VirtualFriend vs Nova Retro
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.
Nova Retro
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Nova Retro is a multi-system console emulator covering six classic systems in one app: • FC / NES • SFC / SNES • Game Boy • Game Boy Color • Game Boy Advance • Genesis / Mega Drive 【Bring Your Own Games】 Nova Retro includes no games and offers no downloads. Import game files that you legally own from Files or Finder. 【Made to Play】 • Save states: four manual slots plus an automatic slot • Cheats: saved per game and easy to toggle • Fast-forward for long dialogue and repeated sections • Touch controls adapted to each system, with adjustable position, opacity, and haptics • Keyboard and controller support with per-system mappings for up to four players • FPS display, output-resolution options, and adaptive or pixel-aligned scaling • NES turbo A/B input on touch controls, keyboards, and controllers 【Nine Languages】 Use Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Korean, French, or German. Switching takes effect immediately across open windows without interrupting a running game. 【Native Apple Experiences】 • iPhone / iPad: separate portrait and landscape layouts, configurable library swipe actions, and long-press rename or delete • Mac: menus, shortcuts, multiple game windows, Finder drag-and-drop, and library context-menu actions 【Nothing Collected】 There are no accounts, sign-in, analytics, ads, or tracking. Games, saves, and settings stay on your device and never leave it. Optional one-time support is available inside the app. It is entirely voluntary and unlocks no features; payment is handled by the App Store, and Nova Retro never sees or stores any payment information.
Screenshots
Verdict
VirtualFriend and Nova Retro are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
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 and Nova Retro sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | VirtualFriend | Nova Retro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (20 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 95.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 20 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 24 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Adam Gastineau | 振东 史 |
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
Nova Retro
- A Small Tip$0.99
- Buy Me a Coffee$1.99
- Big Support$12.99









