Our final fantasy of classic PS1 emulation on iPhone and iPad is now a riveting reality

If you miss those heady days of Final Fantasy VII, Spyro, and Ape Escape, we’ve got good news. There’s a new PS1 emulator on the App Store, Gamma, and it’s a dream for us nineties babies longing for the nostalgia of cuboid characters and pixelated platformers.

Until very recently, Apple‘s App Store had some pretty rigid rules in place that stood in the way of access to emulators, but that’s all changed in recent months. Gamma is just the latest emulator to arrive, following the introduction of Delta just a few weeks ago, with all manner of games” rel=”noopener “>retro games now playable on iPhone and iPad. Despite both emulators lending their names from the Greek alphabet, they’re in no way related.

Gamma has already proven wildly popular, rocketing up the Top Free Entertainment app charts to land in second place, just behind TikTok. While it’s fair to say that the app plays pretty fast and loose with the new App Store guidelines, it doesn’t seem to be skirting them as much in an effort to avoid delisting, so it looks like Gamma is here to stay. Still, things can change quickly, so we’re keeping an eye on the App Store just in case.

While Gamma is obviously popular, looking at the reviews makes it clear that the developer still has some work to do to perfect the iconic PS1 experience. For a start, it seems the app has a little trouble playing nice with mobile gaming controllers, with reports of crashing from those trying to play with a Backbone controller. Still, given how quickly it’s raced up the charts, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the developer, ZodTTD, quickly rectify these issues and cement the app as the best way to play PS1 on your iPhone before any competitors arrive.

Before we close out, it’s important to point out that ROM piracy is very much illegal, and you should only be playing games on Gamma that you own and have ported into ROM format yourself. We can’t be clear enough about that.

There you have it, all you need to know about the arrival of Gamma, the latest emulation app to arrive on the App Store. While you’re here, check out some other retro titles with our picks for the games” rel=”noopener “>best GBA games and the games” rel=”noopener “>best PS Vita games, or find a new way to play with our guides to the best portable gaming consoles and best retro game consoles.