Apple Changes Its Mind and Releases Its Old PC Game Emulator on the App Store

Apple has received approval for the first time emulator of old pc games On the App Store. Now iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro headset owners can download UTM SE to enjoy classic games on different operating systems for free.

UTM SE was rejected on its first attempt to enter the online store. However, it Managed to develop a new version that does not use JIT (just-in-time) is a recompiler that converts the original codes of a platform to ARM architecture and is not supported. After the change, the company allowed the integration of the catalog.

The emulator team, with the help of a partner developer, managed to release the new version both on the App Store and on AltStore PAL – the “alternative” platform that was launched in the European Union countries and forced the company to allow the presence of other app stores on its devices.

Apple began releasing retro emulators on its store starting in April this year. Without mentioning downloading ROMsthese are still considered illegal. Since then, programs have been added to the catalog that allow you to play old Nintendo handheld games and even the PSP.

How to emulate old PC games on the App Store

To use UTM SE, it is necessary to install a customized virtual machine inside the emulator. It can be downloaded from the application’s own website or developed from scratch by more experienced users in programming.

The most popular virtual machines are Windows versions from XP to the current Windows 11. There are Linux distributions like Ubuntu, Debian and FedoraA FreeDOS build or even an old update of macOS.

We are happy to announce that UTM SE is now available (for free) on the iOS and VisionOS App Store (and coming soon to AltStore PAL too)!

Thanks to the AltStore team for their help and to Apple for reevaluating their policies. https://t.co/HAV5JnT5GO

— UTM (@UTMapp) July 13, 2024

The emulator runs titles on x86, PPC and RISC-V architectures. For those who want an experience that further simulates the retro environment, there is a graphics mode in the VGA standard and a terminal for text-only operating systems.

From the comments on the App Store, Some virtual machines still have some performance issues in the emulatorespecially due to the lack of JIT, crashes and high latency. However, this is considered an important step for more applications of this type to enter the virtual store.