The Return of Nintendo’s Worst-Promoting Console Might Be Extra Wonderful Than We Thought

Nintendo’s Virtual Boy deserves your respect. At least, that appears to be Nintendo’s newest missive, because it’s set to deliver again its worst-selling console from the grave as a Switch 2 accent. What’s extra, Nintendo’s $100 Virtual Boy recreation could also be one of the simplest ways to expertise the attention strain-inducing early rendition of 3D gaming due to a number of unique options and video games that went unreleased till now.

If you weren’t already conscious, Nintendo’s faux-3D console from 1995 is as soon as once more providing gamers the prospect to hunch down right into a pair of goggles constructed right into a kickstand. Instead of utilizing the 30-year-old system’s novel single LED strip and rotating mirrors, it as a substitute asks you to fit within the Switch 2 to behave as its stereoscopic screens. In its newest video, Nintendo showcases the video games that may launch alongside the precise Virtual Boy peripheral. There are some oldies however goodies you’ve in all probability by no means had the prospect to play earlier than.

Nintendo is bringing again a number of video games like Galactic Pinball, Golf, and 3D Tetris that have been solely ever out there on the Virtual Boy. There are extra oddities in retailer, resembling Teleroboxer, a form of Mike Tyson’s Punch Out! model recreation, however as a substitute of smacking up Glass Joe, you’re beating up a robotic (this appears to be a pattern in robotics these days).

The console may even ship with Japan-only titles like The Mansion of Innsmouth, an early 3D maze-like journey recreation. There are additionally the unknown classics like Red Alarm and Wario Land. The latter recreation makes use of the stereoscopic 3D impact in fascinating methods, permitting gamers to leap backwards and forwards from foreground and background platforming sections.

Nintendo guarantees we’ll get much more video games all through 2026, together with Mario Tennis, Space Invaders Virtual Collection, Virtual Bowling, Vertical Force, and V-Tetris. The huge good thing about this system is that Nintendo plans to launch a number of “unreleased” titles, together with Zero Racers and D-Hopper. These titles have been notoriously previewed in early video video games magazines and proven off at commerce reveals however by no means noticed the sunshine of day, largely as a result of the Virtual Boy crashed and burned.

The Virtual Boy could have further options, being that that is merely an emulation of the actual factor. Like different titles within the Nintendo Classics assortment, you’ll be able to droop the sport to drop a save level, change your management scheme or rewind just a few frames if you happen to screw up a very arduous shot in Golf. Nintendo says there will probably be extra unique options, together with the power to vary the display coloration from purple to yellow, inexperienced, and white. You’ll must take away the Virtual Boy peripheral’s built-in purple filter to get these coloration modifications.

As one of many few individuals on this floating blue orb in area who truly enjoys the still-unrealized idea of stereoscopic, faux-3D gaming, I’m hoping the Virtual Boy peripheral could showcase extra of what this type of medium has to supply. I’ve performed emulations of Virtual Boy in VR, and the expertise is much extra engrossing than many gamers notice as we speak. Sure, goggles constructed on a kickstand are a recipe for eye and neck pressure, and the novelty could put on off rapidly for some. For others, it’s a mode to see the untapped potential of 3D shows.