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Delta (emulator)

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Delta
Original author(s)Riley Testut
Developer(s)Riley Testut et al.
Initial releaseSeptember 28, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-09-28) (AltStore)[1]
April 17, 2024; 8 months ago (2024-04-17) (App Store)[2][3]
Repositorygithub.com/rileytestut/Delta
Written inSwift
Operating systemiOS
iPadOS
PlatformiPhone
iPad
PredecessorGBA4iOS
TypeVideo game console emulator
LicenseGNU Affero General Public License 3.0
Websitedeltaemulator.com

Delta is a video game console emulator created by Riley Testut for iOS and iPadOS. It supports games for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, Game Boy, Game Boy Color,and Game Boy Advance. A paid version of the emulator also supports Sega Genesis games. Development of Delta started prior to Testut entering university, with it being a successor to the earlier GBA4iOS application. Prior to the application's release on the App Store, iOS users had to download Delta via AltStore, Testut's app store for the iOS and iPadOS operating systems. Upon release onto the App Store in April 2024, the app reached the top of the App Store rankings for about two weeks.

Background

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Riley Testut started developing GBA4iOS, the predecessor of Delta, during his senior year at Richardson High School along with his friend Paul Thorsen.[4][5] It was a emulator of the Game Boy Advance for the iPhone. iOS users had to sideload the emulator via a loophole called the "Date Trick", where the app is allowed to be downloaded and installed via the Safari browser, without needing to jailbreak (i.e. using exploits to bypass software restrictions) the device.[6]

On October 8, 2014, the exploit was patched in the iOS 8.1 update, thus ending the lifespan of the software. The source code for the app is currently hosted on Bitbucket.[7][6]

Development and release

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Development of Delta started prior to Testut entering the University of Southern California.[8] He released the emulator in 2019 alongside the AltStore app marketplace for iOS and iPadOS.[9] Testut claimed that he developed the application because he wanted to publish the emulator.[8] AltStore serves as an alternative to jailbreaking.[3]

Before Delta was released on Apple's App Store in 2024, the only way to install it was through AltStore.[2] Apple did not allow software emulators in their App Store. In 2024, due to pressure from the EU Digital Markets Act, Apple changed their rules to allow emulators.[10] After the change, a copycat emulator called iGBA (a fork of GBA4iOS) was released to the App Store. Apple took down iGBA shortly after it was released.[11] Testut described iGBA as a "knock-off" of the Delta emulator. He also stated that he had not given permission to the developer of iGBA to publish the application.[12]

Delta was officially released on the App Store on April 17, 2024. It reached the top of the digital marketplace's charts almost immediately following release.[13][3] This would be short-lived, however, as the Krispy Kreme app surpassed Delta just two weeks later after they announced that they would give twelve donuts for free for people who downloaded the app in the USA.[14]

In mid-2024, the emulator changed its logo after Adobe threatened Testut with legal action due to its original logo sharing an almost identical similarity.[15]

Supported consoles

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Delta can emulate the consoles listed below:[16][17][2][18]

Console Emulator used
Nintendo Entertainment System Nestopia
Super Nintendo Entertainment System Snes9x
Nintendo 64 Mupen64Plus
Game Boy / Color Gambatte
Game Boy Advance VisualBoyAdvance
Nintendo DS MelonDS
Sega Genesis Genesis Plus GX

References

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  1. ^ Statt, Nick (September 25, 2019). "AltStore is an alternative iOS App Store with a built-in Nintendo emulator". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024. Testut released AltStore earlier today in an early preview form. The full application launches on Saturday, September 28th, with Testut's full Delta emulator as one of the available apps within the store.
  2. ^ a b c Orland, Kyle (April 18, 2024). "Delta takes flight: Apple-approved Nintendo emulator is a great iOS option". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Davis, Wes (April 17, 2024). "The free Delta game emulator for iPhones is live on Apple's App Store". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 17, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  4. ^ Knight, Shawn (April 18, 2024). "Nintendo emulator Delta lands on the Apple App Store, now the top free app". TechSpot. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  5. ^ Hodapp, Eli (February 25, 2014). "Secret Deals, Pizza Parties and Countdowns: The Story of Riley Testut's GBA4iOS". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Orland, Kyle (October 8, 2014). "iOS 8.1 plugs security hole that made it easy to install emulators". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  7. ^ Testut, Riley (October 8, 2014). "GBA4iOS is Dead. Long Live GBA4iOS". Riley Testut. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Statt, Nick (October 4, 2019). "How an iOS developer built an alternative App Store for the iPhone". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  9. ^ Newman, Jared (May 6, 2022). "How AltStore is building a haven for forbidden iPhone apps". Fast Company. Archived from the original on April 17, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  10. ^ Booth, Callum (April 3, 2024). "A first look at Europe's alternative iPhone app stores". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 28, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  11. ^ Davis, Wes (April 14, 2024). "The first Apple-approved emulator for the iPhone has arrived... and been pulled". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 28, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  12. ^ Jeffrey, Cal (April 15, 2024). "Apple cans knockoff Game Boy app as emulators suffer first App Store casualty". TechSpot. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  13. ^ Chapple, Craig (April 19, 2024). "Delta game emulator hits No. 1 on the App Store download charts in 35 countries". Pocket Gamer. Archived from the original on May 19, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  14. ^ https://kotaku.com/delta-iphone-app-store-nintendo-snes-n64-emulator-roms-1851475693
  15. ^ Hollister, Sean (May 17, 2024). "The Delta Emulator is changing its logo after Adobe threatened it". The Verge. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  16. ^ "GitHub-rileytestut/Delta". Github. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  17. ^ Bhatia, Anuj (April 22, 2024). "What is Delta and why is the retro game emulator app on the iPhone so popular?". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  18. ^ Farokhmanesh, Megan (April 17, 2024). "Delta Is an iOS Game Boy Emulator That (Likely) Won't Get Taken Down". Wired. Archived from the original on May 19, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
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