Nintendo hardly promoted it, but the information was confirmed at GamesBeat : owners of a Labo VR (the Toy-Con 04 kit) will be able to use their cardboard headset to play Virtual Boy titles on Switch Online. The announcement was made by Nintendo Treehouse member Corey Olcsvary during a demo event in New York. Compatibility is assumed, but it has been deliberately overlooked, probably because Nintendo has no longer been marketing these cardboard Lab kits for several years.
Take the VR Lab out of the closet
Launched in 2019, Labo VR was Nintendo’s first official attempt in the field of virtual reality since the abandonment of the Virtual Boy in 1996. The principle was already the same: slip the Switch into a rudimentary headset to enjoy a stereoscopic experience. At the time, the peripheral had been used with a few flagship games like Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Super Smash Bros. Ultimatebefore gradually falling into oblivion.
Subscribe to WorldOfSoftware
Be careful, however: this compatibility imposes some constraints. The VR Lab can only accommodate a “classic” Switch – the larger Switch 2 does not fit there. Rest assured, the Virtual Boy catalog will be playable on both generations of consoles, provided of course that you are an NSO + Expansion Pack subscriber, and that you use the right hardware. Nintendo sells two headsets, one in plastic for €80, the other in cardboard for €20. These accessories are essential for playing Virtual Boy games.
The Virtual Boy is one of Nintendo’s biggest commercial failures. Released in the mid-1990s, the machine promised stereoscopic 3D before its time, but its questionable comfort, its monochrome red display and its very limited catalog quickly got the better of its ambitions. The console was discontinued less than a year after its launch.
Thirty years later, Nintendo is attempting a comeback in the form of high-end emulation. Starting February 17, Nintendo Switch Online subscribers will be able to access a new dedicated retro catalog. Seven games will be available at launch, including Virtual Boy Wario Land, 3-D Tetris, Teleroboxer or Galactic Pinball. Ultimately, around fifteen titles are planned, with even the arrival of games never released at the time, such as Zero Racera spin-off of F-Zero.
During the first hands-on, the “premium” version of the headset surprised with the manufacturing quality and respect for the period design, apart from the wired controller. The games remain very marked by their age: the 3D effect still works, but the experience is especially fun in short sessions. Despite some modern additions like autosave or reworked controls, visual fatigue and feelings of nausea do not completely disappear.
🟣 To not miss any news on the WorldOfSoftware, follow us on Google and on our WhatsApp channel. And if you love us, .
