Mario Kart 64 and Pokémon run natively on iPhone — no emulation needed

The hosts of the 9to5Mac Overtime podcast shared their experience running classic Nintendo games on modern Apple devices without emulators. Jeff Benjamin demonstrated a native version of Mario Kart 64 running on an iPhone, while his colleague Fernando Silva showed a Pokémon mod for Mac.

Both projects are not emulation but full ports rewritten for ARM architecture and adapted for touch controls and modern screens. According to the hosts, these versions run noticeably more stable and faster than launching original ROMs through an emulator, as they use the hardware resources directly.

During the episode, the authors also discussed why modern technology no longer feels as exciting as it used to and shared their thoughts on the pros and cons of using the same device for many years. They noted that native ports of retro games are becoming a trend among enthusiasts, although Nintendo rarely approves such projects.

The 9to5Mac Overtime podcast is released weekly in video format and focuses on fun and interesting observations in the Apple ecosystem. Hosts Fernando Silva and Jeff Benjamin discuss both official news and experimental developer projects. The episode is available on Apple Podcasts and the publication's YouTube channel.

It's worth noting that such ports are usually created by enthusiasts in their spare time and distributed for free, but their legal status remains controversial since Nintendo protects its intellectual property rights. Nevertheless, interest in such projects continues to grow, especially among iPhone and Mac owners.