Tag: Virtual Boy
Guide Every Nintendo Switch Online Virtual Boy Game Ranked
All the VB games on NSO
Updated with Mario Clash and Mario's Tennis, both coming to NSO on 10th March. Enjoy! Of all of Nintendo's consoles, the Virtual Boy is one of the most fascinating due to being a rare hardware flop in the company's storied history. It might be the worst-selling Nintendo system ever (and it never even launched in Europe),...
News Nintendo Expands Switch Online's Virtual Boy And GBA Library With Three More Titles
Update: MAR10 Day is here!
Ahead of the 10th March 2026 (aka Mario Day), Nintendo has announced it will be expanding the Switch Online + Expansion Pack service for the Switch and Switch 2. These three titles arriving on Mario Day include two Virtual Boy games and one Game Boy Advance title, with all of these titles requiring users to have access to...
Review Virtual Boy For Switch 1 & 2 - Is It Really Worth Revisting Nintendo's Greatest Folly?
Virtual insanity?
Only Nintendo could get its fans excited about a re-release of one of its most dramatic commercial flops, and, as somebody who is old and grey enough to recall the disaster that was the Virtual Boy the first time around, I find it endlessly amusing that its resurrection as a Switch accessory has caused such interest. But then...
Poll How Would You Rate The Nintendo Classics Virtual Boy Launch Games?
I see red, I see red, I see red
The Virtual Boy app for Nintendo Switch Online's Expansion Pack launched this week, giving many Nintendo fans the very first chance to play these games in an official capacity. Some older die-hards may have an original VB knocking around or might have sampled its monochrome delights sometime over the last 30 years,...
(Yes, you can, with a Switch 1)
Virtual Boy has finally arrived on Nintendo Switch Online, if you're a subscriber to the Expansion Pack tier - and if you've got the $100 accessory from My Nintendo Store or the still-pretty-pricey cardboard alternative. If $25 for the cardboard viewer required to see the 3D visuals as intended still feels like an...
Gallery We've Got The Virtual Boy Accessory For Nintendo Switch Online
It's a big boy
Well, what a lovely surprise! Our local Royal Mail representative knocked on the door today and delivered a curious-looking box, and it turns out that it's none other than the Virtual Boy accessory for Nintendo Switch Online! Yes, it seems like a whole bunch of people – in the UK, at least – are receiving their retail Virtual...
News My Nintendo Store Adds A New Virtual Boy Reward (Europe)
Party like it’s 1995 with this A4 Poster
The Virtual Boy makes its grand return next week, with this particular retro library joining Nintendo's Switch Online + Expansion Pack service. Now that the final previews have gone live, to build some excitement, Nintendo has released a new themed My Nintendo Store reward for Switch Online members. It's a
Round Up The Previews Are In For Virtual Boy - Nintendo Classics
Here's what the critics think
Nintendo is launching its Virtual Boy- Nintendo Classics digital library for the Switch Online + Expansion Pack service later this month, and the previews are now in. First up are our own impressions from Nintendo Life staff writer Ollie Reynolds: "It’s no secret that the Virtual Boy failed spectacularly when it...
News Nintendo Clarifies That Labo VR Will Not Work With Virtual Boy For Switch Online
Update: Nintendo issues a statement
Virtual Boy for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack (we'll never get over Nintendo's naming conventions at the moment) is right around the corner, launching on 17th February 2026. But if you're not keen on splashing out on the $66.99 / $99.99 replica or its cheaper cardboard equivalent, then you might be in...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel - Red Alarm (Virtual Boy)
Took something perfect and painted it red
Howdy, Virtual Boy fans! Welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl! Last time, we matched up a pair of covers for Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island, and it was a pretty close-run contest. The classic SMW2 art came out on top in the end, though, with North America taking 59% of the vote, leaving the...
News Switch Online's Virtual Boy Adding New Feature To Change Screen Colour "Later This Year"
Just remove the red lens cover
Yesterday, Nintendo shared an update about its Virtual Boy library coming to the Switch Online + Expansion Pack next month. Although it seemingly doubles down on the requirement to purchase new headsets, on a more welcoming note, there will be some quality-of-life enhancements. Apart from the usual options, including...
News Nintendo Announces Launch Line-Up For Switch Online Virtual Boy
Two previously unreleased games are also coming in 2026
Those of you excited to relive the glory days of the Virtual Boy only have a few more weeks to wait until you can play them on Nintendo Switch Online on Switch 1 and Switch 2. 17th February is approaching fast! Today, Nintendo has dropped a brand new trailer confirming the launch line-up for...
