**Final Verdict**

It's really hard to recommend NRAN... I certainly wouldn't recommend it to everyone, especially if you are new to emulation and a computer newbie, stay far away from this, unless you have a real nerd friend to help you out (or happen to be one). That said, the end result of a well set up arcade in NRAN is awesome. I'd say EmuVR comes close and is better at providing VR emulation for consoles, while NRAN is better for VR emulation of arcade machine games.

---

(Updated Review)

I wasn't ready for the learning curve it takes to get this emulator frontend working properly. After trying some after my initial frustration, I finally got things working the way I wanted. Be sure to read the guide exactly, watch a Youtube tutorial or three, then read the guide again and use it as a reference. Even then there are some things not mentioned in the guide. You will most likely encounter an issue, but you won't be alone and most likely there will be a hint somewhere the steam forums to help you out. If I had to compare the difficulty of configuring NRAN, I'd say it's about the same as setting up a modded Wii with Wiiflow (probably a useless comparison for most people, but I'm sure someone gets it) or using modding tools in other games (the UI is kind of bad). That's hacky software. This is a commercial product. Still despite all the annoyance, I thing the end result is worth it. Setting up this game is hard. Be prepared to spend not 2-3 hours, but multiple days figuring out how to use NRAN. This was not what I was expecting. Your time spent on the setup will depend on your level of emulation and pc skill / knowledge. You will not be "playing" the game after buying it. First you have to build your own arcade. Don't bother with trying to find a pre-made configuration pack for the game, believe me, I tried and the one I found was outdated and only lead to more issues and wasted time that would have been better spent on actually learning to use the arcade builder.

Read the Guide, learn to use builder tool, add things one by one, not all at once. I'd suggest starting with SNES games using .sfc ROMs (get cartridge label images here[emumovies.com], you need to make an account, but it's worth it). Then Posters (use this image resizer tool for posters[ivilded.wixsite.com]). Then add Radio stations, VHS and Music tapes. Be sure to test your Arcade every time you add something new, so you don't accidentally break something without knowing what caused the issue. Only after you have done the previous things, got them working and have some idea of what you are doing, I would suggest trying to add MAME games and customizing the arcade machines.

There are some things I still couldn't get working quite right:
- Using Youtube links on the VHS tapes to stream videos. First VHS tape streaming doesn't work at all, then I found an updated youtube-dl wrapper on the forums and replaced the outdated version of youtube-dl that the game uses. This let me stream from youtube, but it's janky. It hangs and doesn't play the video smoothly, unless I pause and let them load for a bit. I'd suggest forgetting about the youtube-streaming feature and instead pre-download any videos you want to watch in the game. Makes sense anyway...
- Attract screens (adding these is a confusing mess)
- Certain MAME games - some work, some don't

---

(Previous thumbs-down review)

I found New Retro Arcade after playing Hypercharge, the newer game by the developer, when I checked what other games they had made. As a retro gaming enthusiast who has made extensive use of emulators before, this seemed like is might be the kind of "game" for me, a new and interesting way to enjoy old arcade games. NRAN delivers that, but I didn't expect the setup to be as involved. It really is a laborious pain to get how you want it. From the occasional emulation compatibility problems, to tracking down and inserting artwork for the cabinets and adding attract screens... it looks cool when it's done, and you walk around for a bit playing the various machines, but then you notice something is missing and rather than fiddling some more, you just give up and open RetroArch.

In the end the NRAN feels like an arcade that is closing, rather than one that is being revived. The lack of multiplayer on the Arcade machines and no more updates to the game add to that perception. It's as much about fiddling around with things, so they look nice (almost like animal crossing, but more frustrating), as it is about actually playing the games. The developers were upfront about these drawbacks and I thought I could look past that, but it's just kind of disappointing that the end result falls flat, just before reaching its potential. It's a nice interactive VR diorama, but not worth the effort, unless you somehow enjoy the tinkering.

One thing worth mentioning that I discovered in my search to set up NRAN is EmurVR[www.emuvr.net]. It's not a virtual arcade, but aims to be an "Emulator, but in VR" experience in a smaller room that you can freely customize. It's free, supports gamecube, wii, ps2 and 3ds, has online multiplayer for most systems (but not all) and is being more actively developed with new features.

