The onslaught of Pokémon ports and ROM hacks is not stopping this week, with the latest crazy announcement of Pokémon Snap working on the Meta Quest 3, offering a ported version of the popular Nintendo 64 game that offers you the ability to take pictures of Pokémon in-game using a camera, alongside the ability to toss balls and apples at them as if you were there in the game.
This new development was announced on X via user DramaticShape and is technically a fork of Snap64Recomp by JackAndBeans. It uses your VR headset to view around the map while sat in the ZERO-ONE, and the controller can be used to control the camera, toss things and even use the PokeFlut if need be. It has the complete game ready to explore in a manner that feels nostalgic AF, allowing you to experience Pokémon Snap in a way that any Pokemon fan would enjoy.
As of now, it's unclear what level of AI was used to assist with this development, and it's the first proper release of this version, running as a fork which will likely mean you will come across some bugs, but it's worth exploring and we're hopeful the developer will continue working on it to turn it into a seamless experience for Quest 3 users.
It's the ongoing worry of vibe-coded and AI-assisted ports that developers will leave the games and software in low-quality states, in comparison to what passionate developers and coders would, but only time will tell. It's turning a remarkable 30-year-old Nintendo 64 game into an experience that feels very natural. It can be downloaded via GitHub today; just proceed with caution as you would when downloading anything from someone unknown!
Additional Software Notes That You May Find Helpful
- Added a standalone ARM64 Quest APK using OpenXR headset tracking and Vulkan stereo rendering.
- Added an immersive first-run ROM import screen with controller or gaze selection, Android file selection, import progress, and complete ROM validation. A valid imported ROM is reused on subsequent launches. The supported ROM is Pokémon Snap USA Rev 1 in
.z64format; no ROM is included. - Target 90 Hz at 100% OpenXR-recommended eye resolution with anti-aliasing disabled by default. Optional FXAA is available in settings.
- Batch rendering and reuse frame resources to reduce GPU waits. Refresh the docked camera viewfinder at source cadence while keeping a held camera responsive to headset frames.
- Sample gameplay and intro animation from timestamped render snapshots at predicted display times, with bounded interpolation history.
- Corrected sky occlusion and tutorial rendering, and corrected alternating retained images during view-transition fades.
- Added an isolated automated Beach/intro benchmark with frame timing, animation diagnostics, and separate capture runs.
- Either analog stick now navigates game menus, including post-course photo selection, and the VR settings panel regardless of handedness. Active stick navigation takes priority over menu pointing.
Known limitations
- 90 Hz is the Quest target, not a sustained 90 FPS guarantee. Complete-course and thermal-soak performance qualification remains outstanding; some scenes can fall below the target.
- Further visual verification of animation smoothness and the brief transition after the N64 logo remains outstanding. Interpolation diagnostics alone do not establish smooth final images.
- The Windows package uses OpenXR and requires a compatible PC VR runtime. Quest uses its own APK; benchmark automation is excluded from both release packages.
