Field manual

Emulation guides, one system at a time.

Straight guides to running retro systems on iPhone and iPad — what each console needs, what genuinely doesn't work, and how to set it up. No filler, and no links to games: bring backups of the ones you own.

The Haptic Emulator library on iPhone showing a shelf of 3D game boxes with cover art, titles and file sizes
Guide

Which emulator should you get for your iPhone?

They're normal App Store apps now. Here's what actually makes a difference once you've used one for a fortnight.

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A Game Boy Advance Pokémon game running in Haptic Emulator on iPhone, showing a wild encounter with the purple GBA controller skin
Nintendo

How to play Pokémon FireRed on your iPhone

Nintendo never put Kanto on a modern console. Your phone turns out to be a lovely way to play it — here's what it's like.

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A Hoenn-era Game Boy Advance Pokémon game running in Haptic Emulator on iPhone during a wild encounter
Nintendo

The best way to play Pokémon Emerald

Twenty years on, Emerald still isn't on any modern console — and the cartridge in your drawer has probably stopped keeping time.

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A Game Boy Advance game running in Haptic Emulator on iPhone with the purple GBA controller skin
Nintendo

Play Game Boy Advance games on your iPhone

The best 2D games ever made, on a screen that's actually lit this time. No more tilting it toward a lamp.

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A PSP game running in Haptic Emulator in full-screen landscape on iPhone with floating translucent controls
Sony

Play PSP games on your iPhone

Here's the surprise: PSP games look better on your phone than they ever did on the PSP. And you can put them on your TV.

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A PlayStation 1 game running in Haptic Emulator with the PS1 controller layout including L1, L2, R1 and R2
Sony

Play PlayStation 1 games on your iPhone

Multi-disc games, all four shoulder buttons, and the one setting that makes 32-bit 3D look right again.

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A Nintendo 64 game running in Haptic Emulator with an authentic N64 layout including yellow C-buttons and analog stick
Nintendo

Play Nintendo 64 games on your iPhone

Those four little yellow buttons are the whole problem, and most apps get them wrong. This one doesn't.

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A Super Nintendo game running in Haptic Emulator with the curved-glass CRT screen filter applied
Nintendo

Play Super Nintendo games on your iPhone

Where 2D games peaked. Turn on one setting first and they'll look the way you actually remember them.

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An NES game running in Haptic Emulator with the classic two-button NES controller skin
Nintendo

Play NES games on your iPhone

Two buttons and no fuss — plus the thing that quietly makes those impossible childhood games finishable.

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A Game Boy game running in Haptic Emulator with the classic grey Game Boy controller skin
Nintendo

Play Game Boy games on your iPhone

The grey brick, in your pocket again. Including the green screen, if you want it.

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The Haptic Emulator library on iPhone showing Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS and PlayStation with game counts
Nintendo

Play Nintendo DS games on your iPhone

The one console where playing on a phone is arguably better than the original hardware.

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A Nintendo 64 3D platformer running in full-screen landscape on iPhone with floating controls
Guide

Retro games worth replaying first

Forty years of games just became available and you have no idea what to play. Start here.

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The Haptic Emulator library on iPhone showing a shelf of 3D game boxes with cover art and titles
Comparison

RetroArch on iPhone, or something simpler

What it is in plain English, why people give up on it, and when something simpler is the better call.

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