Delta Emulator Is Adding Online Multiplayer Support

Emulators are great, but there's nothing quite like playing multiplayer games with friends on actual Nintendo DS consoles. Now, thanks to Delta, you might actually be able to replicate that experience.

The popular emulator, Delta, is set to introduce online multiplayer functionality for DS games. This update was announced by Delta developer Riley Testut, who shared a video showcasing a Mario Kart DS race between two players on iPhones. For now, the multiplayer functionality seems to be limited to titles with Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection (WFC for short)—we're not sure whether we'll ever see something like this for games' local multiplayer or Download Play modes (Dolphin emulator offers such a feature for Gamecube and Wii emulation), but this is probably good enough for most people.

Nintendo discontinued the DS' official online services back in 2014. The lack of Nintendo-owned servers is not a problem for Delta, however. Testut clarified that Delta will rely on third-party Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection servers, enabling over 10 million Delta users to connect not only with each other but also with random folks playing on actual DS devices using the same servers.

Initially, this online functionality will be limited to Nintendo DS games that previously supported Nintendo WFC, with no plans for the Delta team to host its own server. While an "official" Delta server would probably make online emulated gaming feel more like a "native" experience, it's not an absolute priority, as there are other servers you can use.

Online multiplayer will first arrive in a beta version of Delta, accessible only to Patreon subscribers. A public release date is yet to be announced, though online multiplayer will be celebrated when it finally reaches the masses, as Delta is the premiere DS emulator for iOS and has already secured millions of downloads.

Source: AltStore (Twitter/X), The Verge