About
Cyber Troopers Virtual-On is a mech-arena combat game originally developed by Sega AM3 for the Model 2 arcade hardware in 1995, then ported to PC in 1997. Players pilot customizable mechs called Virtuaroids in fast-paced one-on-one arena battles, using twin-stick controls to move and aim independently. The game is known for its fluid mech animations, energetic electronic soundtrack, and innovative control scheme. This is the original Virtual-On, not the sequel Oratorio Tangram (Steam App 427680).
Identity
Launch
- Binary
- VON.EXE
- Needs files
- none beyond the binary
Proton
- Version
- GE-Proton
- Winetricks
- —
- ProtonDB
- ProtonDB Pending not enough reports yet
⚙ Setup notes
Use GE-Proton for this 1997 PC port (full title: Cyber Troopers Virtual-On: Operation Moongate) of the Sega Model 2 mech-arena game. The default install path is C:/SEGA/VON.
ESSENTIAL FIX: the game enforces a CPU/MMX check that aborts on anything other than a period Pentium MMX or AMD K6. Edit VON.INI in the game directory and, under the [Processor] section, set ProcessorCheck, PentiumCheck, MMXCheck and IntelCheck to off, otherwise it refuses to launch.
TIMING FIX: on modern systems the game tends to run in permanent slow-motion (an internal timing bug tied to the kill-cam replay). The community VO_SPEED launcher works around this and can be run in place of the main executable; VO_PATCH restores audio quality and skips loading screens.
RENDERING: the standard North American/Western PC build is software/MMX rendered and does NOT need a graphics wrapper in most cases. dgVoodoo2 is only worth trying for the Japanese PowerVR 3D-accelerated build or if you hit a DirectDraw issue; it is optional, not a required step.
CONTROLS: the twin-stick arcade scheme does not map cleanly to one pad and the game only reads a couple of axes, so a key-mapper or Steam Input layout is usually needed. Rough layout: left stick = movement/strafe, right stick = turret rotation/aiming, right trigger = right weapon, left trigger = left weapon, face buttons = boost/jump.
This is the ORIGINAL Virtual-On (1995/96 arcade, 1997 PC) and is NOT Virtual-On: Oratorio Tangram (Steam App 427680), which is the sequel.
The one thing to know
You must supply your own legally obtained copy; this original Virtual-On has no current digital storefront release, so there is no Steam appid or ProtonDB rating (tier left pending). This is the original 1995/1997 Cyber Troopers Virtual-On: Operation Moongate, NOT the sequel Virtual-On: Oratorio Tangram (Steam App 427680). REQUIRED: edit VON.INI [Processor] to disable ProcessorCheck/PentiumCheck/MMXCheck/IntelCheck or the game will not start; VO_SPEED fixes the slow-motion timing bug and VO_PATCH improves audio. The standard PC build is software/MMX rendered, so dgVoodoo2 is optional (mainly for the Japanese PowerVR build), not required. Twin-stick controls need a custom Steam Input or key-mapper layout: left stick movement, right stick turret, triggers for weapons. Note the original game refuses to run on 64-bit Windows, so behavior under 64-bit Proton is untested.
Community guides
Write-ups and threads from people who got this (or a similar) game running. deckport links to them — it doesn't reproduce them.
Get the artwork
deckport never hosts game images. Open this game on SteamGridDB, pick
the cover / hero / logo / icon you like, and drop them into the
game folder under .deckport-art/ before you push it to the
Deck. The importer files them under the right names automatically.
Run it on your Deck
Two files: the one-time importer (deckport.py) in your
Deck's home folder, and this game's install helper. Copy the game
into ~/Games and run the helper with Steam closed — it
writes the recipe (binary, launch options, Proton version)
and registers the shortcut with artwork.