RetroArch game emulator is out now on iOS, tvOS port also up
As announced by the official editors
- Top game emulator RetroArch is now available for iOS and tvOS
- It lets players emulate a huge variety of platforms
- But do Apple's new TOS still leave developers in a sticky situation with emulation?
The highly anticipated game emulator RetroArch is now available on the iOS App Store for both iPhone and tvOS. The ad-free, open-source emulation platform can now be enjoyed by players on iPhone thanks to a raft of recent changes that Apple has made to their TOS, allowing emulators to finally arrive on the platform.
RetroArch is notable for the sheer breadth of consoles and platforms that it emulates; from the Atari 2600 to the Sony PlayStation Portable. Many of these are consoles and platforms that are no longer manufactured and increasingly scarce as the years go by. So we're excited to see just what kind of new wave of interest in retro games this encourages.
As Penn once said-
Now, covering emulators is a bit of a sticky situation. For one, although these are exciting and loved by both players and journalists alike, emulation is a double-edged sword. As we've noted, the primary issue is that ROMs are much less legal than emulation themselves, and virtually any coverage of the former tends to paint a target on their back.
We've noted before that Apple's changes to their TOS could be taken as being a bit of an olive branch, but it doesn't offer much in way of protection for the legally stickier aspects of emulation. However, we do think it's possible that someone, somewhere high up might finally take notice of the hunger for accessible emulation of games that are no longer available.
Many platforms have games that are currently unavailable to play easily, or without a huge amount of work. What emulators represent is a real desire by the wider gaming audience for the ability to play classic titles that they otherwise wouldn't have access to.
As for what you can play without emulation, it's that time of the week again! Our latest entry in our regular feature of the top 5 new mobile games you need to try is up, this time with a certain well-known developer's classic title.
