Our Recalbox VR headset was just an April Fools' joke — but VR and retrogaming are very much moving forward for real. Case in point: a developer taking on Metal Gear Solid on PS1 in VR.

We laughed, but the idea was solid

On April 1st, we announced Recalbox VR, our virtual reality headset dedicated to retrogaming. A joke, sure — but apparently, someone out there believed in it before we did. The developer behind the VRified Games account is currently working on a PS1 emulator with full VR support.

@VRified Games

Snake in first-person view

The project offers both first- and third-person modes, stereoscopic 3D, and 6 DOF head tracking. In practice: you put on your headset and find yourself in the corridors of Shadow Moses with Snake. The head tracking is still a little jerky — the game is locked at 30 fps while the tracking runs at 90 fps, and the developer is still working on cracking that — but the direction is clearly set.

A promising work in progress

The emulator is in development for PC, with a Meta Quest version potentially on the way. The project is still in its early stages, but the ambition is there. And when you think about what it could look like on other PS1 titles — Crash Bandicoot, Jumping Flash — the potential is real.

As for us, we're heading back to work on our own VR headset.

Sources: Time Extension, VRified Games