Emulators and the App Store
Emulators Will Change the App Store Forever - Wavelengths
The introduction of emulators offers an alternative within this ecosystem, providing games with immersive stories and gameplay systems that are designed for extended play sessions. These games, though designed for other hardware, still offer complete experiences counter to the endless treadmills of most apps found in the Games tab today which funnel users into shops loaded with in-game currencies. As the concept of emulation becomes more prevalent and ubiquitous across all mobile devices, I feel as though it can introduce a much-needed shake-up to the MTX-laden landscape we live in today.
Like many people, I’m excited to see Delta and other video game console emulators come to the App Store. It’s been fun to get Pokémon and other classics running on my phone. These games appeal to me while most mobile games do not. So much so that I ordered my first iPhone controller grip.
However, what’s been a sad thought is that the library of retro games is fixed and finite. There never will be a new Game Boy Advance game to get excited about. True, it’d take time to play through this whole library, even the subset that I now have loaded on my phone. But I think I’d be much more excited by a new game in the style of these classics that I was able to play on my phone, rather than games I’ve played in my past.
I hope the Wavelengths post is right that this does prove out the interest and audience for more immersive and gameplay focused mobile games, in the spirit of these retro classics that many love.