this post was submitted on 30 Dec 2025
75 points (98.7% liked)
Y2K Aesthetics
300 readers
1 users here now
Community dedicated to the Y2K aesthetic.
Check also !frutiger_aero@sopuli.xyz for the Frutiger Aero aesthetic
founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
The only emulators really worth using IMO don't have IAPs or ads or any of that. Delta is Nintendo only (and GBA), you can skin the controllers, and it has Google Drive backup. Like I can uninstall the app and clear the space, re-download it, reconnect it to the cloud, and it'll pull all my games and saves back down again. It's awesome... but it's Nintendo only. I suspect the developer of some kind of shenanigans, like there's some reason it's Nintendo only and not GameCube, but I wouldn't know where to begin with the why. In any case, it works, and it works with external controllers — I like the 8bitdo SN30 Pro. I don't think they make mine anymore. It's a Super NES/Super Famicom controller. You used to get SNES/SFC lookalike controllers, but Nintendo sued and now it looks a bit less like one, but retains the shape. Bonus, it has a second set of triggers, and two analogue sticks. Playing Xbox games with it (it supports Xinput, Switch, and Bluetooth connections) feels illegal, but it works. Oh, and then of course there's RetroArch. Supports almost everything (the iOS version is more limited than the computer one), but it's not very user friendly.
I can remember the days when emulators on iPhones were out of reach for all but those who liked voiding their warranties to jailbreak the devices. It’s nice to see the iPhone open up a little bit more (though calling the iPhone “open” is taking mad liberties) even if it remains a curated walled garden. I could probably use my GameSir (love that name) controller case, or my 8BitDo SNES-like controller (that thing is so wonderful, but I need to prop my phone up with it), but I probably won’t emulate much on my phone. I don’t consider myself a hardware purist, but I do have a thing for using the original device over emulation when I’m feeling particularly nostalgic.
There is something to be said about using the original hardware. While I have no problem playing, say, a Zelda game to completion, a Mario game is another matter entirely. Even with a Switch with Switch Online membership, the latency that exists whether I'm using the attached controllers wirelessly, the Switch in handheld mode, or a third-party controller wired over USB, or wireless over Bluetooth, the latency is greater than it was on an actual NES. I just can't control Mario as tightly as I could on original hardware. You could chalk it up to my age (let's just say I played the NES when it was brand new), but there is a discernible latency that was not there with the original hardware, and even Nintendo themselves can't get rid of it. And that's if you pay them an annual fee.
That’s right, I hadn’t thought about that. For me personally, latency isn’t usually an issue, but I’m used to more powerful hardware that reduces it a lot. I don’t play those emulated titles on the Switch (but I’m still glad that they’re still available at all), but emulation is definitely not perfect. It’s hard to do at all, let alone do well. But even still, a lot of my preference for old hardware has a lot to do with tactility. I love the feel of the controller, seeing the actual hardware, and interacting with it, the way I did when I was a kid. It’s largely nostalgic and not entirely rational, since emulation has ups and downs (I do like playing PS2 games at higher resolutions than original). I picked up my Game Boy Advance SP again last night, and it reminded me of when I was a kid and how cool I thought it was then.