Finally, Apple allows emulators on iPhones

[@ZackRappMusic]

What's kind of funny is that even though Nintendo forcing touch controls on Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks was a baffling decision at the time, it makes them perfect iPhone games to play without a controller lol

[@Dairunt1]

I still play Elite Beat Agents on my phone from time to time.

[@meikaishi]

It really doesn't, it accentuate the biggest problems with that control scheme, and most DS games expect the precision of a stylus

[@FuzzyDereck]

@@meikaishiThis! ☝️ I got excited trying Phantom Hourglass for the first time, but using my fat human finger doesn’t allow me to see much of the screen. 😩 (I tried it on my iPad with my Apple Pencil, which turned out to be okay, but Delta keeps crashing on my iPad, lol)

[@clydefrosch]

​@@meikaishicorrect and ill die on this his, I miss my phone that would react to my pinpoint nail touches compared to this thumb bullshit

[@DarrenBrewster]

I had never played either before and Phantom Hourglass is the first game I've been playing through. It's a great game for a phone's touchscreen. Edit: I do agree that a stylus does make for a superior experience.

[@phinyo2066]

Im an android user and love that iPhones have a simple, easy, legal way to run emulators now and now I'm able to be "the guy" that helps. I feel this also helps legitimatize emulators because Apple is so "pretisgious". This was needed after the whole Yuzu, Citra debacle.

[@skycloud4802]

Yes, it's a win for both Apple users and Android users really, because it legitimises emulation. Much like how the iPod and mp3s gave way to people legally ripping their own music tracks. The real enemy is those that try to stifle it, aka the likes of Nintendo.

[@NeroVingian40]

It might or it might not. Apple’s language in their changes to the App Store rules hints that they would be taking a more hands-off approach if Nintendo or Sony comes down on these emulators. These devs are on their own, really.

[@holy_lettuce]

You're welcome for the save file! thanks for the shout out!

[@Gloob7046]

Yo it’s the man the myth the legend

[@RPGX400]

Lol your crazy. Nice one man 👍

[@MatthewMcFly]

Emulation is the ONLY thing i ever missed from having Android. I have been loving DELTA!

[@TheSixthSLoT]

Same. I like Apple arcade and being protected from shady apps that Android just lets onto their store all willy nilly. Emulation was the only thing I ever missed on iPhone, and now that it's here, I feel almost no reason to go back to owning an Android. I just wish iPhones had SD card storage slots. It honestly feels so outdated and greedy that they continue to pigeonhole their users into picking a phone that only has dedicated storage.

[@taxa1569]

​@@TheSixthSLoT that's not an Android problem that's a Google problem.

[@TheSixthSLoT]

@@taxa1569 Android is owned by Google dude.

[@TheSixthSLoT]

@@taxa1569 Android is a platform owned by Google.

[@ohiograssman1564]

My dad gave me his old I phone. It’s crazy how much I miss emulation on android 😂

[@eviankatsu]

Also don't sleep on the iPad version of Delta. Yeah it's just the iPhone version and not fully optimized for iPads but the larger screen is really nice especially for DS games, and the Apple Pencil even works well as a stylus

[@carvman217]

Hopin Riley can finish up the iPad version. Supposedly it was pretty well along a little bit ago, but I think he got sidetracked with the whole EU altstore stuff

[@daultonmahley4211]

Exactly how I’m replaying Spirit Tracks right now. It’s perfect!

[@MacRokunii]

a cool, feature that i dont see a lot of people talking about with Delta is AirPlay! if you have a device with AirPlay support, like the Apple TV or Roku, then you can airplay the game to your TV and use the phone as a gamepad, or connect bluetooth to it for physical controls. there is a bit of latency since its wireless, but for something like Pokemon or other turn based RPGs is a neat feature.

[@Butterscotch_96]

Imagine just a straight Delta Apple TV port

[@carvman217]

@@Butterscotch_96that’s what a lot of us are hopin for!

