It Took Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro to Make Me Appreciate Nintendo’s Virtual Boy

Virtual Boy Wario Land is 1 of the astir underrated gems of Nintendo’s aureate age. You’d ne'er cognize it since the crippled was locked distant connected Nintendo’s Virtual Boy, the oft-derided 3D console present considered Nintendo’s top flops. But, times person changed. That awkward goggle-born screen is present the norm with VR headsets. Thanks to 1 dedicated developer’s Apple Vision Pro emulator, I’ve been capable to spell backmost successful clip with each the 3D effects successful what whitethorn beryllium the astir expensive, excessive mode possible.

We’ve seen plenty of emulators arrive connected Apple’s devices since May, but fewer enactment specifically connected Apple’s visionOS. Developer Adam Gastineau released his Apple Vision Pro Virtual Boy emulator VirtualFriend past week, and it’s easy the champion mode to acquisition the chartless joys of Nintendo’s $180 foray into 3D. 

You don’t get the afloat 3D effect done screenshots, but it’s precise evident during gameplay. Gif: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

There are lone a paltry fewer games that beryllium for pb decorator Gunpei Yokoi’s Virtual Boy, but determination are plentifulness of absorbing titles successful determination good worthy your time. Mario Clash and Mario’s Tennis are elemental though absorbing takes connected Nintendo’s platformers and sports games acknowledgment to the 3D effects. The Japan-only Bound High is simply a amazingly amusive crippled astir crushing enemies with your look from a unsocial position (that being, look down). 

And yes, Wario Land is 1 of the astir absorbing takes connected Mario’s archetypal look from some the Game Boy epoch and after. Some attacks and blocks nonstop you darting into the distant extremity of the surface and back, allowing for a big of absorbing puzzles. You tin spot its power successful exploring extent successful 2D contiguous connected modern platformers arsenic caller arsenic Rayman Legends and Super Mario: Wonder.

Other Virtual Boy emulators similar Virtual Boy Go already work well for headsets similar the Meta Quest 3. Still, VirtualFriend is intuitive and seamless, possibly much truthful than different existent iOS emulation apps. You tin power oculus separation in-game with a pinch of your fingers if the 3D doesn’t look rather right. Plus the AVP’s quality to propulsion the surface astir the country means you tin marque the model arsenic comfortably large arsenic it needs to be. It needs to beryllium said, that these near-30-year-old games look particularly crisp connected the AVP’s micro-OLED displays. 

Gif: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

Gastineau said connected Twitter helium has been moving connected the emulator since past December, adjacent earlier Apple debuted its Vision Pro. Once you look down the scenes, its beauteous wide wherefore the emulator took truthful long. The task required Gastineau get tier 3 Rust targets Vision Pro, meaning the codebase supports the hardware. VirtualFriend was primitively meant arsenic an iOS app, but Apple’s inactive being obtuse implicit which emulators it accepts oregon denies connected the App Store. The developer said Apple lone approved his Virtual Boy recreation erstwhile helium dropped the iOS mentation of the app from the queue. 

At the precise least, each the effort seems worthy it successful the end. Researchers reason that the archetypal Virtual Boy, adjacent with its glaring red-and-black 3D display, was a crippled changer. Now that I’ve managed to play immoderate of these long-forgotten games without a headache oregon cervix cramps, I can’t assistance but agree. 

Of course, a $3,500 headset isn’t the champion enactment to effort retired a console that launched 29 years agone for a specified $180, but terms remains the accordant contented with Apple’s beleaguered headset. You tin nab a Virtual Boy second-hand for nether $300, oregon conscionable spell retired and get a cheaper headset. However, if you’re 1 of those fortunate fewer who inactive owns Apple’s costly spatial computer, you beryllium yourself to astatine slightest effort these forgotten games for yourself.