Delta emulator creator Riley Testut released version 2.0 of the app on Oct. 22, with optimizations built specifically for Apple’s iPhone Duo folding device, according to The Verge. The update landed one day before the iPhone Duo hit store shelves, and its Delta 2.0 iPhone Duo support centers on Nintendo DS games, letting the foldable mimic the experience of a real DS handheld.
The Delta team called it the app’s biggest update ever in its announcement on X, pairing the folding-screen features with new Sega Genesis emulation, RetroAchievements support, custom Pokémon downloadable content, animated controller skins and a redesigned interface.
How Delta’s Folding Support Works on iPhone Duo
Nintendo DS titles are the primary games built around the iPhone Duo’s hinge in Delta 2.0. When a user folds the iPhone Duo shut, emulated DS games automatically enter sleep mode, replicating what happens when a player closes the lid on an actual Nintendo DS console.
Testut told The Verge the controller skins were redesigned for “every pose in both portrait and landscape,” so the layout holds up whether the Duo is flat open or propped halfway like a tiny laptop. Players can also use Apple’s Split View multitasking to run another app side by side with Delta, meaning the folding support does not lock users out of running other apps alongside their emulated games.
Key Features and Specs Beyond the Fold
Delta 2.0 adds Sega Genesis support, the first new system Delta has added since its 2024 App Store debut. Genesis games arrive with save states, cheat codes and controller skins styled after Sega’s original gamepad.
The update also brings RetroAchievements, the community-built platform that adds unlockable achievements to classic games. Pokémon fans get a new custom DLC system for the mainline Game Boy Advance games, adding event items and rare Pokémon. Testut said the feature will cover every mainline Pokémon game released on the Game Boy Advance, and The Verge reported the content was built by the Pokémon ROM hacking community without AI tools.
The app’s interface has been rebuilt around Apple‘s Liquid Glass design language and scales from the iPhone Duo’s inner display all the way up to iPad screens. A new Custom Filters tool lets players layer visual effects over their games, such as an old-school CRT TV look or filters they import themselves.
Other additions include experimental support for Epilogue’s GB Operator and SN Operator, accessories that let players run their own original Nintendo cartridges on an iPhone or iPad. Animated controller skins now join the lineup, including support for third-party designs, and the game library has gained dedicated sections for recently played titles and favorites.
Price and Availability
Delta 2.0 is a free update, and the app remains free to download. This release adds global in-app purchase support through a new, optional Become a Patron option.
Version 2.0 is also Delta’s first release on the EU App Store, which means the emulator is now available through Apple’s official App Store worldwide. European players can still get it through AltStore PAL as well.
What’s Next for Delta and iPhone Duo Owners
The first Pokémon DLC is coming soon, though no specific date has been announced. Testut also hinted that more systems could follow, telling writer Daryl Baxter the team is “always looking for new systems for Delta.”
For iPhone Duo owners and mobile gamers, the update means Nintendo DS emulation is now built to take advantage of the device’s hinge, while Genesis emulation, RetroAchievements, the Liquid Glass interface and custom filters apply across Delta’s supported library on compatible iPhones and iPads.
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