[@bobcake8904]

There’s provenance- I’m waiting for them to get cleared for the Apple tv

[@ItzYell0w33]

thanks for the idea

[@morganghetti]

"a bit of latency"

[@JoeCole_social]

The best saying is right up front… The best gaming device is the one on you. I couldn’t agree more. Being a busy dad, I can’t just lug around a device that won’t fit in my pocket. Nor do I need such a gaming rig when all the games I want to play easily run on the IOS platform. It’s such a great value for me. And I cannot use Android as my employer, doesn’t support Android on the enterprise.

[@YDINO69]

To switch the controller skin you tap on the current set skin, not swipe right. It will then bring up the list of skins you have installed.

[@martinezeli13]

11/10 acting from the doggo. He looked visibly mad. Get the man an oscar!

[@virtaloom]

i Cant beeeeeelieve thissss

[@ProjectionProjects2.7182]

Massive W for emulation.

[@RPMRosie]

ds bios dumping is actually pretty easy if you have a flashcart, and you can even do it from a dsi or 3ds too since they both have a ds bios for ds mode :)

[@MegaManNeo]

Wait, I can dump the DS bios from the 3DS?

[@RPMRosie]

@@MegaManNeo yeah! if you google "dump ds bios" there's instructions on the ds-homebrew wiki

[@RockYoMomsWorld]

Why would you do all that when the bios files are readily available from a Google search?

[@RPMRosie]

@@RockYoMomsWorld that method is technically piracy, the bios is Nintendo's copyrighted code and distributing it online would be against copyright law, so sourcing it yourself is the legal way to do it

[@MegaManNeo]

@@RockYoMomsWorld Because it's legally still enough in the grey area as that we are allowed to do so (that's the boring answer you probably don't accept anyhow). And because it's fun to understand to some extend how people actually get these machine files off those consoles and handhelds to play games on different hardware (which is the answer that also drives me).

[@RusticRonnie]

You can airplay to your tv with the emulator as well. Which works pretty well for some some games…. But not well at all for fighting games obviously

[@williamdowning3857]

You can get the DS BIOS Files if you have a hacked 3DS or 2DS, plenty of guides online so you can remain totally legal!! (Not that I did that but you can...)

[@RockYoMomsWorld]

Why do all that extra work when you can just Google the bios files and download them in less than a minute?

[@dylfortune7384]

I hope we get PlayStation 1 & 2 emulators on the app store. I don’t know if it’s possible at this time, but it would still be cool.

[@dan3817]

PS2 Emulation wouldn't be viable for the same reasons as Wii/GC emulation, without JIT compilation the performance would be unbearably bad In a way emulators on iOS push the iPhone significantly harder than emulators on other platforms due to having to run through an interpreter rather than a JIT

[@LincolnKa]

@@dan3817would ps1 be hard to emulate on the iphone?

[@TheLeoGBA]

U can use alt store though ​@@dan3817

[@Hi-ll1zx]

@@dan3817ps2 emulators are already here u can sideload them i have played them and they are great

[@Athithan_2000]

The best mom is the one that you have with you!

[@macmi11i]

Sounds like Young Gravy to me

[@Athithan_2000]

Although after getting married, I have a 10x better relationship with my 2nd mom (mother in law) than she has with her own child, tho I believe it’s because I’m the son she always dreamed of raising!😅

[@ArkAynJoel]

Holy shit, those opening shots of this video are incredible!

[@HinaCabina]

Bro thinks he’s Kevin Kenson

[@FunTimeシ]

I’ve slapped on my backbone a couple of times to play N64 games and I must say, it’s been lovely. Shadows of the Empire whenever I want is pretty phenomenal 😊

[@KriZtiaN17VL]

Thanks!

[@Anton-li2ry]

Waited way too long for this. Delta has such a clean interface absolutely beautiful.