**Final Verdict** It's really hard to recommend NRAN... I certainly wouldn't recommend it to everyone, especially if you are new to emulation and a computer newbie, stay far away from this, unless you have a real nerd friend to help you out (or happen to be one). That said, the end result of a well set up arcade in NRAN is awesome. I'd say EmuVR comes close and is better at providing VR emulation for consoles, while NRAN is better for VR emulation of arcade machine games. --- (Updated Review) I wasn't ready for the learning curve it takes to get this emulator frontend working properly. After trying some after my initial frustration, I finally got things working the way I wanted. Be sure to read the guide exactly, watch a Youtube tutorial or three, then read the guide again and use it as a reference. Even then there are some things not mentioned in the guide. You will most likely encounter an issue, but you won't be alone and most likely there will be a hint somewhere the steam forums to help you out. If I had to compare the difficulty of configuring NRAN, I'd say it's about the same as setting up a modded Wii with Wiiflow (probably a useless comparison for most people, but I'm sure someone gets it) or using modding tools in other games (the UI is kind of bad). That's hacky software. This is a commercial product. Still despite all the annoyance, I thing the end result is worth it. Setting up this game is hard. Be prepared to spend not 2-3 hours, but multiple days figuring out how to use NRAN. This was not what I was expecting. Your time spent on the setup will depend on your level of emulation and pc skill / knowledge. You will not be "playing" the game after buying it. First you have to build your own arcade. Don't bother with trying to find a pre-made configuration pack for the game, believe me, I tried and the one I found was outdated and only lead to more issues and wasted time that would have been better spent on actually learning to use the arcade builder. Read the Guide, learn to use builder tool, add things one by one, not all at once. I'd suggest starting with SNES games using .sfc ROMs (get cartridge [url=https://emumovies.com/files/file/1865-super-nintendo-cartridge-labels-pack-no-intro/]label images here[/url], you need to make an account, but it's worth it). Then Posters (use this [url=https://ivilded.wixsite.com/whatever/resizer]image resizer tool for posters[/url]). Then add Radio stations, VHS and Music tapes. Be sure to test your Arcade every time you add something new, so you don't accidentally break something without knowing what caused the issue. Only after you have done the previous things, got them working and have some idea of what you are doing, I would suggest trying to add MAME games and customizing the arcade machines. There are some things I still couldn't get working quite right: - Using Youtube links on the VHS tapes to stream videos. First VHS tape streaming doesn't work at all, then I found an updated youtube-dl wrapper on the forums and replaced the outdated version of youtube-dl that the game uses. This let me stream from youtube, but it's janky. It hangs and doesn't play the video smoothly, unless I pause and let them load for a bit. I'd suggest forgetting about the youtube-streaming feature and instead pre-download any videos you want to watch in the game. Makes sense anyway... - Attract screens (adding these is a confusing mess) - Certain MAME games - some work, some don't --- (Previous thumbs-down review) I found New Retro Arcade after playing Hypercharge, the newer game by the developer, when I checked what other games they had made. As a retro gaming enthusiast who has made extensive use of emulators before, this seemed like is might be the kind of "game" for me, a new and interesting way to enjoy old arcade games. NRAN delivers that, but I didn't expect the setup to be as involved. It really is a laborious pain to get how you want it. From the occasional emulation compatibility problems, to tracking down and inserting artwork for the cabinets and adding attract screens... it looks cool when it's done, and you walk around for a bit playing the various machines, but then you notice something is missing and rather than fiddling some more, you just give up and open RetroArch. In the end the NRAN feels like an arcade that is closing, rather than one that is being revived. The lack of multiplayer on the Arcade machines and no more updates to the game add to that perception. It's as much about fiddling around with things, so they look nice (almost like animal crossing, but more frustrating), as it is about actually playing the games. The developers were upfront about these drawbacks and I thought I could look past that, but it's just kind of disappointing that the end result falls flat, just before reaching its potential. It's a nice interactive VR diorama, but not worth the effort, unless you somehow enjoy the tinkering. One thing worth mentioning that I discovered in my search to set up NRAN is [url=https://www.emuvr.net/]EmurVR[/url]. It's not a virtual arcade, but aims to be an "Emulator, but in VR" experience in a smaller room that you can freely customize. It's free, supports gamecube, wii, ps2 and 3ds, has online multiplayer for most systems (but not all) and is being more actively developed with new features.