Super Mario 64 co-op VR gets standalone Quest 3 release

Super Mario 64 co-op VR has taken a big technical step with version 0.12. The game can now run directly on a Meta Quest headset, without relying on a gaming PC while you play. That changes the setup quite a bit. Previous versions depended on PC VR, which meant running the game on Windows and sending the image to the headset through a cable or wireless streaming. Version 0.12 moves the whole thing onto the Quest itself. Once it’s installed and configured, the headset does the work. The project is still based on sm64coopdx, so this isn’t just a basic VR viewer wrapped around Super Mario 64. You get proper stereo rendering, head tracking, VR controls, co-op features and several different ways to position the camera.

Standalone Quest support is the big addition

The headline feature is native Quest support. Version 0.12 comes as an APK that can be installed directly on the headset. The developers have tested the build on Meta Quest 3, and you don’t need Meta Quest Link, Virtual Desktop or another PC streaming setup once the game is running.

That’s useful because the Quest isn’t simply acting as a display anymore. It’s actually running the port. The game renders the world separately for each eye and keeps the scene aligned with your head movements. If you look around physically, the viewpoint follows you as you’d expect from a native VR game.

You can also change the scale of the game world. Super Mario 64 can feel like a full-size environment, or you can shrink it down until the level looks more like a tabletop model sitting in front of you.

Four camera modes give you different ways to play

There are four main VR camera modes, and they feel quite different from one another. Third-person mode is the closest to normal Super Mario 64. You’re looking at Mario from behind, but the camera has been adapted for a VR headset.

First-person mode puts you much closer to Mario’s point of view. It’s a more direct way to experience the levels, though it obviously changes how the original platforming feels. Diorama mode pulls things back. Instead of standing inside the level at normal scale, you can look down at a smaller version of the world in front of you.

Cinema mode is the most traditional option. It puts the game on a virtual screen, so you can play it more like the original without having the entire environment wrapped around your head. Switching between them is handled through the controller, so you don’t need to keep opening menus.

VR settings can be changed while you’re playing

The VR options go beyond camera position. You can adjust world scale, stereo depth, eye height, camera distance and the size and position of the HUD. Changes appear immediately, which makes experimentation much easier.

That’s a small detail, but it matters in VR. Headset settings are personal. A camera distance that feels comfortable for one player can feel strange to someone else, so being able to tweak the view without restarting the game saves a lot of hassle. The menus themselves have also been adapted for VR. You can open the VR options from the pause screen or through the title screen menus.

Motion controls and haptics are part of the package

The Quest controllers aren’t being treated like a normal gamepad with different buttons. The new release includes motion-controller features, including grabbing and throwing actions tied to the grip controls. Each hand can also receive separate haptic feedback.

Recentring is handled inside the game too. Holding the right-stick click lines the world back up with your current position and gives you a vibration to confirm it. The normal Quest recenter option still works if you’d rather use that. Text input has also been covered. There’s an on-screen keyboard for things such as connection details, so you won’t need to keep a physical keyboard nearby just to enter an address.

Co-op still works, but there are limits

The multiplayer side of sm64coopdx remains part of the VR version. You can host a game or connect directly to another player. Direct connections are working in v0.12, but the public lobby browser currently isn’t connecting.

That means multiplayer is still possible, but you’ll need to connect using an address instead of simply picking a public session from a list. Mod support is also still available. Mods can be enabled through the pause menu, and the game can reload them without forcing you to leave the application.

Setup still needs a PC

There’s one thing worth making clear. Standalone doesn’t mean you can do the entire setup from the headset. You’ll still need to sideload the APK using something like SideQuest or Android Debug Bridge. You’ll also need to supply your own US Super Mario 64 ROM and copy it to the Quest.

The app searches the headset storage for the ROM and checks the file itself, so it doesn’t have to sit inside one specific folder or use a particular filename. Once that’s done, though, the PC can stay off.

PC VR users should stick with v0.11

Version 0.12 is aimed specifically at standalone Quest users. If you’re playing through Windows and PC VR, the previous v0.11 release remains the relevant version. So the change here is pretty focused. Super Mario 64 co-op VR can now live on the headset itself, with native stereo rendering, tracked movement, multiple VR camera modes, motion controls, mods and direct multiplayer all running without a PC during gameplay.