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Virtual reality may not have quite taken over in the way that some predict it will, but there’s no denying that it’s come a long way in a short amount of time. Case in point? Comparing the Virtual Boy, Nintendo’s ill-fated red tinted head display, to today’s HMDs. While the Virtual Boy deserves credit for being one of the first console attempts at providing stereoscopic 3D graphics, it now looks like it’s 23 years old — and maybe a few more. Hard to believe it came out just a year before the Nintendo 64.
However, if you’re in the mood to relive the Virtual Boy and happen to own an Oculus Rift headset, you can do so thanks to the fan-made VBjin emulator that breathes new life into your old Virtual Boy. Oculus-based VBjin VR was developed by Jay Mattis, founder of indie game developer High Horse Entertainment, creator of Nintendo Switch, PS4 and PC games Disk freeze. A project that Mattis started in 2012 when he backed the first-generation Rift on Kickstarter, VBjin VR was recently highlighted in an article for Venture Beat.
“I used to have a Virtual Boy,” Mattis told Digital Trends. “After the console was discontinued, Blockbuster Video was trying to get rid of their inventory and I actually bought it pre-owned, along with their entire catalog of games, for very cheap. I liked it, but I couldn’t play it for a long time. I had to sit in an awkward position to keep my face in the visor, and the whole setup took up too much space on my desk to be connected all the time. When I fired up the emulator, I was excited to play some of the games I remember so fondly again, but in a much more comfortable environment.”
VBjin for Oculus has two modes of play. In one, the screen is fixed and static like the original console, while the other has a screen that exists in its own “world” so you can move closer or further away from the rendered pixels. You can also change the color from the Virtual Boy’s signature red to gray, which some people might find much more comfortable.
If you’re interested in learning more, head over to the project’s Github page, where you can read more technical details. Or you could bust out the original Virtual Boy, put on your best flannel shirt, and go all-in on the whole “1995 revival” thing.
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Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn