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New emulator lets you play 8-bit NES favourites in 3D space

A new Nintendo Entertainment System emulator has appeared on the web, allowing 8-bit fans to enjoy some old-school classic games in a 3D world for the first time.

The Firefox-based 3DNES emulator beta requires gamers to upload their NES ROM files to a cloud-storage site, such as Dropbox.

Linking to the file on 3DNES.com will then enable it to be played, albeit very shakily in most cases, via the WebGL Unity player (via Eurogamer).

The creator Trần Vũ Trúc of Geod Studios has uploaded gameplay footage from Dr Mario, Super Mario Bros 3, Megaman and Contra to show the beta at its best.

The 3D paint job was achieved by running a custom algorithm written for Super Mario Bros., and has been applied to other games with varying degrees of success.

Work is ongoing and the creator says the 3DNES tool will soon be available to download as an executable file, freeing it from Firefox.

The unveiling of the emulator comes years after Nintendo and Sega released some classics from yesteryear in 3D form for Nintendo’s dedicated 3DS handheld.

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