Opinion The Nintendo Console Nobody Wanted To Review Returns Soon, And I'm Here For It, Again
The crimson comeback
As someone who witnessed its initial release, I’m delightfully baffled that Nintendo is resurrecting the Virtual Boy. We aren't just getting a passing mention or a trophy in a Smash Bros. game; we’re getting a full-blown revival, including a dedicated NSO app, a $100 authentic replica peripheral, and a $25 cardboard cutout...
Reminder Virtual Boy For Switch And Switch 2 Are Available On The My Nintendo Store
Seeing red
Nintendo shared a massive surprise in September, revealing it would be reviving the Virtual Boy for 'Nintendo Classics'. This library will be joining the Switch Online + Expansion Pack service next year on 17th February 2026, and if you haven't already made up your mind, here's your reminder that the headset (and the cardboard model) is...
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Teleroboxer (Virtual Boy)
Telerobrawl
Hello folks, and welcome back to another edition of Box Art Brawl! Last week, we looked at the ridiculously titled Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy - Deluxe Edition for the Nintendo Switch, and it was the Japanese box art design that
Poll So, Will You Be Checking Out Switch Online's Virtual Boy Service?
Go on, tell us
The recent Direct broadcast revealed the Virtual Boy library would be joining the Switch Online 'Nintendo Classics' library. As you've likely already seen, there are a few paywalls. Firstly, you'll need to have an active Expansion Pack subscription (on top of the regular Switch Online subscription), and according to Nintendo, a paid...
ICYMI If You Want To Play Virtual Boy Classics, You'll Need To Buy One Of Nintendo's Accessories
And don't forget the premium tier membership
During the latest Direct, it was revealed Virtual Boy games would be joining the 'Nintendo Classics' library early next year. In case you missed it, there'll be a few (paid) gates you'll need to pass through before you can even access this particular library. Not only will you need to have an active...
Every Virtual Boy game ranked by you
Nintendo is an odd company in many ways; deeply appealing and safe in some respects, but also able to swing for the fences and invest money and resources in the pursuit of pure novelty. Time and again it puts out products that no other platform holder would have dreamed of, and more often than not those...
Talking Point As A Nintendo Fan, Do You Really Need To Play The Virtual Boy?
Oh boy
It’s Christmas morning, and amidst the thick haze of food already cooking for lunch and the soothing laughter of our children enjoying their new toys, my wife approaches me with a small, square package. I hadn’t seen this under the tree. “That’s your last one,” she says. I instinctively go to shake it – she knows me well enough to...
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Jack Bros. (Virtual Boy)
Super Jack
Hi there folks, and welcome back to another edition of Box Art Brawl! Before we get cracking with this week's clash, let's find out how things panned out last time, eh? We looked at Rayman Advance for the, uh, Game Boy Advance (if that wasn't already obvious), pitting North America against Europe in a classic duel. The European design...
Feature Meet The Virtual Boy Fan Making New Tech And Games For Nintendo's Console Curio
"I thought, 'Hey, I can probably do that'"
As the reputed black sheep of the Nintendo console family, one might think 1995’s Virtual Boy to be the last piece of hardware capable of garnering an enthusiast following today. Discontinued after less than a year on the market and never released in Europe, the elusive red-and-black headset is remembered...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel: Panic Bomber (Virtual Boy)
Ka-BOOM!
Hello folks, welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl! In last week's edition, we took a look at Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge for the Game Boy. We honestly thought this would be a closer fight, as both box art variants were pretty great, but what do we know? North America and Europe absolutely smashed it, roping in 74% of the...
News Nintendo's "Inhumane" Virtual Boy Testing Process Likened To 'A Clockwork Orange'
"They put us under the most bizarre tests"
Earlier today, we reported on a new video from Did You Know Gaming that shines a light on the Virtual Boy F-Zero spin-off Zero Racers, which was once believed to be little more than a series of screenshots but appears to be have been totally finished. The source is former Nintendo of America associate...
News Mythical Virtual Boy F-Zero Spin-Off Was 100% Complete, According To Former NOA Staffer
"Zero Racers was done"
The Virtual Boy might have gone down as one of Nintendo's most costly failures, but a dedicated and passionate fanbase has grown up around the system, and this group spends a lot of time looking into unreleased projects which could have potentially boosted the console's fortunes – one of which is F-Zero spin-off Zero Racers...
News Limited Run Games Is Publishing SNES And Virtual Boy Retrospective Books
Download samples now
Well, this is a surprise. Limited Run - the company known best as a physical game distributor - has announced it will be publishing two retro gaming books. Both are by Jeremy Parish and will be available to pre-order on 10th August. Super NES Works Vol. 1 Hardcover Book Super NES Works Vol. I looks back at the early days of...
