Delta multi-system emulator lands on official iOS App Store

UPDATE: Delta is available in the App Store in India as well.

Delta, one of the most popular emulators on iOS, is now available on the official App Store.

Delta is an iOS app that emulates several retro consoles, including the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), Nintendo 64 (N64), Game Boy, Game Boy Color (GBC), Game Boy Advance (GBA), and Nintendo DS (NDS).

Delta is a fork of GBA4iOS, a popular GBC and GBA emulator developed in 2013 by Riley Testut. While GBA4iOS required some trickery to install (for example, changing the date in an iPhone's system settings), it lasted  until iOS 8.1 patched out exploits the app could use. Testut shifted focus to Delta, which included not only Nintendo's handhelds but home consoles as well. 

Delta has been available on iOS for years at this point, but it required the use of alternative methods for installation. The most popular was Testut's own AltStore, which used features in Apple's App IDs and App Developer Programs to install up to three "unofficial" apps (i.e., apps that are not available on the App Store). While AltStore served its purpose, it came with a major downside: App IDs had to be refreshed every 7 days, and that required connecting the iPhone with AltStore to a computer (either via USB or WiFi) running software called AltServer to refresh the IDs. As such, if the computer running AltServer was inaccessible within that 7 day timeframe, the apps would no longer work and would have to be reinstalled.

Apple recently announced it would allow emulators on the App Store. So far, the App Store has had dubious apps masquerading as emulators and an NES emulator that was quickly pulled by the developer out of fear of retribution from Apple. 

Delta hit the App Store yesterday, and everything seems to be kosher so far. Testut has a solid track record for development, and the Delta emulator has been used for years. The app runs as intended (just like its AltStore counterpart) and has many features expected of a modern emulator, including save states, box art scraping, and cloud backups. Delta also supports controllers like the GameSir X2s Type-C controller (available at Amazon for $45.99).

Delta is available for free on the App Store. European iOS users won't see it on their App Store, however. Instead, they will need to access the official AltStore third-party app store (which costs €1.50 per year), which can be found at altstore.io.