Virtual Boy

Codenamed VR32, shown in Nintendo's annual Shoshinkai show in Japan, the company unveiled the Virtual Boy, a console Yokoi had worked on for two years. The strange-looking device had a couple of stylish legs on which was a visor one could look into. Upon looking inside, the players were able to play games that appeared to be on a 3D plane.

The Virtual Boy is a failed game system by Nintendo released August 14, 1995. Its twin eyeglass-style projector displays monochromatic images in black and red once labeled by Nintendo as "true 3D." The console was a flop for many reasons, including its lack of portability and the headaches gameplay caused in a matter of minutes. Concern regarding Nintendo's warnings that the Virtual Boy could cause eye problems also detracted potential customers, though there is an automatic pause every 15 minutes. It was also released before it was ready to keep fans occupied during the long wait for the Nintendo 64, and many weren't willing to invest in the Virtual Boy with another Nintendo system on its way. Due to its failure in Japanese and American markets, the Virtual Boy was never exported to Australia or Europe. After its failure, creator Gunpei Yokoi felt that the fault of the failure was his and left Nintendo. Sony speculated that the Nintendo DS would suffer the Virtual Boy's fate due to its similar obscurity with looking at dual screen; however, the DS has actually become quite a success.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee a Virtual Boy appears in the shelf, in the place where all trophies are kept. Although this Virtual Boy only appears in the Japanese version of the game, the player could still see it by setting the language to Japanese. A Virtual Boy also appears in Super Paper Mario. Francis the nerd has a Virtual Boy in his room (where he also keeps a Nintendo 64, Nintendo GameCube and Nintendo Wii).

Released

 * Mario Clash
 * Mario's Tennis
 * Virtual Boy Wario Land

Cancelled

 * Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
 * VB Mario Land

Demos

 * Mario demo (Unnamed)

Links

 * Nintendo article
 * Wikipedia article