01/27, 8:28pm
DOS emulator lets you play abandonware titles on iPhone/iPad
DOS was the operating system that people born prior to 1983 ended up cutting their teeth on, and for many people the obsolete OS still holds some nostalgic value, particularly for games. Thanks to programs like DOSBox, millions of gamers are returning to the days of Duke Nukem and Commander Keen on their Macs or PCs. However, Power DOS by Power App GmbH, allows you to take all the fun of the 1980s and 1990s with you on your favorite iDevice.
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01/08, 3:34am
Prince of Persia, Maniac Mansion, Original Sim City, Lemmings among web-adapted games
Last November, the Internet Archive debuted their new service, The Internet Arcade, where over 900 arcade titles from the 1980's and 90's were hosted for free play over a web browser. Today the service topped itself, expanding the the Software Library to include 2,300 MS-DOS-era games, available through the EM-DOSbox in-browser emulator.
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12/23, 1:04am
'Floppy Cloud' likely to get pulled, junior reviewer fired for missing illegal content
Once again, a rogue developer has attempted -- and succeeded, albeit temporarily -- in sneaking an app onto the iOS App Store that actually contains an emulator for a classic game system, forbidden under App Store rules. This time, it is Floppy Cloud ($2), which has taken the novel approach of pretending to be a file management app rather than the more-obvious Flappy Bird copycat. The app works exactly as described, but if users add a NES or SNES ROM file to the cloud-based management, the file will play in a full emulator.
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10/01, 5:00pm
Open-source project developer discovers traces of source code in console frontend
Developers behind the RetroArch project, an open-source project for the creation of video game emulators, are accusing Hyperkin of illegal use of open-source and no-commercial-use software in its Retron 5 console. One developer says that two non-commercial emulators are being used in the console, while segments of code from the RetroArch interface are contained within the console's frontend.
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02/19, 8:41pm
Former jailbroken software bypasses App Store, poses security risk
A former "unofficial" app that required jailbreaking an iOS device to run its Game Boy emulator has attempted to "backdoor" its way onto non-jailbroken devices by hijacking a legitimate certificate, which has now been disabled by Apple. The app, GBA4iOS 2, offered emulation of Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance games on iOS 7 devices, and included a built-in browser to allow users to pirate ROMs.
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04/17, 11:35pm
Patent awarded to Nintendo for gameboy emulation
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently awarded Nintendo patent number 8,157,654 for emulating older handheld consoles. Specifically, Gameboy, Gameboy Color, and Gameboy Advance handhelds are targeted for emulation on external "low capability" computing devices such as airline seat-back displays. It's not immediately apparent what Nintendo plans on doing now that the patent has been awarded.
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01/03, 5:20am
Retrode unveils its latest retro gaming adapter
Retrode has revealed the Retrode 2, its latest gaming adapter for Macs, PCs, smartphones and tablets. As the video demo below shows, the device connects to a user’s computer and mounts as an external drive allowing users to access game ROMs and game saves on SNES and Genesis cartridges over USB. Users must download and install their own choice of emulator to get up and running.
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12/23, 4:00pm
Made it possible to add illegal ROMs
As expected, Apple has now removed the MAME arcade emulator port iMAME from the App Store. The free app used MAME as a method to play ROMs taken directly from vintage 70s and 80s video arcade games. It came with legal demonstration games, but could also (through the use of third-party tools) be used to play copyrighted ROMs that are not licensed or legal. Though no reason for the removal has been offered, the app was in violation of Apple guidelines that forbid apps from running arbitrary emulated code.
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12/21, 7:15pm
Includes nine public-domain games
An app that uses Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator (MAME) technology has appeared on the App Store for iOS devices. Called iMAME, the free emulator includes nine generic games and features a touch-based bottom half that offers both joystick and an ABXY button configuration. The port, which was previous available only for jailbroken iOS devices through unofficial distribution channels, is not officially endorsed.
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08/30, 6:15pm
Aims to emulate the Apple A4 chip in software
A group of programmers are hoping to find public funding for a project which, should they succeed, would bring iOS apps to platforms such as Android, Mac, Linux and Windows through a new emulator built on the open-source QEMU emulator, TechCrunch reports. The project, led by iPhone jailbreak exploit hacker Chris Wade, plans to emulate Apple's A4 chipset as used by the iPhone 4 and first-generation iPad. Wade is trying to raise $20,000 for the project.
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03/30, 11:05pm
App removed ahead of Xperia Play launch
A PlayStation emulator, psx4droid, has been removed from the Android Market. In a Twitter post, the developer suggested Google pulled the title due to a "Content Policy violation," though it remains unclear if the move was related to conflicts with Sony's intellectual property or that of other developers distributing similar emulators.
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01/27, 7:25pm
"Recipes" to improve installing, launching apps
Codeweavers today unveiled a new version of their flagship product CrossOver for Mac and Linux, a Wine environment that supports running various (but not all) Windows programs without the need to install an actual Windows OS. The new version 10 is now nicknamed "The Impersonator" -- and the staff and guests at their booth at Macworld 2011 have run with the idea that the new version lets Mac and Linux users "put on a Windows costume," as you'll see in MacNN's exclusive pictures.
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08/20, 11:55am
C64 Emulator for iPhone
Apple could be reconsidering allowing the C64 Emulator app onto the App Store, following its rejection in June. The developer, Manomio, recently claimed in a tweet that it was contacted by a senior director at Apple and there is "BIG news coming," although further details have not yet been announced.
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12/10, 1:30pm
Playstation on iPhone
One independent software developer is hard at work on a Sony Playstation emulator for iPhone, which will allow iPhone owners to play original Sony Playstation games on Apple's cellular handset. The author says the software will support both the iPhone and iPod touch, and that a beta testing stage is due to arrive in the near future that will allow users who donated money to receive a pre-release test version.
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