Virtual Boy

Information | Software | Hardware

Information

Conceived by Gunpei Yokoi, the Virtual Boy was a headset mounted on legs that used a system of mirrors to produce the illusion of depth in games. This allowed developers to use a third dimension to great effect, with characters rushing in and out of the background, and polygon graphics letting you feel like you were travelling into the screen. The system was released in 1995 in both Japan and the United States.

Bad press dogged the system before it hit the shelves. The system could only display games in black and shades of red, and this caused eye-strain, headaches and nausea in a number of people. The battery life was short, and it was too unwieldy to carry anywhere, negating its portable nature.

The system flopped at retail, and after a very short amount of time the system was pulled from the shelves worldwide, even before the European release! The Virtual Boy has since become a highly sought-after collector's item.

Virtual Boy Software

Regional Release Lists

• Virtual Boy Japanese Releases
• Virtual Boy US Releases

Main Nintendo Titles

Game Title	Developer
Galactic Pinball	Intelligent Systems
Mario Clash	Nintendo EAD
Mario's Tennis	Nintendo EAD
Nester's Funky Bowling	Nintendo IRD
Teleroboxer	Nintendo IRD
Virtual Boy Wario Land	Nintendo RD1

Cancelled Nintendo Titles

Game Title	Developer
Bound High	NSS
Dragon Hopper	Intelligent Systems
Goldeneye 007	--
VB Mario Land	Nintendo RD1
Zero Racers	Nintendo EAD

Nintendo-Published Titles

Game Title	Developer
3D Tetris	T&E Soft
Golf	T&E Soft
Panic Bomber	Hudson Soft
Red Alarm	T&E Soft
Vertical Force	Hudson Soft

Virtual Boy Hardware