Space Cadet Pinball has never been so portable… and never been so small!”
One month after the release of the PC emulator UTM Rejected from iOS App StoreThe developer Announced New “UTM SE” version Available for free on the App StoreHowever, the app’s performance is severely hampered by Apple’s limitations on so-called “just-in-time” (JIT) compilation, limiting the app’s suitability for effectively emulating many PC games.
Building on QEMU, a generic command line emulation layer, Open Source UTM It touts support for “30+ processors,” from x86, PowerPC, RISC-V, and ARM64, and the App Store listing says it can “run classic software and old-school games” in both VGA graphics mode and a text-based terminal.
Don’t expect seamless play like RetroArch Space Cadet Pinball However, on the iPhone, UTM developers Link to download pre-configured settings There are also guides available for versions of Windows from XP onwards, as well as how to boot those operating systems on iOS, but this requires users to bring along a genuine Windows installation ISO and go through the tedious process of installing the OS. SPICE Tool Version It would help to coordinate access via iOS (it seems easier to just download a pre-built UTM compatible Linux build).
Slow by design
Still, don’t expect a high level of performance from this new emulator, since UTM SE must adhere to App Store restrictions that prohibit apps that “install executable code.” Therefore, the App Store version is “JIT-less” build Instead of fully recompiling at runtime, it uses the Tiny-Code Threaded Interpreter (TCTI) to interpret each original line of code as it is executed, resulting in smoother performance.
The video shows how the lack of JIT recompilation slows down GameCube emulation in DolphiniOS.
The lack of JIT recompilation means that “SE [in UTM SE] “Abbreviation for Slow Edition” Moderator CZ A concise summary on UTM Discord“They’re saying you can’t play games on UTM SE,” said at least one user who tested running Linux through UTM SE. Confirmed It’s “very slow” and an “unpleasant experience.” Those who want the full performance of UTM can install the regular non-SE version of the app, either by sideloading or via an alternative store.
You may remember that the developers of the GameCube/Wii emulator DolphiniOS cited a lack of JIT recompilation for the reason. The iOS App Store doesn’t run at a functional frame rateHowever, similar restrictions continue Emulators like Delta Capable of running everything from classic consoles to the Nintendo DS at playable frame rates, UTM SE is likely to be good enough for older MS-DOS or Windows 95-era titles.
