VirtualBoy

"A new dimension, a 3rd dimension... that hurts some people's eyes!"

I can remember when the Nintendo Virtual Boy was first released in 1995. It has a 'Viewfinder' like scope, so when you look into this scope each eye sees a separate image, creating a 3D stereoscopic effect. This 3D effect is very realistic, but the catch is that the coloring is a monochrome red. In the 1990s, two small multi-color back lit screens would have been very expensive to support, so Nintendo made the decision to save on production costs by putting in red-only LCD screens. The Virtual Boy's initial reviews were very mixed, and a sizable percentage of gamers complained of headaches, eyestrain, and dizziness. Nintendo gave up on the VB in less than a year, deciding to concentrate on the Gameboy and the soon-to-be-released Nintendo 64. Only 22 games were ever released for the VB, and it soon faded away from the gaming scene.

A couple of years ago I tried out some VB games (Vertical Force, Mario Clash) and I was really impressed with the 3D effect. I know that some folks were not happy with the VB's red LED 3D displays, but I didn't have a problem. I decided a few weeks ago to buy one of my own from eBay's auction site.

I won a complete VB system with seven games for $103 US plus shipping. The system arrived in good working condition, with power supply, a controller, and the following carts (all with instruction booklets): Mario Tennis, Galactic Pinball, Baseball, Panic Bomber, Teleroboxer, Red Alarm, and Wario Land. I found that my system needed little adjustment or focusing, and my eyes weren't bothered in the slightest - no headaches or anything like that.

Good: I have spent many hours playing it now and am generally happy with it. The stereoscopic effect is very good, and the "3D" look was flawless. For some of the games, the 3D effect really does add plenty to the game play. The controller is comfortable (very similar in feel to the newer GameCube's controller), and although you can't see the buttons while you've got your face stuck into the viewer, I had little trouble working the controller.

Bad: It took me about five minutes to figure out how to get AC power plugged into the Virtual Boy! You need to plug a Super Nintendo power cable into a special plastic adapter piece, then clip this onto the back of the controller. The current passes through the controller (which has a power on/off switch) into the controller socket. If you don't have a controller plugged in, the VB can't power up. Weird but workable.

Ugly: The red monochrome display is the deal-breaker here. As good as the 3D effect is, it's really brought down by the red-only display. If you are 'immersed' in the game you get accustomed to the lack of other colors, but it's definitely a bummer.

Some folks complain of headaches. I've played mine for hours at a time and have absolutely no problems at all. However, I took my VB over to a friend's house. She is an avid gamer, but after playing Wario Land for just 20 minutes, she started to feel violently ill! She had to stop playing because she felt strong nausea! It's bizarre, but there are some folks who just can't play VB without finding the stereoscopic view upsetting. Weird.

The library is lacking for the VB. There are two different bowling games and two different versions of Tetris, yet there are no racing games or DOOM-style FPS shooters. I mean, c'mon: you'd think Wolfenstein 3D would be a natural on the VB.

Of the games I received with it, the only one I'd really give a miss is Virtual Baseball. I don't really enjoy most sports games, and it just doesn't excite me. Panic Bomber is a knock-off of Sega's Columns, so I don't get much out of that one either.

On the other hand, Galactic Pinball is a great pinball game! Even in 2D it would be good, but the 3D look really adds to the game. Wario Land is also good if you like Mario-style games. Red Alarm is a Starfox-like shooter and its 3D-vector look is awesome!

Yep, the Virtual Boy is actually pretty cool: the 3D stereoscopic effect is quite good, and not at all like trying to use those red-blue comic book glasses.

I've eBayed a few more carts (Vertical Force, Mario Clash, Jack Bros, Tetris). If you are willing to put up with Japanese manuals, the prices for carts in Japan tend to be cheaper than the US versions. For example, Jack Bros tends to go for about $50-$60 US, but I just won a Japanese-version auction for $28 plus $12 shipping.

Overall I am pretty pleased with my VB and I'm getting good entertainment for my $100 purchase. It's just too bad there isn't more of a home brew scene around the VB, but maybe the future will hold more for the VB. If you decided to buy a VB, see if you can try one out first to see if it bothers your eyes!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/17/08

Game Release: VirtualBoy Hardware (US, 08/14/95)