Emulator apps have started filling the App Store this year. There’s no shortage of options for playing classic games on your iOS devices. However, the new VirtualFriend app has earned a special place in my heart. It’s a Vision Pro emulator that brings Nintendo’s Virtual Boy back to life.
From VirtualFriend’s App Store listing:
Relive the unique red-and-black world of Nintendo’s most ambitious ‘90s console. Whether you’re experiencing these classics for the first time or revisiting fond memories, VirtualFriend delivers the definitive Virtual Boy experience on Apple Vision Pro and iOS devices.
For those unfamiliar, the Virtual Boy was Nintendo’s short-lived attempt at a virtual reality-like gaming experience…in 1995.
Its hardware wasn’t quite a full VR headset, but it worked a lot like one. Except instead of wearing it on your head, you sat forward and put your face up into it. Similar to the experience of getting an eye test at the optometrist.
Nintendo employed red and black graphics to simulate a 3D gaming experience. In VirtualFriend, you can play in the classic red and black, or expand the color range to your liking.
The Virtual Boy didn’t take off for Nintendo, reportedly selling only 140,000 units in the United States and about half a million in Japan. But it’s well remembered by 90s kids for its radically innovative approach to gaming.
VirtualFriend works on iPhone and iPad too, but if you really want to relive the Virtual Boy glory days properly, it’s best suited for the Vision Pro.
You can download VirtualFriend on the App Store.
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