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Delta retro game emulator comes to iPad and Apple silicon Macs after a false start — Stage Manager support, multiple windows, gestures, and more now available
By Daryl Baxter,
2 days ago
After a false start, Apple has approved an update for Delta, the retro game emulator that’s been available for iPhone since April. Version 1.6 supports iPad and Apple silicon Macs, as well as adding in some useful features such as Stage Manager and Handoff support.
Apple initially rejected this new update because it featured a link to the app’s Patreon page. The link was removed and Apple quickly approved Delta 1.6. Soon after, developer Riley Testut announced the news on X , listing a huge amount of fixes and new features included in Delta 1.6.
Firstly, native iPad support means that every controller skin, which helps you to control a game, has been redesigned to fit an iPad’s display. Delta also supports Stage Manager, the latest multitasking feature that came to iPad with iPadOS 16. If you wish, you can have multiple instances of Delta running when Stage Manager is enabled while browsing the web in Safari or as you watch one of the best shows on Apple TV Plus .
The updates don’t stop there. Handoff , Apple’s feature that lets you start something on one device app and continue on another, is now available in Delta. For example, you can start playing a Super Nintendo game on your iPhone on the bus and then continue on one of the best iPads when you arrive at a coffee shop. Another highlight is a new ‘core’ for the Nintendo DS handheld. Cores are Delta’s method of emulating certain systems. This new core has the useful benefit of not needing BIOS files to function. If you’re not sure what BIOS files are, we have a guide that explains all the definitions for using a retro gaming emulator like Delta.
I’ve never liked Stage Manager . I’ve found the feature to be clumsy, buggy, and slow. While iPadOS 17 improved it slightly by allowing you to drag an app’s window into a less restrictive grid, it hasn’t been enough to make me use Stage Manager more often.
Imagine my surprise when I started using it again because of Delta. I’ve shared the above Thread before, but that’s genuinely how I use my iPad most days. When I need some inspiration, I usually turn to a game. That would have usually been on my iPhone or my PS Vita handheld that’s always in my backpack. Now, I fire up at least two Delta windows and switch between them while having Google Docs open in Safari on one-half of the iPad’s display. This way, I can have two of the free Delta games running at once on the other half of the display.
Yes, it’s unhinged. Yes, it likely makes no sense to you. But to me, it does, and I love it.
Save $40 on the best iPad Air you can currently buy! For $559, you get a fantastic tablet, as well as being able to run multiple instances of Delta on it.
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