What is Delta and why is the retro game emulator app on the iPhone so popular?

What is a video game emulator? 

The Delta emulator is officially available on the Apple App Store for free. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

An emulator is a software or hardware that emulates or imitates a video game console. The idea is to replicate and match the gaming experience of the original hardware or software. A video game emulator allows gamers to play retro Nintendo, Sega, and Sony PlayStation games on their computer or smartphone using an emulator and the right ROM or ISO files. That way, users can play games from a vintage console without owning the physical device.

For example, a smartphone user can install a Gameboy emulator and play a ROM of Super Mario Land. For the longest time, hobbyist developers were involved in developing game emulators, but lately, Nintendo and Sony have jumped into the emulator game by re-releasing vintage systems such as the NES Classic and PlayStation Classic, based on emulators. Emulators skyrocketed in the late 1990s and early 2000s, as more people got online and discovered a new way to play classic games on their computers.

What are ROMs?

I tried running classic Nintendo Game Boy games on my iPhone 13 mini. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

To play a game on an emulator, you require a copy of the original game file, which is stored in the Read-Only Memory or ROM or a digital copy of a video game. Game cartridges use ROM chips to store game data permanently. ROM files are obtained by using special hardware that downloads data from a cartridge to a computer. But while emulators are free and legal, ROMs are not (more on that later).

What is Delta?

Delta is a video game emulator for the iPhone that recently launched on the platform. It is one of the first officially Apple-approved iOS apps to emulate a wide variety of old Nintendo consoles, including the Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo Game Boy, and Nintendo N64, among others. The emulator app is the latest project from developer Riley Testut, who earlier released the sideloadable GBA4iOS project.

However, since it violated Apple’s rules, Cupertino removed the unauthorised clone from the App Store. Delta, meanwhile, can be downloaded directly from the App Store without having to worry about sideloading. Delta is built with iOS through and through and integrates some useful features designed for the iPhone. The app supports third-party controllers, as well as quick saves, cheat codes and data syncing between devices using Google Drive or Dropbox. There’s also a local multiplayer for up to four players.

How does Delta work? 

Once you download the Delta app from the Apple App Store (it’s free of charge and available to download from the Indian App Store on the iPhone), it doesn’t come with any games. This is typical of most emulator apps. You need to download ROM files either via iTunes file syncing or a connection to Google Drive or Dropbox.

ROM files are available for many retro game titles; however, many of them remain protected by copyright law, and downloading them is technically illegal. So, always go with DMCA-free titles created by enthusiasts, or dump games that you already own into ROM files.

What is it like to play retro games on Delta? 

Delta can turn your iPhone into a Nintendo GBA or N64. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

A ROM file can be downloaded to the Delta game emulator, and then you can start playing the game. Once the ROMs are loaded, some original artwork for your game in Delta’s library is visible. The good thing about the interface is that Delta automatically separates games based on the consoles they run on. This way, a user has a fair bit of an idea of what to play by looking at the games from different generations of consoles. To Delta’s credit, each console emulator (for example, Nintendo Game Boy) has its own skin and controller.

Delta also lets you download several fan-made “controller skins” to change the default look of on-screen controllers. The emulator shines in mimicking the controller skin, as if you are playing on a real console. While playing a classic Game Boy game on the iPhone, I was transported to a whole new world. Of course, nothing beats playing a game with an actual controller, but the touchscreen controls do a good job. And since iOS supports a wide variety of controllers, it is possible to play retro games using modern physical game controllers. The good thing about the Delta app is that you can easily save your game at any point and just pick up and play sessions on your iPhone at any specific moment.

Game emulators are controversial, and so are ROMs

I’m a retro game lover — a huge Nintendo fanboy — and playing some of my favourite classic Nintendo games on the Delta game emulator was fun. I’m not sure for how long the app will be available to download from the App Store over fears of copyright violation accusations from Nintendo. The Japanese gaming giant has recently taken a hard stance on emulation sites, issuing tough warnings to anyone building a video game emulator.

Nintendo owns the copyright on all their games, and it clearly states that it is illegal to distribute unlicensed copies of copyrighted material, including digital copies. However, some argue that ROMs are a solution to dying games as thousands of them never saw a release worldwide or never ported to any other system, thus emulation is vital preservation of gaming history.