A Nintendo emulator is Apple’s top downloaded app after ban reversal

By Tomas Franzese May 1, 2024

Nintendo Entertainment System with controller. — Nintendo

The iOS App Store has a new No. 1 app, and it’s Delta — Game Emulator. Recently unbanned by Apple, the app allows players to emulate games from several different Nintendo systems, even though it isn’t officially backed by Nintendo.

As a report from The Washington Post outlines, Apple recently loosened its App Store restrictions, which allowed game emulators to return to the storefront even though they were previously banned. Emulators populate a murky gray area in the video game industry, as they are fantastic for game preservation, but also give people ways to play games illegally if they find the ROM online.

Delta — Game Emulator, for example, lets users play ROMs of NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo DS games. The app also makes it easy to play these games with more traditional game controllers, adds in save states that allow people to save their progress in games that didn’t previously have that function, and allows players to access cheats previously locked to devices like Game Genie, GameShark, and Action Replay, and more.

Although Delta states right on its App Store page that it’s not affiliated with Nintendo, that hasn’t stopped people with Nintendo game nostalgia from flocking to the app to play older games. As a result, it’s reigned as the No. 1 app on the App Store since Apple loosened its restrictions. It also has a very positive 4.9 star user rating.

Nintendo has not yet commented on or responded to the popularity of Delta, but considering its history with Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedowns and hampering game preservation, it’s unknown what exactly the future holds for apps like it on iOS, even with Apple’s now loosened restrictions.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Gaming Staff Writer

Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

Gaming

Hades 2 shows the Steam Deck’s biggest advantage over the Nintendo Switch

A Steam Deck sits next to a Switch OLED.

It's always an exciting week when the sequel to one of the greatest games of all time surprise releases on a Monday. That's what happened on May 6 when Hades 2 surprise launched into early access. Players are already diving into the surprisingly robust roguelike, testing their might in its new biomes. I've been enjoying it myself from the comfort of my couch -- and not on my Nintendo Switch, where I played the first Hades. Instead, I'm curled up with my Steam Deck.

The PC-only launch means that Hades 2 is a Steam Deck "exclusive" for the time being (or at least exclusive to portable PCs like it and the Asus ROG Ally). It'll likely come to Nintendo's system -- or its predecessor -- once it hits 1.0, but developer Supergiant doesn't expect its game to leave early access until at least the end of 2024. Until then, you'll need a device like the Steam Deck to play it on the go. That's a reminder that Valve has beaten the Switch at its own game, and Nintendo will have to get creative again with its next system to regain its throne.
Early access on the go
Based on my time with it so far, Hades 2 is a phenomenal match for the Steam Deck. It's already Verified for the platform, and for good reason. It looks fantastic (especially on an OLED screen) and runs smoothly. I've already taken it on the go and found that it's not a huge drain on the Steam Deck's battery. At this point, I don't imagine I'll need to play it any other way.

Gaming

Before you play Homeworld 3, try this VR game as a primer

Two fleets fight in Homeworld: Vast Reaches.

Homeworld 3 launches next week, but there's a game Homeworld fans who own a Meta Quest 2 or 3 should check out right now. Homeworld: Vast Reaches, which came to Meta's VR headsets on May 2, is a prequel set between the events of the first two Homeworld games. This VR game offers up the core Homeworld experience in a novel niche of the video game medium.

It's not as deep or complex as Homeworld 3 looks, but it doesn't need to be. Vast Reaches immerses players in the franchise's universe once again and reacquaints them with the basics of its real-time strategy combat ahead of a highly anticipated new entry on PC. As such, checking out Vast Reaches should make this last week of waiting for Homeworld 3 a little less painful.
Homeworld, but in VR
Homeworld: Vast Reaches was developed by FarBridge, who has previously worked on VR games like Walkabout Mini Golf, Dragon Fight VR, and Jar Wars. Made with Gearbox Entertainment's support and blessing, it boils Homeworld down to its core elements and rebuilds it in VR. Players control a new Fleet Command connected to Karan S'jet's Mothership, which is the conceit behind how players view battles.

Gaming

Nintendo confirms that Switch 2 and a June Direct are coming

A Nintendo Switch Red and Blue system.

Nintendo has finally confirmed two important things that people were speculating about. First off, we learned that another Nintendo Direct showcase will be taking place this June. More importantly, Nintendo finally confirmed that it is working on a Nintendo Switch successor and said we'd learn more about it within this fiscal year.

This all came from a statement by President Shuntaro Furukawa on Nintendo's corporate X (formerly Twitter) account. "We will make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year. It will have been over nine years since we announced the existence of Nintendo Switch back in March 2015," the post confirms. "We will be holding a Nintendo Direct this June regarding the Nintendo Switch software lineup for the latter half of 2024, but please be aware that there will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during that presentation."