[@4rtie]

Man, so glad this has happened. I don't even have iOS right now, but I'm glad the best mobile emulator can now officially be used on its platform

[@alucard971]

You have to stop gaslighting us, Bob. You know damn well you don't have time to play all these games 😂

[@JuhoSprite]

I was a kid when I first got introduced to emulation on my iPod touch, and I also experienced them getting banned. I'm glad they are back

[@TheRealEDK]

I love that the best part of bobs videos are the ads

[@yayo7490]

you can also email yourself roms from your pc and open them in files and go from there

[@TheRealMafoo]

if you have an Apple TV, turn on air play while in the app, attach a BT Xbox or PS controller to your phone, and you have a home console. It's pretty amazing.

[@WhatAboutZoidberg]

I walked my boss through getting a few bios files and a few Tactic Ogre games on his phone this week. It's been fun.

[@nicklaw040]

The DS Zelda’s are pretty awesome since they’re touch screen oriented!

[@skycloud4802]

Doesn't one of them (or maybe both) have an annoying kill switch in it when it doesn't detect copy on genuine hardware? I can't quite remember.

[@nicklaw040]

@@skycloud4802 I've been playing Phantom Hourglass no issues so far.

[@LordPicasoNL]

​@skycloud4802 you mean Spirit Tracks? Most emulators found a way to bypass that already.

[@expressrobkill]

I really dislike the fact that they are double screen though so annoying.

[@adhirg]

is there a good video for how to set up the 3DS / DS emulation on Delta? I haven’t been able to figure out how to make it work.

[@danthaman8216]

i still love my analogue pocket for “disconnecting” but the delta ds emulator is the cleanest, easiest way to enjoy those experiences.

[@stevejobs3816]

Ads with the dog are the best part of these videos.

[@apollolux]

4:58 - Finally! You have no idea how relieved I am to finally see peeps more using the cleaner version of the SNES logo I put on Wikipedia in 2017 rather than the janky traced version that was there before that's still used in places like certain RetroPie, Batocera, etc distributions and such.

[@zeththedarkmage]

If you are rocking a magsafe case. Just grab a magsafe popsocket. Makes using your phone suck less and also works as a kickstand.

[@micah-fh6rm]

i just love the thought of texting a friend i havent talked to in a while a copy of mario with a gun... it just sounds like the best idea

[@kikoabdo]

For those who want to play on the iPad. You can configure the Smart Keyboard to play.

[@muticere]

As a former android user who went iPhone about 8 years ago, emus are a thing that I’ve missed but have learned to live without. Now that they’re finally here on iOS as well, I’m not sure what to do. I’ve been comfortable for so long using other devices for emulation, I’ve gotten by just fine. I imagine the next time I get into a strong mood to play some retro games I’ll make use of it but for now I’m just happy it finally exists on iOS.

[@alicefox7076]

Been waiting all week for this video. Also this is the best slot you’ve done. Bravo. Also if you have the ability to use airplay on your TV I highly recommend it. Classic Pokémon can now be played on the tv.

[@punkrockhawk19]

Thank you for answering all my questions without me having to ask! You’re the best!

[@SFStransit]

I wish Delta would let you use haptic rumble when you tap a button.

[@Faizu777]

It does

[@Dimas5]

I used to use this on iPhone back when you had to do all this crazy stuff just to get it. Now it’s so easy. I’m playing FF1 now

[@NoBody-qf5np]

These are so cool, but they just dont replace acrually holding a thing and feeling buttons -- at least for me. Do you think theyll make those big goofy joy stick extensions for ios emulators? That might actually be the one case where those work

[@nezuminora9528]

You can use backbone et al with delta

[@whathehec]

Man the beginning of the video was exactly how I felt… spot on I put the roms on my iCloud

[@unngabungaa]

You can absolutely 10000000% use your backbone controller with your case. I’m sure not every case is compatible, but using an iPhone 15 and the same mag safe case, you’re good to go as long as you didn’t throw away the included alternate magnetic sides that come with your controller.

