Ladies and gentlemen, gather ’round as we delve into the intriguing tale of the newest game emulator to grace the realm of iOS. UTM, a herald of open-source PC operating system emulation, has triumphantly unveiled UTM SE after enduring a rigorous evaluation process and a previous dismissal.
Behold, for UTM SE now resides within the illustrious chambers of the App Store for iOS and visionOS, ready for eager souls to partake in its wonders. Furthermore, this prodigious creation shall soon find sanctuary in the hallowed halls of AltStore Pal, an alternative marketplace nestled within the confines of the EU. “Huzzahs to the esteemed AltStore team for their invaluable aid, and to the benevolent Apple for their reconsideration of policy,” exclaims UTM in a resounding proclamation on X (formerly known as Twitter).
As recounted by the sagely developers themselves (and as reported by the esteemed scribes of The Verge), the app faced adversity when it was spurned by the App Store and other third-party vendors in the EU back in June. In a missive of great significance on X, it was revealed that this rejection stemmed from the confines of rule 4.7 within the App Store guidelines, a rule that also affects other titans of emulation such as Delta — Game Emulator, which holds dominion over the realm of video game console simulation. Following an arduous two-month period of scrutiny, Apple cast its verdict, deeming the app unworthy of inclusion due to the developer’s solemn assertion that “PC is not a console.” This judgment was bolstered by the invocation of rule 2.5.2 from the hallowed Notarization Review Guidelines, decreed to prevent apps from engaging in the clandestine endeavor of “download, install, or execute code which introduces or changes features or functionality of the app, including other apps.”
Upon further contemplation of Apple’s edicts, it becomes apparent that the rejection was precipitated by the app’s utilization of a just-in-time (JIT) compilation method. This mechanism, commonly employed by emulators like UTM, seeks to transmute code into a form suitable for diverse systems. However, in the realm of Apple’s steadfastly guarded operating systems, such audacious dalliances with JIT are viewed as perilous endeavors that may expose the user to the ever-looming specter of malware.
Now, in a turn of events both unexpected and buoyant, UTM SE has ascended to the lofty heights of the App Store, sans the taint of JIT. Yet, the venerable developers at Turing Software speak with a tone of tempered restraint, cautioning that this incarnation of the app is but a shadow of its former self, an experience deemed unworthy of fervent contention. This quagmire bears semblance to the plight faced by the Dolphin emulator in its quest for an iOS or MacOS counterpart. A link within the annals of UTM’s communique directs the curious to a blog on oatmealdome.me, which illuminates Dolphin’s usage of an “interpreter” as a method to skirt the perils of JIT, albeit at a significant cost in terms of speed.
In essence, UTM SE remains akin to its forebear, yet shackled to the chains of diminished swiftness. Its repertoire of supported operating systems, once expansive, now finds itself constrained to the realms of “x86, PPC, and RISC-V architectures,” a whisper of its former grandeur. Nevertheless, for those who seek to relive the golden moments of retro PC gaming upon their mobile devices, a journey into UTM SE’s realms may still hold allure — especially since it bears no cost.
The landscape of iPhone emulation now teems with a cornucopia of options, including the venerable Delta, the timeless RetroArch, and the venerable PPSSPP. This cornucopia owes its existence to the winds of change ushered in by the Digital Markets Act of the EU, a legislative edict that compelled Apple to open its gates to third-party vendors.
