Virtual Boy

The Virtual Boy (Japanese: バーチャルボーイ Bācharu Bōi) is a 32-bit tabletop virtual reality video game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. Released in 1995, it was marketed as the first consumer stereoscopic 3D gaming system capable of displaying "true 3D graphics" without requiring glasses or traditional head-mounted displays. The system featured a distinctive red monochrome display viewed through a binocular eyepiece, utilizing the parallax effect to create an illusion of depth through an effect known as parallax.

Virtual Boy
Basic Info
VR/AR	Virtual Reality
Type	Head-mounted display
Subtype	Tabletop VR, Vintage VR
Platform	Virtual Boy
Creator	Gunpei Yokoi
Developer	Nintendo R&D1
Manufacturer	Nintendo
Announcement Date	November 15, 1994
Release Date	JP: July 21, 1995•NA: August 14, 1995
Price	$179.95 USD (launch), $159.95 (October 1995), $99.95 (May 1996)
Website	N/A (discontinued)
Versions	Standard (retail), Store Display Unit
Requires	Six AA batteries or AC adapter
Predecessor	None
Successor	None (discontinued)
System
Operating System	Proprietary
Chipset	NEC V810
CPU	NEC V810 (V810 uPD70732) 32-bit RISC processor @ 20 MHz
GPU	Video Image Processor (VIP)
HPU	N/A
Storage
Storage	N/A
Memory	128 KB DRAM (framebuffer), 128 KB VRAM, 64 KB WRAM, 1 KB cache
SD Card Slot	No
Display
Display	Dual 1×224 LED array with oscillating mirrors
Subpixel Layout	Single column LED array
Peak Brightness	N/A
Resolution	384×224 per eye
Pixel Density	N/A
Refresh Rate	50.27 Hz
Persistence	Low persistence LED
Precision	32 levels of intensity (4 shades displayed simultaneously)
Image
Field of View	~50° horizontal
Horizontal FoV	~50°
Vertical FoV	N/A
Visible FoV	N/A
Rendered FoV	N/A
Binocular Overlap	Full overlap
Average Pixel Density	N/A
Peak Pixel Density	N/A
Foveated Rendering	No
Optics
Optics	Fixed focus lens system
Ocularity	Binocular
IPD Range	Adjustable via mechanical knob
Adjustable Diopter	Yes (focus slider)
Passthrough	No
Tracking
Tracking	None
Tracking Frequency	N/A
Base Stations	N/A
Eye Tracking	No
Face Tracking	No
Hand Tracking	No
Body Tracking	No
Rotational Tracking	No
Positional Tracking	No
Update Rate	N/A
Tracking Volume	N/A
Play Space	Tabletop only
Latency	N/A
Audio
Audio	16-bit stereo
Microphone	No
3.5mm Audio Jack	Yes (on controller)
Camera	No
Connectivity
Connectivity	Controller port, cartridge slot, EXT port (unused)
Ports	Game Pak slot, Controller port, AC adapter port, EXT port
Wired Video	N/A
Wireless Video	No
WiFi	No
Bluetooth	No
Power	6 AA batteries or AC adapter
Battery Capacity	N/A
Battery Life	Approximately 4-6 hours
Charge Time	N/A
Device
Dimensions	8.5" W × 10" H × 4.3" D (25.4 cm × 20.3 cm × 10.1 cm)
Weight	750g-760g (without batteries)
Material	Plastic
Headstrap	None (tabletop design with bipod stand)
Haptics	No
Color	Red and black
Sensors	None
Input	Virtual Boy Controller
Compliance	N/A
Size	Tabletop unit
Cable Length	Controller cable approximately 2m

Despite Nintendo's ambitious vision and significant marketing investment of $25 million, the Virtual Boy became one of the company's most notable commercial failures. The console was discontinued less than a year after its release, with only 22 games ever published for the system. Total sales reached approximately 770,000 units worldwide before discontinuation.

History

Development

The Virtual Boy's development began when Gunpei Yokoi, creator of the Game Boy and Game & Watch series, became interested in stereoscopic display technology developed by Reflection Technology Inc. (RTI), a Massachusetts-based company. The technology used a single line of red LEDs combined with a vibrating mirror to create the illusion of a full display.

The project was initially codenamed "VR32" (Virtual Reality 32-bit), and Nintendo entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with RTI around 1991-1992. Yokoi's Nintendo R&D1 team, consisting of approximately 60 people, spent four years developing the system. During development, Yokoi referred to his vision as the "Virtual Utopia Experience." Notably, Shigeru Miyamoto's involvement in the development of the Virtual Boy was minimal.

Nintendo constructed a dedicated manufacturing facility in China specifically for Virtual Boy production. However, various factors during development led to significant changes from the original concept. The system evolved from a head-mounted display to a tabletop device due to concerns about liability issues, including fears of children falling down stairs or getting injured in car accidents while playing. Nintendo also eliminated head tracking to mitigate motion sickness and risks like lazy eye, prioritizing user safety.

