Nintendo Revives Its Biggest Flop: The Virtual Boy Returns On Switch

I am rarely stunned into silence while watching an announcement stream. Sony did it back in 2015 with Shenmue III, and bizarrely, Nintendo has now done it with the announcement of the Virtual Boy, coming to the Nintendo Classics library.

It was a very confusing moment in time for me, as I am pretty obsessed with the Virtual Boy. I am intrigued by its story, the concepts behind it, the reason why it exists, and how it fell well short of meeting any meager expectations Nintendo had for it. I've researched for hours upon hours, trying to comprehend it, so I like to think that I understand it a fair bit, which brings us back to why I was stunned by the announcement.

Simply put, this was one bit of kit that became a catastrophic failure for Nintendo.

Lateral Thinking, Fatal Flaw

Virtual Boy, created by the father of the Game Boy, Gunpei Yokoi, was conceived as a way to combat both the Saturn and the PlayStation, of all things. The Super Nintendo was still going strong, but Sega was working on it's new console, and after being left at the altar by Nintendo, Sony was doing the same. Nintendo had to act quickly, not something Nintendo is known for.

The Nintendo 64 was still years away from release, so Yokoi decided to make full use of his unique design philosophy, "Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology."

This philosophy had already given the world the Game Boy, a modest device that achieved global success thanks to its affordability and impressive battery life. The Virtual Boy was an entirely different story. It launched in 1995 as a so-called "Virtual Reality" headset that used stereoscopic red and black screens. In reality, it was a clunky unit that had to be used on a stand, causing players to sit in an uncomfortably hunched position.

It was far from what Nintendo had seemingly advertised. Thanks to its high price of $179.99 ($370 in today's money), its awkward viewing position, and its monochrome display, it was never taken seriously as a console of the future.

Within a year, it was discontinued and heavily discounted in stores to clear out stock. Nintendo quietly moved on to the N64.

Nintendo's Biggest Failure

There’s something oddly poetic about the fact that the biggest flop is now the biggest talking point from Nintendo's longest-ever Direct. Forget the hotly anticipated Metroid Prime 4; we need to talk about the Virtual Boy.

So why have they suddenly decided to look beyond what has worked for them, releasing games from older, but generally well-received systems?

The Switch 2 only launched three months ago, and we still have only a barebones GameCube library, just five games so far. There are still a handful that Nintendo has announced that have yet to release, not to mention so many more games worthy of being added to the list. What I wouldn't give to see Eternal Darkness!

With so many beloved systems still missing, like the DS or even Game & Watch, why are we jumping straight to the Virtual Boy?

In a way, this is brilliant for gamers who have never had the chance to experience the Virtual Boy in its full headache-inducing glory. In total, they will be releasing 14 of the 22 titles originally brought to market for the system, spread over an unannounced period of time.

While this seems great initially, there are a few little caveats that need addressing. First, much like the GameCube collection, this will only be available to those who have the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership. The second problem comes from the same thing that's getting the most attention right now.

The Price of Nostalgia

In order to play these games, you NEED to have one of the Virtual Boy accessories. The first, and the one I kinda want, is a full-size replica of the Virtual Boy, stand and all. Priced at £66/$100, it isn't cheap, but it will give you that full Virtual Boy feel where you have to get your neck into a weird position to play it. The second is a much cheaper option, and that’s the cardboard model. It's performing the same task as the plastic one, but is much smaller in size and price.

I will say, the cardboard version does look a bit goofy with the switch sitting inside of it.

I really feel that Nintendo could have done something a little different and offered these games in a 2D mode, as well as the standard 3D version, much like on the 3DS. Yes, it may lose some of its charm, but it would certainly reduce the number of headaches people may get from it.

I also feel that if they were going to do this properly, they should release the Virtual Boy controller to go with it. That thing was weird, but it was perfect for playing games like Teleroboxer. This is perhaps something that they may offer further down the line.

What This Means for Nintendo (and Us)

So once again, the question needs to be asked: why are we getting the Virtual Boy? Is it that Nintendo wants to reward their customers with, up until now, hard-to-find games? Or that Nintendo wants their customers to have access to a vast wealth of classic titles from even the most obscure of systems? Or is it that Nintendo just wants to make a bit more money?

Maybe that’s the trick here. Nintendo has managed to turn its biggest flop into something I'm excited to buy again.