Summary
- Nintendo brings Virtual Boy to Switch Online; players must buy a $100 plastic or $25 cardboard headset.
- Launches Feb 17; 14 Virtual Boy games arrive over time, including Mario’s Tennis and stereoscopic Tetris.
- The original 1995 Virtual Boy was a commercial flop—red-black 3D caused eye strain, headaches, and fast discontinuation.
The Virtual Boy, back in 1995, is known by most people as Nintendo’s first big blunder. It was a sort of cursed VR headset released before modern VR headsets became popular, but it was a commercial, bug-ridden failure. Now, it’s back—as an accessory to a modern console.
Nintendo revealed during its latest Direct presentation that it is resurrecting the Virtual Boy, its commercially unsuccessful 3D console from 1995. The long-dormant platform is being brought to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service, but with a significant requirement: players must purchase a new physical headset accessory designed to replicate the original Virtual Boy experience. The company will release two versions of the accessory. A premium plastic model, closely resembling the original tabletop device, will be available for $100. And if you need something more accessible, a $25 cardboard version will also be offered. Both accessories will be sold exclusively to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers in the United States and Canada, and there are no plans for an international release at this time. It’s a weird VR headset for the Switch, in a way.
The first wave of Virtual Boy titles is scheduled to launch on the premium subscription service on February 17th. The initial lineup will feature several well-known titles from the console’s limited library, including Mario’s Tennis—which was the original pack-in game for the system—Galactic Pinball, Teleroboxer, Space Invaders, and a stereoscopic version of Tetris. Nintendo has confirmed that a total of 14 games from the Virtual Boy’s catalog will be brought to the service over time. This represents a significant portion of the console’s entire library, as only 22 games were ever officially released for the system during its brief lifespan.
The Virtual Boy was marketed as the first consumer console capable of displaying true stereoscopic 3D graphics. The system used a monochromatic red-and-black display with oscillating mirrors to create a sense of depth, which was a pretty cool concept for its time and something Nintendo eventually revisited with the Nintendo 3DS in 2011. But the console itself was a nightmare. Complaints poured in from the few buyers that did get a console about the uncomfortable tabletop form factor, which required them to lean into the device, and the monochromatic display, which was criticized for being visually limiting. The system also gained a reputation for causing significant eye strain and headaches after even short periods of play. Eventually, it was discontinued in 1996 after just one year, being one of the biggest failures by Nintendo, if not the biggest.
It doesn’t really have a cult following, but finding a unit is very rare, so if you’ve ever wanted to check out these games, you can do so with this accessory.
Source: Engadget
