 "Soon, you could play Mario, Contra, and other retro games on Apple iPhones")
Apple has announced that it will allow video game emulator applications on iPhones through its App Store. Unlike recent App Store changes that Apple made to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the European Union region, this change will be applicable globally.
With emulators, Apple is opening up its iPhone ecosystem to run retro gaming console emulators. Essentially, it would allow iPhone owners to play older-generation video games from the likes of Nintendo, Mitashi, and more.
What are emulators
Emulators are applications that let you run software and games independent of the operating system. For instance, you could use a Windows emulator on Mac to run Windows-only programs. In the context of this article, emulators would let you play classic games from older consoles on your iPhone. Emulator apps feature console-like control setup on the display to offer experience of a handheld gaming console. Such applications and games are already available on Android smartphones, downloadable through Google Play Store.
Apple’s take on emulators
In an update on the developers' blog, Apple stated that apps and games are required to comply with “all applicable laws”, suggesting that no pirated video game titles would be allowed on the platform. Additionally, the company said that these console emulators will have to use in-app purchases to offer additional content.
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Apart from game emulators, Apple also details about the changes related to “super apps” such as WeChat. The company said that mini-games and mini-apps within these apps are required to use HTML5 to clarify that these cannot be native applications.
Apple’s changing walled garden
Last month, Apple announced that the company is planning to make changes to its user data portability offering which will improve migration solutions that help users transfer data between devices with different operating systems.
“Apple is developing a solution that helps mobile operating system providers develop more user-friendly solutions to transfer data from an iPhone to a non-Apple phone,” the company stated. Furthermore, the company said, that third parties already offer the functionality of transferring data between different OS platforms and Apple plans to “build on those options”. The company added that it aims to make this solution available by fall, next year.