Opening the 29-year-old Virtual Boy game collection, the 3D game console that Nintendo wants to bury

Sunday, July 21, 2024, 6:12:15 PM Indochina time

Nintendo, known for its devoted fan base and successful consoles and games, has also experienced its share of setbacks. One such failure was the Virtual Boy, Nintendo’s first attempt at a 3D console, released on July 21st, 1995. This 32-bit handheld console, requiring players to look through a red monochrome display, aimed to create depth with parallax effects. However, this novelty was plagued by issues, including eye strain, limited game selection, and a lackluster overall experience.

The Virtual Boy’s development, originally known as VR32, took four years. It utilized stereoscopic LED lens technology licensed from Reflection Technology, a US company. Despite starting with a grand vision, cost concerns forced downsizing, which contradicted Nintendo’s typical strategy of affordable consoles. Furthermore, resources were diverted to the development of the Nintendo 64, as the Virtual Boy was released before its development was completed. Shigeru Miyamoto, renowned game designer, had limited involvement in the Virtual Boy’s software.

Critical reception to the Virtual Boy was overwhelmingly negative. Despite price reductions, the console failed to attract a large audience. The high price, dark display, limited red and black color palette, and unimpressive 3D effects contributed to its demise. The ergonomics of the screen and stand were also problematic, leading to neck strain and discomfort. Moreover, the 3D images induced headaches, nausea, and eye strain. This combination of factors ultimately led to the Virtual Boy’s discontinuation following just one year.

Today, the Virtual Boy is a collectible relic that serves as a cautionary tale. Those seeking to witness this gaming debacle firsthand will likely need to pay a significant sum, as the console’s scarcity makes it a rare find. Even game cartridges are hard to come by. While emulators exist for those curious regarding its peculiarities, it’s a reminder that not every technological innovation is a success. In the case of the Virtual Boy, its flaws became its legacy.

Sunday, July 21, 2024, 6:12:15 PM Indochina time

When talking regarding a famous game company like Nintendo, we probably think of a company that has its own dedicated fan base and market with popular game consoles and games. Every game is often heralded as excellent. But before Nintendo achieved its current success, the company had many ups and downs, including game consoles that mightn’t be sold and games that were released and criticized. One of them was the game console called Virtual Boy, the first 3D game console that Nintendo had been wanting to make for a long time (until it was successful with the Nintendo 3DS). But instead of this game console being a success, it failed in every aspect, from the games, gameplay systems, to the game console itself, which was so bad that Nintendo didn’t even want to consider Virtual Boy as their own child. And on July 21, 1995, it was the 29th anniversary of the release of the Virtual Boy. Let’s look back at the story of this game console and see just how bad it really was.

The Virtual Boy was a 32-bit tabletop handheld video game console developed and produced by Nintendo that was released in 1995. It was marketed as the first console capable of displaying stereoscopic 3D graphics, requiring players to place their heads once morest the eyepiece to view the red, monochrome display in the game (as shown below). The game used parallax effects to create the illusion of depth, with eye strain both during and following play. With only 22 games released, it was discontinued and discontinued following just a year.

The development of the Virtual Boy took four years, and began under the name VR32, for which Nintendo had a licensing agreement to use stereoscopic LED lens technology developed in the 1980s by the US company Reflection Technology. It also built a factory in China to be used exclusively for the production of the Virtual Boy. During the development, the Virtual Boy was downsized due to the high cost, which was not Nintendo’s policy of selling expensive consoles (but it was expensive). In addition, a lot of resources at that time were diverted to the development of the company’s new console, the Nintendo 64. Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that he had very little involvement in the Virtual Boy software, and it is said that the console was released before it was even completed so that the team might focus on the Nintendo 64.

The Virtual Boy was heavily criticized and a commercial failure. Even though Nintendo repeatedly reduced the price of the console, it still failed to sell. The failure of the console was due to its high price, dark display, and only red and black colors. The 3D effects that were its selling point were not impressive. The stand and screen were not ergonomic. When playing, not only did it cause eye pain, but also a sore neck because it was tense. In addition, the 3D images caused headaches, nausea, and eye pain for many players. If you want to destroy your health, try to find it and play it. Until now, Nintendo has not even mentioned the console. It can be said that it came and went so quickly that it ended in a very sad way for this console.

Anyone who is interested in owning a Virtual Boy and trying it out to destroy their eyesight and see if it’s really that bad, you’ll need to pay tens of thousands of baht to own it. Because don’t forget that this game console was released for only a year before disappearing from the market, so there are very few of them. Even game discs are out of the question. But if anyone is interested, there should be someone who has an emulator of this game for you to play. Try playing it and see how much the red and black graphics will make you enjoy the game. Because some things, just knowing that you have them doesn’t mean you have to try them all. The case of the Virtual Boy is a good example that we don’t want you to try.