Virtual Boy Wario Land is one of the most underrated gems from Nintendo’s golden age. You would never know it, as the game is on Nintendo’s virtual boythe often derided 3D console, which is now considered Nintendo’s biggest flop. But times have changed. The cumbersome, glasses-shaped screen is now the norm for VR headsets. Thanks to a dedicated developer Apple Vision Pro Emulator allowed me to travel back in time with full 3D effects in perhaps the most expensive and exaggerated way possible.
We have seen many emulators come on Apple devices since May, but only a few work specifically on Apple’s visionOS. Developer Adam Gastineau released released its Apple Vision Pro Virtual Boy emulator, VirtualFriend, last week, and it’s by far the best way to experience the unknown joys of Nintendo’s $180 foray into 3D.
There are very few games for Virtual Boy from lead designer Gunpei Yokoi, but there are plenty of interesting titles that are worth your time. Mario Clash And Mario’s Tennis are simple but interesting versions of Nintendo’s platform and sports games thanks to the 3D effects. The High tied is a surprisingly fun game that has you squashing your enemies face down from a unique perspective (namely, face down).
And yes, Wario Land is one of the most interesting takes on Mario’s original formula from the Game Boy era and beyond. Some attacks and blocks send you hurtling to the far end of the screen and back again, allowing for a variety of interesting puzzles. You can see its influence in exploring depth in 2D today in modern platform games as current as Rayman Legends And Super Mario: Miracle.
Other Virtual Boy emulators like Virtual Boy Go already work well for headsets like the Meta Quest 3. Still, VirtualFriend is intuitive and seamless, perhaps even more so than other recent iOS emulation apps. You can control the eye distance in the game with a flick of a finger if the 3D doesn’t look quite right. And since AVP can spread the screen around the room, you can make the window as big as you want it to be. It has to be said that these nearly 30-year-old games look particularly sharp on AVP’s micro-OLED displays.
Gastineau said on Twitter that he has been working on the emulator since last December, even before Apple introduced its Vision Pro. Looking behind the scenes, it’s pretty clear why the emulator took so long. The project required Gastineau to get Tier 3 Rust targets for Vision Pro, meaning the codebase supports the hardware. VirtualFriend was originally intended as an iOS app, but Apple is still slow on the uptake about which emulators it accepts or rejects in the App Store. The developer said Apple approved its Virtual Boy recreation only after it dequeued the iOS version of the app.
At least the effort seems to be worth it in the end. Researchers argue that the original Virtual Boy, even with its garish red and black 3D display, was a turning pointr. Having now managed to play some of these long-forgotten games without getting a headache or neck cramp, I can only agree.
Of course, a $3,500 headset isn’t the best option for trying out a console that launched 29 years ago for just $180, but price remains the perennial problem with Apple’s beleaguered headsetYou can snag a Virtual Boy used for under $300, or just go out and get a cheaper headset. But if you’re one of the lucky few who still owns Apple’s expensive spatial computer, you owe it to yourself to at least try out these forgotten games for yourself.
