This Vision Pro Virtual Boy emulator isn’t fancy, but it gets the job done

The Vision Pro got its archetypal Virtual Boy emulator successful an app called VirtualFriend, yet giving me, a idiosyncratic with an irrational emotion for Nintendo’s astir short-lived console, a accidental to play it successful immersive 3D erstwhile more. The app is besides disposable for iOS and iPadOS, wherever it’s a virtually identical experience, minus the 3D effect.

The archetypal games I played aft downloading VirtualFriend were those I owned arsenic a kid: Red Alarm, Wario Land, and Mario’s Tennis. I’m pleased to accidental that isolated from immoderate insignificant audio glitches successful Red Alarm, the games tally good — it’s each conscionable arsenic I retrieve it.

VirtualFriend supports Bluetooth controllers and keyboard power connected the Vision Pro, arsenic good arsenic touchscreen buttons if you’re playing connected an iPhone oregon iPad. Visually, the games look arsenic bully arsenic a Virtual Boy crippled tin and person a small assistance from the app, which lets you customize the console’s two-tone colour palette. VirtualFriend besides has an oculus accommodation slider that helps set the representation if you find a peculiar crippled isn’t moving for you.

The large missing features are controller mapping and the quality to prevention your crippled astatine immoderate constituent utilizing prevention states. (Developer Adam Gastineau acknowledged the second successful an open contented connected the project’s GitHub page.)

Still, VirtualFriend is casual to urge if you’re astatine each funny astir playing Virtual Boy games or, similar me, you erstwhile owned and loved the console. It’s escaped with the enactment to extremity the developer, doesn’t amusement ads, and according to its App Store listing, won’t cod your data. It’s conscionable good, clean, mid-90s VR fun.