It took Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro to make me appreciate Nintendo’s Real Boy
Virtual Boy Wario Land is one of the most underrated gems of Nintendo’s golden age. You won’t know since the game was closed Nintendo Virtual Boythe often derided 3D console is now considered one of Nintendo’s biggest flops. But, times have changed. That unusual birthday screen for grandma it is now commonplace with VR headsets. Thanks to one dedicated developer Apple Vision Pro emulator, I was able to go back in time with all the 3D effects in the most expensive, extreme way possible.
We have seen it many emulators are coming on Apple devices since May, but there are a few that work exclusively on Apple’s visionOS. Engineer Adam Gastineau released Apple Vision Pro Virtual Boy emulator VirtualFriend last week, and it’s the best way to experience the unknown joys of Nintendo’s $180 foray into 3D.
There are only a handful of games available for master designer Gunpei Yokoi’s Virtual Boy, but there are plenty of interesting titles out there that are worth your time. Mario Clash again Mario’s Tennis they are simple although interesting takes Nintendo platforms and sports games because of the 3D effects. Japan only Tied Up is an incredibly fun game about crushing enemies with your face from a unique perspective (that is, upside down).
And yes, Wario Land is one of the most interesting takes on the original Mario formula from both the Game Boy era and beyond. Some attacks and blocks send you running to the far end of the screen and back, allowing for a number of interesting puzzles. You can see its impact on 2D depth exploration today on modern platforms now Rayman Legends again Super Mario: Wonder.
Some Virtual Boy emulators like Virtual Boy Go already work well on headsets like Meta Quest 3. Still, VirtualFriend is intuitive and seamless, perhaps more so than other current iOS simulation apps. You can control the eye separation in the game with a pinch of your fingers if the 3D doesn’t look right. Plus AVP’s ability to swing the screen across the room means you can comfortably make the window as large as needed. It has to be said, that these nearly 30-year-old games look especially sharp on AVP’s micro-OLEDs on the screen.
Gastineau said on Twitter that he had been working on the emulator since last December, even before Apple released its Vision Pro. If you look behind the scenes, it’s pretty clear why the emulator took so long. The project requires Gastineau to acquire tier 3 Rust targets Vision Pro, which means the codebase supports the hardware. VirtualFriend was originally intended for an iOS app, but Apple is still watching which emulators it accepts or rejects in the App Store. The developer said that Apple only approved his Virtual Boy entertainment once he dropped the iOS version of the app down the line.
At least, all the effort seems worth it in the end. Researchers argue that the original Virtual Boy, even with its glossy red and black 3D display, it was a game changerr. Now that I’ve been able to play some of these long-forgotten games without a headache or neck cramps, I can’t help myself.
Of course, a $3,500 headset isn’t the best option to try out a console that was introduced 29 years ago for just $180, but the price remains a consistent issue. Frustrated Apple headset. You can get a used Virtual Boy for under $300, or just go out and buy a cheap headset. However, if you’re one of the lucky few who still owns an expensive Apple desktop computer, you owe it to yourself to at least give these forgotten games a try.
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