Oh, the good ol’ days of playing Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, and fighting over the Nintendo controllers with friends and siblings. The VR community is getting a gaming flashback from the 80s and 90s called 3DNes VR. Publications online found 3DNes VR on Steam VR’s platform but, as I’m writing this, has mysteriously stopped being accessible. Where can you get it? Keep reading to find out.
Where to Find 3DNes VR
The gaming console turned into a remastered 3-dimensional VR multi-game and appeared on Steam as a free demo (released on October 21, 2018) with support for Rift, Vive, and WMR headsets. But to our surprise, it’s now unclickable and inaccessible, so you’re going to have to use a different platform to get it.
3DNes VR originally appeared on itch.io in May 2017, reports Scott Hayden from Road to VR. And it’s still there being sold for $14.99 and is downloadable for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It’s latest version states it’s compatible with Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Windows MR on its itch.io profile.
What happened? Per Geod’s Twitter, Steam decided to pull the plug on it. Fans online speculate it was due to potential legal issues from Nintendo although paperwork with Steam was said to be in order from the developer’s side. Steam’s takedown has nothing to do with the Oculus Go release, the developer told fans online.
3DNes VR Games
Thanks to Upload VR’s David Jagneaux, we’ve got a list of games you can play with 3DNes VR. Get your thumbs warmed up to play Super Mario Bros., Circus Charlie, Elevator Action, Battle City 1990, Donkey Kong, Dr. Mario, Kungfu, Legend of Kage, and Tetris (Tengen).
Players of the NES emulator are posting gameplay videos online of popular NES games like Contra and Legend of Zelda in VR. Thank goodness the music from our formative years also remains the same in this cross-over. Throwing swords in Legend of Zelda just wouldn’t be the same without it.
If you download it, you’ll be jumping on Bullet Bills, Goombas, swimming around jellyfish, and saving Princess Peach in a pop-out 3D and remastered version of Super Mario Bros. Or remembering the thrill of jumping over barrels as Donkey Kong throws them at you.
Players online are already having fun re-experiencing Nintendo classics like Super Mario Bros. in VR. They can climb up and down ladders and see the platforms in a more realistic way. Mario still walks sideways, he’s just a bit thicker than before.
Release Date?
Road to VR announced a full release date for the game “slated to launch on January 21st” and that it would be releasing “‘massive games’ including both classic and modern homebrew NES ROMS.” Since its removal from Steam, there is no release date for it technically. Head over to the itch.io link at the top of the article to get it.
To play it, gamers will need VR tracked motion controllers to maneuver around. They’ll also need their own ROMs to play it but also for legal reasons. It’s too bad that Steam VR had to shut it down. However, itch.io comes in to save the day.
Watch gameplay footage of Legend of Zelda in VR.
