What Do You Think of the Virtual Boy

Virtual Boy

The Virtual Boy pioneered portable 3D gaming, but became Nintendo's biggest (and arguably only) market blunder. Despite innovative display technology, various design and marketing mistakes doomed it to poor sales and quick retirement. Fewer than two dozen titles came out worldwide and only 14 in North America.

What Do You Think of the Virtual Boy

#1 Posted by nintendoeats (5970 posts) - 10 months, 17 days ago

I'm writing something about the Virtual Boy and I just wanted a quick survey of people's thoughts on the system. So this is me asking for opinions on it. Yoho.

#2 Posted by TheDudeOfGaming (5878 posts) - 10 months, 17 days ago

It was the kinect of it's time.

#3 Posted by wewantsthering (1292 posts) - 10 months, 17 days ago

I owned one when I was younger. A couple of the games, especially Wario, weren't bad, but the combination of the weird red and black 3D visuals and the awkward lean-forward "goggles" you had to peer in, it was a headache inducing nightmare. It's actually one of my favorite Christmas morning opening presents memory though. We thought it was going to be the coolest thing ever before we actually played the thing.

#4 Posted by ShaggE (4429 posts) - 10 months, 17 days ago

I got it for ten bucks a year after it came out, so I managed to like it for what it was. Didn't hurt that the only games I had for it were Red Alarm and Mario Tennis, both standouts in the VB library.

#5 Posted by Video_Game_King (29251 posts) - 10 months, 17 days ago

I should get around to that thing.

#6 Posted by Solidsnak (80 posts) - 10 months, 17 days ago

Red Alarm was cool

#7 Posted by GrantHeaslip (736 posts) - 10 months, 9 days ago

I vividly remember going to Ontario Placein summer 1996 (which would make me 6 years old) and seeing the N64 for the first time in a pavilion. I recall watching someone running around the castle courtyard and being blown away -- this was pre-internet, and I didn't subscribe to any magazines, so I wasn't aware it even existed at all until that day.

They must have had the Virtual Boy there -- I grabbed a brochure that had both N64 and Virtual Boy stuff on it, and this was before it was discontinued -- but the N64 was clearly stealing its thunder.

#8 Posted by Dagbiker (6360 posts) - 10 months, 9 days ago

I thought it was crap. Even back then.

#9 Posted by Guided_By_Tigers (8020 posts) - 10 months, 9 days ago

Neat idea, poor execution

#10 Posted by mtcantor (867 posts) - 10 months, 8 days ago

It was awesome. Also, gave you really bad headaches.

Teleroboxer was amazing.

#11 Posted by c0l0nelp0c0rn1 (1636 posts) - 10 months, 8 days ago

Like Rock Band, it is a great thing to try for 5 minutes at a demo kiosk in a local big-box retail store.

#12 Posted by Paliv (120 posts) - 10 months, 8 days ago

Seeing Red

#13 Posted by Zenogiasu (192 posts) - 10 months, 8 days ago

I only played it once, when I was very, very young. There was a stand for it at a Toys "R" Us, and I got to play a few minutes of Wario on it. I don't think I really recognized how awful it was at the time, but, looking back on it, it was pretty bad. It singed your eyes and made it literally painful to play. I don't know how this thing shipped to market. The idea? Great. The look of the thing? Stupid, but passable. The feel? Unforgivable.

Comment and Save