This 3DS Emulator Will Let You Play On iPhone

It’s been more than a year since the Nintendo 3DS eShop shut down, but players will soon be able to access their library of 3DS games from their iPhone thanks to a new emulator. Mimicking the 3DS's iconic design, it will offer a split-screen view for players to dive into the Nintendo games on the go, putting well-loved games like on Apple's smart devices.

A preview video of the Folium emulator, re-shared by Centro LEAKS on X (formerly Twitter), shows the popular kart racing game running smoothly on the iPhone, with the player using an off-screen controller to steer the karts. Once released, Folium will offer handheld emulation of Nintendo 3DS, DS, and Game Boy Advance games for those with an iPhone 15 Pro or newer. The app will cost $4.99 on the App Store and will have full support for multiple controllers and native audio input and output upon release.

Centro LEAKS noted that the model of iPhone the app runs on is particularly important. Unfortunately, anyone with an iPhone model older than the iPhone 15 Pro won’t be able to use Folium to its full extent, as the 15 Pro’s premium specs are needed for the emulator to run smoothly. An exact App Store release date isn’t available at the moment, despite the Folium website stating it’s available now.

The release of this emulator is coming at an interesting time, considering Nintendo’s proclivity to squash emulators of its games. Just this year, Nintendo filed a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against Tropical Haze, the developer behind the popular Switch emulators Yuzu and Citra, forcing both services to shut down entirely. Others have sprung up in their place, though the sites’ futures continue to hang precariously in wait for another lawsuit.

Legally, emulators are fair use and aren’t infringing upon a video game company’s IP, but sourcing the games for the emulators is where the lawsuits find grounds. Nintendo historically won a $12 million settlement against two ROM sites in 2018 and was granted another $2.1 million