Incredible but true: you can play the Game Boy from the Apple Watch

The emulators within Apple never cease to surprise, now comes ArcEmu, the first available for the Apple Watch that runs Game Boy games

Something changed inside Apple when the news broke that it would allow emulators in the App Store and alternative stores. It can be quite common to enjoy them on devices such as the iPhone, iPad or Apple TV. Would you believe you can play a Game Boy emulator directly on the Apple Watch? It is difficult to believe considering that it is a very small device but that in screen proportions, it is not far from that of Nintendo’s legendary portable console with Apple’s smart watch. Is it easy to install? Today we will see how it is possible to play the Game Boy from the Apple Watch.

How to play a Game Boy title on the Apple Watch? Thanks to ArcEmu

ArcEmu is an emulator that is also available for iPhone and iPad and supports Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance ROMs.The developer behind the app is called Raffaele D’Amato.

As explained in this Reddit post, Surprisingly, the Game Boy’s resolution is twice the original when playing on the Apple Watch. An important detail is that Game progress is shared between iPhone and Apple Watchso it is possible to start on one device and then continue on another. The graphics are adapted to run at 60 fpswhich can also be reduced to 30 fps to save battery.

This is what loading games looks like in ArcEmu

Apple Watch with at least watchOS 10 required, so this app will only be available from an Apple Watch Series 4 onwards. Thinking about backward compatibility, the developer has confirmed that is working to make its emulator compatible with watchOS 8 and 9so that Apple Watch Series 3 users can enjoy these games.

If you are in the world of emulators or want to provide comments and/or suggestions, Raffaele himself invites users to send their proposals to help him improve ArcEmu in future updates.

How do I add games to ArcEmu?

To start, you need to download the ArcEmu app on your iPhone. The app will automatically be created on Apple Watch. Then, follow these steps:

1. Open ArcEmu on iPhone
2. Click on the More button in the upper right corner
3. Search for the ROM files beforehand and select them from Files

Any games you load this way will be added to the watch automatically. Once you’re ready, go to your Apple Watch and open the app. You will be notified each time a new title has been added.

The nice thing is that you can configure and customize each game depending on the controls and other options available. This is done by tapping the three dots next to the game name and then Options. You can use the digital crown to go up and down, in addition to using the screen for default controls.

Is an emulator for Apple Watch worth it?

Considering that it is a small screen device, it may not be the best option. It will depend a lot on the game you are running due to the controls.. It’s a matter of feeling comfortable and It could be a good companion when we don’t have the iPhone with us or when we cannot have it.

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