Delta can turn the iPhone Duo into your favorite folding handheld

The Delta gaming emulator has been upgraded with a plethora of new goodies and support updates, which include optimizing it for Apple’s iPhone Duo. Delta 2.0 also introduces Sega Genesis games, animated controller skins, custom Pokémon DLC experiences, and a new UI that was built around supporting Liquid Glass.

Adding support for the iPhone Duo is an obvious standout here. If you looked at Apple’s flagship foldable and wondered how well it could emulate Nintendo DS games, this update was made with you in mind. Delta app creator Riley Testut tells The Verge that Delta 2.0 optimizes controller skins for “every pose in both portrait and landscape” and that you can still use split-view multitasking features alongside running other apps. Folding the Duo also puts your emulated DS games into sleep mode, just like closing a real DS would.

Similar love has been given to the newly added support for Sega Genesis games, which come with new iPhone and iPad controller skins that “re-create the classic Genesis controller look.” There’s also a DLC feature that adds “custom in-game experiences for classic Pokémon games,” including event items, rare pokémon, and more. Testut says this will support all mainline Pokémon games released for the Game Boy Advance, with the first DLC coming “soon,” and that it was developed by the Pokémon ROM hacking community without any use of AI tools.

Delta 2.0 has some experimental features, too, including support for Epilogue’s GB and SN Operator gadgets, which now allow you to play your old Nintendo cartridges on your iPhone or iPad. Another experiment is Custom Filters, which change the appearance of your games using a filter overlay. You can choose from a set of defaults, such as a CRT-inspired filter, or import your own to experience games exactly how you first remember playing them.

The app’s UI has been overhauled for Apple’s Liquid Glass design language, which fully adapts to all screen sizes across iPhones, iPads, and the iPhone Duo, giving default artwork a light, glassy look. There are new animated controller skins (with support for third-party designs), new pages for “recents” and “favorites” in the game library, new settings options, and more.

Outside of actual gameplay perks, Delta is adding global support for in-app purchases, appearing as a new “Become a Patron” option. This release also marks the first time that Delta will release to the EU App Store, making it available globally on Apple’s app marketplace alongside AltStore PAL in supported regions.