One of the best things that happened to the iPhone in recent years was Apple allowing users to emulate retro games. When you think about retro emulation, Delta is likely going to cross your mind. After all, it’s probably the best iPhone emulator available.
While it does a terrific job of offering a classic retro gaming experience to your iPhone, it can’t quite match the feeling of playing on the Game Boy hardware — or Game Boy Color, in my case. Fortunately, BitmoLab saw an opportunity and developed the GameBaby retro case, optimized to emulate that OG Game Boy experience as an iPhone case.
Sales started earlier this year, but the company rapidly released a second generation to address some haptic issues with the first batch of cases. Over the past few weeks, BGR has been using the GameBaby retro case for iPhone sent by the company to play emulated Game Boy games. Here’s what we think after extensive hands-on testing.
A Game Boy never looked this high-tech
Over the years, many gaming enthusiasts have customized their old Game Boys with better displays, proper rechargeable batteries, and USB-C ports. Some companies went a step further and released proper Game Boy-like devices that you can actually use to play your original cartridges or download games directly to them.
BitmoLab went in another direction. It developed an iPhone case that can turn your iPhone into a retro gaming machine. While the first iteration was a mix of plastic and silicone, the second one mixed in a bit of metal to make the experience more premium. With yellow and white colors, the case is joyful and a great throwback to Nintendo’s classic console.
While I only attach the GameBaby case to my iPhone whenever I’m about to play games in Delta, there’s nothing stopping you from making this your daily driver case. Still, I don’t think it will do the best job of protecting your phone if you drop it on the floor.
How does the iPhone GameBaby case work? Which devices are supported?
Unlike other options for playing games on your iPhone, GameBaby doesn’t require wired or wireless connections. You just place the side with buttons on your display, and you can enjoy your favorite games on Delta. However, you do need to use a downloaded skin to ensure that the physical buttons match the ones on the display.
Fortunately, BitmoLab offers a straightforward process on how to download them and add them to Delta. The case is available for the following devices:
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 16 Pro Max
Here’s how the company describes the case: “You can detach it from the back of your phone and place it on the front in order to play retro games with a physical interface similar to those of the controllers of 16-bit consoles from the early 90s. After finishing your game, the GameBaby returns to its original shape, protecting your iPhone and allowing you to enjoy its full screen.”
Using the GameBaby case on my iPhone
While the GameBaby case looks great, it does come with some drawbacks. For instance, I mostly play Pokémon games, and I’ve found that moving the directional buttons from right to down without lifting my finger off the case often doesn’t register an input.
Since the case features silicone tips to fake a real button press, you actually need to take your finger off of the directional pad and press a new one separately. It might not bother everyone, but it’s important to address, because many games require quick adjustments.
The same is true if you keep pressing the same button repeatedly; sometimes, it will fail to understand the command, even if you feel the haptic feedback from your iPhone. That said, it’s the haptic feedback that makes the experience more organic, even though the connection between clicking and seeing the action on screen can occasionally fail.
It can also be annoying to access some of Delta’s menus, because you can open them with your case, but you need to remove it to actually see the bottom of your display.
Besides that, I’d say the GameBaby case is what playing a Game Boy game in 2025 should look like. It’s also very easy to attach and detach, so users don’t have to work too hard to install it. Still, there are some issues you could avoid by just using the touch screen.
Should you get it? Price and availability
The GameBaby retro case costs $39.99, but you can often find it at a discount. At the time this review was published, it was available for $29.99.
If you frequent find yourself playing games for extended periods of time on iPhone, it’s still more reliable to play those games using the touch screen, directly interacting with your favorite Delta skin. That said, if you can work around the limitations, this is a great alternative.
The case is a delight, but I usually limiting myself to using it at home, because I don’t love constantly pushing the buttons when taking the phone out of my pocket or while I’m out and about. If that doesn’t concern you, you’re going to love this case.
