Nintendo’s Virtual Boy Is a Silly but Fun Blast From the Past

Nintendo's Virtual Boy is arguably 1 of the strangest-looking gaming contraptions I've laid eyes on. It sits connected a table similar a small portable grill, but you look into it similar a microscope. Your eyes are enveloped successful a ruby-red interface, wherever you tin play retro 3D games with the paired controller.

Last week, I got a accidental to walk immoderate clip with immoderate upcoming video crippled releases for the Nintendo Switch 2—like Mario Tennis Fever and Resident Evil Requiem—along with caller hardware similar the reasonably faithful reimagining of the 1995 Virtual Boy. The second stuck with maine the astir due to the fact that there's conscionable thing other similar it. This remake is not a stand-alone console but an accessory for the Switch 2 and archetypal Switch (there's nary tech oregon powerfulness successful the caller Virtual Boy; it's conscionable 3D stereoscopic lenses).

Nintendo is known for its weird gambles, but the Switch 2 is simply a reasonably no-nonsense console compared to the original, which was considered quirky astatine the time. The Virtual Boy has plentifulness of that weirdness for the Switch 2, adjacent if its entreaty volition beryllium much niche than the cardboard Labo accessories the institution drummed up for the archetypal Switch.

Acquiring 1 volition beryllium tough. On apical of the $100 you'll wage for the Virtual Boy, you request a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription to entree the games. That's beauteous limiting, but Nintendo is offering a cardboard exemplary of the Virtual Boy for conscionable $25, making it acold much accessible. Unfortunately, the prepurchase play for some is implicit already, and they're sold out. Nintendo says you tin cheque backmost connected February 16, though proviso is limited. The Virtual Boy officially launches connected February 17.

Red Alert

The Virtual Boy is sturdy, adjacent if the basal looks a spot feeble; it doesn't truly descent astir and tin beryllium angled for maximum comfort. You'll privation to marque definite you person a height-adjustable table oregon seat due to the fact that that's the 1 happening you can't alteration connected the Virtual Boy. You'll announcement immoderate buttons and dials astatine the top—for adjusting your inter-pupillary region (IPD) oregon focus—but they're conscionable cosmetic; you tin tweak your IPD via the software.

Pop unfastened the plasticky apical to insert your Switch 2 (or Switch/Switch OLED!) successful beforehand of the lenses. Look into the rectangular oculus holes, and everything volition beryllium red, matching the archetypal Virtual Boy's interface. (Nintendo says you'll beryllium capable to alteration the colour successful the settings.) The main crippled room resembles the different libraries for past consoles, similar GameCube and SNES. There are 7 Virtual Boy motorboat titles, though an further 9 volition get passim the year. Many of these titles were disposable connected the archetypal short-lived console, which was discontinued successful little than a year, though a fewer are unreleased games.