How to play Nintendo games on iPhone with Delta

Delta nintendo emulator

Today we are going to talk about emulation, specifically about Delta, the iPhone application that promises to emulate several consoles from the big N, without touching the last two, which are especially tricky.

So if you want to learn a little about emulation, know whether or not it is legal to use emulators and how you can get Delta, we invite you to spend a little time here with us.

How does emulation work?

how emulation works

Video game emulation is a process by which one system imitates the behavior of another system, such as a video game console, to allow games designed for that system to be run on different hardware.

To achieve this, emulator developers study and understand the architecture and internal workings of the original console. Once this is done, they write software that simulates that console's hardware, including its CPU, GPU, memory, input controllers, among other components.

This emulator software interprets the instructions and data of the game designed for the original console and translates them into instructions and data that the computer that is running that emulator can understand and execute, providing it with compatibility with written software for another architecture.

Is it legal to use console emulators?

Using emulators allows you to simulate a retro console and its peripherals

Using emulators allows you to simulate a retro console and its peripherals

The legality of the use of console emulators is a complex issue that can vary depending on the country and specific circumstances, but in general terms there is a consensus that the use of emulators in itself is not illegal, since they are just software programs that imitate hardware behavior.

However, legality may be affected by other factors that may make the use of these emulators a breach of current legislation:

Game ownership and copyright

If you own legal copies of the games you're emulating, it's generally more legally acceptable to use an emulator to play them on another platform, because you've already paid to use that game.

However, If you download or use ROMs (digital copies of games) without having the right to do so, you are infringing copyright and that is illegal.

Most games are protected by copyright, which means that unauthorized reproduction or downloading through unauthorized means can violate the law, and this is where much of the right against emulation is based.

Company policies: a fairly wide range

Console development companies They may have specific policies regarding the use of emulators and ROMs, as we will see later in the case that happens to us.

Some can tolerate the use of emulators for retro games as long as certain conditions are respected (especially on consoles before 1990), while others can take legal measures against the distribution or use of emulators and ROMs, spending huge amounts of money to close channels and communities that distribute these files.

What is Delta, the new Nintendo emulator?

what is delta

The Delta emulator, designed for use on iPhone devices, offers the ability to play several classic Nintendo console games.

So far nothing strange, because It is not the first time that a retro platform emulator appears on Apple. In fact, with jailbreak, I myself have used classic Nintendo console emulators on my old iPhone 2G.

The curious thing about this application is the coincidence with Apple's decision to allow the installation of alternative application stores on its mobile devices, as well as with the elimination of the ban on emulators in the App Store.

Knowing that all this was coming, a group of developers came together to start the development of Delta, an open source project whose source code is available at Github, allowing other developers to examine it and create similar projects based on it. Specifically, for the oldest users using the Apple platform, Delta is the spiritual successor of the deceased GBA4iOS, which gave us so much joy in 2010, only adding more layers of emulation through cores in the same way that RetroArch works, which we talked about in this article.

Delta as an emulator It offers us direct compatibility with some of the most characteristic Nintendo consoles, in addition to providing us with compatibility with various external controls and Bluetooth keyboards to use them as an input method. Among the consoles chosen, we highlight the following:

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

Where to get Delta? Is it on the AppStore?

how to get delta

Seeing the devastating success that came with the launch of Delta, until prior notice Apple suspended its distribution through the AppStore.

Since Apple was open to publishing emulators... Why are you backing out on Delta now?. The reason for this, without a doubt, is none other than the owner of the rights to the emulators: the great N.

Nintendo and the fight for copyright

Nintendo's policy regarding emulation has historically been quite firm, with the company taking legal action against websites and projects that distribute or promote emulation of your games and systems without your authorization.

The Japanese company considers that the emulation of its games and systems, as well as the distribution of ROMs (digital copies of games), infringes its intellectual property rights and the copyrights associated with its products.

Over the years, Nintendo has filed lawsuits against websites that host ROMs of its games, as well as against developers who have created emulators that allow its games to be played on unauthorized platforms.

These legal actions have led to closure of several websites and emulation projects, as well as the withdrawal of emulators from some application stores, as has recently happened with the team that was in charge of programming Yuzu, the Switch emulator, and several YouTube channels that talked about emulating said platform.

Fear of Nintendo's demands is undoubtedly the big reason why Apple has removed Delta from its repositories.

Download Delta from AltStore

But fortunately and thanks to the European Commission, we no longer have to depend 100% on the AppStore and we can use alternative stores.

En AltStore we can find the Delta emulator and be able to download it, to be able to enjoy those classic titles that always bring a good taste to our mouths.

From here, we applaud that AltStore has taken the trouble to preserve this development. Since, as users, we believe that using emulators to play classic games is great because allows players to relive experiences nostalgic from childhood or discover legendary titles that would otherwise be difficult to find, and being able to preserve those bits of digital history that would otherwise be lost over time.

So, if you are a fan of retro games, want to relive your childhood or simply want to know how people played years ago, we invite you to download Delta for iPhone and enjoy these wonders from the past.


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