Launch and Marketing

The Virtual Boy was officially announced at the Japan Shoshinkai event on November 15-16, 1994, and shown at the 1995 Consumer Electronics Show. Nintendo released the system in Japan on July 21, 1995, followed by a North American launch on August 14, 1995. The console launched with a retail price of $179.95 USD.

Nintendo's marketing campaign portrayed the Virtual Boy as a paradigm shift in gaming, using cavemen in advertisements to indicate historical evolution and psychedelic imagery to emphasize the revolutionary nature of the technology. The company partnered with Blockbuster and NBC for a $5 million promotional campaign. In a marketing campaign with Blockbuster, customers could rent the console and receive a $10 coupon towards the purchase of a new one.

Commercial Performance and Discontinuation

Despite heavy marketing, the Virtual Boy struggled commercially from the start. Nintendo had projected sales of three million consoles and 14 million games, but the Virtual Boy sold only 770,000 units during its lifetime. Nintendo reduced the price to $159.95 in October 1995 and further dropped it to $99.95 in May 1996. By mid-1996, unsold units were discounted to $50 at retailers.

The system was discontinued in Japan on December 22, 1995, and in North America in March 1996 (some sources cite August 1996). Total worldwide shipments reached 800,000 units, with approximately 770,000 sold—140,000 in the United States and 630,000 in Japan. The Virtual Boy was never released in Europe, Australia, or PAL regions.

Hardware

Technical Specifications

The Virtual Boy utilized advanced hardware for its time, featuring a 32-bit architecture built around the NEC V810 processor—Nintendo's first 32-bit system.

Component	Specification
CPU	NEC V810 (uPD70732) 32-bit RISC processor @ 20 MHz
RAM	64 KB WRAM (Work RAM)
Video RAM	128 KB VRAM + 128 KB DRAM (framebuffer)
Cache	1 KB cache
Graphics Processor	Video Image Processor (VIP)
Sound Processor	Virtual Sound Unit (VSU)
Display Resolution	384×224 pixels per eye
Color Depth	4 shades (2-bit) monochrome red (32 levels of intensity)
Refresh Rate	50.27 Hz
Field of View	~50° horizontal
Audio	16-bit stereo sound

Display Technology

The Virtual Boy's unique display system was manufactured by Reflection Technology Inc. and consisted of two identical display units, one for each eye. Each unit contained:

• A single vertical array of 224 red LEDs
• An oscillating mirror system vibrating at high speed
• A lens for focusing the image
• 32 levels of brightness intensity per pixel (with 4 shades displayed simultaneously)

The oscillating mirrors rapidly scanned the LED columns across the viewer's field of vision, creating the perception of a full 384×224 pixel image for each eye. The mirrors produced the characteristic humming sound during operation and were sensitive to physical shock.

Nintendo chose red LEDs because they were the cheapest, most efficient, and brightest option available in 1995. Blue LEDs and green LEDs with sufficient brightness for the display system were prohibitively expensive and did not become commercially viable until 1996.

Health and Safety Features

The Virtual Boy included an automatic pause feature that activated every 15–30 minutes to encourage breaks, addressing reports of headaches, dizziness, and eye strain. Nintendo included warnings in the manual about potential health issues and recommended regular breaks during gameplay.

Controller

The Virtual Boy Controller featured an innovative "M-shaped" design with:

• Two D-pads (one on each side)
• Four face buttons (A, B on each side)
• Two shoulder buttons (L and R)
• Start and Select buttons
• Battery pack slot on the rear
• 3.5mm audio jack for headphones

The controller was designed symmetrically to accommodate both left-handed and right-handed players. It served as the system's power connection point, accepting either six AA batteries via the Battery Pak (providing 4-6 hours of playtime) or an AC adapter that used the same connector as the SNES.

Cartridge System

Virtual Boy games used specialized cartridges called Game Paks that could hold up to 128 Mbits (16 MB) of ROM data. The cartridges used a 60-pin connector with needle-like pins rather than flat contacts.

Unused Features

An EXT port was included on the Virtual Boy for potential multiplayer functionality via a link cable, but this accessory was never released.

Graphics Capabilities

Video Image Processor (VIP)

The Video Image Processor was Nintendo's custom graphics chip that handled all visual processing for the Virtual Boy. Unlike traditional tile-based engines that rendered graphics per scanline, the VIP used a framebuffer architecture.

The VIP consisted of three main components:

• Pixel Processor (XP): Generated backgrounds and sprites
• Display Processor (DP): Controlled the LED scanner and sent framebuffers for display
• Memory Interfaces: Provided access to VRAM and DRAM, arbitrating access between components

The VIP supported several advanced features including:

• Affine transformations for pseudo-3D effects
• Multiple background layers
• Sprite rendering
• Hardware-based stereoscopic rendering

Software Library

The Virtual Boy had an extremely limited software library, with only 22 games released worldwide—14 in North America and 19 in Japan. The North American launch titles were Mario's Tennis (pack-in game), Red Alarm, Teleroboxer, and Galactic Pinball.