News The Virtual Boy's Latest Game Comes With Rumble Pack Support
Feel the force (feedback)
Remember when we reported back in 2017 that the Virtual Boy – one of Nintendo's biggest commercial flops – was getting new software thanks to VUEngine? Well, one such game is being made available in demo form, and the surprises don't end there. It's also coming with support for a new unofficial Rumble Pack accessory...
Random Yes, Someone's Made A Handheld Virtual Boy With Light Up Buttons
I'm a Real Boy!
We've seen a variety of Nintendo's illustrious home consoles turned into handhelds by talented modders with some know-how and plenty of elbow grease and spray paint — we're thinking of fanmade consoles like the Wiiboy Color or the Portable N64 — but you probably wouldn't expect somebody to go to the trouble (and from the video...
Talking Point If Nintendo Released Them, Would You Play Virtual Boy Games Today?
Virtually unheard of
Nintendo's Virtual Boy was an inarguably strange system, although mentioning its name can elicit markedly different responses. To many, the little tabletop non-HMD is little more than a punchline; a hilarious blink-and-you'll-miss-it example of Nintendo toying with an idea that was sabotaged from the off by hopelessly inadequate...
Feature The Story Of Virtual Tank, A Lost Virtual Boy Successor To Atari's Battlezone
"We were really surprised at the speed that the platform died"
We've pleased to present a chapter from Bitmap Books' excellent The Games That Weren't, which looks at an unreleased Virtual Boy title that aimed to emulate the success of Atari's Battlezone – but sadly never saw the light of day. Nintendo helped rejuvenate the games industry after...
Random This Mod Turns The Virtual Boy Into A Proper Console You Can Play On Your Television
Easier on the eyes
The Virtual Boy wasn't exactly Nintendo's finest hour. Despite this, the device was arguably ahead of its time and over the years has developed a cult following. In 2018, for example, an indie developer released a Virtual Boy emulator for the Oculus Rift headset - allowing users to play this short-lived generation of Nintendo...
News Introducing The Virtual Boo, Professor E. Gadd's New Communication Device In Luigi's Mansion 3
"Red is all the rage, you know?"
Earlier this year, the Virtual Boy made a surprise cameo in the Labo VR Kit. Despite being considered as the worst video game system Nintendo has ever created, its legacy somehow continues to live on. It's now returning once again, this time in the upcoming Switch release Luigi's Mansion
Random Game Freak Had Plans For A Virtual Boy Title But Never Got Around To Making It
Pokémon Red?
Whenever the developer Game Freak is mentioned, you probably think about the mainline Pokémon video game series. That's not the only series it has worked on over the years, though. Little Town Hero is coming to the Switch later this month and there was a point in the Japanese company's history when it had an idea for a Virtual Boy...
Random Cool Virtual Boy Easter Egg Discovered In Nintendo Labo VR
All hail the Virtual Boy
The Virtual Boy is arguably the worst video game system Nintendo has ever released. It completely bombed in terms of sales and was widely panned by critics and gamers alike due to the discomfort caused by its red monochrome head-mounted display. Despite its lack of success, Nintendo still likes to reference it from time to...
Random Talented Individual Creates Arcade Stick For Nintendo’s Virtual Boy
Touted as the “world’s first”
The Virtual Boy was universally panned by critics and goes down in history as Nintendo’s worst system of all-time. Despite this, the 32-bit table-top console with a red monochrome head-mounted display has still managed to develop a cult following over the years. Surprisingly, there’s even a supportive...
News The Man Behind SNES Star Fox Talks About The Nintendo VR Console That Never Was
"VR gaming could have happened 20 years ago"
No images of the Super Visor exist online, but we'd like to imagine it would have looked like this Argonaut Software founder Jez San has been speaking about a hardware project he worked on with Nintendo that could have given the games industry affordable and effective home VR decades before the Oculus...
News Nintendo’s Virtual Boy Gets A Revival Thanks To Emulator For Oculus Rift VR Headset
The wonders of today
The Virtual Boy has been predominantly inaccessible to the majority of Nintendo fans since its original release. It was hardware arguably ahead of its time, but also technology that was unable to compete with modern standards of the era. The Nintendo 64 was after all released a year later in 1996 and blew the console industry...
News The Nintendo Virtual Boy Could Be Getting New Software
Virtual insanity?
The Nintendo Virtual Boy may have gone down in history as the company's grandest folly, but it's clear that there are many fans out there who feel it didn't get a fair crack of the whip. Team VUEngine is a group of Virtual Boy enthusastis who want to resurrect the failed console with a series of new homebrew titles. A Patreon...
Random Someone Claims to Have Unearthed Star Fox: Red Zone Virtual Boy Assets
Are you team real or team fake?
