A new emulator that allows players to experience their Virtual Boy games in 3D has emerged for the Nintendo 3DS.
The emulation software, called ‘Red Viper’, runs every officially licensed Virtual Boy game at full speed and in 3D.
Red Viper is the brainchild of independent coder Floogle, and released via GitHub this week for players with modified 3DS consoles to use.
Floogle revealed more information about the Virtual Boy emulator for the Nintendo 3DS in a post on Twitter. The developer confirmed 3D support in their post revealing the emulator.
Players can also run their titles in a number of different colours as an alternative to the infamous red-tinged games of the original Virtual Boy. Gamers can change the colour of the Virtual Boy display using the the Nintendo 3DS touchpad.
In the short video shared by Floogle, the developer also demonstrates the Virtual Boy D-pad being controlled with the 3DS touchscreen.
Virtual Insanity
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Floogle’s Virtual Boy emulator for the Nintendo 3DS is the ability to play the original Virtual Boy titles in 3D.
The Virtual Boy gained notoriety when it originally released back in 1995 for the amount of discomfort that players experienced when using the novel device.
Health complaints such as headaches and neck strain were common issues for players due to the Virtual Boy’s parallax 3D effect and the requirement table mounting. Nintendo ultimately discontinued the device a year after it launched.
By utilising the glasses-free 3D tech of the Nintendo 3DS, Red Viper provides a viable way for enthusiasts to play the Virtual Boy without the inherent health risks.
Previous efforts to bring the Virtual Boy to gamers without the migraines include the Virtual Boy Console, a 3D printed console that used a custom chipset to bring the best Virtual Boy games to live, albeit without 3D capabilities.
