Early last year VRFocus covered the updated release of a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) emulator called 3DNES which lets users explore the classics of the 8-bit era in virtual reality (VR). The emulator has seen success among users and is now heading to Steam.
3DNES is the creation of Geod Studios, and specifically main developer Trần Vũ Trúc, who first launched 3DNES on Itch.io back in May 2017. The new Steam version will have support for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality devices.
The emulator itself has existed in various forms since 2016, with the initial version only being compatible with the Firefox browser. The emulator loads ROMs of NES titles and turns them into ‘pop-out’ 3D version of the title.
The Steam version lets users play natively in SteamVR and Oculus runtime. There are controls that lets users adjust how the 3D effect works, with a few presets that Geod Studios has included for ease of use, along with a number of tips included in the 3DN Repository. Supported ocntrollers include Xbox Gamepad, Steam controller as well as motion controllers such as Oculus Touch and the HTC Vive wands.
The newly released free demo available on Steam is compatible with a limited number of titles, including:
- Super Mario Bros
- Circus Charlie
- Elevator Action
- Battle City 1990
- Donkey Kong
- Dr. Mario
- Kungfu
- Legend Of Kage
- Tetris
The ROMs needed are not included in 3DNES, so users will need to obtain them for themselves, something which may be tricky since the recent high-profile shut down of a number of ROM sites.
A full release of 3DNES is planned for 21st January, 2018. Further information can be found on the Steam store page. For future coverage of 3DNES and other VR apps, keep checking back with VRFocus.
via Mint VR