Here's one to get us all arguing about assets and fonts into the weekend - someone claims to have images of a 'lost' Virtual Boy game called Star Fox: Red Zone. Hm... Someone called Sparky_78 on Reddit posted the following images; they seem to be the same person that posted the details as Kallus on Assembler Games...
Video Home Movie Clips Reveal The Wildly Differing Fates Of The Game Boy And Virtual Boy
"Do you know what this WOULD have cost?"
iRetrogamer's Tyler Esposito has a wealth of home movie recordings made by his late father, who was gaming mad and got his son hooked on all kinds of interactive entertainment. His latest offering focuses on two Nintendo products with totally different fates - the Game Boy and the
Random Of Course Seinfeld's George Costanza Was A Virtual Boy Fan
It makes perfect sense!
Poor old George Costanza. This neurotic, self-loathing character from the popular comedy sitcom Seinfeld never did have much luck in life. It turns out in addition to being unfortunate in love (and virtually everything else) George also made equally terrible choices when buying video gaming hardware. While idly relaxing at...
Video A Modern Take on the Virtual Boy is Still a Bit Ridiculous
But we love it
A short while ago we shared an episode of the The Ben Heck Show where he deconstructed and repaired a Virtual Boy; it was an interesting look into how the machine works. Now, as promised, a follow-up episode rebuilds it and tries to modernise the device, dispensing of the infamous 'stand' and redesigning it as a head mounted display...
Video Get a Closer Look at the Virtual Boy in an Intriguing Teardown
The Ben Heck Show continues its fine work
Regular readers of these pages will be increasingly familiar with the work of The Ben Heck Show, which provides some interesting engineering-focused videos. It does this, often, with a focus on gaming systems, including teardowns and customisations of iconic consoles from various companies, including...
Random Nintendo Acknowledges Virtual Boy After Decades of Passive Denial
Graphics so good they'll give you a headache
The 3DS has done a remarkable job in the current economic climate, cutting out a respectable install base several million units sold over it's run. Of course, in the early days of the console, many believed that it would be a failure due to the unfortunate historical precedent that was the Virtual Boy...
News Turns Out The History Of The Virtual Boy Is More Interesting Than The Console Itself
"I don't recall anybody literally throwing up in the office, we were lucky"
While the dismal commercial performance of the Wii U has made headlines recently, it's a long way from being Nintendo's most famous failure - that unwelcome accolade falls to the Virtual Boy, which sold around 770,000 units globally back in the '90s. The console is blamed...
News It's Now Possible To Play Virtual Boy Games On Your Android Phone
With a little help from Google Cardboard
The Virtual Boy wasn't a success, that much is beyond debate. It sold poorly and effectively led to Gunpei Yokoi's departure from Nintendo - a sad event when you consider how much he had done to make the company such a force in the field of toys and video games. Despite its commercial failure the system still...
News The Virtual Boy's Design Was Influenced By The Fact That Ladies Like Wearing Make-Up
According to creator Gunpei Yokoi
Virtual Reality may be back in favour these days, but back in the mid-'90s the initial burst of interest in the technology was starting to wane, and for many players the straw that broke the camel's back was the much-hyped Nintendo Virtual Boy. Released in 1995 to almost complete consumer apathy, the console lacked...
News Oculus Founder Palmer Luckey Believes Virtual Boy "Hurt" the VR Industry, But It's Not All Bad
"Not really a VR device, IMO"
The Virtual Boy is well known among keen Nintendo followers - it was a quirky device that flopped commercially and, for quite some time, was effectively ignored by Nintendo. It was also a major early dalliance with 3D technology from the company, though the name and form factor makes some consider it to be a virtual...
News Sega Almost Licensed The Technology That Went Into The Virtual Boy
"I think we were right in turning it down"
Former Sega of America boss Tom Kalinske was in charge of the company during its glory years, and it was under his leadership that it was able to challenge the might of Nintendo during the early '90s. Full of interesting stories and anecdotes, Kalinske's story has been told in Blake J. Harris' excellent...
News Nintendo NX Might Be The First Social VR Platform, Claims Analyst Firm Digi-Capital
Virtual insanity?
It's no secret that the Virtual Boy - which recently had it's 20 year anniversary - wasn't the greatest success for Nintendo. Launched in 1995 to almost complete consumer apathy in North America, it bypassed Europe entirely and was discontinued the following year. Could this negative experience in launching a VR product have put...
Anniversary The Virtual Boy Is 20 Years Old Today
Nintendo's most famous failure is getting on a bit
According to the history books, the Virtual Boy is Nintendo's biggest failure — both commercially and critically — in the hardware arena. Launched 20 years ago today on 21st July 1995 in Japan to almost complete consumer apathy, it bypassed Europe entirely and was discontinued the following...