Title	Developer	Region	Release Date
3D Tetris	Nintendo R&D1	NA only	NA: March 22, 1996
Galactic Pinball	Nintendo R&D1	Worldwide	JP: July 21, 1995•NA: August 14, 1995
Golf	T&E Soft	Worldwide	JP: August 11, 1995•NA: November 1995
Insmouse no Yakata	I'Max	Japan only	JP: October 1995
Jack Bros.	Atlus	Worldwide	JP: September 29, 1995•NA: October 1995
Mario Clash	Nintendo R&D1	Worldwide	JP: September 28, 1995•NA: October 1995
Mario's Tennis	Nintendo R&D1	Worldwide	JP: July 21, 1995•NA: August 14, 1995
Nester's Funky Bowling	Nintendo IRD	NA only	NA: February 1996
Panic Bomber	Hudson Soft	Worldwide	JP: July 21, 1995•NA: December 1995
Red Alarm	T&E Soft	Worldwide	JP: July 21, 1995•NA: August 14, 1995
SD Gundam Dimension War	Bandai	Japan only	JP: December 22, 1995
Space Invaders Virtual Collection	Taito	Japan only	JP: December 1, 1995
Space Squash	Coconuts Japan	Japan only	JP: September 28, 1995
Teleroboxer	Nintendo R&D1	Worldwide	JP: July 21, 1995•NA: August 14, 1995
V-Tetris	Bullet-Proof Software	Japan only	JP: August 25, 1995
Vertical Force	Hudson Soft	Worldwide	JP: December 22, 1995•NA: December 1995
Virtual Bowling	Athena	Japan only	JP: December 22, 1995
Virtual Fishing	Pack-In-Video	Japan only	JP: December 22, 1995
Virtual Lab	J-Wing	Japan only	JP: December 8, 1995
Virtual League Baseball	Kemco	Worldwide	JP: August 11, 1995•NA: September 1995
Virtual Boy Wario Land	Nintendo R&D1	Worldwide	JP: December 1, 1995•NA: November 1995
Waterworld	Ocean Software	NA only	NA: December 1995

Many additional titles were in development but were cancelled when the system was discontinued, including Virtual Boy versions of GoldenEye 007, Star Fox, Donkey Kong Country 2, and a Metroid game.

Reception and Legacy

Critical Reception

The Virtual Boy received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics and consumers. Common criticisms included:

• Monochromatic red display causing eye strain and headaches
• Lack of true portability due to tabletop design
• Limited game library
• High price point
• Poor ergonomics requiring players to hunch over the device
• Lack of head tracking or motion controls
• The uncomfortable table-top design causing back and neck pain

The Virtual Boy is widely considered to be Nintendo's biggest hardware failure and one of the worst video game consoles ever made.

Impact on Industry

Despite its commercial failure, the Virtual Boy influenced future developments in virtual reality and stereoscopic gaming:

• Nintendo successfully implemented stereoscopic 3D technology in the Nintendo 3DS (2011), using autostereoscopic display technology
• The system pioneered affordable stereoscopic gaming displays
• Modern VR headsets like Oculus Rift achieved what the Virtual Boy attempted
• The Virtual Boy demonstrated the importance of ergonomics and comfort in VR design

Impact on Gunpei Yokoi

The creator of the Virtual Boy, Gunpei Yokoi, left Nintendo shortly after the console's failure in 1996, although he stated that his departure was not related to the Virtual Boy's poor performance. Yokoi tragically died in a car accident in 1997.

Cultural Impact

The Virtual Boy has been referenced in various Nintendo games and media:

• Super Smash Bros. Melee features Virtual Boy trophies
• WarioWare series includes Virtual Boy-themed microgames
• Tomodachi Life shows Mii characters worshipping a Virtual Boy
• Luigi's Mansion 3 features the "Virtual Boo" device

Virtual Boy merchandise is available at the Nintendo Museum in Kyoto, Japan, as of 2024.

Preservation and Emulation

The Virtual Boy community remains active in preserving the system's legacy:

• Planet Virtual Boy serves as a central hub for enthusiasts
• Homebrew development continues with new games and demos
• Modern emulators allow Virtual Boy games to be played on contemporary hardware
• Hobbyists have adapted Virtual Boy games for modern platforms, including Google Cardboard, Samsung Gear VR, and Oculus Rift in 2016
• A VGA monitor/TV setup modification was created in 2018
• In 2024, "Red Viper" emulator was released for Nintendo 3DS, enabling stereoscopic 3D Virtual Boy emulation

See Also

• List of Virtual Boy games
• History of virtual reality
• Gunpei Yokoi
• Nintendo consoles
• Stereoscopic video game
• Commercial failures in video gaming