PlayStation 1 was one of the best consoles in history and this is information not opinion, no one can save me from this nonsense. Jokes aside, PlayStation 1 is a historical console with games that left their mark on many people’s childhood, such as ‘Spyro’, ‘Medievil’, ‘Resident Evil’, ‘Castlevania’ and ‘Metal Gear Solid’. It’s been almost 30 years since its release, and finally today we can enjoy our PSX games on the iPhone once again, thanks to the Gamma emulator.

ZodTTD. It’s probably a not-so-sounding name, but it’s the nickname of one of the most well-known developers since the era when jailbreaking was common on iOS. Perhaps fans of this world will be familiar with Cydia’s Apple Bio repository, which contains themes for the iPhone. ZodTTD was one of the people who kept it going. Tapwave has been working on PS1 emulation since the Zodiac days, and now it’s back to iOS emulator Gamma.

Gamma. This is the name of the PSX emulator and that’s okay if it sounds familiar. Gamma is based on Delta, the GameBoy and Nintendo DS emulator that made a lot of noise. The software allows you to run PlayStation 1 games (which, needless to say, they’re not included) without needing to use the BIOS, but it’s true that the app itself tells us that having these games increases their performance. The app is free and is monetized through ads (full screen every time we launch a game, something that can cause some friction).

Gamma Interface | Screenshots: Xataka

Features to consider. The emulator allows us to add games from iPhone storage and sync games with the cloud so they can be kept safe. It also displays game covers, plays audio, and offers a touch interface that’s less comfortable than it might seem at first glance. The best way to play is with a connected controller, but there is a bug that causes games to crash or not work properly. The developer is aware of this and claims to be working on an update.

There is also an issue with audio, as games that use CDDA tracks are supported, but CDDA tracks themselves are not. Efforts are also being made to provide support. The issue of data collection is one that causes a lot of controversy due to the fact that the app asks you to accept a privacy policy. According to the developer, this is something that happens when using the Google SDK and is a requirement whose implementation is fairly new.

Spyro emulation | Screenshots: Xataka

How is the performance? It’s definitely pretty good. We were able to play some games at a stable and accurate frame rate, and the audio worked well too. The problem is that the touch controls are a bit so-so. It might make more sense on the Game Boy emulator, but if we talk about PlayStation it’s much more annoying

Additionally, the emulator has no option to improve resolution or scanline filters, which is quite noticeable. Frankly, the graphics are a bit rough. According to the developer, “this is a high priority fix,” so we’ll be sure to see news soon.

Pictures | Xataka

in Xataka | I’m back to playing retro games, taking advantage of the arrival of emulators on iOS. As time passed, it became a lesson