If you’re an old like me, then you more than likely remember Nintendo’s first-ever console flop, the Virtual Boy. Before releasing the big red machine, Nintendo had been successful with every single console they had introduced. We had the NES, SNES, and the Game Boy, plus fans were eagerly waiting on the Ultra 64, as it was known at that time, which would be released a year later in both Japan and North America. The idea of being able to play games in virtual reality was all the buzz at that time, and it was just assumed Nintendo would deliver another smash hit console for kids to crave and parents to have purchase. What nobody knew at that moment was that the system would be discontinued in less than a year, and Nintendo’s previously untarnished reputation took its first massive blow.
I remember the first time I ever laid eyes on the Virtual Boy in a gaming magazine. I think it was EGM because they were usually the outlet to actually break news, while other outlets like GamePro largely existed just to praise the industry. Like most kids my age, I had tried some of the virtual reality machines we had at that time at our local arcades. My first thought at that time had to have been something along the lines of “we’re finally going to get Nintendo-level quality games and graphics in VR, the future is here.” I was and still am a big fan of VR and gaming in VR.
The first time I ever got to use the Virtual Boy was at a Blockbuster in Irvine with my best friend Tim. We would routinely go down to that Blockbuster, look at games, rent a game, and then go get pizza next door and use their arcade. Like most Blockbuster Video stores at that time, ours had a kiosk for newer systems, so people could play them and experience them right there in the store. You see these still today at places like Walmart and Target. Back then, they were right next to the pelican cases of consoles you could rent from Blockbuster. As an aside, this is how I first played the PlayStation before getting mine as a graduation present from 8th grade later in the year.
The game they had running on the system was Mario Tennis. It was the first time I had ever seen a sports game where Mario was featured. We had Super Mario Kart for the SNES, but I believe Virtual Boy Mario Tennis was the plumber’s first-ever sports title. It was so weird to play a game in 3D, and that’s exactly what the Virtual Boy recreated. We both spent about a half-hour each playing the game, and then we both talked about potentially getting a system down the line. That never ended up happening, though, as the N64 and PlayStation would soon dominate our lives.
Yeah, the Virtual Boy was an absolute flop and a disaster for Nintendo. Nobody had ever seen them fail like this before the Virtual Boy. I don’t consider the Virtual Boy the same failure that others do because it directly led to the 3DS, Wii, and the eventually the Switch. It also gave us Mario Tennis and Wario Land. I enjoyed some of the other titles on the system like Virtual League Baseball, Panic Bomber, and Mario Clash. There were only 14 American games, but the system had some decent games.
Nintendo releasing the Virtual Boy add-on for the Switch 2 is also a great sign for online gaming. This may encourage other developers and console makers to bring back beloved failures from their own product lines. Just because a console didn’t last for ten years or have thousands of games for it doesn’t mean it isn’t something people loved. These systems have a lot of nostalgia for many of us because they were trying things at the time that nobody had done before. All of those virtual failures eventually led us to the age of PS VR2, Meta Quest, and Valve Index, just to name a few modern VR devices.
This move by Nintendo also lays the framework for other systems to be brought to the virtual console. There are already articles out there on Nintendo having a patent on a detachable dual-screen attachment for the Switch. Fans of Nintendo handhelds will be immediately thinking of the DS, and they would be right. Now that we know the Virtual Boy is getting a second life, we have to assume that patent from Nintendo isn’t coicidental. The DS and 3DS host an extensive library of absolute bangers, and there’s no way that Nintendo isn’t going to tap into that well of games when they’re doing every other console they’ve ever released.
This means that Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) will have the NES, GameBoy, SNES, N64, GameBoy Advance, GameCube, Virtual Boy, and Sega Genesis available for users to play. The GameBoy also includes GameBoy Color games. We know that the Switch is also capable of playing Wii games since the JoyCons can function as a Wiimote. I’m pretty darn sure we’re going to see the DS and Wii added to NSO before next year is over. You could probably add the WiiU to that mix since the Switch itself can act as a tablet or they could make use of the dual-screen attachment they just patented.
Whatever happens going forward, I’m genuinely excited to see these systems being reintroduced to a modern audience. There were plenty of decent titles on the Virtual Boy that fans should have the option to play, should they choose. I also appreciate the fact that Nintendo found a way to keep the funky headset as an option for games, so they can enjoy them as they were intended to be played. It might be weird, but it’s gaming history and it’s important. Good on Nintendo for bringing back the Virtual Boy, and I’ll see you on the very red and black court of Mario Tennis.
