The iPhone emulator landscape continues its ascent, propelled by the winds of new EU regulations. Among the latest additions is iDOS 3, a veritable gateway to the golden era of MS-DOS gaming on your iPhone or iPad. Developer Chaoji Li, after a protracted struggle with the rigorous App Store submission process, triumphantly announced the app’s approval in a blog post.
“It has been a long wait for common sense to prevail within Apple,” Li mused. “As much as I want to revel in this victory, a hint of caution lingers in my mind about the future. Are we truly in the clear now?”
iDOS, a venerable app steeped in nostalgia, harnesses the power of DOSBox to transport users back in time where DOS games come alive with the gentle caress of touch and the balletic dance of an on-screen keyboard and trackpad. Its past on the App Store was a tale of woe, banished in 2021 for breaching Apple’s guidelines on executable code and self-containment. Li staunchly refused to sacrifice critical features to comply with the whims of Cupertino, much to the chagrin of loyal users.
With the emergence of EU regulations as a serendipitous boon, Li seized the opportunity to reenter the fray. iDOS 3, harkening back to its predecessor but cloaked in a new moniker, made its debut in April. However, the path to acceptance was fraught with obstacles, from accusations of mimicry to demands for console emulation. The arduous journey mirrored that of UTM, an open-source PC emulator, whose eventual success emboldened Li to press on.
And now, iDOS 3 stands proudly on the virtual shelves of the App Store, beckoning to iPhone and iPad users with a modest price tag of $1. Grab your devices, venture forth, and immerse yourself in the realm of MS-DOS delights, for the gates to nostalgia swing open once more.
