Do you have one? Do you have an iPhone and want to play retro video games? We have good news for you!
Earlier this year, Apple began allowing emulators on its App Store. Emulators are software applications that simulate old game consoles, such as those made by Nintendo or Sega. Emulators can load game files, called ROMs, that have been ripped from the original cartridges or discs.
The easy availability of emulators means that you no longer need to jailbreak your iPhone to load ROMs and play retro games. It also means that you no longer need to fiddle around with a Raspberry Pi or buy a dedicated retro games console to play classic games on your phone or TV.
It’s illegal to download ROMs for games you don’t own, so we won’t tell you where to download them, but assuming you have access to a ROM collection, here’s how to turn any iPhone or iPad, including that old one currently tucked away in a drawer, into a retro games console.
Setting up the emulator
First, you’ll need to set up one or more emulators. The easiest option, and the one I recommend, is Delta Emulator. It’s a very polished application that supports NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and even Sega Genesis titles. Even better, as I wrote about it back in April, it’s free to download and extremely easy to use.
If you want compatibility with even more systems, like Playstation, Atari, and even MS DOS, check out RetroArch. It requires more work to set up—you have to download a core for each system you want to emulate, and there are endless settings to tweak—but the benefits are that you can play more games and make them look the way you want.
Connecting the controller
Retro games can be played with a touchscreen. The two emulators above also show an on-screen controller that resembles the original hardware. The problem is that most games can’t be played without touch buttons, so you’ll need to pair a controller with your device.
You have a few options. If you want, you can buy a dedicated mobile gaming controller; some are even designed to hold your phone in place to achieve a form factor similar to the Nintendo Switch; or, if you don’t want to spend the money, you can just use a controller you already have. We have articles that explain how to connect a PlayStation or XBox controller to your iPhone, as well as another guide for pairing your Switch Joy-cons with your iPhone. Apple provides official documentation for the more general case. The basics: setting Apps, bluetoothHold down Connect Tap the button on your controller. Your iPhone will show the controller in the list of available devices as an option to connect. Tap it and you’re done.
I tried this with a Nintendo Switch Pro controller and it worked perfectly. I loaded up a few games with Delta and found the controller to work as expected. If something felt off, you could also configure the button mapping in the settings. It’s also worth noting that you can connect multiple controllers at the same time, which is great if you’re playing multiplayer games. And the controllers don’t all have to be the same type, you can mix and match as you like.
Stream to TV
At this point, you can load up a retro game and play it with an actual controller, but there’s just one thing it’s missing: a big, good-looking screen. Sure, it will work on an iPhone or iPad display, but these old games are meant to be played on a TV.
You have a few options here. Delta supports Apple’s AirPlay, and if you have an Apple TV streamer box or a TV that supports AirPlay, it works pretty well. I tested it on a Sony TV and found it unplayable due to lag; fine for RPGs, but terrible for a Mario game. When The Verge tested it, they didn’t notice any lag, but it’s worth noting that they were using an actual Apple TV. Everyone’s experience will vary, but I recommend giving it a try.
If you don’t like the results, consider buying an HDMI dongle for your iPhone, which will let you connect your phone directly to your TV so you can play games on a bigger screen with less lag. Apple sells official cables, but you can also search for Lightning to HDMI dongles if you have an older iPhone, or USB Type-C to HDMI dongles for newer models. Note that better dongles, including the official Apple one, support pass-through charging, which allows you to charge your phone while it’s still plugged into your TV, which is crucial if you plan on playing for long periods of time.
Either way, any classic game you have a ROM for can now be played directly on your phone with an actual controller and the ability to play on your TV just like back in the day.
