After thousands of hours of code analysis and more than 20 major updates, modder Crementif released a new version of BetterVR, turning The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild into a full-fledged VR game. The author is also working on a VR version of Mario Kart 8.
The mod works through the Cemu emulator and supports stereoscopic 3D, 6DOF motion tracking, and hand controls. Players can pick up weapons, throw items, use torches, solve puzzles, and light campfires.
The most difficult part of the development was analyzing Nintendo's proprietary engine. Crementif spent thousands of hours studying the code to restore camera operation, rendering, and animations. BetterVR creates a separate image for each eye and dynamically changes the position of Link's camera and hands.
The mod supports OpenXR and is compatible with Meta Quest*, Valve Index, HTC Vive, and Windows Mixed Reality. Plans include optimization, a Linux version, multiplayer, and simultaneous use of two weapons. The author has also started working on VR for Mario Kart 8.
Developers fear that Nintendo may intervene, as the company has previously opposed large fan modifications.
* – a product of Meta, which is recognized as an extremist and terrorist organization and is banned in the Russian Federation