Clipped Fins

Sorry Gamecube Fans

A couple weeks ago I wrote about the introduction of emulators to the App Store and the rise of Delta. The floodgates had opened, but it was still fuzzy on what the limitations of this new world would be. Well, we’ve got a bit more clarity now, and it appears that fans of Gamecube and Wii games shouldn’t hold their breath.

Developers behind DolphiniOS, a fork of the most well-known Gamecube and Wii emulator Dolphin, have confirmed that they won’t be bringing the application to Apple’s App Store any time soon. On their blog, OatmealDome explains that this is because Apple doesn’t allow apps to use Just-in-Time (JIT) recompilers.

In simplest terms, the underlying architectures of the Gamecube/Wii and modern iPhones speak two different languages, Power-PC and ARM respectively. The JIT recompiler allows the emulator to take a game’s original code and quickly translate it so an iPhone can run it properly.

Technically, DolphiniOS doesn’t need the recompiler to run, but the alternative options are less than ideal. In the video below, uploaded by OatmealDome, we get a taste of what would be possible and it’s an audio nightmare. I thought my computer was messed up the first time I played it. You get why it isn’t worth trying to release the emulator without the JIT recompiler. Not many people are rushing to play Mario Kart at 15 frames per second.

JIT is allowed to run on Safari and some alternative web browsers in Europe, but it is believed that Apple considers it a security risk to open it up to all third-party apps. I’m not a software engineer, so I can’t offer any insights into the validity of those beliefs, but I do know that is the same line of thinking Apple was pushing before the Digital Markets Act in the EU forced them to open up the iPhone to third-party app stores.

Just based on the history of the situation, I doubt the company would reconsider their stance unless pushed further by government regulation. Something that I suppose isn’t necessarily out of the realm of possibility considering just this week we saw the requirements updated to include iPadOS. As I’ve said before this is still the early days of these changes, but the cracks are really starting to show in Apple’s famed walled garden.

I’m of two minds on this topic. As an owner of an iPhone, iPad, and Mac I’ve benefited greatly from the tight control and vertical integration Apple has been able to impose. Universal Clipboard still feels like magic to me. But as a gadget nerd I want to use my high-powered hand computer as, you know, a computer. I want to dictate how I use the device that I paid for - warts and all. Knowing that it’s possible to run these games I grew up playing and take them on the go with me is one of those things that’s impossible to put back in the box.

I’ve been transfixed with playing Pokemon Yellow this week. It’s the only game on my mind right now, and because of Delta it looks like it’s going to be the first turn-based game that I ever beat (sorry Final Fantasy VII!). These tools have the opportunity to dismantle the barriers to accessibility and in turn reignite the discovery of these classic stories and worlds. I’m experiencing it first hand. Obviously, there are some downsides to all of this, but I’m optimistic.

For now.