Apple's finicky about emulators in the App Store, but most of the candidates have been unofficial, and dubiously legal. Sega's Ultimate Genesis, though, is official, and looks like a full virtual console for your iPhone.
Sega's released a pile of classic games in the App Store, all of which were technically emulated; the apps were emulators and ROMs, all packaged into one. (This made the adaptions faithful, if a little slow on non-3GS hardware.) Now, with the App Store's in-app purchasing system, they can do it right: the free app, which should show up sometime today in the beginning of February comes with just one game--Space Harrier II--but you can buy as many as you want from within Ultimate Genesis. Here's the current lineup:
- Sonic the Hedgehog: $5.99
- Golden Axe: $4.99
- Ecco the Dolphin: $2.99
- Shining Force: $2.99
Some of these games are already listed as standalones, so in an abstract way, Ultimate Genesis is really just a new way to package old apps, and a focused sales channel for new ones. But that's exactly what a virtual console-style emulator is! And why this is a fantastic idea.
This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.