New Virtual Boy emulator available for Nintendo 3DS

The Nintendo 3DS may officially be dead, but there are still plenty of things you can do with the handheld, like play Virtual Boy games.

A new Virtual Boy emulator was released this week for the 3DS by a coder and modder known as Floogle (@Skyfloogle on X, formerly known as Twitter). The emulator, dubbed "Red Viper," displays the game on the 3DS's top screen with some controls and options on the bottom touch screen.

The left directional pad (d-pad) is mapped to the Virtual Boy's left d-pad, the ABXY buttons are mapped to the Virtual Boy's unique right d-pad, and the Virtual Boy's A and B buttons are mapped to virtual buttons on the 3DS's touch screen. However, tapping a "switch" option on the touch screen maps the right d-pad to virtual buttons on the touch screen, allowing the A and B buttons on the 3DS to mimic the A and B buttons on the Virtual Boy. 

This issue is largely simplified with a New 3DS, as the right c-stick (the trackpoint-esque nubbin) can be mapped to the Virtual Boy's right d-pad, keeping the ABXY buttons free for the Virtual Boy's A and B buttons.

Early impressions are positive, and many users claims that the emulator runs the entirety of the Virtual Boy's catalogue at full speed. Additionally, the emulator supports the 3DS family's 3D functions, somewhat recreating the Virtual Boy's hallmark "virtual reality" experience. There are also options to change the hue of games from the iconic bright red of the Virtual Boy to any color on a color wheel, which may be easier on the eyes.

Nintendo launched the Virtual Boy in 1995 as a "VR headset" of sorts. The console was clunky and was received poorly by the gaming world at the time. Only 22 games were released for the Virtual Boy, and the console was cancelled after 7 months on the market in the United States and only 5 months in Japan. It is largely regarded as Nintendo's biggest commercial flop, though it introduced some interesting ideas.

You can check out the Red Viper Virtual Boy emulator on GitHub. Be aware that a softmodded 3DS is required to install the emulator as homebrew.

Buy a refurbished New Nintendo 3DS XL on Amazon.