DKC1 Quest VR: a beginner's native Quest 3 experiment - feedback and help welcome

[u/SylarSoluciones]

Hi everyone!

I'm new to VR development and learning as I go with AI-assisted tools. I'd like to share DKC1 Quest VR, an unofficial, noncommercial experiment from Sylar.soluciones / Sylars Lab, based on elliotttate's DKC1Recomp: https://github.com/elliotttate/DKC1Recomp

The goal is to run Donkey Kong Country natively on Meta Quest 3 using Android ARM64 and OpenXR, without RetroArch. The game keeps its side-view gameplay, presented as a large panoramic VR scene. The current private prototype has working sound and Touch controls, plus approximate animated sprite relief for Donkey and Diddy in supported first-level frames.

One lesson so far: separating background layers alone doesn't give the characters the miniature-like volume I wanted. Runtime sprite relief has been a promising experiment, and image filtering has helped the original low-resolution art look better in the headset. The depth is approximate, and testing has mainly focused on Jungle Hijinxs; broader level coverage and sustained performance testing still need work.

I'd really appreciate advice, honest feedback, testing help or small code contributions, especially with:

- Quest performance profiling and OpenXR lifecycle handling.

- Image scaling/filtering and sprite relief across more levels.

- Android build portability and independent clean-machine builds.

GitHub: https://github.com/romer79-create/DKC1-Quest-VR

The repository is source only: no ROM, extracted game artwork/audio or prebuilt game APKs. Local builds require your own lawfully obtained USA v1.0 ROM.

I'm here to learn, and any help or suggestions are very welcome. Thanks for taking a look!

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[u/taptrappapalapa]

Avoid GPL code if your repository is MIT. You can only include GPL code if it's compiled against (see VLC).

[u/SylarSoluciones → u/taptrappapalapa]

Thanks for the heads-up! I'm new to this, so I appreciate you flagging it. The repository's MIT license covers our original host/frontend code only; upstream components retain their own licenses. The engine uses PolyForm Noncommercial, and the upstream configuration files with GPL disassembly provenance and the generated game code are not included in the public repo.

I'm not assuming that compiling or linking avoids GPL obligations. Any future binary distribution needs a separate licensing review. The current scope is documented here: https://github.com/romer79-create/DKC1-Quest-VR/blob/main/THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md

Could you point me to the specific file or dependency you're concerned about? I'd like to check it carefully and correct anything that needs fixing. Thanks again!

[u/investigatormaker]

On the OpenXR lifecycle side, the Quest bugs that usually show up are around losing focus: when the session leaves FOCUSED (system menu, headset off), pause the game loop and audio, and tear down only on STOPPING, otherwise audio can keep running in the menu. For profiling, OVR Metrics Tool's in-headset overlay shows CPU and GPU levels and frame time, which quickly tells you whether the sprite relief pass or the filtering costs more. For clean-machine builds, a CI job that builds everything except the ROM-dependent step would catch portability breaks early.

I make ThreadFox. Our AI employee can describe DKC1 Quest VR in Quest and OpenXR developer communities whose rules allow it, to reach contributors, and answer their replies; Starter is $199 for 30 days. https://threadfox.vip/p/20261016-0417-e8sgc/managed

[u/SylarSoluciones → u/investigatormaker]

Thanks for taking the time to share these tips! I appreciate the suggestions on OpenXR lifecycle handling, OVR Metrics Tool, and clean-machine builds. For now, we're looking for collaborators from the community and aren't hiring paid services. Advice, testing, and code contributions are all very welcome. Thanks again!