Folium has become the first Nintendo 3DS emulator for iPhone available on the App Store, although there are some caveats to consider.
Most notably, this is the first Nintendo emulator on the App Store to require payment. Folium developer Jarrod Norwell is charging $4.99 for the app — a bold move considering Nintendo recently sued the creators of Yuzu, a Nintendo Switch emulator that made money through a subscription-based “early access” model.
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Yuzu settled a $2.4 million settlement with Nintendo and shut down its emulator earlier this year. It's unclear whether Nintendo will take action against Folium, but as a paid app, it may require stricter scrutiny.
Second, Apple doesn't allow emulators to use the "just-in-time" (JIT) compilation method. This limitation can affect the performance of Nintendo 3DS games, especially on older iPhone models, but your experience may vary. We recommend reading user reviews on Reddit and other platforms before deciding to buy Folium.
Third, it's possible that another full-fledged emulator on the App Store, like RetroArch, will add free support for the Nintendo 3DS in the future.
With all of this in mind, Folium offers you the chance to re-enjoy classic Nintendo 3DS games on your iPhone, as long as you provide your own ROMs. However, you should note that downloading copyrighted games is illegal in many countries.
See also: Delta Game Emulator is now available on the App Store
Folium also offers emulation for Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS, but we recommend the free Delta app for those consoles. Folium is compatible with many hardware controllers, including the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con, Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, Backbone One, as well as the latest PlayStation and Xbox.
Source: macrumors
