- Top game emulator RetroArch is now available for iOS and tvOS.
- It allows players to emulate a huge variety of platforms.
- But does Apple’s new TOS still leave developers in a sticky situation with emulation?
The highly anticipated game emulator RetroArch is now available on the iOS App Store for both iPhone and tvOS. An ad-free, open-source emulation platform can now be enjoyed by players on the iPhone thanks to recent changes that Apple made to its TOS, allowing emulators onto the platform.
RetroArch is notable for the sheer breadth of consoles and platforms it emulates. From the Atari 2600 to the Sony PlayStation Portable. Many of these are consoles and platforms that are no longer developed and are becoming increasingly rare as the years go by. So we’re excited to see how this new wave of interest in retro games inspires.
As Penn once said—
Now, covering emulators is a tricky situation. For one, although they are interesting and loved by both players and journalists alike, replication is a double-edged sword. As we’ve noted, the main problem is that ROMs are far less legal than emulation itself, and virtually any coverage of the former tends to paint the target on their backs.
We’ve noted before that changes to Apple’s TOS could be taken as an olive branch, but it doesn’t offer much to protect the legally stable aspects of emulation. However, we think it’s possible that someone, somewhere high up will finally notice the hunger for accessible emulation of games that are no longer available.
Many platforms have games that aren’t currently available to play easily, or without a lot of work. What emulators represent is a genuine desire by a wider gaming audience for the ability to play classic titles that they otherwise lack access to.
As for what you can play without emulation, it’s that time of the week again! Here’s our latest entry in our regular feature of 5 New Mobile Games You Must Try, this time with a classic title from a certain well-known developer.