The Apple ecosystem now allows the installation of emulators, so developers are having a field day. The arrival of RetroArch, a perfect emulation platform for retro gaming, gives you access to a whole other galaxy of games on Apple devices.
It’s done, emulation is finally arriving on iPhones and iPads following the implementation of DMA in Europe. The first emulators are starting to flourish on the App Store as developers adapt their solutions to Apple’s software ecosystem.
Recently, the Delta (Nintendo consoles) and Gamma (PlayStation 1) emulators released a version compatible with Apple devices. Things are accelerating with the arrival of RetroArch, which is not an emulator strictly speaking, but a platform giving access to dozens of them.
RetroArch, a platform to emulate them all (well, almost)
The arrival of RetroArch takes emulation to a new dimension on iPhone and iPad, since it is a real platform giving access to a large number of retro emulators. It thus makes it easier for users who do not wish to install and configure them one by one, RetroArch takes care of everything, or almost.
Emulators, or libretro cores within the platform, are included upon installation of the application, and mainly concern consoles dating from more than 20 years ago such as Amstra, Atari, Nes and Super Nes, Game Boy / Advance or even PlayStation 1 and PSP. The only thing missing is the ROMs which you will have to obtain on your own.
RetroArch also adds many features for modern gamers, such as native support for many controllers and saves, the addition of trophies, visual modifications using shaders and even multiplayer modes.
Emulation on your TV
The good news is that it is possible to install RetroArch on tvOS and therefore an Apple TV before taking advantage of the different emulators on your television.
The scaling will not be the most optimal in certain cases, but with a little configuration, it will be possible to have a correct rendering. You can of course also use a controller for a gaming experience similar to a home console.
RetroArch is now available on the Apple App Store for iPhone, iPad and tvOS. The developer assured that a macOS version was also in the works without a release date being planned at the moment.