VirtualFriend vs Explore360
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.
Explore360
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Explore360 turns your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro into a window onto the world — a curated collection of stunning 360° panoramas from Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository, shared under open licences by photographers around the globe. Step inside each scene and look around in every direction, from mountain summits and historic town squares to sweeping coastlines, grand interiors, and city streets at night. Browse beautifully • A fast, edge-to-edge grid of tiny-planet previews you can scroll endlessly. • Filter and sort to surface exactly the views you want. • Tap the heart to keep your favorites close. Explore on a map • See where every panorama was taken on an interactive world map. • Pin a spot with several shots and pick the one you like best. Explore the streets • Drop a pin on the map and step into the 360° view at street level — optionally in full resolution for razor-sharp detail. • Now including user-contributed 360° photos from places no camera car ever reached — mountain tops, trails, indoor spots. • Heart your favorite spots and find them again in the List and on the Map. Step inside • Open any photo to a true 360° view and drag to look around — no roll, no distortion. • Zoom in to inspect the details, then jump to the next, previous, or a random panorama. • On Apple Vision Pro the scene wraps completely around you in full immersion, with a comfort vignette as you turn. Watch together • Share a panorama over FaceTime with SharePlay so everyone explores the same view. • Or create a Room and let others join by name — no FaceTime required (optional password). • Point things out with a laser pointer: everyone gets their own color, labelled with their name. • GeoGame: start a multiplayer guessing game — everyone lands on the same random street-level spot and guesses the place on the map; closest wins. With a 3-2-1 start, timer, scoreboard and a winner podium. Contribute your own • Sign in and upload your own 360° panoramas — with a title, description and map location, for everyone to see. • Set the front so others see the best part first. • You decide whether others may save each one. Make it your own • Import your own equirectangular (2:1) panoramas from Photos or Files. • Organize them into saved lists that sync across your devices via iCloud. • See your geotagged panoramas right on the world map. • Frame any region of a panorama and export it as its own flat image to share or save. Understand every place • Titles and descriptions are translated into your language and shown instantly — with one tap to see the original. • An optional info panel shows the location, capture date, camera, and a map of where the shot was taken. Designed to feel effortless • Native SwiftUI and RealityKit throughout, tuned for each device. • A clean, quiet interface that gets out of the way of the view. Sit back, look up, and travel the planet — one 360° panorama at a time.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: VirtualFriend at Free against Explore360's $1.99. VirtualFriend also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). Explore360's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 24 months). On ads and device support 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
VirtualFriend is free to download; Explore360 costs $1.99 up front. VirtualFriend sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Explore360 asks for nothing beyond the download.
VirtualFriend ships an update every 24 months, Explore360 every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | VirtualFriend | Explore360 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (21 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 95.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 21 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 24 months | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Adam Gastineau | Marcel Wlotzka |
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
Explore360
No in-app purchases









