Provenance EMU is a new multi-console emulator for many vintage arcade and console systems that will have taken its time to land on the App Store. Announced last May, following the opening of the Apple App Store to emulators, RetroArch’s biggest competitor is finally here. Let’s see everything he can do around SEGA, Nintendo, PlayStation and other Atari consoles.
Welcome to Provenance
Presentation
Provenance, an ambitious iOS emulator, has been under development by Mattiello since 2016. This project aims to offer a complete retro gaming experience through the App Store, allowing users to rediscover titles from PS1, PSP, Game Cube, SEGA, and many others. After having successfully passed App Store validation, here it joins the gaggle of peers like Delta, PPSSPP, Gamma and other RetroArch, to name a few.
Provenance presents itself as an official solution, without requiring jailbreak or tools like AltStore. This new version is designed to be accessible directly via the App Store, offering simplified use. Compatible with a wide range of consoles over fifteen years old, Provenance promises to reintroduce thousands of retro games to our ultra-modern touchscreens. All with the possibility of connecting up to 8 MFi controllers!
Compatibility
Here are the consoles currently supported by the unofficial version of Provenance (with the Dreamcast coming soon according to developer Mattiello):
- Atari: 2600, 5200, 7800, Jaguar, Lynx, ST
- Bandai: WonderSwan, WonderSwan Color
- NEC: PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16, PC Engine Super CD-ROM² System, PC Engine SuperGrafx, PC-FX
- Nintendo: DS, 3DS, Famicom, Famicom Disk System, Game Boy, Super Famicom, Game Boy Color, Virtual Boy, N64, Game Boy Advance, Pokemon mini
- Sega: SG-1000, Master System, Mega Drive, Game Gear, Mega-CD, 32X, Saturn
- SNK: Neo Geo Pocket, Neo Geo Pocket Color
- Sony: PlayStation, PSP
- Others: Supervision, ZX Spectrum, 3DO, Mattel Intellivision
Add ROMs
Upload
- To upload a game, make sure your device’s Wi-Fi is turned on and connected to the same network as your computer.
- In Origin: Enable the web server:
- Select the + button in the game library, or…
- In Settings, select the Import/Export option.)
- Active web server. Note the IP address (device-ip)
- Web UI: http://(device-ip)
- WebDAV: http://(device-ip):81
Bulk upload is supported, just drag and drop multiple files.
Download
- To download directly from the Apple device, open a mobile browser (Safari, Chrome, etc.)…
- Go to your favorite ROM hosting site, search for your ROM and download it.
- Once downloaded, it will display the ROM file and press…
- Open in “Source” → Done. Or…
- More… and tap Copy to From → Done.
Copy
Mobile apps
- Open the application where the ROMs are stored or accessed…
- Apple files (iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, Nextcloud, FileBrowser, etc…)
- Go to your ROM directory and tap the ROM you want to copy to Provenance or its button which takes you to a Share or Export option, depending on the app.
- Find and tap the Copy to From option. Finished.
AirDrop
- Open the AirDrop window via the macOS Finder.
- Drag and drop the file(s) onto yourself/your device.
- Find and tap the Copy to From option. Finished.
If you don’t see yourself in AirDrop, try setting it to Contacts Only or Everyone on both devices.
Legal considerations and pricing
It is crucial to note that downloading ROMs for emulation is generally illegal, even sometimes with owning the physical games at home, except for very old consoles. Companies like Nintendo, Sony, and SEGA are very strict on this point.
Note that the application is free, and the in-apps are only used to customize the theme.
