iPhone 3GS runs Nintendo DS and PlayStation emulators, Pokemon and FFVII
Retro reasons to upgrade
Is the PlayStation retro yet? I guess it must be getting that way if a mobile phone can now comfortably emulate its hardware and run its games.
Engadget has been looking at the immediate work those enterprising homebrew code jockeys have been putting the iPhone 3GS to. Its 600MHz processor and increased RAM seems to be outperforming even its closest rivals, as the video below demonstrates as the Apple handset is shown happily playing Final Fantasy VII.
We're also shown a DS version of Pokemon sailing along, fully operational, though naturally you're not likely to be seeing these on the App Store any time soon.
In both cases, you'd need to acquire your own BIOS from the original machine, which keeps the emulator developers just on this side of legal, but what's really being demonstrated here is the extra gaming oomph of the 3GS.
Of course, if you want to get really retro on-the-go, with any luck we'll be seeing the C64 emulator Pocket Gamer exclusively revealed just the other day (despite other sites taking all the glory on it (harumph)), which does at least stand some chance of an official release.
Once iPhone software developers start to dabble in a similar way, it seems ever more likely that 3GS only games are on the horizon. That said, emulating up the PSX is mega tempting. I think I'd play Tenchu first.
