense. There's no EU regulator saying "AaPle muST leT peoplE downLod EmulaTORs'.

Retro emulators existed in the App Store years ago. They were pulled because of unclear legality and security, both issues that still exist.

When this stuff is niche companies turn a blind eye. Making these emulators more popular is just going to get someone arrested. Now Nintendo will force a lot of sites to hand over the logs.

Don't think VPN protects you either. Trackers go around that stuff all the time. If you're downloading ROMS today you going to be F'd unless you live in Siberia.

Most of those ROM sites use click bait links and full of malware too. Good luck with them.

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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Popular Delta Retro Game Emulator Officially Comes to iPad

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