[@ilkeryoldas]

There is also AD Boy, Emu64 XL, and ScummVM

[@Pimpedout007101]

I love screen mirroring from my phone to my Apple TV and using a switch pro controller, it’s like switch but only emulating my faves from the past

[@Toastyisburning]

as someone who has played a lot of rhythm heaven, there is a noticable delay on drastic. I dont have experience with delta (which likely uses melonds) but it probably has a delay as well.

[@bobcake8904]

The discord community for alt server/delta has some DS skins that change the screen layout and buttons. You can get custom layouts and window sizes for each screen

[@Digital_Kyle]

It is another subscription, but if you have icloud, you can just create a folder for roms within that, and they will just show up in Delta. You can use that same folder for multiple other emulators on other devices as well.

[@MattKimura]

The DS emulation is the biggest part of Delta, due to how the screen is laid out and the touch screen support. It's possibly the best DS emulation due to both those reasons. It's my new go to way to play DS games. The battery life on lower end phones however, would need to play with a charger connected.

[@TheIpodMan32]

DS emulation vertically on the iPhone is phenomenal! Been running through Pokémon HeartGold again, one of my favorite games of all time!

[@Snaxolotl71]

This is a massive win for game preservation. With how simple Delta is to use coupled with the fact that ROMS and save files can be TEXTED between iPhone users is simply amazing. If you were to travel back in time to 2007 and told an iPhone 2G user they’d one day be able to play DS games on a phone like theirs, they’d call you crazy. Nintendo obviously isn’t going to be happy about this, of course

[@khfreak5531]

That’s cool that you made some MagSafe solutions. I actually got a MagSafe mount and stuck it on a wide joycon grip. Perfect for portrait mode to play DS games.

[@csmalls17]

I just got the backbone and it comes with an adapter that lets you attach it with a case still on. Works great on my iphone 15

[@TylerCitrine]

If you are willing to purchased another backbone controller, then double checked if the listing says gen 2 because they are compatible with most cases.

[@SmallCityGuitar]

The very first time I played Chrono Trigger was on a phone emulator. I found out about the 2-button input limit when I came across a puzzle that requires a 3-button input, essentially soft locking progress until I transferred the save to PC to continue my playthrough.

[@jceggbert5]

I've never seen rhythm heaven emulated with little enough latency to be playable. I haven't tried retroarch's run-ahead latency compensation though. Also, there's a game that got funded on Kickstarter called Bits & Bops that's a Rhythm Heaven-like. They have a free demo on Steam with a couple songs. Their dev blog is active and they've released several updates to the demo, no release date yet. It definitely has RH's quirkiness. I backed it and I'm excited for release.

[@stasprze1685]

I played the rhythm heaven series emulated pretty much exclusively up until very recently, so much so that now when I’m playing on real hardware I struggle to play because I press the buttons too early haha

[@ppbunt]

Really impressed so far, the 8bitdo Micro will be delivered later today! I would like to see a "favorites" tab in the future, and separate tabs for GB and GBC. And of course support for more consoles.

[@bryboy519]

Retro Game Corps has a video (as expected) and it explains how to mass upload with drop box.

[@jacobout8759]

If you save your ROMs to your files app from your source of choice, you can also unzip your files directly by long pressing on the zip file and selecting uncompress. No need for an extra app!

[@soupyvibes6170]

I have been trying to get into emulation for years. It is so hard to learn how online, so I hope the iPhone ones are going to be easier

[@iLeronM]

I just got the backbone gen 2 and you can actually use that with a case. Works both on my iPhone and Pixel with case on! I love using it with delta!

[@richiewalteriv]

Not an iphone user but the coolest use case I've seen for this is airplay casting your game to your TV and using your phone as a controller

[@KellsKats]

Been waiting for this moment for a while. I’ll always prefer my 3Ds and Steamdeck over any kind of touch phone, but it’s nice to have the option officially on Apple.

