New emulator brings old PlayStation games to iPhones for free

A new emulator, called PPSSPP, enables iOS users to PlayStation Portable (PSP) games. The app is among several other emulators that Apple now allows, following changes to its App Review guidelines.

PPSSPP, created by developer Hendrik Rydgård 12 years ago, has been available to Android users for quite some time. Now, it can also be downloaded via the App Store, enabling iPhone and iPad users to play old PSP games that could previously only be installed on iOS devices only using unofficial software.

According to the developer, the App Store release has some limitations compared to the jailbreak version. For now, there’s no support for Magic Keyboard, RetroAchievements are temporarily disabled, and Just-In-Time compiler, which is used to improve performance on iOS and iPad devices, is not available, meaning that CPU emulation performance is reduced.

However, the developer in his blog post claims that iOS devices are generally fast enough to run nearly all PSP games at full speed. He also says that The Magic Keybordand RetroAchievements will be available in the future.

On Thursday, PPSSPP was among the top five popular free iPhone apps.

All users running iOS 12 and later versions can download the emulator. However, PPSSPP does not provide PSP games. They have to be downloaded from other sources, such as the PlayStation Network, and loaded via ISO files since Apple doesn’t allow uploading games to developers for which they do not have the rights.

PPSSPP is one of the several emulators that has appeared on the App Store in the past month. A few days ago, an emulator called Gamma was released on the digital marketplace, allowing users to play PlayStation One games.

The first emulator to hit the App Store was Delta. This supports games for Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and Sega Genesis.

Apple didn't allow game emulators until last month. In April, the company changed its App Review guidelines, allowing only those apps that emulate only older, retro console games.

The company made the move following European Union Regulations that forced it to enable downloads from third-party stores in the EU. Gaming emulators could be a compelling reason for many users to try third-party stores, so the company has decided to allow them on iOS.