Vision Pro installed the first Virtual Boy emulator in an application called VirtualFriend, finally giving me, someone with an irrational love for Nintendo’s short-lived console, the chance to play it in immersive 3D again. The app is also available for iOS and iPadOS, and aside from the 3D effects, the experience is almost the same.
The first game I played after downloading VirtualFriend was a game I had as a kid: Red Alert, Wario Continentand Mario’s Tennis. I’m happy to say that, aside from a few minor audio glitches red alertthe game works great – everything is just as I remember it.
VirtualFriend supports Bluetooth controller and keyboard control on the Vision Pro, as well as touchscreen buttons if you’re gaming on an iPhone or iPad. Visually, the games look just as good as the Virtual Boy games, and there’s some help with the app, which lets you customize the console’s two-tone color palette. VirtualFriend also has an eye adjustment slider that can help adjust the image if you find that a particular game isn’t working for you.
The main features missing are controller mapping and the ability to save the game at any time using save states. (Developer Adam Gastineau admitted the latter in an open issue on the project’s GitHub page.)
Still, if you’re curious about playing Virtual Boy games, or, like me, once owned and loved the console, VirtualFriend is easy to recommend. It’s free, has the option to tip developers, doesn’t show ads, and according to its app store listing, doesn’t collect your data. It’s great, clean, mid-90s VR fun.