[@Treyshellz]

A fellow Steam Deck user

[@muzamilyasin8360]

@@Treyshellzanother fellow steam deck user

[@dumbuz]

A fellow 3DS user!!

[@maddoggaming1171]

I miss my *new 3ds xl, I foolishly traded it in towards my switch because I was too impatient to save up for another couple weeks. Contemplating buying a 2ds xl from Japan and modding it. I love my steam deck but I can’t always have it with me.

[@chrisdunning6144]

Delta with the Gamesir G8 is pretty killer.

[@icosotc]

When I found out about Delta, I was curious and googled how it works. I am now happily using my first ever emulator and loving it! I’m actually looking forward to an upcoming work trip flight. I bought a backbone, and I just know my gaming life is about to change for the better.

[@goopynoopers]

ive been playing a lot of gba pinball games, theyre actually really fun

[@DisloyalGaming]

I just love how delta looks I'm always and will always be on android for emulation outside of my steam deck. Wish all emulators had that look and polish though

[@valdemartreichl658]

I can’t find it in the App Store 😢 (I just found out that delta isn’t available in my country, so I must wait 😞)

[@GiftIdeh-cg7id]

U in the EU

[@valdemartreichl658]

Yes😆

[@TicoDK]

SURFSHARK VPN !

[@GiftIdeh-cg7id]

@@TicoDK that ain't gonna work brr

[@Killaj2fo]

I do wish you could map specific movements to the ds touch screen to stick inputs on the ds emulator, it would really help with camera movement on certain games

[@bloink3511]

2:40 During the ad, I could swear you said “hey, thanks for the sub bloink”

[@NickDrinksWater]

I never would have thought Apple would allow this, but I'm glad they did

[@AndersHass]

I believe the Switch uses HDMI alt mode instead of DisplayPort alt mode. So the device has to support that through the USB in order to work with a Switch Dock. The Steam Deck dock itself then converts DisplayPort to HDMI for the HDMI port on the dock, so would most other docks (even some dedicated GPUs does this). Edit: I found out the issue is the LCD switches use mobility DisplayPort (MyDP) where the OLED uses proper DP alt mode. HDMI alt mode has never been used. I would think many docks only support DP alt mode and not MyDP. Then another issue is the switch needs to receive power in order to display to external so not sure for some reason some issue there with various docks.

[@Pedleh]

I noticed the lag on DS too! Hoping it gets fixed 😅

[@LTHW-zl1br]

Lowkey some of the best emulation I’ve ever used it’s so smooth and easy it’s nice

[@ZoeFleischerYT]

Tip for windows users: iCloud is available for windows desktop. All I had to do was make an iCloud folder for them on my windows machine, and they uploaded fairly quickly! Now they are synced to the cloud , and Delta is able to read them. Cooking mama on my iPhone without an arcade subscription feels like the best form of rebellion.

[@TheFrugalAudiophile]

So far, I’ve had quite a few issues with Delta. It has force quit a couple of times when launching games, but that’s not the worst. When using an 8bitdo Pro plus controller the a and b 😂buttons are swapped and when I go to change them in Delta controller settings for SNES, it does not change. When using a USB controller on my iPad, the back button on the controller cross is always being pressed making gameplay nearly impossible. Hopefully these issues will soon be fixed in an update because I do like the software and being able to play old-school Kindle games on my phone or iPad is awesome!

[@MrGonz801]

The 2nd gen backbone doesn't need you to remove the case from your phone. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it (at full price) if you've got the 1st gen one though...

[@godsangell12]

Have had delta on android for years. Happy it’s now on my iphone as well. Great move

[@meadow-4296]

the song choices and quality in your videos, i swear you do what i day dreamed of doing. not like itll be seen but, dang..

