Virtual Boy fans, our time has come. In the recent Nintendo Direct, it was announced that anyone with an active Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription would be getting a brand new platform of retro games to choose from. Since NES, Super NES, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and Sega Genesis are already available, what platform is even left? Sega Saturn? TurboGrafx-16? Neo Geo? 

No, defying all sense of logic and reason, Nintendo is bringing the Virtual Boy to Nintendo Switch. And if that’s not weird enough, they’re doing it in just about the most nonsensical way possible. 

First, I have to say up front that I’m a huge Virtual Boy fan. The notion of VB games showing up in the Nintendo Classics line (formerly NSO) is fantastic to me. But I also live in reality, and am keenly aware that the Virtual Boy’s appeal is pretty limited. That said, at least in the US, there were no genuinely bad games released for the system. They’re all at least decent, with some hanging out in the “very good” department, and there are even a few that I would consider genuinely great. So, the notion of more people having easier access to these legitimately interesting games for the first time since their initial release sure sounds to me like a good thing. 

The problem is, they aren’t lowering the barrier of entry all that much. 

According to Nintendo, these games will NOT be playable on your TV. They can only be played via one of two new accessories they're releasing just for this purpose. One is what looks to essentially be a redesigned version of the LABO VR goggles. These cost $25, and if the LABO VR stuff is any indication, they’ll work… fine. Not amazing, but hardly a terrible way to play, either. Your other option is a plastic replica of the original Virtual Boy that you can slide your Switch or Switch 2 console into. That little treasure will run you $100. 

So, not only do you have to have a subscription to NSO + Expansion Pack, and a Switch or Switch 2 console of some sort, but you also need to drop a minimum of $25 just to play the games at all. I can’t help asking, why? Why are we doing things this way? These games don’t all work flawlessly without the 3D effect, but the vast majority of them are perfectly playable without it. So why on Earth is there no option to just play them on the TV? Unofficial methods have been able to do this for ages, so what gives? Why are we paywalling this content so thoroughly? 

And why the heck is that Virtual Boy shell so dang expensive? Alarmo is the same price, and that thing at least includes some actual electronics. This is just a plastic shell. $100 seems excessive. 

Then there’s the strange case of the games coming to the service. There were only 14 Virtual Boy games released in North America, and there just so happens to be 14 games coming to the service over time. How much time? Who knows? Nintendo loves their drip feed approach, so I’m guessing “a while.” Anyway, those 14 games aren’t just the North American releases. It’s instead a selection of games from all territories, which in all honesty is perfectly understandable, with a couple of notable exceptions. These are the games coming to the service. 

There are some real standouts here, as well as some odd omissions, and I’ll do a game by game breakdown in a future post. But my overall impression is that they did a pretty good job of representing the VB’s library here. So that’s a solid point in the win category. 

This all begs the question, who exactly is this for? I always thought the purpose of the Nintendo Classics apps was to add value to the Nintendo Switch Online subscription proposition. But these don’t do that. The Virtual Boy already has very limited appeal, and making them accessible only to those who subscribe to the more expensive version of their online service, and who are willing to purchase an additional accessory, seems completely bonkers to me. Now, this is all based on the limited information we got during the Nintendo Direct, and it’s important to note that there are still a lot of unanswered questions. 

HyperBoy+ 32Mbit Flashcart

$214.99

HyperBoy+ 32Mbit Flashcart This is HyperBoy+.  All the same great things about HyperBoy but with a BWRY eInk panel and a full aluminum shell!  Graphics...… read more

First and foremost, will these games truly only be playable with the Virtual Boy accessories? Similar language has been used by Nintendo in the past that has turned out to be completely untrue. Not that long ago, Nintendo released a GameCube controller for the Switch 2 that included a disclaimer “only compatible with Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics.” That thing works just fine with nearly all other software, but it’s only “official” compatibility is with the Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics. So is this Virtual Boy library in a similar boat? Is it more of a recommendation that the games be played with the 3D effect since some of them become difficult to play without it? Could this just be some sort of legalese misunderstanding? 

Similarly, what kind of display options will be available? Will they only display the two images on screen at a time? What kinds of adjustments will be possible to make the 3D effect work for different people? 

How does the actual gameplay experience compare to the real thing? LABO VR on Switch could look a bit blurry since the Switch’s screen wasn’t exactly designed to be stared at that closely. I’ve never tried it with an OLED, but would that work better? Will the Switch 2’s screen hold up to that scrutiny? Will it even matter with red and black visuals? 

Will we see any more games? Nintendo shut the Virtual Boy down pretty quickly, and there’s famously a decent amount of content still left on the table. Could they pull a StarFox 2 and just drop Dragon Hopper on us at some point? 

We’re probably going to have to wait until February at the very least to learn the answers. There’s never not been a strange time to be a Virtual Boy fan, and Nintendo sure has made this particular piece of this hobby a lot more interesting. 

Virtual Ribbon Replacement Kit for Virtual Boy

$44.99

Virtual Ribbon - By SegaSonicFan   UPDATE: NEW version 4.0!  Improved design for easier installation LED indicator for debugging   PLEASE NOTE: We highly recommend adding...… read more