VirtualFriend vs EchoVision
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
VirtualFriend
Experience classic Nintendo Virtual Boy games in true 3D on Apple Vision Pro and iOS. This open-source emulator allows you to explore the entire official library and homebrew titles with customizable color palettes and flexible control options.
- 3D Virtual Boy experience
- Explore official and homebrew libraries
- Customizable color palettes
- Flexible control options (touchscreen, controller, keyboard)
- 3D title screen previews
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VirtualFriend: A new, open source Nintendo Virtual Boy emulator Relive the unique red-and-black world of Nintendo's most ambitious '90s console. Whether you're experiencing these classics for the first time or revisiting fond memories, VirtualFriend delivers the definitive Virtual Boy experience on Apple Vision Pro and iOS devices. Experience the Virtual Boy in high fidelity 3D on the Apple Vision Pro, or play on the go on iOS. - Explore the entire official library of Virtual Boy titles and the most popular homebrew with provided metadata and 3D title screen previews - Tired of red and black? Adjust the display's color palette between a series of presets, or choose your own colors - Play using flexible controls; either touchscreen, controller, or keyboard VirtualFriend is open source and available under the MIT license. Join the community, contribute back, or simply ask questions at https://github.com/agg23/virtualfriend Disclaimer: VirtualFriend is an independently developed, free, open source emulator. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Nintendo Co., Ltd. in any way. "Nintendo" and "Virtual Boy" are trademarks of Nintendo Co., Ltd. All rights reserved to their respective owners.
EchoVision
Experience the world through the eyes of a bat with this mixed reality art installation. Using a bat-shaped mask and your smartphone's LiDAR, visualize echoes and understand echolocation. It offers a unique perspective on non-human sensory perception and promotes ecological appreciation.
- Simulates bat echolocation
- Mixed reality art experience
- Handheld bat-shaped masks
- Smartphone LiDAR integration
- Visualizes propagating echoes
- Promotes ecocentric design perspective
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EchoVision is an interactive mixed reality art experience that simulates bat echolocation using custom-designed, handheld, bat-shaped masks based on the open-source HoloKit headset. As users initiate sounds, they experience echolocation—the remarkable navigation method bats employ in darkness—through visual representations of propagating echoes mapped onto the real-world 3D shape of the surrounding environment, scanned in real-time by the LiDAR sensor of a smartphone mounted on the masks. By providing a unique glimpse into how non-human creatures perceive their sensory world, EchoVision promotes an ecocentric design perspective, fostering interspecies understanding and appreciation.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: EchoVision at none against VirtualFriend's 4. EchoVision also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 24 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). VirtualFriend's advantage is review sentiment (95% vs 80%) and ratings volume (20 vs 2). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. VirtualFriend sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. EchoVision asks for nothing beyond the download.
EchoVision holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: VirtualFriend has 20 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 95% of VirtualFriend's written reviews are positive against 80% of EchoVision's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
VirtualFriend ships an update every 24 months, EchoVision every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and June 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | VirtualFriend | EchoVision |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (20 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 95.0% of reviews — better | 80.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 20 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 24 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro | iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 85 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Adam Gastineau | Holo Interactive US, Inc. |
Customer experience
VirtualFriend
EchoVision
In-app purchases
VirtualFriend
- Small Tip$0.99
- Medium Tip$2.99
- Large Tip$4.99
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- Extra Large Tip$9.99
EchoVision
No in-app purchases









