First Approved Emulator App Appears In Apple’s App Store Under New Rules

Well, that was fast. It was just earlier this month that we talked about some interesting new rules Apple instituted for its App Store when it comes specifically to emulation apps. While emulators in and of themselves are not in anyway illicit, Apple did its best to keep them off its platform, and off iPhones generally. It did so under the public theory that apps that allow in-app callouts to outside software that is not within the app itself represented a security risk. ROMs to run on these emulators was the example that precluded emulator apps from appearing in the store. The reality is that Apple has a history of both valuing strict control over what goes on its devices combined with the never ending hatred console-makers have for emulators generally.

So it was with all of that historical context that I viewed the rule changes Apple announced in early April pessimistically. A lot of the commentary surrounding what Apple would actually allow centered on it being primarily console manufacturers or game publishers themselves releasing their own emulators for purchase. Well, it turns out that pessimism was somewhat misguided, as the App Store just saw its first approved third-party emulator released.

Apple’s decision earlier this month to open the iOS App Store to generic retro game emulators is already bearing fruit. Delta launched Wednesday as one of the first officially approved iOS apps to emulate Nintendo consoles from the NES through the N64 and the Game Boy through the Nintendo DS (though unofficial options have snuck through in the past).

All that history means Delta is far from a slapdash app quickly thrown together to take advantage of Apple’s new openness to emulation. The app is obviously built with iOS in mind and already integrates some useful features designed for the mobile ecosystem. While there are some updates we’d like to see in the future, this represents a good starting point for where Apple-approved game emulation can go on iOS.

Now, the rest of the Ars Technica post delves mostly into a review of the app itself, what it does well, and what it fails at. And that’s all fine, but the point here is that emulation outside of the strict control of Apple and/or console-makers appears to be officially back in the App Store. I can already hear the gnashing of teeth from the folks at Nintendo over all of this, and I certainly don’t expect that we won’t hear from the company in some disapproving form on this and other emulators that might appear, but they really don’t have much of a leg to stand on.

As we’ve mentioned in the past, emulators are not, by themselves, infringing on copyright typically. They don’t typically ship with BIOS files to make the emulator do its thing. Nor do they ship with ROMs that might be infringing. Instead, it’s a tool with plenty of legitimate uses. Homebrew games for old consoles are out there. Games where the companies that made and published them no longer exist, in some cases with rights never having been bought or transferred to another entity exist. Ripped ROMs from owned games by individuals exist.

So the emulator embargo is gone. Somehow, I don’t believe that companies like Nintendo are going to see their livelihoods ruined as a result.