While we still don’t know how the emulator will work on the iPhone, Apple’s performance here will put its App Store in a better position to compete with other app stores in the EU. Assuming this means you can actually play games from their emulated consoles, this could be a big deal for retro gaming fans. While the Steam Deck and Switch are great, the rise of portable consoles has come at the expense of portability (unless you wear cargo pants and don’t mind them hitting your knees when you walk).
I’ve always considered the Game Boy Advance to be the pinnacle of handheld design, thanks to its clamshell form factor, and the Nintendo DS Lite isn’t bad either.Andrew Webster said something similar while expressing his nostalgia for the PlayStation Vita edge this morning.
Of course, the iPhone doesn’t have front buttons, and the virtual buttons, while fine in a pinch, are a poor substitute for anything that requires quick responses. Thankfully, there are plenty of options on the iPhone.
The ideal situation would be for the controller to connect directly to your phone, such as the Backbone One. It’s a bit like the Switch Joy-Con and can be clipped horizontally to either end of the iPhone. But it connects via Lightning or USB-C, depending on which version you buy, so you don’t have to worry about Bluetooth pairing. Just one tap and you’re good to go. Of course, if you own an iPhone 14 or earlier and plan to update to a USB-C iPhone soon, it’s even harder to invest $100. Additionally, the iPhone’s ever-increasing camera bump has prompted the company to consider providing a 3D-printed adapter for the Lightning version.
But if you already own a Switch, you probably don’t need to buy a Backbone controller at all. Nintendo’s controller also works with the iPhone, and there are adapters that allow you to physically connect the Joy-Con to the phone. I haven’t tried them yet, so your mileage may vary, but they do exist.
These are just a few of the many options for iPhone controllers. There’s more, but despite Apple’s phone status as a mobile gaming giant, third-party controllers themselves haven’t made much of a splash. With the App Store allowing the use of emulators (a change likely triggered by regulatory pressure from antitrust lawsuits in the U.S. as well as from the EU), perhaps we’ll be on the verge of a future platform where the iPhone is actually the ideal handheld gaming console.