[@carlstevenwilletts]

I can imagine Bob being a drummer in the style of Animal from The Muppet Show. 😁Seriously, another great video, Bob.

[@Sean-jq3ky]

The newer Backbone model that came out this past November has enough space to leave many cases on your phone when you use it.

[@gonekrazy3000]

you can use the Backbone One V2 to use phones without taking off the case. its called the type C for android and Ios.

[@lorumipsum1129]

If that’s the usb c backbone 2 , you can take out the plastic inlays which will let ya use it with the case

[@TarisRedwing]

This is one of those rare Apple W's whith how closed their devices are and then we got the Gama=PSX emulator not long after.

[@freiteez]

I’m using the N64 controller from NSO to play and my Spigen case has a kick stand built in. Perfect.

[@thetechdude1]

Just ordered the case using your link!

[@SamPeiffer]

Hi Bob! You may already be aware, but I had the case issue with my backbone usb-c as last fall. I heard they were making a Gen 2 version of the controller to work with more cases on phones. Specifically iPhones. So I got that one to replace the gen 1 and it works great!

[@StepCrow]

Imagine a thin phone case with buttons on the back. You’d have you get used to pressing the buttons by feel, but I think it would work good.

[@margarinedolby]

Bob I got a Kishi and with the official apple case on an iphone 13 it fits like a glove you just got to remove the rubber spacers on the kishi!

[@tboatrig]

The 8bitdo Micro really needs a rubber back and a nice thick elastic strap so you can use it right against the bottom of screen in portrait.

[@PieStudios]

The Backbone V2 that was released around October of last year is MUCH better for the iPhone 15, my phone actually fits without me needing to take the case off

[@timdlee21]

the 2nd gen backbone has spacers that you can swap out to create more space for a phone case. Not sure if you have 1st or 2nd gen but my 2nd gen works great even with a case that has a large raise around the camera.

[@AUGUSTIN-MUSIC]

Now I’m playing sonic advance 2 on my phone this is so dope

[@adamcolejones]

I found an interesting 3D print for Joycons and the vertical screen layout for iPhone. This way you get the proper DS Layout with the Nintendo (AB) button layout.

[@Techpeak2012]

Been waiting for you to cover this bob 😊

[@kevinc6347]

Delta was a hassle side loading it every week through altstore. With it finally on my new IPhone, also a 15 pm, I was excited to ditch my secondary android phone and now I just carry a battery pack for obvious reasons. Delta has been fine so far and I have not met many issues, using the backbone controller the preset buttons are jank and I loved that it was mentioned in your video. I’ve been playing Pokemon black and super mario bros with a controller, I forgot rhythm heaven exists so I’ll add that in and see if I can notice the delay vs my actual game. One thing I want delta to do is have the settings accessible while in a game. If I needed to change keybinds quickly or a setting or even if I wanted to swap themes I have to leave the game to the main menu then go back into the game. Not too big of a deal but something I’m used to having on something like Drastic

[@nnadidavidson6713]

The delta emulation app is my first time emulating games and I love using it

[@Sayne7]

I spent the entire video wondering when Megaman Zero would show up. You did not dissappoint! it is a tradition after all

[@blackwolf616]

My man, you never disappoint with your tracks, starting with Jaws of a Scorched Earth made my day, immediately

[@swimjim01]

Not so fun fact! There is a more dedicated iphone 15 Backbone controller that I believe had removable rubber inserts like the Kishi that is able to fit most thinner cases. You can check on the box whether it says “compatible with android” or “compatible with iphone 15 and android”

[@AyKenDuu]

You can change the backbone’s grips (i guess they are grips I dont know what they are called tbf. The plastic things that hold your phone) with the larger ones included in the box to use it with your case on. I have two cases for my 15 pro max and both of them work fine with my backbone.

[@juiceblock772]

The only issue I’ve been having with delta is I’m used to how many settings retroarch has so I feel restrained in what I can do. I want my upscaling!!