The Nintendo Entertainment System was many a gamer’s first foray into a lifelong hobby. However, even though many NES games are still fun, even compared to modern titles, sometimes a facelift can work wonders. It’s not the only solution that takes the NES into the future, but the 3DNES emulator by Geod Studios might just be the most accessible.
The 3DNES emulator works by using an algorithm to analyze and separate the layers of NES games and projecting them as 3D objects. The emulator is still very much in development, and the results of running an NES game on 3DNES can range from amazing to horrifying. Games with more simple backgrounds, like Mega Man and Super Mario Bros. look extraordinary. However, more complex games like Super Mario Bros. 3 and Contra look like a modern art masterpiece.
Although the emulator can only be used in a Firefox browser window as of now, Geod Studios hopes to bring it out as a regular EXE program in the future. They’ll also be working on tailoring 3D NES to work better on a larger number of games.