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

The Vision Pro got its first Virtual Boy emulator in an app called VirtualFriend, finally giving me, someone with an irrational love for Nintendo’s short-lived console, a chance to play it again in immersive 3D. The app is also available on iOS and iPadOS, where it’s a virtually identical experience, minus the 3D effect.

The first games I played after downloading VirtualFriend were the ones I had as a kid: Red Alert, Wario LandAND Tennis Mario. I am pleased to say that apart from a few minor audio glitches Red alertGames run fine – everything is exactly as I remembered it.

VirtualFriend supports Bluetooth controllers and keyboard controls on the Vision Pro, as well as touchscreen buttons if you’re playing on an iPhone or iPad. Visually, games look as good as a Virtual Boy game can get, and they get a little help from the app that lets you adjust the console’s two-tone color palette. VirtualFriend also has an eye adjustment slider to help you tweak the image if you find that a particular game isn’t working for you.

The biggest missing features are controller mapping and the ability to save your game at any time via save states. (Developer Adam Gastineau admitted to the latter in an open ticket on the project’s GitHub page.)

Still, VirtualFriend is easy to recommend if you’re curious about Virtual Boy games or, like me, once owned and loved the console. It’s free with an option to tip the developer, it doesn’t show ads, and according to the App Store listing, it won’t collect your data. It’s just good, clean, mid-90s VR fun.